So much money goes into your car that you want it to last as long as possible. These three tips will keep your car running so you can spend less on maintenance, new cars and higher insurance premiums.

Keep up With Maintenance

First and foremost, follow the maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual. You already know that you need to stay on top of oil changes and fluid maintenance, but many car owners forget about fuel filters, radiator flushes, timing belts and transmission flushes. While this feels like a lot of maintenance to track, none of the items on the list need service as frequently as the oil filter, so it really isn’t that much. Timing belts, for instance, usually only need to be changed once over the life of a car. That makes it easy to forget, so review the maintenance schedule every now and then if you really want your car to last.

Improve Your Driving

All of those tips you’ve heard about defensive driving will help you avoid accidents, keeping you safe and saving you money. You might not realize it, but those techniques also prolong the life of your car. Aggressive and fast driving create substantially more wear on a vehicle, so if you want the most mileage before you have to see a dealer, slow down and drive carefully. In general, the lower you can keep your average RPMs the better your engine will do. Additionally, if you have a manual transmission, smoother shifting is sure to minimize engine and transmission stress.

Master the Elements

Nature is not kind to you vehicle, and there are two major elements that will harm it the most: sun and snow. Excessive exposure to sunlight will rot exposed rubber, fade paint and generally make life difficult. The obvious solution is to park in the shade as much as possible, but if you can’t, stay on top of rotating your tires and replacing rubber hoses and parts in the engine. Snow and ice are hard on the car, but the real danger comes from salt. If you live in a region where roads are regularly salted, the key to protecting your car is to wash it. Obviously you have to strategize around the cold, so your best bet is a car wash that does not recycle water. Wash your car regularly during the snowy months and the salt damage will be kept at bay.

You can further protect your car with good insurance coverage. Check out Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc to see how you can get better protection for less money.

Cooler weather means beautiful rides on your motorcycle through the mountains and on back roads. However, there is one thing you should look out for while riding during this time of the year: deer. This season is mating and migration season of deer and while you may see them during other times of the year, you are more likely to see them now more than ever. Stay safe while riding your motorcycle this season with these helpful tips.

• Pay attention during the early evening and early morning. They tend to move more at dusk and dawn so keep your eyes open! You are more likely to see them during this time of the day.
• If you see more, look for others. They tend to travel in herds so if you see one, you will likely see more shortly afterwards. Do not just assume that it was the only deer around. 
• Wear your helmet. This is a safety precaution you should always enforce but especially during deer season. If you do hit one, you want to be as safe as possible. 
• When riding in a group, spread out. The reason for this is that by riding a bit spread out, in the case of a collision, you are less likely to take your friends down with you.
• Don’t swerve to avoid the collision if it is inevitable. You want your motorcycle to be stabilized if it hits an animal. Instead, brake hard until the collision to lessen the force.

Make sure you have the right insurance. This cannot be stressed enough! In California, you are required to have insurance to drive your motorcycle. If you do not have insurance that would cover you in the case of an accident, contact Neff & Associates Insurance Services, Inc. serving Pismo Beach, CA, for policy information.

When you are in Pismo Beach, California, you likely drive a car. You want your car to last as long as possible, and there are various ways for you to extend its life by following a few basic tips. By understanding more about your car, you may be able to extend the life considerably.

Our goal at Neff & Associates is to ensure that you have everything you need in order to be safe on the road. This includes not only auto insurance, but ways to keep your car running. There is no need to spend more than what is absolutely necessary, and this includes auto repairs.

Removing junk out of your trunk can be one of the best ways to ensure your car runs smoothly. Added weight in the trunk can cause problems with the balance, alignment, and more. If there are things that don’t need to be in your trunk, take them out.

Check the pressure on your tires on a weekly basis. Approximately 36% of cars on the road are driving around with a lower than recommended psi. The recommended psi is found on your driver’s side door or in your owner’s manual. Ensure the tire pressure is proper so that you can get the best fuel efficiency and avoid flat tires.

You should also avoid running your A/C too much. Your A/C is powered by your engine, and if you are using it for extended periods of time, you are putting a considerable amount of strain on your engine. On cooler days, drive with the windows open, or park your car in the shade so that you don’t have to use your air conditioning at full blast.

At Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc, we want to help with insurance. You can call our independent agents to get help with quotes and more for your auto insurance in Pismo Beach. Call now and learn more about buying a policy.