A Boost for the Winter

The recent car battery troubles of my neighbour, and our own car last month, gave me a chance to ponder the need for battery booster cables here in Canada.  As the car I drive often takes us out of the city and around the province, if not the country, we have booster cables that never leave the back of the car except to boost someone's battery.  We have a set for the second car which KLR drives but when that car was dry docked for a couple of months, the cables ended up in the garage.

After the neighbour's distress call came in from a few blocks away, complete with young son in the car and freezing rain on the dash, KLR was dispatched since he was already out and about and the car was out of dry dock.  The cables however, were still in the garage.  Yours truly headed out instead.

Lesson learned: regular checks of your winter box are a good way to stay organized and ensure that your car will be fully supplied when life throws the proverbial curve ball.  Items to carry in the box might include: booster cables, blanket, matches, candles, flashlight, first aid kit and hazard sign.

Here Comes Winter!
Is it snowing in your part of the world like it is here in Toronto?  If you haven't done so yet, now is a great time to clear the garage and make room for the car - so it can overnight out of the snow.  Some quick tips:

• Check that the sports gear still fits e.g. no point in storing a bicycle that will be too small next spring;
• Put away the garden spades/shovels and put snow shovels close to where you will need them i.e. the side door to the pathway or the front door to the driveway;
• Hang up on hooks as many tools and toys as possible;
• Change to the snow tires and put away the all season tires;
• Make sure you have a snow brush, extra anti-freeze and a winter kit in your car for winter driving. That kit could include a candle, matches, blanket, hazard sign and first aid kit.

Car Crazies

It's that time of year again: holiday trips, cottage weekends, camping excursions.  They all involve loading the gear, the kids and sometimes the dog/cat/hamster/fish into the family car and heading off down the highway. Here are a couple of tips to keep all that stuff organized so you can relax, enjoy the view and arrive ready for your time away.

1. Take only what you need, clear out the rest - Before you pack the car, clear out all the debris that you don't need for the trip.  You'll have more space for yourself and your family, more room for your holiday/weekend gear and less clutter to manage.
2. Contain, contain, contain - Try and get everything into a container whether it is a bag or box.  Try a laundry hamper for last minute items.  It is also great for bathing suits and towels.  You can even bring them back wet in the hamper after your last dip in the lake.
3. Give the kids a container - Assign each  child a container for their car entertainment such as books, electronics, games and snack if you permit eating in your car.  It will help keep the bits together so you are less likely to hear 'Where are my earphones?" when you get to your destination.  A container that closes is even better - kids aren't so careful when tossing things around the car and again, bits are less likely to get lost or broken.
4. Mom's/Dad's bag - If you have small children who are not yet happy to sit plugged into their electronics for hours on end, consider sticking a couple of special activity treats into your own bag.  You will be the hero when you pull out the special glittery markers halfway into your trip.
5. Pack Snacks - Unless you and your children get car sick, you are likely going to need some food and/or drink before your trip is over.  Food can be expensive on the road.  While your vacation food may be packed into the cooler in the back of your vehicle, consider packing a smaller day cooler which can be easily accessed by your or your children.  Drinks in containers that won't spill, fruit, dried fruit and nuts all make great travel snack.

Buckle up, stay safe and have fun!

Love that Car

Its winter - cold, wet and sometimes just plain grey. You, like many of us, may have limited your trips to the drive-thru car wash and vacuum station while the snow flies and Canadian wind howls. I know I have. You may also find yourself increasingly frustrated or discouraged with the debris in the car that doesn't get cleaned out when those freshen up stops at the service station get curtailed. Try these quick tips to help stay in control of the clutter until the next sunny, warm day.
1. Grab a garbage bag - check through the car and load up that bag. Most of the clutter in cars is associated with garbage that just didn't make it to the bin.
2. Give the kids their own garbage bag for their part of the car. Next time you fill up with gas, get them to toss it in the bin.
3. Put a box in the back for wandering gear - this can be as fancy as a "car gear box" available at many retailers or as simple as a cardboard box. Toss all the bits and pieces that have to stay with the car in there - cables, hitches, wrenches (for the hitches), ski box accessories and the like.
4. Clear the glove box - take out all the old napkins and receipts. The first goes in the garbage, the second to your tax file. Try replacing the napkins with hand wipes from the drug store - they come in a resealable package and are great for dealing with coffee spills and ketchup!
5. Wipe the dust off the dashboard with a dry napkin.
6. Check your windshield fluid.
That should hold you until the sun shines.

Tired of the Tires?

In you live in the northern hemisphere, north of about 60 degrees, you have contemplated at some point putting snow tires on your car. If you live in the southern hemisphere, south of about the same latitude or in the mountain ranges of other continents, you have also contemplated snow tires and maybe have chains to go with them.

Now since changing tires, like checking the oil, is a regularly occurring event, why is it that many of us end up in the "tire queue", with coffee and newspaper - for several hours - after the first snow fall each year to get those tires put on?. You would think we didn't know that winter was coming!

Ok, now for everyone in any hemisphere who owns a car - snow tires or otherwise:

• Open your calendar.
• Mark in the next date your car service is due.
• Mark in the date your car service is due after that and every date to the end of the year (2009).
• Go to November 7 (May for the folks down under)
• Mark down "Change car tires".
• Close calendar.
• Smile!

Adjust the dates if you are a little farther north. The point is that next year you will be in a short queue and have the tires changed before the snow. You will be organized, smiling and taking that coffee and newspaper to your son's hockey rink/daughter's dance class and enjoy his/her game/practice. Enjoy!