BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the days get shorter, it's a bright idea to make sure your vehicle's lights and wipers are working properly so you can be seen by others and your visibility is not compromised, advises the Car Care Council.

"Lights and wipers play a critical role in safe driving, as the chance of an accident increases if you can't see or be seen," said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. "From the driver's seat you may not notice a light that isn't working, so inspect all of your car's lights and replace those that are out. Also, inspect and replace wiper blades so you can see clearly when wet weather hits."

Lights are normal wear items that require periodic inspection and replacement. The lighting system provides nighttime visibility; signals and alerts other drivers; and supplies light for viewing instruments and the vehicle's interior. In addition to replacing dimming, rapidly blinking and non-functioning lights, the following tips can help keep you safe:

•Keep headlights, tail lights and signal lights clean. External dirt and debris can dim operational lights from being seen by others.

•Make sure that your headlights are properly aimed. Misaimed headlights blind other drivers and reduce your ability to see the road.

•Don't overdrive your headlights; you should be able to stop inside the illuminated area, otherwise you are creating a blind crash area in front of your vehicle.

•If there is any doubt on whether or not your headlights should be on, turn them on. Lights not only help you see better in early twilight, they also make it easier for other drivers to see you.

The wiper system keeps excessive water, snow and dirt from building up on the windshield, maintaining clear visibility. Many factors can accelerate the replacement interval of wipers, including operating conditions (winter conditions are tough on wiper blades), frequency of use, material and type of wipers and sunny weather. In fact, wiper blades can deteriorate faster and need more frequent replacement in desert states.

About the Car Care Council

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers. For a copy of the council's Car Care Guide or for more information, visit www.carcare.org.

SOURCE Car Care Council

http://www.carcare.org/

Two weeks ago, I reported that the new CAFE standard under consideration in Washington D.C. that would force carmakers to produce a fleet-wide average of 62 MPG is unsafe because cars would be smaller, lighter and underpowered.

Now, a new report was just released stating that the cost to consumers for this proposed MPG standard is absolutely staggering: $10,000. http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2011/06/62-mpg-standard-could-add-10000-to-cost-of-new-car/

I am going on the record right now and saying that the government needs to understand the automotive industry a little better before devising such lofty goals for it. Career politicians who don't pay for their own gas, let alone for their own cars, are completely out of touch with what the consumer wants and can afford. They are also clueless when it comes to business and the effects of overregulation. For my full opinion on this subject, check out Friday's report:

http://www.laurenfix.com/?site=1&dt=84&d=27

When it comes to car clunks and bangs, ignorance isn’t bliss.

Here's a multiple choice question. What do you do when you hear a funny noise from your vehicle?

1. Ignore it
2. Convince yourself that it's coming from the car next to you
3. Turn up your stereo so you can't hear it
4. None of the above

The answer should be 4. When your ride is making odd sounds—whether they're squeals, scrapes, pings or pows—it's telling you that something might be wrong. Try these ways to diagnose sounds of particular concern.

• Squealing: The most common squeals come from your brakes, and they mean you might be due for a new set. If you're not tapping the brakes but you still hear the squeal, don't think that everything is OK. "Some brakes have sensors that squeal on their own," says vehicle expert Lauren Fix, the "Car Coach" and Time Warner's national automotive correspondent. "If you wait on this, it could become much more dangerous—and turn into a much larger repair as you wear down your brake rotors."
• Scrape: This is a classic wiper noise, and not a benign one. "It means your wiper is wearing down," says Fix. "If it scratches your windshield, it will cost hundreds of dollars to replace. Plus, a bad wiper reduces visibility when it's raining—and 80 percent of your driving decisions are based on visibility."
• Clunking: If this happens while you're driving, it might be a bad shock absorber, which has an impact on handling, steering and even braking. Get it checked out.
• Loud clicking: If this happens while you're turning, the CV joint, which lubes the front axles, is the likely culprit. "It wears out and loses the grease that keeps axles lubricated," Fix says. It's best to replace the CV joint rather than waiting until you need costly axle replacements.
• Ticking: Typically, you'll hear this while you're stopped—if you're low on oil. Get an oil change as soon as you can. "You could do serious harm to your engine and might even need to replace it," Fix says.

DRIVING TIPS Back to School Safety

Time to keep an eye out for students.

Pedestrian-vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 14. Now that kids are back from summer camp and schools are preparing to re-open, school buses will soon be cruising the streets in full-force. That means drivers need to step-up safety around school zones, crosswalks, bus stops, and anywhere children may be playing outside. Here are some back-to-school tips:

Be familiar with school zones. Get in the habit of noticing where school zones and crosswalks are located on routes that you normally take. Accidents, including pedestrian accidents, are far more likely to occur on familiar routes that drivers know well—and thus are overly comfortable with.

Lauren Fix Provides Tips to Avoid Getting Burned

Lancaster, NY (August, 2007) – As the dog days of summer set in, it may be “so hot you could fry an egg,” but how about “it’s so hot you could cook poultry on your dashboard?”

No, this is not an outrageous new cooking show, but a true statement referring to the interior of vehicles. During the summer, vehicles may reach outrageous, unhealthy, and often damaging temperatures on the inside, causing them to turn into a proverbial oven. Lauren Fix, the automotive expert known as “The Car Coach®,” spokesperson for “Car Care Council,” and host of her own automotive television program, knows the facts and is helping drivers take precautionary measures so they don’t get “burned.”

When the temperature soars above 90F, air trapped inside a vehicle heats up quickly and can reach temperatures twice as hot as the thermometer reads. The steering wheel can reach 159° F, warm enough to cook medium rare beef; the seat can reach 162° F; and the dashboard can heat up to 181° F; all of this within a few hours or less. Chicken, eggs, bacon, and cookies could literally bake inside of a car. This heat may provide for a three course meal, but sun damage can seriously ruin paint jobs and interiors not to mention damage to any items left behind.

We know about the adverse effects that lying in the sun too long has on skin, but it is important to note that the sun is doing the same thing to our vehicles.

Lauren’s first suggestion is a sunshade. Sunshades, similar to sunscreen, block out up to 99% of UV rays. Not only will this keep the interior cooler by at least 49 degrees, it will protect fabric upholstery from fading and dashboards, leather upholstery, and steering wheels from cracking. A day in the sun will ruin personal items as well such as chapstick, lipstick, compact discs, film, and video or cassette tapes. The investment in a sunshade, costing on average $5.99, will guard your items and protect one of the most expensive purchases consumers make.

“Sun shades will make it easier to re-sell your vehicle,” says Lauren. “Resale value can drop $1,000-$2,000 due to interior heat damage. Check out sites such as Edmuds.com to see just how interior and exterior conditions affect the value of a car or truck.”

Other suggestions include steering wheel covers, window tint film, and seat covers; all of which can be purchased at any mass merchandiser or car part store. Lauren also recommends keeping a good coat of wax on the paint.

Above all Lauren puts safety first and advises against leaving kids or the elderly in the car while running errands, even if a window is cracked or open. This goes for pets too! It does not take long for a terrible situation to occur.

Leave the cooking at home and don’t let your vehicle become an oven!

We first thought that our trip to Italy would be from the comfort of Ferrari’s, Maserati’s, Alfa Romero's and Lamborghini’s. This was far from reality. We started by having a taxi drive from the airport that would put New York cab drivers to shame. Driving down the middle of two lanes at almost 100 mph., being passed on both sides and lots of horns plus a driver that spoke no English made us think twice about renting a car. So we walked, took the train at the termini and hired drivers that had sane driving skills.

Our driver, Raffale, gave us the rules of driving in Italy; for every law there is a loophole, and the lines on the road are just decorations! I'm glad those are not the rules of driving in the USA.

Service areas on the Autostrada, expressways or toll roads, are much different. In the United States we often get off the highway to have coffee, burgers, and sandwiches. In Italy, rest areas sell wine, beer and hard liquor as well as great quality food. Auto Grills all along the Auto Strada make fresh expressos and cappacinos. Shelby and I got hooked on the cappacinos because they make them at a drinkable temperature designed so that you can drink and go, not like American coffee joints' roasting hot coffee.

My first worry about the Auto Grill was the danger of drinking and driving. I was amazed to see almost everyone, including truck drivers, drinking a glass of liquor or wine with their meal.

LATEST

Look for Lauren's new book - "Lauren Fix's Essential Guide To Car Smarts"

Lauren Fix has appeared numerous times on Oprah, TODAY, The View, CNN, FOX News, ABC 20/20, Headlines News, MSNBC, TBS Makeover and a Movie Inside Edition, The Early Show, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, The Weather Channel, ESPN, Discovery, Speed, B. Smith Style and National Public Radio. Lauren can be seen and heard from coast-to-coast!

A highly credible automotive and lifestyle expert, Lauren Fix provides solid information on safety and on a wide range of automotive topics and issues.  Her motivational speeches as the “Carma Coach” will help you “read the road signs” and find the “vehicle” that gets you “where you want to go.”

She toured with O Magazine for “Oprah’s 2005 Live Your Best Life Tour” presenting motivational inspiration, consumer information and automotive advice.

Lauren is listed in The Yearbook of Experts, Authorities and Spokespersons since 1998.

Lauren Fix is the host and automotive expert for Talk 2 DIY Automotive, a show on Scripps Do-It-Yourself Network (DIY), airing in its 4th year.

Lauren’s two syndicated segments called: The Car Coach® covers car care tips and His Turn–Her Turn™ car reviews from a male and female perspective.  

Lauren is the automotive editor of YourLifeMagazine.com and editor-in-chief for CarZen.com; contributing content to USA Today; Good Housekeeping; Woman’s World; Redbook; Self; In Touch Weekly; Seventeen; Essence; Marie Claire; Prevention; Motor Trend; Truck Trend; Hot Rod; Car Craft to name a few.   

Lauren is also the author of Driving Ambitions: A Complete Guide to Amateur Auto Racing and the award winning Lauren's Guide To Loving Your Car! with St. Martins Press, June ‘08.  She is working on her fourth book with her daughter, Shelby.

Lauren Fix is the spokesperson for the “Be Car Care Aware” program, a consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair and Midas for their media outreach programs.

Lauren is an alpha-mom, her degree in management/marketing plus sales and marketing to design experience makes Lauren a hands-on expert that offers consumers education and personal experience that makes autos easier to understand.  She is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) since 1980 and ASE Certified technician.

Ms. Fix owns Automotive Aspects Inc., a consulting firm that provides media consulting, broadcast messaging strategy services and motivational seminars.

Lauren Fix has a high “trust factor” and can connect with viewers everywhere.

Lauren has earned many awards including: 2008 Women of the Year – Aftermarket Automotive; “40 Under 40 Business Award”; ‘00 Car Care Council Communications Award, ‘02 Women of the Year - Business Advisory Board of NY; ‘03 International Automotive Media Award-Public Service; ‘04 Top 25 Women Who Mean Business Award; ‘04 Northwood University Automotive Aftermarket Management Award, honored with the Best Business to Consumer Public Relations Efforts Award for ’05 and’06 as well as a Stevie Award for Best Marketing Campaign of 2006 and 2008 Automotive Woman Of The Year.

Lauren is currently working on two TV pilots, a book and a line of products

Lauren Fix  •   www.laurenfix.com •  716.440.3888

Background:
Lauren Fix travels regularly to speaking engagements around the country. But how did she get started?
It all began in Detroit, Michigan - known as ‘The Motor City' - the city where Lauren was born and where she learned how to maintain and work on cars at the tender age of 10. Lauren does have motor oil running through her veins.

Now Lauren is a highly credible and trusted automotive expert, capable of providing solid information to the public on a wide range of automotive topics and safety issues. Lauren has been a leader in positive consumer awareness in the automotive world for over 20 years.

Most importantly, Lauren is also a wife and ‘Alpha' Mom of two teenagers. When she isn't on TV she enjoys spending time with her family, working out, and gourmet cooking in Buffalo, New York.

Lauren is involved with several automotive associations:
•    The National Women's Automotive International
•    Women's Board Car Care Council,
•    SEMA Businesswomen's Network and Steering Committee
•    American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT)
•    Automotive Communications Council  
•    Car Care Council Member
•    Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).