The Salt of the Earth

http://images.cars.com/

Sugar and I took a little trip to the car wash this weekend. (So did everyone else in Utah Valley!)  After a couple of afternoon tries, only to discover that the lines were horrendous everywhere we went, we finally gave up and made it a midnight rendezvous. (I’m lucky I live next door to a car wash!)  Sugar was pretty filthy from a winter’s worth of driving me just being too busy (lazy) to care for her properly.  Still, as I watched weeks of salt a grime slide right off, I felt a little guilty.  You hear it all the time: “Salt eats car paint!” And I suppose I hoped it was just a car wash marketing racket or an old wives’ tale like your eyes sticking “like that” when you crossed them too much as a kid.   But I’ve done my homework lately and discovered that while it’s a huge factor in road safety (like decreasing the number of auto accidents by about 80% in winter conditions), salt really is sort of a monster to your paint job.  

Here are four easy ways to prevent any permanent damage to your car during these long, salty, winter months:

1. An Ounce of Prevention…

… is worth a pound of cure.  One of the best things you can do to protect your car from rust and other road salt damage is to give it a good wax in the late fall before the snow starts to fall.  Waxing helps prevent the road salt from corroding the paint.  You should also have a sealant applied to the undercarriage of the car.  This part of your car is bombarded with road salt all winter long and things like brake lines are very susceptible to rust damage.  So next Thanksgiving add “wax the car” to your to-do list!  

2. Weekly Washing

Really?  Every week?  Yep. If you are in an area where rock salt is used to keep the roads safe (and we are!), even if it is mixed with sand, you need to wash your car every 7 to 10 days regardless of the weather.  I’m totally guilty of the old, “but it’s just going to snow again tomorrow” excuse!   That’s how I wound up going a few weeks without tidying Sugar up. But  really, I should wash her again directly following any heavy snowstorms.  This routine will remove the salt residue from the car before it can cause any damage.  Make sure you are thoroughly washing the underside of the car or using a car wash that includes this service.  For best results, try and wash your car when the temperature is above 40 degrees (that’s not always very practical around here, so find a good car wash with a drying cycle).  After you wash the car, open all doors, hatches, and trunks and allow them to dry or dry them by hand to keep them from freezing shut.     

3. It’s Not Just About the Paint

Even though that obvious, crusty, white coating is cringe-worthy, make sure to clean out snow and ice that has become compacted into wheel wells and under or against the fenders, too.  These areas are very susceptible to rust damage and leaving snow and ice filled with road salt increases the likelihood of damage.  Wheel wells packed with snow can also impact the way the car handles and make braking, turning, and maneuvering difficult.  I make a regular habit of kicking the daylights of that snow-pack.  I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I’m strange, but it’s weirdly satisfying.

4. An Inside Job

The outside of the car isn’t the only part that can be affected by road salt.  Every time you step in the car with snowy shoes you are bring salt and dirt with you.  You wouldn’t leave snow and salt all over the carpet in your house, would you? No way.  Make it a habit to vacuum the carpets in your car every time you wash it to prevent long term damage to the carpet and interior of the car. 

Pretty easy, right?  If you want something even easier, let Ken Garff Honda of Orem handle the car washing for you!  Their super sweet Advantage Care plans include car washes, oil changes, and tire rotations!

Honda Bear Goes Coast to Coast!

The Honda Bear has been having a fantastic couple of months!  (Honda Bear, for those of you who haven't heard, is a friendly bear that gets to go on adventures with me, Sarah Kimmel, (aka the Honda Mom, or Tech4Moms).  He sits in my Honda, and travels around with me).  Typically Honda Bear doesn't get out of Utah that much, but lucky for him, I had places to go last month!

First up, Honda Bear drove up to the airport with me when I was heading out of town to go to New York city.  

He looked at me from the car window when I was heading into the airport, and I just couldn't leave him there, he looked like he wanted to go so badly!  So I opened the Odyssey back up and grabbed him to come along for the ride.

In New York City Honda Bear got to...

Hang out in a swanky New York Hotel room...

Visit Rockefeller Center, and look at the Christmas Tree...

Ride the subway...

And visit Times Square!

He had such a fantastic trip!  He was definitely glad to be back home in his Honda Odyssey though a few days later.  

Shortly after the trip to New York (and I'm talking days after), I had to go to Southern California for work.  Since Honda Bear had such a great time in New York, I took him with me there too.

In California Honda Bear got to...

Go to Disneyland....

And of course, the beach!

Honda Bear is happy to be back in Utah now though, and has some fun stuff planned for this month!  Check back to find out what he's been up to in a few weeks!

Tips for a Great Staycation

It's a well known fact that people who live in Cleveland never go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  People who live in Southern California rarely go to the beach (unless they are a surfer), and many Utahns rarely get up the mountain to go skiing.  It's usually because when we do have some time off, everyone would rather go out of town than stay in.  I definitely understand that, as most of my vacations end up in Southern California.  Gas is expensive, flights are expensive, and sometimes you can have just as good of a vacation without going very far!

Before I was married, I went on a trip with my friends.  We went sailing in the ocean.  We lived in Newport Beach and we sailed up to Long Beach.  It's literally a 30 minute drive from where we started.  It took us all day, but it felt like we had traveled SO far!  It seriously felt like a vacation, even though we were really only 30 minutes away from home.

So, how do you make a "staycation" feel more like a real vacation?  Here's a few tips...

1. Mode of transportation - Sometimes just changing up the way you get there can make all the difference in the world.  I know it's hard to leave your Honda, but you *can* drive to a train station and take a train somewhere, or take a taxi, or go for a long bike ride to a camp site.  When you travel using a different method, or even just drive the "long way" to a location, it can feel like it's a world away.

2. Explore what is right in your back yard!  One of the best ways to explore what is right under your nose is to go Geocaching.  This is where you use GPS tools to go on a scavenger hunt.  People have left notes or small items all over every city!  You could spend all day discovering these items.  Along the way you will be able to appreciate the beauty that is all around you every day!

3. Do the touristy things.  If you had someone coming to visit from out of town, what would they want to do?  Finally go skiing?  Go to a local museum?  Use an app like Field Trip for Android to find all the great things to see and do right where you are.

4. Sleep somewhere fun.  To really make it feel like a vacation, spend some money on a local hotel or motel, or even just change up the sleeping arrangements at your house.  Everyone camp out in the backyard, or in the living room.  Something to go outside of the norm to really give it that vacation feel.

Get out and explore the area you live in!  Your wallet might just breathe a big sigh of relief!

AAA Offers Free Tows and Rides New Years Eve!

A special Holiday message from Ken Garff Honda of Orem and Sarah Kimmel.



It's New Year's Eve, and you may be heading out to have some fun tonight!  In all the celebrating and partying to bring in the New Year, you may not be feeling like you are able to drive yourself home.  At least I hope you would realize that you aren't feeling well.

Whether you have been drinking, or are just feeling too tired to drive home (drowsy driving is sometimes even worse than driving under the influence!), AAA has offered Utah drivers and alternative to getting behind the wheel.

All you need to do is call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) and ask for a "Tipsy Tow" from 6:00 p.m. December 31st – 6:00 a.m. January 1st.  They will transport you and your car back to your house completely free of charge.  You don't even need to be a AAA member!

They also offer this service on Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick's Day (check out their whole list of holiday's here)

So feel free to ring in the New Year, but remember to be safe!  There are options besides getting behind the wheel while you are impaired.

One of your New Year's Resolutions should be to never drive while impaired, whether it is from being too tired to be on the road, or from having a little too much to drink.

AAA offers the following tips to stay safe and keep others safe on the roads:

• Drive only while drug and alcohol-free
• Plan ahead and designate a non-drinking driver before a celebration begins
• Don't let your friends drive impaired. Take their keys away
• Never ride in a car with someone who is impaired
• Plan to take a cab or stay with a friend

Driving in a Winter Wonderland

by Andrea Harris

I love the idea of snow… while gaze dreamily out the window as it blankets the ground in fluffy whiteness.  It’s so calm and peaceful.

Then I remember I have to go outside, get in my car, and drive somewhere.  Oy.  

Front wheel drive, 4-wheel drive, all-wheel drive… sometimes it just doesn’t matter.  Mother Nature is gonna laugh in your, anyway. At Ken Garff Honda of Orem, we love you so much that we’re going to share this little cautionary tale of winter morning just last year.  

Ohhh, SNAP!!! I’m pretty sure most of those poor people wish they’d just stayed home that day.

As we enter this icy, snowy season, please remember to slow down and use caution when you’re out driving! (Your car, other drivers, and probably even the UHP will thank you!!)

Fav Feature: 2014 Odyssey Auto Sliding Doors

There is a feature in the Honda Odyssey that I probably use more than any other feature (besides the Bluetooth link, cause that just happens every time I get in the car no matter what). It’s the automatic sliding doors, and I am smitten with them.

When I first pulled up at the elementary school to drop off my daughter and her friend for school, and with the push of a button their door magically opened and they disembarked…BEST DAY EVER.

Now lets talk about errands. It was a cold rainy Saturday afternoon. I work full time, so most of my errands get done on Saturdays. Since I can’t really pick and choose my errands day, I had to go out in the cold wet weather. On the way to the car I pushed the button on my key fob to open both of the side doors and the trunk. The car opened, I unloaded my groceries and loaded my kids up in the car in what had to be world record setting time. I hopped into the car myself, and we were off. I prayed to the automotive gods for this technological wonder.

To read the rest of Sarah Kimmel's post go here.  

Blogger Sarah Kimmel takes her 2014 Odyssey (and Honda Bear) to see the lights.

If the Holiday Season wasn't so darn cold here in Utah, it would probably be my absolute favorite time of year. It's all those years I spent living in Southern California. Frigid Temperatures aside, I absolutely adore Holiday music, love Holiday lights, and absolutely, positively LOVE cheesy made for TV Holiday movies. All I have to say about that right now is that my DVR runneth over! So what makes me super happy? Loading up my kids in the car, grabbing a mug of hot chocolate, and exploring all of the houses that go ALL out with their holiday decorations. There is a great map on Google Maps that has ALL the specially lighted homes around Utah Valley. You can see the map here.


View Utah Holiday Lights Map in a larger map

 So Honda Bear and I loaded up in my 2014 Honda Odyssey and decided to go check some of them out last night! First we went to Thanksgiving Point, which is always so much fun. If you are a member at Thanksgiving point, you get a discount too!

    

Next we hit up some of the houses around the Lehi area.

 

 We loved this one on 380 west in Lehi! So definitely take your family out for a drive and visit some of the special holiday lights in the area! Next stop for us this weekend is Temple Square!