Beware of Fall Diving Hazards

ToyotaCare is a free maintenance plan that compliments the factory warranty that comes with the purchase or lease of every brand-new Toyota vehicle. For the first two years or 25,000 miles of ownership, you get to enjoy these benefits. No-Cost Maintenance Every 5,000 miles, assuming you visit a licensed Toyota garage, you get a free tire rotation, a multi-point inspection, and a fluid inspection with extra fluids added at no cost if needed. Every 10,000 miles, you get all the same benefits plus a free oil change. You might also want some other routine maintenance or repairs done during these stops. 24-Hour Roadside Assistance Unlike the maintenance plan, you get to enjoy 24/7 roadside assistance for two years no matter how many miles you drive. With this plan in place, Toyota provides no-cost battery jumping, emergency fuel deliveries, spare tire replacements, and more. So long as your car is near a roadway in the continental United States or Alaska, Toyota will pay to tow your vehicle to the nearest Toyota dealership. In addition to this basic coverage, most dealerships also offer extended warranties and maintenance coverage that kicks in as soon as the factory-standard plans expire and assuming you keep up with the maintenance schedule Toyota recommends for all its vehicles, you can save a surprising amount of money by buying such a plan. Make sure you learn the details of any such program when you go in to buy a new car so you can find out if it's right for you.

While it's still possible to drive without using any mobile apps at all, why would you bother when you can get one of the amazing apps on this list to make your trip a little smoother? Google Maps Available free on both Android and Apple products, the Google Maps app is more than the user-friendly map you can use from your computer's browser. Ever since the company ate Waze, Google Maps has included user-updated traffic information and the ability to automatically update your route to avoid the worst of it. GasBuddy Another free app for Apple and Android, GasBuddy allows you to see the closest and cheapest gas stations near your current location. You can even search other cities and zip codes nearby if you're on the road, and you can win prizes for posting prices. RepairPal More than just an app, RepairPal is a service that certifies mechanics across the country based on the quality and value of their work. The app itself can keep a log of your car's repair and service history, show you how much you should pay for a given service based on your car's model, and find the top-quality car shops in your area. Other helpful smartphone apps include ones that turn your phone into a dashboard cam and ones that let you know about traffic lights and speed cameras. Still, when it comes to the driving apps you should always get, navigation, gas, and repairs deserve the top of the list.

If you’re storing your vehicle and not driving it over the winter, you will want to take a few steps to prepare your car for storage. Here are a few tips to make sure your vehicle is ready to go again when you take it out of storage. Clean and Detail You don’t want to put a car into storage without cleaning it first. Clean the inside of the vehicle, removing all garbage and vacuuming the floor and upholstery. Wash the outside, and follow up with wax to protect the paint finish. Prevent Mice and Rodent Damage If mice or other rodents get into your vehicle while it’s stored they can cause serious damage. While there is no way to guarantee they won’t try to get warm inside the vehicle, you can take a few steps to help make your vehicle less appealing for them. Put mothballs inside old socks and then place the socks inside the vehicle, under the hood, and under the car. If you don’t want to use mothballs, you can also put drier sheets inside your vehicle. Inflate Your Tires Tires will lose air while in storage during the cold winter months and you don’t want your tires to deflate and leave your car sitting on its rims. Ideally you would take the tires off and store your vehicle on a lift to keep the pressure off the tires, but if that is not possible be sure to inflate your tires to the maximum tire air pressure before storing, and to check and fill tires as necessary before driving car out of storage. Remove Battery Remove and store your battery separate from your vehicle so it doesn’t drain the power over the winter. Alternatively, you can connect the battery to a trickle charger or battery tenders. The charger you use should have an automatic shutoff feature or float mode so it stops charging when it has full power to avoid overcharging the battery.