Service Saturday: Brakes – What Kind Do You Have and How To Take Care Of Them

Brakes are one of the most important parts of a vehicle, what good is it to be able to go if you can’t stop!  Either going  on a long road trip or on a short drive to the store, if you can’t stop it won’t be a good trip.

What Kind of Brakes Do You Have?

For the past few decades there have been only 2 predominant types of brakes, disc brakes and drum brakes. They work in essentially the same way, and symptoms of a worn system are often identical.

Drum Brakes

Drum brakes predate disc brakes by many years, but they are still a reliable and affordable braking technology. However, because drum brakes do not dissipate heat as well as disc brakes, they are often only found on the rear two wheels of vehicles. Drum brakes essentially consist of two rounded brake shoes housed inside a round drum that spins with the wheels of a vehicle. When the brake pedal is applied, fluid pushes the two brake pads out against the drum where they create friction and slow the vehicle.

Disc Brakes

A car’s disc brakes work much like those of a motorcycle or bicycle. A caliper that houses two brake pads is mounted over a thin disc shaped rotor. The rotor spins with the wheels while the brake caliper remains stationary. When the brake pedal is applied, the two brake pads in the caliper squeeze the rotor to create friction and slow the vehicle. Check out the two diagrams from  CarBibles below to see the difference between drum and disc brakes visually.

Maintaining Your Car’s Brakes

Fortunately, drum and disc brake systems should go many thousands of miles without any trouble. Keep an eye on brake fluid and inspect your brake pads every 12,000 miles or so. If the pads are less than 1/8 inch thick consider replacing them. Otherwise, just keep an eye out for unusual behavior that could indicate a problem.

Detecting a Problem With Your Brakes

The importance of your brakes cannot be overstated, if you experience these symptoms have your brakes inspected.

•  Strange sounds when braking
• Your car “pulls” to the left or right when driving
• Vibrations when applying the brakes
• A “mushy” or inconsistent brake pedal
• Noticeable grooves in the rotors
• Strange smells

Have Buckeye Inspect Your Brakes

Hopefully you are not experiencing any of these warning signs of brake problems. If you are, do something about it as soon as possible.  Brake problems don’t fix themselves, and letting these problems persist could lead to an accident.  Let Buckeye take a look at your brakes, we can give you an overall assessment of your current brakes and take care of any problems that you might be experiencing.

Foundation Friday: Community Care Day

Buckeye believes in being part of the community and on Sept 8th we will be participating in the United Way Community Care Day.  We would love for you to join us, even for part of the day.  Together we can all make our community a better place to live, do business and enjoy.

This is the 18th Annual Community Care Day and is a volunteer event that mobilizes hundreds of people in our area to help those in need.  Participants assist local non-profit organizations in completing a variety of projects, such as painting rooms or playground equipment, assisting clients with daily activities, repairing or building a home or facility, outdoor clean-up, stocking inventory at food pantries, just to name a few.
Community Care Day projects are completed by students and teams of employees from companies throughout Fairfield County.  Sites include community services agencies, United Way-funded organizations, schools, and playgrounds.

United Way of Fairfield County is focused on critical issues such as helping children and youth succeed, family stability, health care, mental health and wellness and job development.

Their goal is long lasting change that prevents problems from happening in the first place. They realize that they may never prevent problems, however  are focused on building a community where everyone has opportunities and resources to reach their potential.

Too many families are walking along a financial tightrope, barely getting by, with no ability to save for college, a home, or retirement. They are working to transform that financial tightrope into solid ground by helping families learn the basics of budgeting, increase their income and start to set aside savings.

Trade It In -VS Selling It Yourself

Should You Trade or Sell Your Used Car?

The only thing standing between you and your new vehicle is your old one.  So, what should you do with it? There are a couple of ways to get rid of your used car: trade it in or sell it yourself.  Both of these scenarios have their perks and pitfalls, and we’ve outlined those below.

Trading Your Used Car
Trading your car is usually the quickest and easiest way to get rid of it. In fact, the moment you decide you’re ready for your next vehicle, any dealer is likely happy to take your current vehicle off of your hands.

If you are considering trading in your vehicle, ask the dealer for an estimate. The dealer will assess the condition of your car, its age, and other factors to determine a fair trade value. Trade-in values can always be negotiated, or you can simply accept what the dealer offers. When you reach an agreement, the amount the dealer gives you for your trade-in will be deducted from the amount you pay for your new vehicle.

That sounds simple enough. So why don’t more people trade? Dealership trade-ins get a bad reputation because consumers believe they get less than their car is worth. Trade value is sometimes lower than the amount you could sell the car for yourself, but by trading in you avoid significant perils. You save time, effort and potential post-sale headaches because the dealer assumes the risk of purchasing a used car.

Selling Your Used Car
If you plan on selling your used car, be wary of the work involved in this process. Preparing your vehicle for sale will take time and maybe even money for things like cleaning product and minor repairs.Once the vehicle has been cleaned and fixed up, you’ll need to determine its value. Kelley Blue Book is a good starting point, but remember that this is simply a suggested value. You will still have to deal with negotiation and be prepared to take less than that in a private sale if you intend to get rid of it quickly.

Most importantly, carefully consider the liability involved with a private sale. There is a chance that something could go wrong with the vehicle you’re selling. For example, an unforeseeable circumstance like the transmission going out a week after you pass the vehicle onto its new owner.  As a seller, you could be held accountable and potentially face legal action for this. This is a worst case scenario, but you need to be aware of such possibilities and prepared to face them if you are going to sell your car privately.

Whether you decide to trade or sell your car is up to you, but it’s important to start the process with proper research.  To learn how much your current vehicle is worth  contact us at Buckeye Honda or Buckeye Toyota and let us take a look at your vehicle.  We can go over all of your options in a timely and professional manner.

Test Driving to Win!

 

     The Test Drive is the most important step in the car buying process.  With all of the available online information sometimes we forget to actual take a good test drive.  Sometimes we get so caught up in what we have read on all of the websites, review sites and expert car enthusiasts sites that we forget that we still have to be comfortable in the car.  Without sitting in the vehicle, opening the doors, crawling through it and actually putting it through it’s intended purpose; how are we to know if we have chosen the right vehicle for us?   The answer is, you can’t.  Now at Buckeye we firmly believe that doing your research is a vital part of the process but until you sit behind the wheel and adjust the seat and mirrors of that “perfect car” you don’t know if the dashboard layout doesn’t jive with your vibe.  Maybe the console rubs your knee the wrong way or hey no where online did it mention that someone with my exact height, build, seat adjustment, preferred mirror placement and head tilt would experience a really annoying blind spot or ???. 

So now that we agree that taking the test drive is important, how should we maximize our time and get the most out of the experience?  I am glad you asked…

First, you should start with simply sitting in the car. Make sure the car is easy to get in and out of. Once seated, survey your surroundings and assess your comfort level. If you’re taller, make sure you have enough headroom. Also, consider how easy it is to adjust and personalize your settings. Is the steering wheel able to tilt or telescope for a better reach? Next, scope out the adjustability of the seat in terms of height, legroom and lumbar support. When you’re situated, check the vehicle’s visibility. Adjust the rear-view and side mirrors and look for potential blind spots.

When you’re actually ready to test drive the vehicle, it’s important that you find a route most similar to the daily drives you will take in your new car. For example, if you commute daily on the highway, take the car out onto the freeway to see how it performs at higher speeds.

When on the road, assess the following vehicle characteristics to get a better idea of the car’s capabilities:

• Acceleration. The car should accelerate and downshift quickly and seamlessly.
• Engine sounds. Pay close attention to how the car sounds upon acceleration. Some models are meant to sound louder and sportier than others but in some models, loud engine noises could indicate powertrain problems.
• Handling. Can you feel the road through the steering wheel? How is cornering in the car?
• Braking. Brakes are equally important for performance and safety. See how quickly they “grab” and assess how much distance you need to come to a stop safely.

When you return to the dealership, check the trunk space or cargo capacity. This is a component that a lot of people forget to look at but can be very important, especially if you’re regularly hauling a lot of gear. You should also evaluate how easy and uneasy it is to load items. If this is difficult, you might want to reconsider your vehicle choice why would you want something as easy as grocery shopping to be a complex or arduous task?

Are you ready to begin your test drive process? Contact our Buckeye Honda or Buckeye Toyota locations and we can arrange for one of our professional test drive coordinators to assist you in making sure your test drive is a perfect one!

Weekend Wednesday: August 22nd – 24th

O.K.  Summer isn’t over yet, let’s get out and do something this weekend!

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Lancaster Farmers Market – Saturday Aug 23, 2014

8am-12pm Saturdays till 10/25/14 at the Government Services Parking Lot, 239 West Main Street. 3-6pm on Tuesdays through August 26th at the Kroger Parking Lot at the corner of E. Main St and Goslin Road. More than 30 seasonal vendors with fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, meats, eggs, cut flowers bouquets, preserves, jewelry, crafts, plants, syrup, body……

Cost: Free Event

Contact: Lancaster Farmers Market, Phone: 740-569-4563

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Star Gazing At Alley Park – Saturday Aug 23, 2014 

9-11pm. Join park volunteer, Roger Grossenbacher, to enjoy looking and learning about the stars and the Galaxy. Telescopes will be provided.

Cost: $4 per person

Contact:
Alley Park
2805 Old Logan Rd SE
Lancaster, Ohio
Phone: 740-681-5025
Web Site: http://www.lancasterparks.com

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Creekside Live Concert Series – Friday Aug 22, 2014

Creekside Live is a summer concert series with live entertainment headlined by popular bands from the Midwest. Join us for a night of family friendly entertainment, dancing and drinks at Creekside, Gahanna.

This weeks performers are 6:00pm – Jonalee White Band (Country) & 8:00pm – The Spike Drivers (Americana Rock)

August 22, 2014
Location: Creekside Park & Plaza
Hours: Friday 6-10 p.m.
Address:123 Mill St.Gahanna, 43230
614-342-4250 www.gahanna.gov

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Music in the Park – Downtown Logan – Friday Aug 22, 2014

7-830pm. Summer concert series in its 22nd season features eleven weeks of live music at the gazebo in Worthington Park in Logan, every Friday evening from June through mid-August. Hocking Hills Inspire Shelter will sell refreshments for the entire 11 weeks. Concerts usually proceed rain or shine. Bring lawn chair or blanket.  Bands are subject to change without notice.  No alcohol permitted.  Portable restroom on site. Concerts are free due to the generosity of local merchants, organizations and individual donors.  Donations also accepted at the park.

 

This weeks performer: Persuaded, A Southern Gospel Trio.

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The Columbus Crew VS Houston Dynamo – Saturday Aug 23, 2013 — 7:30 at Crew Stadium

 

The Honda Smart Home – Interior Design

What’s a Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Home without Eco-Friendly interior design?  Honda introduced the Honda Smart Home earlier this Spring. The Smart Home is a marvel of modern technology and ingenious design that Honda is known for.

With a tremendous spirit of innovation, teamwork and determination, Honda associates, past and present, have created value for society by challenging conventional thinking with new technologies, products and business strategies. In direct response to the growing threat of climate change – the greatest environmental challenge of our time – Honda Smart Home was developed to showcase our vision for sustainable, low-carbon living and personal transportation. (Hondasmarthome,2014)

For more information on the Honda Smart Home visit the website at www.hondasmarthome.com or take a Virtual Tour 

 

Do you think we will live in something like this in the near future?

 

Foundation Fridays

Welcome to Buckeye’s Foundation Friday.

The Buckeye organization has always understood how important it is to be a positive member in the community.  As a longtime member of the Fairfield County Community, Buckeye has supported numerous projects including The Lancaster Festival, numerous local and national charities, local youth sports teams, The Lancaster DARE program and a list of others.  We have always held the belief that strengthening the communities we serve is fundamental to the future of our business.

Foundation Fridays will spotlight some of the organizations doing wonderful things in our community along with events and activities that Buckeye and our associates are involved with.  If you have an organization or know of an organization that we can showcase please leave a message in the comment section and we will contact you.  There are a lot of great things going on in this community and we want to share them with you.

Thursday’s Thoughts: Back To School Driving Refresher

It is the end of August and schools across the county will soon be back in full swing. Along with busy ball fields and jungle gyms will come more kids running across the street and a plethora of yellow school buses on the highways. With this in mind, it’s a great opportunity for drivers everywhere to brush up on a couple of back to school driving tips:

Respect The Bus

Imagine being in a large car with 40 noisy 6th-graders. Could be pretty stressful. Do your part and make the bus drivers’ lives easier.

Did you know that more bus passengers are killed while unloading or loading each year than are killed while traveling inside a school bus? When a school bus stops with its red brake lights flashing and/or its stop sign raised, you must stop from either direction until all kids are safely across the street and the bus lights stop flashing (unless the school bus is stopped on the other side of a multilane or divided highway).

Also, don’t tailgate a bus as they often make sudden stops when least expected. Finally, when a school bus is trying to merge back into traffic, you must give them the right of way.

School Zone Ahead

Have your foot covering the brake pedal and your eyes scanning the road when entering a marked school zone. When children are at hand, school zones require you to obey the posted 25mph or slower speed limit, regardless of the day of week or time of day. For example, if it’s a Friday night at 10pm and you are in a school zone when kids are present (maybe a football game just ended), you are still required to adjust your speed to obey the slower school zone speed limit.

When you slow down for pedestrians, you not only make yourself a safer driver, but you also help other drivers who may not see the obstacles you do. When they see you slowing down, their natural intuition will kick in and they too will slow down to see what potential hazard may lie ahead.

Crosswalks, Double Check Them!

Now that kids will be back on their way to school, it’s time to double and triple check those intersections; just when you think it’s all systems go, a late for school student will magically appear out of nowhere and dart across the street when you least anticipate it. Making, full stops at stop signs and red-lights before turning right will give you the time you need to be completely sure the coast is clear before you enter a cross walk.

Drivers should not block the cross walk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn. Do not stop with a portion of your vehicle over the cross walk. Blocking the cross walk forces pedestrians to go around your vehicle and puts them in a dangerous situation.

Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign, school patrol officer or designated crossing guard.

Children are the least predictable pedestrians and the most difficult to see. Take extra care to look out for children not only in school zones, but also in residential areas, playgrounds and
parks.  Don’t honk your horn, rev your engine or do anything to rush or scare a pedestrian in front of your car, even if you have the legal right-of-way.

New Driver Zone!  

Near high school campuses, bear in mind that a higher amount of the motorists are newly licensed teenage drivers who may not have as much driving know-how as you do.

For more on what you can do to keep school children safe, including child pedestrians and bicyclists, check out the National Safety Council’s “Back to School Safety Tips for Motorists.”

 

Weekend Wednesday – What’s Going On This Weekend

Welcome back to Buckeye FanClub’s Weekend Wednesday.   Have you ever gotten to the middle of the week  and you can see the weekend in sight but you want to do something different?  You want to do something outside of your normal weekend routine… we have you covered!  Bring On Weekend Wednesday!

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Friday Night Bandstand featuring The Nostalgics!

The Nostalgics, Lancaster Ohio’s 18-piece big dance band, was formed more than 24 years ago as an offshoot of the Olivedale Senior Center Concert band, now known as the Lancaster Community Band. In addition to the band’s popular bi-monthly dance night at Olivedale, the band plays at area dance halls for those who like to dance to the ballads and rhythms of live music. Proud to be a unique community resource, this swinging musical ensemble has performed at many Lancaster and Fairfield County venues.

Program starts at 7:00 P.m.  Bring a chair, bring a friend and join us at the Bandstand in Downtown Lancaster.

 

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 Snider Heart & Lung Run

Saturday, August 16, 2014 at Fairfield Medical Center. This race is held annually to assist cardiopulmonary patients with high co-pays and                             deductibles      when undergoing cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. As part of this annual event, there will be a 5-mile run or walk, 1-mile walk and      kids’ race. The    5-mile run features chip timing.

Date: August 16th, 2014

Time: Registration 6:30-7:45 am Race begins at 8:00 am

Race Course: Start and Finish on North Ewing Street near Lanreco Boulevard in Lancaster near Fairfield Medical Center

Entry Fee: $25 pre race; $30 day of race
Pre-race registration deadline is August 6th; same day registration is available but there is no guarantee on race shirt.

Awards: Awards will be presented to the top male and female runners in each age division plus the top three male and female finishers overall.

Age Groups: 13 & under, 14-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 & over

You can register online by visiting the URL below.

https://www.premierraces.com/viewevent.asp?eventID=957

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Columbus Commons welcomes the Columbus Food Truck Festival for its annual event, which will take place on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16 from Noon to 10pm. The festival includes over 50 local and regional food trucks, in addition to arts and craft vendors, live music, and other entertainment. Saturday will offer more family-friendly activities, featuring the Columbus Commons Inflatable Zone. Admission is free. Please leave pets, coolers, tarps, and tents at home. Blankets and chairs are welcome.

 For More Info Including a List Of Trucks and Activities Click Here

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Rhythm on the River – The Paul Thorn Band with special guest Grassinine

FREE |  August 15 @ 7:30 pm

Bicentennial Park, 233 Civic Center Drive, Columbus, OH 43215

Paul Thorn has been pleasing crowds for years with his muscular brand of roots music: bluesy, rocking, and thoroughly southern, yet also speaking universal truths. The Tupelo, Mississippi native worked in a furniture factory, jumped out of airplanes, and was a professional boxer before sharing his experiences with the world as a singer-songwriter.  As a boxer, Thorn once fought against Roberto Duran and as a musician, he has toured and collaborated with Sting, Paul Carrack, Joe Diffie, Tanya Tucker, Ronnie Milsap, and Carole King to name a scant few.

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 Columbus Crew VS LA Galaxy – 7:30 at Crew Stadium

Come watch the Crew take on Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy.  This may be Donovan’s last trip to Columbus,  give him a Massive send off into retirement and support the Hardest Working Team In America.

Stay for the Fireworks following the game!