When it comes to road trips, it’s often hard to keep everyone in your vehicle entertained for the whole ride. Enter: games! We all know some, but we’ve put together a list of games to play in the car that everyone can join in – even the driver!

1. License Plates – keep a list of all 50 states and cross off the states that you’ve seen license plates for. Try to spot as many as possible! Depending on where you’re going, you can also include the provinces of Canada.

2. Punchbuggy – whenever you see a Beetle, punch someone (lightly). This is fun for adults, but don’t do it around kids because you don’t want to set a bad example.

3. Eye Spy – this one is good for kids. Describe something you see with one adjective, and then everyone else has to guess what it is.

4. 20 Questions – one person thinks of a thing and everyone else in the car has a collective 20 questions that they can ask to try and guess it.

5. License Plate Acronyms – try and think of the most amusing words that various license plates could be acronyms for. Example: license plate BIN152. The BIN could stand for something like Bears Immediately Near.

When you are in the market for a brand new car, the number one thing that you absolutely have to do is take test drives. Not one test drive, maybe not even two. The more the better – because the test drive is the best way to know if a vehicle you might have fallen in love with from a photo is actually the right vehicle for you. Unfortunately, it’s hard to remember any questions you should be asking yourself about the car when you’re driving it, because hey, new car! It’s fun and exciting and makes it hard to remember stuff. Our suggestion to remedy this? Bring a friend and bring this list of questions to ask. Your friend can ask you the questions and you can be free to drive the car and enjoy it.

The first thing you should think about is the interior of the vehicle. Is it comfortable? Can you see out of all the windows/do you have the visibility you want and need?

Now you’ve started up the car and begun the drive, how is the ride? Is it comfortable? Does it drive the way you expected? Remember that different cars feel different on the road, but you should have a vehicle that at least meets your expectations and desires.

When you accelerate, are you getting the results you want? Can you get up to speed quickly, or does it feel like the vehicle struggles to get going? Only test acceleration where it’s safe to do so!

After you’ve gotten going, you’ll be using the brakes. Test the brakes in a lot of different situations. Fast braking, slow braking, braking on hills… you get the idea. You need to be able to trust these brakes!

When you’re going around corners and turning, think about the handling of the vehicle. Does it feel solid, or does it feel like it’s going to tip over? Don’t drive recklessly, but practice some U-turns where it’s safe to do so, and test the vehicle on a winding road.

Now that you’ve read these questions, you’re ready to schedule your test drive! What are you waiting for?

Looking for just the right tunes to have on reserve in case you need something to jam to on your drive? Check out our perfect road trip playlist for any occasion!

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams

Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver

Africa – Toto

Purple Rain – Prince

Take On Me – a-ha

Beer For My Horses – Toby Keith and Willie Nelson

Hot Blooded – Foreigner

My Sharona – The Knack

Bennie And The Jets – Elton John

You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall & John Oates

Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes

Down Under – Men At Work

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon

All Right Now – Free

Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top

Slow Ride – Foghat

Roadhouse Blues – The Doors

China Grove – The Doobie Brothers

Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty

I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks

Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.

10 Things I Love About My New 2018 Nissan Rogue Sport

1. Not only is this a great vehicle for the day-to-day, but I can take the whole family along on a great adventure that might take us on the road less traveled. My Rogue can do anything!

2. My husband is super tall – but he can still fit into my Rogue! The headroom is super generous, which is great for not only his height but his neck as well!

3. The technology in this vehicle feels so advanced, but it’s not distracting at all. Sometimes that console screen can be really in-your-face, but in my new Rogue it feels like it’s supposed to be there, and if I’m not actively looking at it, I can forget it’s there!

4. On that note, the technology is really intuitive and easy to use. I’m never confused about how the navigation works, or how to hook up my phone to be able to talk to people over the Bluetooth.

5. The seat warmers!! Need I say more, especially in this weather??

6. The cupholders will fit even the largest water bottle, which is really convenient when I have to take the kids to sports practice.

7. With the fold-down seats, I can haul a lot when I need to. One time I took my mom antiquing, and she fell in love with this table. Thankfully I was driving my Rogue, because otherwise I don’t know how we would have gotten the darn thing home!

8. With the safety technologies (like the Intelligent Mobility), I don’t have to worry about safety as much as before, because I know that my Rogue has got my back. It also makes me feel like I am in Top Gun or something, with the radar and whatnot. It’s very cool.

9. The ride is so smooth that sometimes I forget I am on a road instead of a beautiful cloud. Braking is smooth, turning is smooth, even going over bumps is smooth. I don’t know how they did this but I am not going to complain!

10. I look really cool. It’s shallow but I look awesome in my Rogue and I do not care who knows it!!

Did you ever take Driver’s Ed? I am sure that you did, once upon a time, so you must remember the term “Defensive Driving” from that time. If you’re like me though, you forgot everything about defensive driving the minute you actually got your license and then moved on with your life. But! I am here to tell you that defensive driving is actually something super useful that you should keep in mind when you are on the road. Here are our favorite defensive driving tips:

• Pay attention

• Expect the unexpected

• Maintain a safe speed

• Don’t tailgate

• Anticipate the moves of other drivers

• Be conscientious about the weather and road conditions

• Don’t be distracted

• Respect other drivers on the road

That’s all! Next time you’re driving, try some of these tips out. You will feel safer and more in control in no time!

Do you ever get into your vehicle, turn on your lights, and find out that your headlights just aren’t what they used to be? It could be that one doesn’t turn on, or both don’t turn on, or that they’re just a little dim, or that they get dimmer sometimes and brighten up other times. In any situation, none of these are good and all should get looked at by your dealer so that your lights will be back in business ASAP. Check out what could be going on below!

When one headlight doesn’t work – Usually caused by a burned out bulb. High-intensity discharge (HID) headlights can also die because of other components.

When neither of the headlights work – Bulbs usually don’t burn out together, but it’s still important to rule that out by checking for power, but it was probably caused by a bad component like a fuse, relay, or module, or even by bad wiring.

When your high beam headlights don’t work or your low beams don’t work – If just one bulb won’t work in either high beam mode or low beam mode, it could be a busted bulb. Most headlight failures that are limited to just high or low beams are related to a relay or the high beam control switch.

When your headlights work but seem dim – If your headlights always seem dim, the problem could be foggy lenses or worn out bulbs. If they get dimmer and brighter intermittently, it could be a problem in your charging system. Give your headlights a wash with some cleaning solution to make sure they’re not just dirty.

Information from https://www.lifewire.com/fix-non-working-headlights-4137021

Have you ever wondered what is meant by the different gas types and the different numbers on the pumps? Wonder no more, gentle person, because I am here to educate you on the IMPORTANT things in life, aka gas.

So first of all, the numbers indicate the octane level of the gas. To explain, I will tell you the super basics because honestly I am not really a science person and this is Super Sciencey, so we’ll stick to the easy stuff. So, gasoline contains certain molecules called hydrocarbons, which are left over from the oil whence the gasoline came. One of these hydrocarbons is called isooctane, which we shorten to octane. Generally, hydrocarbons combust pretty spontaneously and under the slightest pressure, but isooctane is much better at holding itself together and taking a bit more of a push to combust, which makes it perfect for use in car engines. The thing about the regular hydrocarbons is that if they combust TOO early, they’ll make a knocking sound in your engine that’s really annoying.

You might be thinking, “wait, why have I not been using the higher octane gas this whole time?” The answer to that is simple – you probably don’t need to. If you drive a regular, run of the mill vehicle (like a Sentra or an Altima or similar) you don’t need to put in that higher octane stuff because your engine will handle the regular juice just fine – it’s made to do so, in fact. The only case when you’ll need to get higher octane fuel is if your vehicle has a super high-performance engine and specifies either on the dashboard near the gas gauge or in the owner’s manual that you need to put in higher octane fuel. You can totally put the high-test stuff into your regular vehicle, but all it’ll do is cost you more money. It won’t magically make your engine into a Formula One type thing. Sorry.

I’ll throw in another little tidbit as well – you know the term “unleaded” that you see at the pumps? Well, of course, all gasoline now is unleaded, but until the ‘90s it wasn’t that way. People started putting lead in fuel in the 1920s when the knock I mentioned earlier was a big problem. Of course, nobody wants to spend more money on stuff, so scientists figured out that putting tetraethyl lead into gasoline increased the octane level at pretty much no cost. Of course, it would kill you, but like… you’d save some green? They totally knew that this lead was super poisonous and would kill people over time, but it honestly did take 70-something years for the lead to be outlawed. If you were around in the 70s and 80s, you remember how bad the smog was in cities like New York and Los Angeles. That was in part due to under regulation of these emissions, and the persistent presence of lead in fuel. Now the smog level is SO much lower – and it’s because we’re cracking down on emissions by vehicles, lead has been outlawed as a fuel additive, and people are being more conscientious about buying hybrid and electric vehicles. So if you want to bypass the pump entirely, check out the new 2018 Leaf! It’s awesome, it’s electric, and it’ll save you the hassle of getting gas. Oh, and it’s good for the environment, too. Just a thought!

So, I don’t have a partner or kids to worry about this holiday season, but I do have a dog, and I love him like he is my own son. My parents also love him but less as a grandson-type but as a this-is-my-daughter’s-dog type. It’s okay – I know we have our differences. But because I only have my dog, and because I love him more than probably anything else in this universe, I bring him everywhere with me. This means that because the holidays are coming up, he’ll be making the five hour trip to my parents’ with me. I have a tried and true method for making sure he’s comfortable in the car, and I thought I would share it with y’all in case you also find yourself in this situation.

So, before traveling, make sure your dog is in good health. Toting around a sick human is no fun, but toting around a sick pup is worse. Take them to the vet and get a clean bill of health at least once a year so that you know you won’t be subjecting your fur baby to a horrible drive.

Make sure you have water on hand – either distilled or from your tap at home. Dogs’ digestive systems are super fragile, so having water that’s clean or water they’re used to is ideal. Stop frequently to let them drink.

If you travel with your dog in a crate, make sure it’s big enough for them to stand up, sit down, turn around, and lie down in. Don’t sacrifice crate size! If you’re more of a free-roamer type, make sure your dog knows what it’s like to be in a car, moving or not, beforehand. Consider getting a seatbelt collar or harness tie-down so that your dog doesn’t injure themselves by moving around too much in dangerous situations. Don’t roll the windows down too much, because this can actually hurt your dog by letting road dust, bugs, and debris hit their eyes and ears.

The final tip is to stop often not only to let your pup drink, but to let them walk around for exercise and to take potty breaks. Don’t feed them until the trip is over (barf alert) but definitely let them sip at some nice water.

Getting ready for winter? If the answer to that is “no,” well, reevaluate your life, friend. It’s November! You need to be preparing for whatever Nature is going to throw into your face for the next few months. That means getting your car ready, too. Here are our tips for getting that taken care of easily and quickly.

First, make sure your radiator and the coolant in your tank are in good shape. Take your vehicle to us to top up the coolant if you’re low, and make sure everything is in working order. Take a look at your defrosters, front and back, and put some windshield fluid in the reservoir that has a higher amount of antifreeze. Use nontoxic antifreeze wherever possible. When you’re checking your defrosters, make sure that they function fully and properly. Take your car to us if any are broken.

If you’ve got a garage, use it. Take some time to organize your garage so that you can park your car in there safely throughout the winter months. A car cover is a good option for those who don’t have garages.

Replace your regular windshield wipers with wipers that are meant to handle winter weather. This is important not only when your windshield becomes covered with ice and snow, but also to make sure that you won’t wear your wipers out faster than normal by using them in the wrong season. If you have snow tires, put them on your car when it starts getting cold enough to snow. Otherwise, if you’re in an area that gets a lot of snow and ice, invest in snow chains or other tire traction accessories that you can easily take off of your tires when the roads are clear.

Make sure that your battery is strong, working right, and in good condition. If it’s old, let us replace it for you. Check to make sure the connections on the battery are tight and not corroded and that everything is working properly in the electrical system. Check to make sure your lights are all fully operational and bright – you need them more as the days grow shorter.

Did you know that topping off your gas tank is actually a horrible idea? Yeah. Seriously. It was a surprise to me too, if that helps. I mean, I always try to get the number to an even one – instead of $19.42 I’ll try to get it to $19.50 or $20. Nice and clean, right? Well, like I said before, it’s actually a bad idea. Here’s why!

First of all, it can overwhelm your vehicle’s evaporative system and either break something or cause a leak because of built up pressure. If your gas tank is too full, the pressure builds up past the safe level when the gas heats up as your car is moving along. If there’s too much fuel in the tank, that gets sent to the evaporation system, and if you habitually overfill your tank, then you pretty much kill your evaporation system much quicker than normal.

The second thing is that you’re literally throwing money down the drain. Modern gas stations have systems at the pumps where if there’s too much fuel going into your vehicle’s tank, it’ll just go right back up the hose and back into the station’s tank. The cents on the screen go up, but you’re not actually getting that gas. Even if it’s just a few drops, with the price of gas what it is you’re potentially wasting a lot of money over time… on gas that’s not even going into your car.

Let’s all try to break the habit of topping up – when the handle releases the first time, just let it be. It’ll be hard, I know, but I think we can do it – and save ourselves money at the same time!