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With shorter daylight hours coming quickly, here’s a great thing Automotive Service Association of Washington (ASA) is doing this Saturday:
The ASA-WA “Lights-On” program is in its thirty-seventh year and was developed by ASA-WA to improve fall and winter vehicle driving safety.
In support of “National Car Care Month” annual event promoting vehicle maintenance, the Automotive Service Association of Washington (ASA-WA) will be conducting a FREE inspection and replacing FREE of charge faulty exterior vehicle bulbs and headlamps, with the exception of unusual or exotic installations. This will be happening at locations in Washington by ASA-WA members, their technicians, and automotive technology students from many state vocational/technical training facilities.
Read more here to find the locations near you…
Walmart Parking Lot – Lakewood, Washington
7001 Bridgeport Way W.
Lakewood, WA
9:00am – 2:00pm

All of us at Southend Auto Care are excited and gratified to have been named a AAA” Top Shop”.  We thank you, our customers for grading us in the highest percentiles for our service to you. In addition to top levels of customer satisfaction, there are over 20 strict guidelines established by the AAA auto club to be part of the recommended auto repair network, including advanced technician certification, cleanliness of facility, professionalism, and best business practices. We believe this recognition is a true reflection of our dedication to provide you with the best auto care provider service anywhere. We look forward to serving an even greater part of the community with the same dedication.  Again, thank you!

Guess what my father’s day request was? Hint: I love cars, and I love movies. With a 1969 Ford Torino in the garage, you can guess how we get there. Yes..me, my wife and 6-year old son all sitting in front on the bench seat with the sound playing through the AM radio at the drive-in movie theater.
Drive in theaters:  Many of us can remember going with our parents to drive-in theaters(remember pajamas with feet?), getting there early, eating the food you brought, playing, throwing footballs and frisbees, just hanging out.  About 4000 theaters were operating at one time in the US, although most of them closed in the 1970-1990′s time period. Many of the remaining ones have fallen into disrepair. The largest reason of this demise resulted from high real estate values and the advent of cable TV and VCR’s. Well guess what? They’re coming back with a bang, especially in the Midwest and South.  A lot of the popularity is due to the nostalgic feel and economics. It’s a sort of anything goes feel..bring your own food, dog (on a leash), lawn chairs, etc..yeah…freedom! In Washington state, we had a high of 71 theaters in 1972, down to 7 presently. I feel blessed we have one of the remaining and probably the largest(6 screens) theaters in my home town of Auburn.
Do-it yourself outdoor movies: Check this out:   mobmov.org     This is a club of several local chapters, who project movies on outdoor vacant warehouse walls with high-powered projectors. They communicate movie times and titles by e-mail.
If you haven’t been to an outdoor theater, or haven’t been in a long time, try it. It’s a blast and a return to simplicity.

 And, please Mr. Sun, come back and visit a little more often..we really do miss you.

     Well, we might actually hit 75 degrees for the first time this year in the Seattle area this week; can you believe it!? Even us “seasoned” veterans of this area are grumbling. It seems to me about one in 5 years is like this, pining for just a measly few days of sunshine to tide us over. Thank you in advance!
    Fuel prices are expected to remain relatively stable through the summer. Fuel prices are dictated largely by supply and demand, with recent times higher prices due to increased global demand as well as instability in several oil producing countries. Did you know the United States alone consumes approximately 25% of the world’s energy produced(crude oil and natural gas included)? China, who previously exported crude oil, now has doubled it’s import of crude oil in the last 4 years.
Overall taxes and fees on gasoline at the pump varies state to state, most falling within about 31 to 61 cents per gallon, with Washington at about 56 cents.
    Remember, several things affect the fuel mileage your cars gets, such as tire pressure, extra weight in the vehicle, and driving habits(such as quick accelerations and one of the largest consumers of fuel:driving above 60 miles per hour). Combined, these make a noticable difference.
Also, keeping your car’s maintenance up, with clean filters, correct type of engine oil installed at oil change services, fuel system servicing, and normal scheduled maintenance items performed on a timely basis improves fuel mileage. Don’t forget about the interior cabin air/pollen filter in many vehicles, while you’re at it.
Have fun getting out, driving, and enjoying all the great activities our region has to offer this summer. I’ve got cabin fever myself!

So I was sitting idle in my car in the cold rain on the freeway, not moving for 30 minutes, due to an accident, after a long day at work. I decided to call my good friend to catch up on life, since I hadn’t talked to him in a while, on my hand-held cell phone. This made me think about the subject in my header line.
Cell phone talking while driving: I thought,”I’m not REALLY driving; I’m just sitting here, so it’s okay(I think)”. A study I read this week stated that whether driving with a hands-free (Bluetooth)cell phone or using a conventional phone, an equal amount of attention and focus are lost to conversation, instead of on the road. Apparently, cell phone users are four times as likely to get into crashes. The only difference in using a hands-free phone, is one might look right and left more readily since it’s easier to do, and have an “extra” hand to use things like turn signals, wipers, lights, etc(my feeling is there might also be a lack of the additional stress of “being caught” talking on a hand-held phone, by a friendly law-enforcement officer). Some would say the law against using hand-held cell phones while driving taking effect June 10, 2010, is a “feel-good” law, as in “we’re trying to do SOMETHING to address the problem”.
*I think this latest gimmick tops everything: a mount for your i-pad on the steering wheel or dash(guaranteed not block your vision, of course!)so you can check e-mail, surf the web or watch movies while driving. Uh-huh…
I realized recently that whether riding my bicycle, motorcycle, or car, I subconsciously look immediately at drivers of other vehicles around me to see what they’re doing, using that to size up their attention span. That’s a sad change.
My goal? Minimum or zero cell phone time while driving, hands-free or not. I’m getting closer every week. I’m actually feeling kind of good about saying, “I didn’t answer because I was driving”.

Let’s get out! I like this: “Staycations”(stay-at-home holidays) are down this year compared to last year as pent-up travel demand increases in Washington as well as country-wide. Gas prices are headed down for now, and aren’t expected to increase by Memorial Day weekend. Air travel prices have gone up, also. Even though most everyone will travel by car, of the people flying from Washington, the most popular destinations are southern California and Las Vegas(can you say SUN?).
So..if you’re traveling by car, make sure to check the tire pressures, oil and coolant levels, hope & pray for sun, and have fun! That’s my plan.

We are happy to announce the launch of our new website, www.SouthEndAutoCare.com. It includes lots of new features, such as our Online Promotions Page (print out coupons and save on your next visit) and Real-Time Online Appointment Scheduler. We also have a Contact Form that you can fill out and submit to us with your questions and/or comments. Also check out our Customer Reviews page to read reviews from our customers and submit one of your own.

Another facet of this new website launch includes the start of our Facebook Fan Page, plus we are now also on Twitter. So be sure to go to our Facebook Page and become a fan, as well as follow us at twitter.com/seautocare. We will occasionally offer Facebook only or Twitter only coupons and promotions. It’s also a great way for us to stay connected with you, our valued customer.

Cheers,
Mark