At Car Direct USA, we strive to make sure that our customers have the knowledge at hand to properly maintain their vehicle.  According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 660 highway fatalities are caused by under-inflated tires annually. Since this week is National Tire Awareness & Safety Week, we thought we’d take this opportunity to share some tips on how to properly maintain and care for you tires so that you get the most out of them.

• Tire Pressure – Don’t risk a blowout – you should check your tire pressure regularly as well as tire wear. You can usually find this information in your vehicle’s service manual, or on the vehicle information label found on the driver’s side door jamb. Also, don’t forget to check your spare tire as well.
• Tread Depth – You can check tire wear with the quick and easy penny trick. Put a penny into each of the tread grooves, with Lincoln’s head toward the inside. If you can see the top of Honest Abe’s head, your tires are worn. Be sure to check several grooves across the width of the tire. Tires are worn and unsafe with anything less than 2/32” of tread depth.
• Tire Rotation – Maintain consistent wear of your tires on your vehicle, this will allow you to control your car better.  To get the most out of your tires and the longest life to maximize your investment, rotate your tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
• Adjust for Loads – in the Hampton Roads area, we are constantly towing a boat, or loading down our vehicles for that trip to the beach, and packing up for vacation.  You may need to increase your tire pressure to accommodate the additional weight of your load.  Refer to your owner’s manual and/or the tire placard for recommended pressures.  And when you’re done, don’t forget to adjust back to the normal pressure your tires need.
• Avoid Potholes – Driving through just one large pothole, even in the summer, can weaken a tire, reducing its long-term durability and ride quality.  Potholes can also knock a vehicle out of alignment, reducing handling and tire life.  Drive around large puddles as well, they often hide deep, rain-filled potholes.

We encourage all of our customers to be aware of and follow-thru with ongoing maintenance.  This is why we offer all of our customers a lifetime of free oil changes and state inspections with their vehicle purchase!  We are happy to help our customers with any questions they have regarding tires, fluids, brakes, lights, wipers, and dashboard lights.  So if something comes up, don’t hesitate to contact us!

It seems adults, specifically parents with young children, are just as guilty as everyone and anyone else when it comes to engaging in distracted driving.  Researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed more than 600 parents to find out what distractions they face while driving with their children, whether they use age-appropriate child restraints and if they had ever been in a motor vehicle accident.  They found that almost 90% of drivers reported engaging in at least one technology-based distraction while driving their child in the past month, drivers who reported engaging in distracting behaviors were more likely to report having ever been in a crash, and drivers of children who were not restrained in an age-appropriate restraint had 2.5 times higher odds of reporting a child-related distraction than drivers of children who were restrained properly.

The results were shocking to us, and we started thinking about what could be done to help prevent these hazards and keep all children a little safer.  At Car Direct USA, we came up with 3 key items for you to take a minute and think about next time you get in a vehicle with your child:

1 – Set an example and wear your own seatbelt.  Inspiration: Parents who reported always wearing a seatbelt were significantly more likely to report their child always uses the age-appropriate restraint.

2 – Ensure you have the correct and age-appropriate restraint for your child.  Inspiration: Many children are not using the right safety seat for their size.  Check your state’s law for specific child-restraint regulations.

3 – Put your phone down.  Inspiration: Almost 90% of drivers reported engaging in at least one technology-based distraction while driving their child.

To learn more about this study: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/aaop-mpm042613.php

At Car Direct USA, our goal is to help you in finding the right vehicle for you.  Check out our inventory page to see what we currently have in stock.  Don’t see what you’re looking for?  Give us a call – that vehicle may be on its way in.  If not, we’ll find it for you!

More and more people are looking to buy American Made products – including vehicles, helping keep jobs here.  In an effort to help consumers buy American, we are sharing with you a new index released by American University’s Kogod School of Business.  The findings – domestic brand vehicles have the most American-made content in the United States; taking into consideration not only where each vehicle’s parts are produced, but also the locations of the manufacturer’s headquarters.

The scary part when looking at purchasing an American-made vehicle?  You could take the transmission apart and discover that 80% of the parts inside didn’t come from American factories, they are stamped with their own country of origin.

What are the Top Five American-made models from the index?
1 – GMA Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevrolet Traverse (all tied)
2 – Dodge Avenger, Ford F-Series pick-up (both tied)
3 – Chrysler 300
4 – Jeep Compass, Patriot, and Wrangler (all tied)
5 – Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Mustang, and GMC Terrain (all tied)

At Car Direct, our goal is to help you in finding the right vehicle for you.  Check out our inventory page to see what we currently have in stock.  Don’t see what your looking for?  Give us a call – that vehicle may be on its way in.  If not, we’ll find it for you!

See the full Kogod Made in America Auto Index here:
http://kogodnow.com/autoindex/

To find out how much of your car is actually made in America, check out the American Automobile Labeling Act reports below.  The AALA informs consumers about the percentage of American content which comprises each car. AALA data specifies the percentage of U.S./Canadian parts content for each vehicle, including where the engine and transmissions were built.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/809208.html