Long gone are the days when you had to hand crank your windows, manually adjust your seats, or rely on only one side-view mirror. Cars now come packed with technology that even a decade ago would have seemed only possible in science fiction. We now have cars that brake for us, that warn us if there is a vehicle in our blindspot, and can even parallel park themselves.

But is there a downside to all this new automotive technology? Pat Goss explains why all these wonderful gadgets could actually be making us “dumb and dangerous drivers.”

So, even if your car should warn you of possible danger, make sure to check over your shoulder before changing lanes. It could very well save your life.

America’s Trusted Mechanic Pat Goss Teaches Us How To Check Our Oil

When it comes down to it we often forget about our engine oil, resulting in harsher problems down the line. CARCHEX customer Megan from Pittsburgh has the same issue and wants to know when and how she should check her oil. In this Goss’ Car Care Tips For Women video Pat answers Megan’s questions and leads us in the right direction.

How often should I check my oil? How much oil should I fill the tank with?

If you have similar questions then check out the video below. Pat’s helpful guidance will start you on the right track to properly maintaining your engine oil. Plus you’ll learn all about the dipstick!

We hope you have enjoyed Goss’ Car Care Tips For Women and found all of Pat’s tips helpful! In case you missed any or just want to watch them again, you can find all the videos in this series on our CARCHEX YouTube Channel. Thanks for watching and if you have any questions for Pat Goss, please let us know! We will be sure to get them answered.

For more information about a CARCHEX extended auto warranty, visit our website or become a CARCHEX Facebook Fan!

America's Trusted Mechanic Pat Goss Gives Us A Lesson About the Do's and Don'ts of Tire Pressure

This week CARCHEX answers Jessie’s questions regarding tire pressure in the series Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women.

Jessie from Michigan needs some basic help. In this video Pat explains the essentials of dealing with our tire pressure. Like Jessie, many women have similar questions—How often should I check my tire pressure? What do I use? How do I check tire pressure?

Watch the video below to learn some beneficial tips from Pat. His expertise will get you on your way to understanding your tires, so you can stay safe and in control!

Always be prepared! Look out for next week’s Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women video!

America's Trusted Mechanic, Pat Goss, Helps Us Handle Those Unwanted Car Noises

CARCHEX continues answering your questions in the new series Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women. This week Allison from Fairfax, Virginia, asks a question regarding a weird noise her car makes from time to time.

What could it be?  Where is it coming from? Could this noise indicate something dangerous?  Noises can be serious, so it is important to get them checked out by a technician; however, translating these rattles, squeaks, and rumbles can be hard.

Pat gives us some great tips, so we are prepared when taking these strange noises to the mechanic.  Check out his suggestions for Allison in this video below and stay tuned for next week’s Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women video!

For more information about a CARCHEX extended auto warranty, visit our website or become a CARCHEX Facebook Fan to make sure you don’t miss any other videos in this series!

America's Trusted Mechanic Provides Car Care Tips for Women in This New Video Series

CARCHEX receives many questions from fans about car maintenance and saving money on car care especially from our women customers.  Who better to provide some answers than America’s Trusted Mechanic Pat Goss!  In the new series called Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women, Pat Goss provides women with simple tips and basic instructions on how to save money, understand our vehicles, and always be prepared.

The first Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women video answers a question Jennifer from New York has regarding items to keep in her car in case of an emergency.  Recently graduating from college, Jennifer told us that her parents are constantly worrying about her now that she’s living away from home.  While they stress keeping emergency things in her car, they fail to say what exactly is essential for her to have.

Check out Pat’s advice to Jennifer in this video below and stay tuned for more to come in the Goss’ Car Care Tips for Women video series!

For more information about a CARCHEX extended auto warranty, visit our website or become a CARCHEX Facebook Fan to make sure you don’t miss any other videos in this series!

CARCHEX shares important tips to ensure drivers have a happy and safe holiday

The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is one of the busiest and most dangerous times to drive according to AAA. CARCHEX wants to ensure that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season and suggests following these tips if you are hitting the road for the holidays:

Winterize Your Vehicle

Drivers should winterize their car at the start of each winter season but it is especially important to do before any long holiday trips. Simple things like testing your battery and checking your fluids can save you a lot of grief and headaches in the long run. (See Pat Goss’s Winterizing Tips)

Check Conditions and Know the Roads

It may be 60 and sunny where you are starting your trip but 2 hours in you could hit dangerous icy or snowy conditions.  So, check the weather on your route and make sure you are prepared for any weather along the way. Also, it is important to become familiar with the roads along your course and some alternate routes in case you hit dangerous winter conditions or a weather-related accident.

Emergency Road Kit

Before you hit the roads, drivers should equip their vehicle with an Emergency Road Kit.  According to AAA, a winter emergency kit should include an ice scraper and snow brush; sand, cat litter or traction mats; a small shovel; gloves, hats and blankets; flashlights with fresh batteries; shop rags or paper towels; jumper cables; warning flares or triangles; drinking water; non-perishable snack bars; warm clothes; first aid kit; basic hand tools; mobile phones and car chargers with important numbers preprogrammed.

Minimize Distractions

If icy roads and holiday traffic jams aren’t enough to make your drive dangerous – screaming children and fielding cell phone calls while driving will definitely put you in a potentially hazardous situation. Cell phones are great to have in case of an emergency – BUT you should not be talking or texting while driving and it’s illegal depending upon your state.  Also, make sure you bring a variety of video games, Mp3 players, movies, books and crafts for your children to occupy them on long drives and keep them from distracting you.

Buckle Up

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seat belts are the single most effective safety device for preventing death and injury. Wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of crash injuries by 50 percent. So BUCKLE UP (and make sure all passengers are buckled) before you start your engine!

Don’t Drink & Drive

It is estimated that more than 1,000 people die between Thanksgiving and New Year’s due to driving drunk. During the holiday season take responsibility to help keep impaired drivers off the roads – designate a driver, invite guests who are drinking to spend the night, avoid driving early and late evening hours on holidays, and avoid driving when drowsy or fatigued.    Drinking and driving is a choice. Don’t allow a poor choice to ruin your holidays or someone else’s.

CARCHEX wishes drivers a happy and safe holiday season!

Manual Clutch Failures—a common problem for Jeep Patriot owners— and a huge repair bill if you don’t have an extended auto warranty!

A broken clutch can literally leave you stranded in the cold. When a clutch breaks, it cannot engage the gears, i.e. it’s dead in the water, which can be quite costly without an extended Jeep warranty.

A common and well-documented problem with many manual Jeep Patriots, especially model year 2008, is the failure of the clutch and/or master cylinders. Without an extended warranty it is not only costly in itself [upwards of $900] but can lead to other problems on your Jeep, most notably brake failure [YIKES!] and transmission damage. And, nobody wants to hear the words transmission and damage in the same sentence.

Here’s the crazy thing about a Jeep Warranty:

Clutches are “wear and tear” items. Yep, that’s right. Just like brakes, they’re NOT covered under the basic Jeep warranty. So even though this problem typically presents itself with less than 50K miles [in some cases it’s under 3K…] you can be left to foot the bill with a proper Jeep warranty. That includes the entire damage that results from a broken clutch. Of course, if you had protected yourself with an extended warranty for your Jeep, this wouldn’t be a worry.

An extended warranty purchased directly from Jeep can be costly, so make sure to do your research and compare auto warranties wisely. In this case, you want to make sure at the least your drive train and clutch are protected under the extended Jeep warranty. Determining the root cause of a transmission failure can be timely and costly and because of the ins and outs of what [little] the basic Jeep warranty covers, it’s crucial to make sure you have covered yourself with an auto warranty for your Jeep. Check out an extended auto warranty for your Jeep at CARCHEX.

Helpful tip for Patriot Owners:

If you’re having any clutch related issues [chattering, shuddering, shaking, squeaking, low or no response from the throttle or trouble accelerating] take it in for a look.

Designed to lure and then catch habitual texters, law enforcement officers have commissioned texting only lanes on your local highways and roadways. Warning, don’t be fooled by this social distraction on your morning and evening commutes, these new texting only lanes come complete with stop and go traffic, fender benders, crash site obstacles and steep fines.

• The reported #1 source of driver distraction today is the use of a wireless device.
• Phone use while driving extends a driver’s reaction time by as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent.
• Drivers that use cell phones are 4x more likely to be involved in crashes that may injure themselves or others.
• Driving while using a cell phone decreases the amount of brain activity devoted to driving by as much as 37%.
• About 28% of all crashes in 2008 were caused by drivers who admitted to texting.

30 states, including Maryland, Maine and New York have passed laws making texting while driving illegal with fines up to $500 if caught. See if your state enforces no texting while driving with the Govenors Highway Safety Association chart.

In order to stay away from the fines and danger, try locking your cell phone in the trunk and endure the regular traffic to work…away from your designated texting lane.