Two important safety features of your vehicle are your windshield wipers. Did you know that? Whether you knew it or not, it’s still true. That’s why you need to make sure that your wipers are in good shape by checking them out at least once a month. Do you know what the warning signs are that your wipers are on the way out? Do you know what the factors are that go into your wipers’ lifespans? Take a look!

When you’re checking out your wiper blades, look for these things:

• Broken frame – detachment of frame arms at joints or connection points.
• Metal Corrosion – especially at joints and claws.
• Visible cracks, tears, and missing pieces in the rubber squeegee’s edge.
• Flex rubber squeegee back and forth to see if it is still flexible. Aged squeegees will have difficulty conforming to the shape of your windshield and create streaks.
• Check squeegee wiping edge for rounded edges which can prevent the wiper blade from making strong contact with the windshield and reduces wipe quality.
• Tug to ensure wiper blade has been securely installed on the wiper arm.
• Check that squeegee is secure in the wiper frame.*

Your wipers can break down due to several factors that are kind of unavoidable if you use your car at all (and some, even if you don’t use your car):

• Sun: Ultraviolet light and ozone deterioration
• Oil: Car waxes and exhaust hold rubber-deteriorating oil
• Airborne debris: Sand, mud and dust carried in the wind
• Moisture: Acid rain and salt water (in moist air both near the shore and inland)*

Finally, these are the warning signs that you should look out for to know when it’s time to replace those wipers:

• Streaking occurs when the rubber squeegee dries, hardens and cracks. It can also be caused by tree sap, road tar and other foreign substances collected on either the glass or the blade.
• Skipping occurs when the blade develops a curvature from lack of use (e.g. left in the ‘parked position’ for an extended length of time).
• Wearing occurs with extensive use and is when the rubber edges are rounded instead of squared.
• Splitting is caused when the sun’s ultraviolet rays penetrate the rubber squeegee, causing it to breakdown and separate from the frame.
• Bent Refill Vertebra and Bent Frames cause inconsistent contact with the glass surface, creating streaking or skipping.*

Some tips for making sure your wipers stay in great shape throughout their lives?

• Clean your windshield every time you fill your gas tank.
• Gently wipe the rubber squeegee with a damp paper towel to remove any loose dirt or oil.
• Never use your windshield wipers to de-ice your windshield. Instead, either use an ice scraper or use your defroster to melt snow and ice.
• Pull your wiper blades away from the windshield during winter months to prevent ice build up on the rubber squeegee and to prevent them from sticking to the windshield.*

*Information from: https://www.rainx.com/tips-information/wiper-blade-maintenance-tips/

If you’re like me, you were once a person who just let the pros handle every aspect of vehicle maintenance, and never thought about looking under the hood… like, ever. Well, for me those days are over. I have decided that it’s important to know about what’s happening in my vehicle’s engine, because it is, and the first step that I’ve taken is to learn about all of the fluids in my engine. It’s really fascinating! Of course, when I first popped the hood to start my self-education, everything seemed like a weird mechanical spaghetti, but it’s starting to make sense to me. Take a look at my list of the fluids that are essential to your vehicle’s operation, and where they are located and what exactly they do!

• Oil

  1. Your oil cools your engine, lubricates moving parts, and keeps the moving parts clean.

  2. You should change it regularly based on dealer recommendation and check it monthly!

• Coolant

  1. Coolant regulates your vehicle’s temperature.

  2. It is located in a reservoir near the radiator.

  3. If the level is low (level is indicated on the reservoir) take the vehicle to the shop to get your coolant topped up.

• Power Steering Fluid

  1. This helps you steer the vehicle.

  2. It’s located in a reservoir at the base of your windshield.

  3. Do the same as above, if the level is low take your vehicle to the shop to get the fluid topped up.

• Brake Fluid

  1. Brake fluid helps braking mechanisms work properly.

  2. If the level is chronically low, your brakes could be wearing out.

• Windshield Washer Fluid

  1. As you probably know, this helps clean your windshield of dust, debris, bug guts, etc.

  2. If you run out, get more at your local gas station and just refill the clearly labeled tank.

Winter’s still here, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean you (and your vehicle) shouldn’t be prepared for whatever’s still left to come at us. Check out our tips on how to make sure you’re ready for any cold weather that’s headed our way – that is, in terms of making sure your vehicle is in the right shape to handle it! Get your coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and go out to check these things.

• Make sure your radiator and coolant are in good shape – i.e. the level of your coolant is where it should be and your radiator is in working order.

• Use your garage! Clean it out if it’s full and start parking your car in it. If you don’t have a garage, use a car cover!

• Check your defrosters and make sure they work properly.

• Fill your windshield washer fluid, preferably with fluid that contains nontoxic antifreeze.

• Check your windshield wipers and consider replacing them with wipers specifically meant for winter use.

• Check your battery, which means checking the connections and the electrical system as well. Replace your battery if it is dying.

Traveling with a human’s best friend – a dog! – is one of the greatest joys in life. However, you need to make sure that they are comfortable and having a good time! Here’s how!

If your dog is sick, they should not be traveling. Hire a dog sitter or find a good place to board them if you’re going to be away for a while. A trip to the vet is also strongly encouraged if your dog is feeling ill and it’s not a result of a health condition.

Make sure you have plenty of water for your dog to drink on the trip. The best water to bring is either filtered/distilled water or the water you typically give your dog at home, which might be water from your tap. Dogs have sensitive GI tracts and can react badly to the minerals and particulates in “new” water.

If you travel with your dog in a crate, make sure that their crate is large enough for them to stand up, sit down, turn around, and lie down in. Put some soft blankets or towels in the bottom and give your dog their favorite toy for the ride. If your dog doesn’t travel in a crate, get a harness tie-down so that your dog can’t wander and injure themselves in the car.

Letting your dog stick their head out of the window is not a good idea. There’s a lot of dirt and debris on the road (and bugs in the summer) that can get into your dog’s eyes and ears and cause injury.

Finally, stop often for potty, water, and exercise breaks. Feeding your dog while traveling is a bad idea, so stick to water and exercise. You might need a stretch as well if you’re taking a long trip!

When you are driving at night, the most important thing to have on your side is a good source of light – in the case of your car, those are your headlights. If your headlights aren’t working properly, then you won’t be able to drive safely. That’s just a fact. Check out some of the situations you might have and what they might be caused by, and then stop down at Flemington BMW to have us get you back on the road and shining brighter than ever!

If one of your headlights is out but the other one is working fine, then you probably have a burned out bulb on your hands. It could also be another component in your headlight assembly.

If neither of your headlights are working, it could maybe, maybe, be two burned out bulbs, but a much more likely scenario is that you have a relay or control switch that is either malfunctioning or broken.

If your headlights work fine but are dimmer than normal, the first thing you should do is clean them off with some cleaning solution and a clean microfiber cloth. If they’re still dim after you clean them, look and see if the plastic of the headlights is yellow and/or chipped and scratched. If it is, then ask us about reconditioning your headlights!

Finally, if your headlights are working but go dim in specific situations, such as when you’re accelerating, then it could be that you have a problem with your charging system.

If you’ve got headlight problems, we have solutions! Schedule a service appointment online right now!

We all love BMW – it’s much more than just a brand, it’s a lifestyle! But even hardcore BMW fans might not know all of these fun facts about the Bayerische Motoren Werke!

1. BMW was originally known as BFW – try to pronounce Bayerische Flugzeugwerke! The company made airplane engines, hence the name. The engines they made set records and set a high standard for other engine makers.

2. The BMW global headquarters is shaped like four cylinders stacked together as homage to the amazing four-cylinder engines BMW originally produced.

3. The logo is NOT a spinning propeller. I know, I know, it’s a shock, but it’s a combination of a tribute to the logo of one of the companies that helped found BMW and the blue and white flag of Bavaria. Someone was just clever and spotted the propeller parallel once upon a time.

4. In 1937, the fastest motorcycle in the world was a BMW. It could go about 174mph – in 1937. That’s crazy!

5. BMW’s first electric car was made in 1972. It wasn’t a driveable car by any means (it used 12 batteries and could go a staggering 19 miles at one time and had less than 50hp) but it was still a great concept that was way ahead of its time.

Check out what modern BMWs we have to offer today!

Road Trip Playlist

Shut Up And Dance – Walk The Moon

All Right Now – Free

Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top

Slow Ride – Foghat

Roadhouse Blues – The Doors

China Grove – The Doobie Brothers

Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty

I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

All Day And All Of The Night – The Kinks

Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.

Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys

Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

Summer Of ‘69 – Bryan Adams

Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver

Africa – Toto

Purple Rain – Prince

Take On Me – a-ha

Beer For My Horses – Toby Keith and Willie Nelson

Hot Blooded – Foreigner

My Sharona – The Knack

Bennie And The Jets – Elton John

You Make My Dreams – Daryl Hall & John Oates

Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes

Down Under – Men At Work

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

Are you terrified of the check engine light coming on? It’s totally fine, I am too. One of the greatest things I learned recently, though, was that of the top five reasons that check engine light comes on, well. Only a couple are really bad. The others are totally reasonable and easy to fix. Check them out!

1. Your gas cap. This should be the first thing you check, because if it’s off/loose/broken it can set your check engine light off due to fuel vapors leaking out. If it’s off or loose, just put it on tightly! If it’s broken or altogether missing, it can be replaced by your dealer for cheap.

2. Your spark plugs need to be replaced about every 100,000 miles, so it could just mean it’s time for that to happen.

3. It could be your Mass Airflow Sensor, which tells your vehicle’s computer how much fuel to use based on the amount of air coming into your engine. If this is broken, your emissions will increase, and your vehicle could stall out.

4. Your oxygen sensors (aka O2 sensors) might need to be replaced. These monitor the amount of unburned oxygen in your exhaust, and then tell your vehicle’s computer how much fuel is actually being burned in your engine. Letting these go unfixed can burn out your catalytic converter.

5. Finally, it could actually be your catalytic converter (aka cat). This part reduces exhaust gases, and when it is burned out your MPGs will go down and your acceleration won’t be what it needs to be.

All in all, no matter what – if your check engine light goes on and it’s not the gas cap, get it into the shop ASAP. Good luck!

It’s that time of year for long road trips and bored passengers – so we’ve put together a list of our favorite games to play in the car for passengers of any age! The driver can get in on most of these too, so you’ll be able to break up the tedium of the road with these great games. Check them out and share your favorites on our Facebook!

1. Alphabetical Categories – start with a category (i.e. food, music) and then start from A and travel down the alphabet naming things within that category

2. 21 Questions – a classic, you have to guess what one person is thinking in 21 questions or less. You can’t repeat a question that’s already been asked, and whoever guesses it correctly gets to think of the thing for the next round.

3. Word Association – one person starts with a word, the next person has to think of a word that’s associated to that previous word in some way, and the game goes onward until someone makes a mistake or says something way too out of the realm of possibility to count.

4. The License Plate Game – see how many license plates you can spot from different states/provinces! This is harder and harder the shorter the trip is!

5. While You Were Sleeping – when someone falls asleep, everyone else who is awake has to create the most believable story possible. Stay in character – if you don’t, you lose a point. If someone goes off-script, ask “are you sure?” This is a great game for everyone!

We all get a little angry sometimes, right? It’s totally okay! This is just a part of life. But when we get angry on the road, that’s where the problems start. This road-related anger is also known as road rage, and it’s dangerous as heck! That’s why we have put together this list of tips to use for when you’re feeling a little angry on the road – it’s better to be calm and safe than angry and potentially dead!

1. If you’ve got someone right up your rear end, tailgating you like there’s no tomorrow, let them pass when it’s safe to do so. Move over if you can, and wave them on if they need a little encouragement.

2. When you’re deciding when to leave your house in the morning, plan for delays. Google Maps has a really good way of letting you know when you can expect to arrive – and it takes traffic and accidents into account. If you’re early, it’ll be a nice surprise, and if you hit traffic you won’t be too frustrated.

3. Drive safely! This should be paramount no matter when you’re driving, but when everyone is in a rush you should set a good example for everyone else by being a great driver.

4. If you are stressed or you feel yourself devolving into that road rage state, listen to some calming music or talk radio. May we recommend NPR?

5. Lay off the horn. If you find yourself honking a lot, consider… not doing that. The worst thing about it is that it just makes other people angry as well, and then everyone is angry and it becomes a nightmare.

6. If you come across someone else who is experiencing road rage – whether or not you are as well – don’t make eye contact or be aggressive with them. Let them be, and let them pass you if you can so that you are safely out of the danger zone. They can be angry somewhere else!