Good Day,

Sorry to all my loyal readers for not posting last week. I'm working on an awesome promotion for VenturaCountyStar.com/Cars. The promo will be marketed under the name "Love My Ride" and it's going to rock. Many of you remember our free fuel campaign, well this will definitely hit that level in popularity! So if you, or any of your friends or family is in the market for a new auto be sure to keep an eye out for this contest. Without giving away too much, you have the opportunity to win a full package for your car including wheels, tires, tint, stereo, and even a full detail! All this just from using us as your one stop shop for a new or used auto!.

Now I want to discuss safety on our local highways and freeways. Like many of you I listen to the radio for up to the minute traffic conditions on my way to work (yes, I would go online to our site if I could but my police friends highly discourage driving and surfing the web in unison!). One thing I seem to hear at least once a week during morning commute is word of a ladder in the freeway in lane number whatever by whatever exit. My question is this... How many ladders are there? I mean there must only be so many contractors in the area right? So how is it on average at least once every week a ladder is lost on the freeway? Is it so hard to strap down your equipment?

Having said that I suggest this. One thing we were taught in the many hours of training for AAA Roadside was to "clear your truck". This meant every time you finished a call you checked your truck to make sure all your equipment was secure. Something as simple as a tire chalk or a small 2x4 can translate to a lethal weapon at freeway speeds. Such items can put many innocent motorists in danger due to ones gross negligence. I'm not going to go as far to guess why one would throw a ladder on top of a truck and not strap it down at the same time but I have my theories. All I ask is that you make sure it's securely strapped down to your vehicle before hitting the road.

I have a few more pet peeves I feel so inclined to touch on since they fall under the same category of motorist’s poor judgment. If you realize you missed an exit please do not cut across 3 lanes of traffic to try and make it, or back up the shoulder! It's not like we live in Baker and if you miss the last exit you will have to drive another 23 miles to the next!? I suggest taking the next off ramp then double back, it won't save time but can save lives. I also suggest those that drive the speed limit or lower to stay to the right. In other countries including Mexico and most of Europe, the left lane is for passing only. This means use it to pass other cars then drop back to the right lane. I'm not sure if it's a power trip thing or lack of common sense in this country but this is a large problem on our roadways and needs to be addressed.

As always be safe out their on our roads and don't be in such a hurry to wait.

Cheers, Lance

Hello All,

First off I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year and hope this year brings you happiness and content. Having said that, this week’s topic has to do in big part with what brought me to The Star and why I saw “greener pastures�.

As mentioned in my first blog, prior to my current position I worked for the largest used car website online. One question I faced in the field calling on my prior clients was "why did you leave?". There was nothing wrong working with the “giant� but I would simply explain that I saw potential for a program that catered to the local market. Yes, the World Wide Web knows no boundaries but sometimes a large net has more holes. By this I mean that detail and personal touch is often times lost when having a national focus.

I'm not sure how aware the public is but there has been a shift in the automotive industry and the internet has played a major roll. Much like the record industry, the power has shifted to the consumer. If knowledge is power the public is running on nitrous right now! More than ever all the information is right at your fingertips. With online comparison programs from companies like Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book you can get a breakdown of pros and cons in a side by side comparison of any car you can think of.

Now that you have the information on your dream car what do you do with it? Well let’s go back to what makes the internet so great. What is one thing that most love to avoid in this day and age? Confrontation! The day of greeting all you pass on the street has come and gone and this has translated to the consumer’s buying practice as well. I mean why else did I do 90% of my shopping online for Christmas? To avoid incompetent sales people and rude crowds. So don’t be so quick to jump offline and make your move. With our program (venturacountystar.com/cars) you can shop and get actual quotes from almost every dealer in Ventura County. They very much want to keep their local customers local and most I see willing to meet or beat the giant superstores south of us.

One thing I suggest is to not shop yourself out of the market. By this I mean the people who shop the car so much that it all becomes a blur, to a point where they throw up their hands in disgust. Make sure you compare apples for apples and realize it’s not worth taking your money out of your neighborhood over a little $100 difference in price. After all, you will spend that much just in the drive down for the better deal! I saw a client yesterday and he was so frustrated because he met a competitor’s price for a customer plus his car had a $695 option and that wasn’t good enough?! Make sure you factor in all those extras, sometimes one apple is a Fuji and the other is a Granny and you should consider that. Best of luck and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have during your car buying adventures.

Cheers, Lance

Greetings,

As mentioned before, it was tradition to work on cars rather than watch sports and this rule especially applied on holidays. My Dad always had all annual or major maintenance slated for the Thanksgiving holiday. In California this isn’t such a bad idea being it's when we consider the start of “bad weather� season. Typically it was just a little tune up; oil change, spark plugs, new air filter and PCV valve (and yes, that stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation not Pollution Control Valve!) but sometimes it was new brakes, valve cover gaskets or aftermarket mods. More importantly, this was a very important time for my sister who for some reason thought all a car needed was gas to run.

I’m here to share with those out there like my sister some of the basics to keep from cursing your car out on the side of the road in Barstow! All cars need maintenance, no matter if you have a 36k or a 100k warranty there is still routine as well as preventative maintenance that should be performed on a regular basis. Today I am going to give a little rundown of a few simple steps to keep you out of the emergency lane.

First off here is my little disclaimer: All of my recommendations are rules of thumb in the industry, for specific maintenance schedules please check your owner’s manual or contact your local authorized dealer.

I want to share a few maintenance steps that apply to everyone. Most of you find yourselves at the gas station once a week or every 150-300 miles. So 4 times a month you have an extra few minutes to care for your car. Don’t hook up the pump then sit on your rump, make use of this down time!

1. Check your oil: Even the newest of cars potentially “use� oil. My car has only 2,500 miles and I have topped it off a little since my first “break in� oil change. Even my girlfriends 2004 Honda Accord needs a little top off every few months. Oil has more jobs than just to lubricate all metal parts in your engine. Oil is also there to prevent friction buildup, to transfer heat away from the combustion cycle as well as to clean out chemicals and buildup in the engine. As temperamental as some engines are today this is more important than ever to maintain proper oil levels.

Be sure to check what specific grade oil your vehicle takes. Almost every manufacturer puts the required oil weight on the oil cap, if not check your manual. The oil stick can be found on the side of a standard motor (European and some domestics) and the front of a transverse or “side-set� motors (Mostly Japanese and some American ). Most oil stick handles are red but some aren’t so look hard. Your owner’s manual can show you the exact location as well.

2. Check your air pressure: The only thing that keeps you on the road is your tires. They may look big but each contact patch (a.k.a. footprint) can be as small as 3�x6� which isn’t much for a 2 ton automobile. Tire manufacturers also state it’s not uncommon for tires to lose an average of 1-2 pounds of pressure per month. So, take the time to check the tire pressure at least once a month and while doing so visually inspect the tire for any potential damage and uneven wear. DO NOT go off the sidewall for tire pressure! This is an old practice that needs to end. The correct tire pressure is specific to the car, not the tire itself. The pressure on the sidewall is stating the max pressure allowed for that tire not what the actual operating pressure should be.

DOT has required since the mid-nineties that vehicle tire pressure be noted not only in the owner’s manual but on the car. For most the pressure ratings are in the driver’s door jam but others vary. For example; BMW puts their tire pressure on the inside of the gas door. It is found that 80% of flats occur when there is 20% or less tread on a tire.

Side note:
If you are unsure how much tread you have or don’t know how to inspect your tires, stop by your local tire shop for a free inspection. Big Brand Tires does this free of charge, as most shops do.

I hope this helps my fellow motorists out there. We need all the help with Southern California drivers in a big hurry to get nowhere fast!

Cheers, Lance