FALCONER AUTO REPAIR

Dogs Are People Too! Cat Lover On Board. I Like Big Mutts And I Cannot Lie! My Cats Are Smarter Than Your Honor Student. These are some of the bumper stickers you might find slapped on the autos of pet lovers. But there are probably some really handy pet accessories inside of those cars too. Here are a few that can keep you and your pets safe and comfortable and avoid some of the wear and tear pets can cause your vehicle. Upholstery Protection Seat covers are the optimal upholstery-saver for the pet owner's car, truck, or van. Most covers are for back bench seats (if your vehicle has front airbags, no pets should ride in the front seat without the airbags disabled), but some slip nicely over bucket seats. There are even pet covers to fit in the cargo area of SUVs. All of them are easy to remove for c ... read more

Today's post is for Falconer dog lovers who bring their furry friend along with them in their automobile but do not use any type of restraint device. If this is the case for you, you are not alone. (I am sure many of us motorists are culpable.) In a recent survey by AAA and Kurgo (a pet supply company), only 16% of respondents reported using an auto safety restraint for their dog. Key results from the study: 56% of survey participants had driven with their pet in a vehicle at least once a month over the prior year. 29% reported to being distracted by their pet while behind the wheel. 65% of dog owners admit to engaging in potentially distracting behavior while driving with their dog. Reported behavior while driving with dogs: Petting dog (52%). Using hands or arms to restrict  ... read more

Whether you are purchasing or maintaining a vehicle, the quality of your brakes should be at the top of your list of concerns. How do brakes work? When you apply the brakes, you are driving a plunger in the master cylinder. This impels brake fluid through a system of hoses. Brake fluid (hydraulic fluid) can't be compressed, so it has enough power to engage a braking unit secured to the wheel. With a disk brake, the brake fluid comes from the master cylinder to a caliper. The caliper pushes a piston which squeezes two rotors (or disks). The rotors are secured to the wheel. Drum brakes use a wheel cylinder, brake shoes, and drum to stop the wheel. Brake fluid is forced into the wheel cylinder. The wheel cylinder thrusts the brake shoes away from the drum. This causes the friction linings to press against the drum. The drum is secured to the wheel, therefore, the wheel stops rotating. Your brake system is pretty fantastic! It can bring a 4,000 pound ... read more

Play groups, soccer practice, preschool, doctor appointments, trips to grandma's house, music lessons. Shouldn't every parent earn their chauffeur's license with all of this kid shuttling? Thankfully, there are many terrific products that can make the time you spend in the car more enjoyable for the whole family. Sun Shades Keeping your child safely secured in a car seat or booster seat is a no-brainer, but have you ever thought of how little movement they have once they are strapped in? And if the sun is just right in the sky, your kiddie might not be able to change their position enough to avoid bright light in their eyes and heat on their skin. How uncomfortable! But side window sunshades can keep your child cool and relaxed. They block out the sun's rays without compromising visibility for the driver ... read more

Red light runners cause over 700 fatalities every year. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety  Violators make the intersection dangerous for everyone. This includes people on foot, motorcycles, bicycles, and in other cars. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), over half the victims killed in crashes caused by red-light runners were not in the violator's vehicle. Many cities have adopted red light cameras in attempts to reduce red light accidents. If a driver runs a red, it triggers the device to record a picture and video using radar. Then the violator receives a citation in the mail. Red light camera systems were developed in the Netherland ... read more

Jeep has become a household name for four-wheelers who use them to scale mountains and maneuver over rough terrain. The Mercedes Benz G wagon is another all-terrain vehicle that has become an exceptionally popular luxury SUV. And the Hummer is known for its ominous presence on the road. All three of these cars have a few things in common, but today we’re going to get a little insight on the vital roles each of these smartly-designed vehicles played in war. The Car That Won World War II Let us start with Jeep. Back in the heart of World War II, Jeep SUVs were being produced by both Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company. They were each producing a similar model of the Jeep and both models were made solely for military purposes. This means that not a single Jeep at the time was built for civilian drivers. War officers and ... read more

So you did your best to get out of a violation, but your charm and pleading didn't work. Don’t lose hope, tickets can be dismissed in court. There are several things you can do to improve your odds. 1. Request An Informal Meeting This may sound crazy, but calling the officer and asking to meet to talk about the fine may work. You help pay the officer's salary, so don’t be afraid to ask to speak with him or her at a convenient time. Be sure to call during work hours at the police department phone number. (That's probably the only number you have, but if you have a cell number from a business card, you don't want to call late.) If the officer grants your request, be prepared to justify why you should be let off the hook. Depending on the violation, there are reasons you could be excused from breaking a traffic law. Maybe you crossed the double yellow line to avoid hitting an animal. Or you pulled over on the freeway because your automobile ... read more

If you've ever been caught in a downpour while behind the wheel you know how perilous it can be. Your visibility is compromised while road conditions become dangerously slippery. There are some preventative treatments you can take to help keep your windshield clear during torrential rain or wet snow. The first is to have reliable wiper blades and the second is to apply a hydrophobic glass coating. Just as the name describes, hydrophobic glass repels water. Windshields treated with this sealant cause water to bead up more quickly so it doesn't block your view of the pavement and the traffic around you. Hydrophobic glass coating not only helps when visibility is obstructed, it can increase the life of windshield wiper blades. It does this by minimizing the workload and smoothing out any imperfections in the glass. This curtails the friction your blades encounter. Some auto owners use hydrophobic coating mainly because of its self-cleaning properties. Another windshield coati ... read more

Most Americans who have driven in rural areas are familiar with the shady "small town speed trap"— a stretch of road or relatively small location where local law enforcement unfairly targets drivers. Before we present our list, we want to assure you that I-86 Truck & Auto Repair does not advise motorists to travel at unsafe speeds. If you need quality automotive service, however, we invite you to drive safely to I-86 Truck & Auto Repair in Falconer and we will take care of you. Here are 8 communities that warrant vigilant adherance to posted speed limits. 1. Waldo, Florida Population 1,015 The community of Waldo straddles Highway 301 and covers a mere two square miles—but don't let its minuscu ... read more

Local TV ads for used car sellers usually have a couple of things in common: they are low budget and they star a salesman who is selling cars so cheaply that he must be out of his mind. It's been this way for years, but why? Who came up with the idea to feign insanity for the sake of car sales? Earl Muntz Capitalized on Wartime Shortages The answer is Earl "Madman" Muntz. Muntz began selling used cars in 1941 in southern California. Because of World War II, no new cars were manufactured, so the used car business was coming into its own. Muntz bought cars in the midwest and then paid servicemen to drive them to California on their way to report to military service. California prices were significantly higher than midwest prices. In addition to a brilliant business model, he worked with advertiser Mike Shore to ... read more