As of the writing of this blog, football season’s been going for three weeks. There’s still a lot more of the season to go, and what better way to celebrate with your friends and family than by tailgating in the parking lot before the big game? In this blog, we’ll give you our tips for things you should have with you when you are throwing your party, ways to pack a cooler, and tips for having fun no matter what the weather brings.

So, for things you should have with you, we have this list. You can store all of these things in a toolbox or a tackle box very easily, and this can live under your seats, in the trunk, or in the bed of your truck! The items are:

• Spatulas

• Tongs

• can opener

• Toothpicks

• wooden skewers

• basting brush

• mini flashlight

• trash bags

• paper towels

• wet wipes

• hand sanitizer

• sunscreen

• poncho

• plastic zip bags

• Sharpie

• Masking tape

• your favorite condiments, spices, and seasonings

Packing a cooler efficiently is a majorly good party trick that’ll be sure to keep everyone happy. When you have enough food and beverages for everyone, that’s pretty much a guarantee that the tailgate will be awesome. So, here’s how to do it! Put your pre-chilled cans of soda and bottles of water at the bottom of the cooler and put a layer of ice on top, making sure that ice gets between the cans and bottles. Then put your food items, packed in watertight ziplock bags, on top of that bottom layer. Make sure the cooler is packed tightly so that no warm air gets in!

If the weather is on the cold side, you can also turn your cooler into a warming oven! Check it out here. A good idea is to bring thermoses full of hot soup or cider to keep your guests warm if it’s a chilly day.

We hope these tailgate tips have been good, and if we knew any of the Ravens, we’re sure they’d agree with us. We don’t though… which is kind of a shame. Anyway, if any of you are on the Ravens or even the Redskins, tell us if you like our tips! (If you’re not on the Ravens, tell us too!)

Staying safe in a construction zone is always a gamble, but it’s one of the most important places to be concentrating on the road. I know that I’m always nervous when I am on the highway and I see that there’s a construction zone coming up. For me, that means that there will be unpredictable drivers, people going too fast or too slow, workers giving me dirty looks for not knowing what the heck I am doing, and the construction zone will seem to go on FOREVER. This is almost always my experience. But I am working on being better when it comes to construction zones, so I thought I would share my tips with you in case you also have this problem. Check them out!

You should always stay alert and try not to be distracted. Pay attention to the road – and I mean your FULL attention! Don’t listen to the radio (or at least don’t mess with your music), don’t use your cellphone, don’t eat… basically just don’t do anything that’s not driving. The road should be your priority at all times anyway, but when you are in a construction zone it’s even more important.

Keep your headlights on! Even if it’s broad daylight, make sure your lights are on. Just in case!

Make sure you’re in the right lane ahead of time. By right I mean “correct,” though the correct lane could be the right lane. Anyway! If the lanes are merging or closing, make sure you’re where you need to be so you don’t cut anyone off or get stuck behind traffic waiting to merge. The traffic patterns can change daily, so make sure you’re always paying attention to the signs.

Don’t tailgate other people! This ties into making sure you are obeying the speed limit. People can brake or accelerate in a split second, and you don’t want to be caught off guard. Besides, tailgating is illegal and also speeding in work zones can get you doubled fines in a lot of places. Be careful!

Always expect the unexpected. Things can change quick-as-anything in a work zone, and you don’t want to be caught off guard. Staying safe is the most proactive thing you can do in a work zone, so make sure you’re obeying the law and driving as carefully as possible.

It’s unbeLEAFable! The brand new 2018 Nissan LEAF finally premiered on September 5th! While they won’t be available at Younger Nissan of Frederick until early 2018, we can still ooo and ahhh at them from afar!! I have been waiting OHHH so patiently for any news of this awesome vehicle, so now that we’ve gotten our first look at the LEAF on September 5th, I have SO MANY details to share with you all. I know you’re impatient, so I won’t be cruel and withhold this info from you! ARE YOU READY?!

First and foremost, the 2018 Nissan LEAF is 100% electric and has ZERO Emissions. Seriously! That’s nuts! This vehicle is keeping the air as crisp and fresh as a perfect fall apple! It has 240V Fast Charging, for home and in public that, with 1 hour of charging provides a range of up to 22 miles! There is also and available 50KW public option, the fastest charging option, that with 30 minutes you get a range of up to 88 miles! When fully charged you have a range of 150 miles! You can also keep track of your vehicle’s charge on your smartphone through NissanConnect® EV App!

If technology is your thing, the LEAF has everything you’ll ever need! The LEAF is loaded with nifty features that are sure to impress!  Exhibit A: the ProPILOT™ Assist. This feature helps you take care of the little things, like following the car ahead at a preset distance or helping keep you centered in your lane. It can even bring your LEAF to a full stop based on the traffic flow, and hold you there.

I know, I know! That was barely a morsel of information about the 2018 Nissan LEAF! You only have to wait a little bit longer friends! Patience is going to be key here! Before you know it you’ll be taking a test drive at Younger Nissan of Frederick! If you’re really impatient, stop by and test drive the 2017 Nissan LEAF while you wait!

Are you ready to turn over a new leaf? Nissan is about to help you do that, literally. Today is the day that the new Nissan Leaf comes out – the 2018 version!! – and we are so excited for it, you have no idea. There will be so much about this vehicle that’s different from the 2017 Leaf – but, like, awesome good stuff. They are keeping all the good stuff they can and the rest is just improvements and additions. I could go on but it’s just. I am so jazzed.

Let me tell you about the new e-Pedal technology. In the new Nissan Leaf, your accelerator pedal can do basically everything for you from speeding up to slowing down and even braking. It’s really awesome, and the folks at Nissan are geniuses, I swear. Are they in MENSA? They should be in MENSA. Anyway, as I am writing this blog the seconds tick closer to the actual real worldwide release of the 2018 Nissan Leaf. I’ve been on the edge of my seat all day. Like, can they release it right now? Right???

In the meantime, check out this awesome video. ONE DAY!! Less than one day!! Like, only a few hours!! It’s like Christmas! Or my birthday, or something really awesome.

I don’t know if you’ve read this article, but did you know that residents of Frederick County, Maryland can get $10,000 off of a new Nissan Leaf if you bring your electric bill and a promotional flier with you to Younger Nissan of Frederick? Seriously. It’s almost insane. It’s part of a special Nissan discount program, and if you are a Potomac Edison customer you’re qualified for the discount.

The 2017 Nissan Leaf is an all-electric vehicle that has a range of 107 miles on one charge of its battery – if you’re traveling further, the Leaf also has an app that will let you find the nearest charging station. The car will also tell you when you have 16 miles left of charge. If that’s not enough, the car also has regenerative braking. This means that every time you brake, the battery charges a little bit.

So, all-electric… what does that mean for your wallet? Potomac Edison says that it would cost about $3 to fully charge the vehicle based on the electric company’s current rates. That means that if gas were to be a cheaper option than the Leaf, it would have to cost less than $1.15 a gallon. You also get two years of free charging from Nissan charging stations with the purchase of a new Leaf. Pretty dang thrifty, wouldn’t you agree?

The 2017 Nissan Leaf is the perfect commuter car (especially with the regenerative braking) and also gets you a fast pass into the HOV lane on the highway, though it does cost between $32,000 and $37,000 before incentives. So that $10,000 off could go a long way towards having a new Leaf of your own!

The sale ends on September 30, or whenever Younger Nissan runs out of 2017 Leafs (Leaves?). But don’t worry – Nissan will be revealing its redesigned 2018 Leaf in September, so you’ll have something else to look forward to!

Come down to Younger Nissan and check out this sale, and test drive a Leaf for yourself. We love them, and we’re confident you will too. And with $10,000 off, what is there not to love?

How often do you get your oil changed? I’m gonna bet you follow the sticker that your mechanic puts up on your window saying the mileage and when you should get it done. That’s all well and good, but sometimes folks think that they can go for longer or that they need to get their oil changed more often than what their mechanic says. There are a lot of myths surrounding getting your oil changed that can be cleared up very easily. Read on!

Typically, you should only be going six months (or 3,000 miles) between oil changes. There’s a lot of room for variance, especially depending on the age of your vehicle, how often you drive, how far you drive, how hard you drive, and what your manufacturer and dealer recommend. If your car is very old, you’re definitely going to want to get your oil changed more frequently. Same goes for if you have a lot of miles on your vehicle – that oil should be changed more frequently than it would have to be for a vehicle with few miles on it.

Your manufacturer probably has a recommendation for how frequently you should be getting your oil changed. This can be found in your vehicle owner’s manual, or if not, your dealer probably has a recommendation on your oil change frequency. And, with the technology of modern synthetic oils, the frequency of oil changes tends to be lower. But depending on what type of oil your tech uses on your vehicle, that frequency can vary a lot. You should always ask to make sure you know how often you need to go in for a change, and what kind of oil your tech used.

You should also be checking your oil frequently to make sure that you have the right amount in your engine. This just means pulling out the dipstick and looking at where the oil line is. If there’s too little, you can add some yourself to tide you over until your next scheduled oil change. If you find the oil level dipping too low frequently, you should take your vehicle in to get looked at because you might have a leak or your vehicle might be burning that oil – not good!

I hope these tips have helped a little – and remember, the good folks at Younger Nissan of Frederick will be happy to help you with anything you need… they can handle not only oil changes but also maintenance, repairs, and helping you get into a new vehicle if that’s what you need!

It’s always hard to know when to use your hazard lights and when not to use them. Each of the 50 states has different rules and regulations regarding when hazard lights can be used when driving. Maryland, for example, does not permit the use of hazard lights when driving except in emergency situations. Virginia has very specific rules: hazard light use is not permitted while driving except for emergency vehicles, stopped or slowed vehicles to indicate a traffic hazard, when traveling as part of a funeral procession, or traveling slower than 30 mph. Phew! That’s a lot to remember. Here are some tips on when you should be using your hazard lights.

If you’re driving through rough weather, you might think it’s a good idea to turn your hazards on for the sake of visibility. However, this is against the law in several states, and on top of that it eliminates your ability to use your turn signals normally. In some states it’s not against the law, but most recommendations are that if visibility in a storm is so poor that you feel like you need to turn on your hazards, you should pull over to the side of the road and wait it out.

You might want to use your hazards if you are driving much slower than the normal rate of traffic, because you are looking for something or your car is experiencing problems that are causing it to go slowly. Again, the recommendation is that you pull over safely and legally while you either figure out where you are going or call for assistance. When you have your hazards on, other drivers can become confused about which direction you want to go and this can prove to be an even bigger hazard than your speed!

If you are already pulled over, you can absolutely put on your hazards to indicate that you are, as it says on the tin, a hazard. This will also let other cars know that you’re there, especially in the darkness if you don’t have a reflective triangle in your emergency kit.

Always be judicious about using your hazard lights – even if you think you should use them, you probably shouldn’t before checking your state’s regulations. AAA has put together a helpful list of hazard light use laws, organized by state – this can be found here. And, as always, if you are using your hazards due to mechanical problems with your vehicle, you can always call Younger Nissan for help and a place to get your vehicle repaired with the utmost attention to detail and your satisfaction.

It can be hard to know what everything on your dashboard means – we get it! These things can be especially hard to figure out when you’re driving and a light turns on unexpectedly. Thankfully, we’ve put together this guide to your dashboard to offer you some guidance on what everything means so that you don’t panic if a light turns on.

First of all, we all know about the master warning light, which looks like an exclamation point inside of a triangle. This can mean many things, from your car coming due for its routine oil change to something needing to be looked at under the hood. You should bring your vehicle to us here at Younger Nissan to have us look at it if you’ve gotten your oil changed recently and think the light could be on for a repair-related reason.

If the brake warning light comes on (this light has the word “BRAKE” in it, so it’s hard to miss) then definitely bring your car to us – but first, check to make sure you’ve disengaged your emergency brake first! This is the most common culprit of having this particular light come on. If your emergency brake is off but the light isn’t, then your vehicle might be low on brake fluid, or there’s a more serious problem. No matter what, bring your car in!

The tire pressure light is another important one. If you see this light, your tires are low on air and just need to be reinflated. If this light keeps coming on even if you re-inflate your tires regularly, you should bring your vehicle in to be looked at – this could mean you need tire service to repair a leak or tire replacement.

ABS – the Anti-lock Braking System – has a light all its own in some Nissan models. The light will flash when you start your engine, but if it stays on you should get your braking system looked at. This could indicate a problem with the system that means you’ll have less control when braking – never a good thing.

The PS light, which stands for Power Steering, should never be on when you are driving. If it is, this means you need to have your power steering checked ASAP at your dealership.

There are many other lights that indicate whether your headlights or high beams are on, whether or not you are using your turn signals, and if your passenger airbag is engaged. You might not think so, but it’s important to look at these lights when you are driving – you don’t want to accidentally have your high beams on when you are driving in traffic, and you don’t want to leave your turn signal on when not turning or changing lanes.

If you have questions about what any of these lights mean, or if any of them are on that shouldn’t be, bring your vehicle into Younger Nissan of Frederick to have us take a peek. It’s one of the best things you can do for your car and yourself!

That new car smell lasted approximately 45 seconds in my 2017 Nissan Murano. It’s not the car’s fault, I have 2 small children who, despite my best efforts are always sticky from unknown substances, and are saturated in smells I can never really identify. For this reason, I am very familiar with a wide variety of smells in my car. In addition, because they are small children they leave their things EVERYWHERE. Leftover yogurt, rancid sports gear, dirty socks, half a sandwich… all of these can be located on the floor of my car. I don’t know what it is about the noses of children but they seem completely unaffected by ghastly stank that seems to have enveloped my car. My nose, on the other hand, works perfectly fine… or it did before I got in the car this morning. I’m fairly certain that my nose hairs immediately disintegrated when I get in the car today. No amount of bleach and Febreeze was going to make this car smell ok.

In addition to the noxious odor, there was an unfamiliar smell coming from my car this morning. Something that didn’t quite fit in with the usual child-induced smells. It smelt almost sweet, like maple syrup. Just in case, I stopped by Younger Nissan of Frederick to have my car checked out, just in case. As it turns out there was a coolant leak which was causing the sweet smell. It’s good that I got this checked out when I did.

This led me to look into some other smells that might alert you to car troubles. As it turns out, there are several such smells that you should be aware of as a car owner. Always remember that if you do notice an odor, it is something that needs to be taken care of immediately; rolling the windows down is not the solution.

It smells like syrup:
This could mean several things. Most likely the engine is overheating due to a coolant leak. Coolant is one of the most important fluids you can put in your car. It contains ethylene glycol which can give off a sickly sweet scent. Other causes include a leaky radiator hose or a problem with the heater core. If this is the case, then it’s important to get your vehicle looked at as soon as possible, especially if it’s during winter time. If your heater core goes, you have no heat for your car which also means your defrosters won’t work.

It smells like rotten eggs:
This is caused by hydrogen sulfide in your exhaust that has not converted to sulfur dioxide in your catalytic converter (cat). This gas is TOXIC, even more toxic than my kids’ soccer gear, so it’s not safe for you to breathe and it likely means you need to replace your “cat”. This is not a cheap fix. Fortunately, in newer cars, they are usually covered under warranty so check with your dealer!

It smells like hot oil:
This is a complicated smell to describe, as I can’t really find something that smells quite like it…it’s just hot oil. This means oil is leaking onto your hot exhaust manifold, which collects the exhaust gases from multiple cylinders into one pipe. It doesn’t smell bad, per se, but it definitely doesn’t smell good. This could be because of a leaking crankshaft or a leaky valve cover. Either way, this is something you will want to get checked out!

It smells like burning carpet:
This is more than likely an issue with your brake pads. The smell is relatively normal if you just came down a long hill, but if this smell occurs under normal driving circumstances then you may have a dragging brake. This smell could also happen if you left your emergency brake (handbrake) on by mistake. If you check the brakes by hand you’ll notice the hottest one is the one giving off the smell. If there is a problem get that brake pad changed asap.

It smells like burnt rubber:
This could be an easy fix. Open your hood and make sure all hoses and belts are tight and not resting on the hot engine. But, this could also mean a belt has become loose or is about to break. If this is the case you should get it replaced as soon as you can.

Remember, if you find that your vehicle smells like any of these things, you can stop by Younger Nissan of Frederick and we will be happy to check out your vehicle. Let your nose be your guide, friends.