Although many of us are focused on candy corn, apple cider, and the mini candy bars that tend to show up at every grocery store check-out around this time of year, let’s not forget that October is fall Car Care Month. With the amount of time we spend commuting, taxiing, carting, and traveling, now is a good time to make sure our cars are in tip-top shape before harsh winter weather hits.
Here are a few tips from automotive experts to make sure your vehicle is performing at its best:
 Fluids: Make sure engine oil, brake, power steering, and transmission fluids are all filled correctly. Also top off windshield washer solvent and check anti-freeze and coolant. Don’t wait for a notification to tell you one of these vital fluids is low; be proactive.

 Tires: Check tire pressure, measure tread, and look for bald spots and bulges that could be signs of uneven wear. If you do notice this, that means it’s time to get your wheels aligned.

 Battery: Check for corrosion and make sure connections are clean and tight. Replace if necessary.

 Brakes: Have your brake system inspected to be sure pads, rotors and drums are in good shape. Mechanics will usually check this out during routine oil changes, but always ask to be sure.

 Hoses and Belts: Check for tight connections and signs of excessive wear including: cracks, brittleness, and fraying.

 Lights: Check interior and exterior lighting to make sure it’s unobstructed and functioning properly

 HVAC system: Check for proper heating and cooling performance not only for comfort purposes but also for safety reasons such as proper defrosting.

 Engine: Check to be sure your car’s engine is properly balancing power and fuel economy while producing a low level of emissions.

 Wipers: Check for worn wiper blades and replace to allow for proper visibility when rain and snow storms hit unexpectedly.

 Steering and Suspension System: Inspect shock absorbers, struts, and chassis parts including ball joints and tie rods.

 Exhaust system: Check for leaks, damage or unusual noise. Exhaust leaks can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening and should be corrected immediately.

Basic car care is vital to improve the dependability and longevity of your vehicle as well as your family’s safety and comfort. Make sure that you add a fall car care check to your to-do list today and schedule an appointment with your preferred car care professional! Trust your vehicle to the professionals at Grieco Collision Center of Rhode Island. Call us anytime at 401-231-1118

Although many of us are focused on candy corn, apple cider, and the mini candy bars that tend to show up at every grocery store check-out around this time of year, let’s not forget that October is fall Car Care Month. With the amount of time we spend commuting, taxiing, carting, and traveling, now is a god time to make sure our cars are in tip-top shape before harsh winter weather hits.

Here are a few tips from automotive experts to make sure your vehicle is performing at its best:

• Fluids: Make sure engine oil, brake, power steering, and transmission fluids are all filled correctly. Also top off windshield washer solvent and check anti-freeze and coolant. Don’t wait for a notification to tell you one of these vital fluids is low; be proactive.
• Tires: Check tire pressure, measure tread, and look for bald spots and bulges that could be signs of uneven wear. If you do notice this, that means it’s time to get your wheels aligned.
• Battery: Check for corrosion and make sure connections are clean and tight. Replace if necessary.
• Brakes: Have your brake system inspected to be sure pads, rotors and drums are in good shape. Mechanics will usually check this out during routine oil changes, but always ask to be sure.
• Hoses and Belts: Check for tight connections and signs of excessive wear including: cracks, brittleness, and fraying.
• Lights: Check interior and exterior lighting to make sure it’s unobstructed and functioning properly.
• HVAC System: Check for proper heating and cooling performance not only for comfort purposes but also for safety reasons such as proper defrosting.
• Engine: Check to be sure your car’s engine is properly balancing power and fuel economy while producing a low level of emissions.
• Wipers: Check for worn wiper blades and replace to allow for proper visibility when rain and snow storms hit unexpectedly.
• Steering and Suspension System: Inspect shock absorbers, strusts, and chassis parts including ball joints and tie rods.
• Exhaust System:  Check for leaks, damage or unusual noise. Exhaust leaks can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening and should be corrected immediately.

Basic car care is vital to improve the dependability and longevity of your vehicle as well as your family’s safety and comfort. Make sure that you add a fall car care check to your to-do list today and schedule an appointment with your preferred car care professional!

Grieco Collision Center is a proud participant of the School-to-Career Program by William M. Davies, JR. Career & Technical High School. This year we had 3 students come work with us and 1 will be starting a full-time career here at Grieco Collision located in Johnston, Rhode Island! “Young individuals are needed in this industry so don’t hesitate to contact us. Congratulations to our new hire along with all graduating students this year.” -Thomas Rotondo Jr., General Manager, Grieco Collision Center.

Around the world, parents are collectively telling their teens, “Don’t text and drive.” However, are they practicing what they preach? More and more studies show that distracted driving is not only the new drunk driving: It’s far worse.

Statistics show 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in 2014 in car accidents involving drivers who were distracted by a host of different things. In today’s multi-tasking, instant gratification society, motorists are trying to accomplish too many things thereby taking liberties and risks while driving. The unfortunate result is increasingly dangerous roadways.

It used to be considered risky for a woman to apply lipstick while driving, but today’s antics behind the wheel make that seem petty. Take a road trip in 2017 and you’ll encounter people reading the paper, participating in a meeting via their car’s Bluetooth device while taking selfies, Instagramming the scenery, making a snapchat story, reading emails and sending a text. And if you’re actually one of the few people paying attention to the road, you know: Nothing is more frightening than seeing a heavy duty truck or RV headed your way only to realize the driver is looking not at the road but down at a device.

The facts are: When texting, drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. This increases the chance of a car accident by 23%. Look at it this way: In a car traveling at 55 mph, average drivers take their eyes off the road for about the length of a football field while sending a text. Now imagine all of the things that could go wrong in that hundred yards.

More states are prohibiting texting and all handheld cell phone use and penalties are becoming increasingly stiff, the problem is pervasive. Lawmakers in New York have even introduced the idea of a “Textalyzer,” a device similar in theory to a breathalyzer that could provide metrics to determine if a driver had been using the pone while driving. When involved in a crash, drivers who refused to surrender their devices for testing would be subject to penalties similar to those refusing to take a breathalyzer.

We care about your safety encourage you to take these terrifying statistics seriously and pay attention to the road. If you’re the victim of a distracted driving accident, Grieco Collision Center is here to help. Conveniently located in Johnston, Rhode Island, Grieco Collision Center is a short ride for Massachusetts residents. We treat each customer’s needs with paramount concern and seek not only to meet but to exceed your high expectations. Allow our experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff to demonstrate our commitment to excellence. We encourage you to browse our website or please feel free to request additional information by using our online form or by calling us at 401-231-1118.

Safe Driving in the Winter

Although most New England residents are accustomed to driving in adverse snowy conditions, it’s always helpful to consider a few extra precautions before the season of hazardous road conditions begins.

Preparation is Key

Schedule an appointment with a mechanic to check your vehicle’s tires, battery, lights, brakes, heating and exhaust system, brakes and anti-freeze in the fall. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to make you’re your gas tank is filled up before taking a winter trip.

Drive with Care

Especially during inclement weather, it’s important that your full attention is on driving. Put your phone away to avoid distractions from calls or texts. Buckle up. Be prepared for reduced traction and impaired visibility by allowing extra distance.

Reduce Your Speed

The number one safety tip when driving in adverse weather conditions is SLOW DOWN. While four-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes can help to a point, the fact is slippery roads call for slower speeds. Four wheel drive won’t help when black ice is present.

Watch for Emergency Vehicles

Snow and ice means that heavy equipment vehicles will be on the road. Snow removal vehicles are large and the drivers are focused on clearing the road. Do not crowd or try to pass them—especially on the right—as that’s where the snow they’re plowing is going. In fact, behind a plow is the safest place to be in a snow storm. Just make sure to stay at least five car lengths behind.

Additionally, slick roads mean more accidents so watch out for police, fire and ambulances that might be rushing to an emergency.

Use common sense with winter travel. Allow extra time, plan ahead and watch the forecast. And if at all possible, avoid travel when bad storms are predicted.

We care about your safety and hope that you won’t suffer any car damage. However, accidents happen, and Grieco Collision Center is here to help if it happens to you. Conveniently located in Johnston, Rhode Island, Grieco Collision Center is a short ride for Massachusetts residents. We treat each customer’s needs with paramount concern and seek not only to meet but to exceed your high expectations. Allow our experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff to demonstrate our commitment to excellence. We encourage you to browse our website or please feel free to request additional information by using our online form or by calling us at 401-231-1118.

The onset of the holidays means many of us are traveling to visit friends and families. And while this is the “most wonderful time of the year,” it’s unfortunately often the most dangerous time to be on the road.

While you should always exercise caution when driving in adverse winter weather conditions, there are a few times when travel is particularly dangerous.

• When the storm first starts. It takes a while for snow and salt trucks to treat roads, so if you have the misfortune of traveling at the beginning of a storm, pay extra attention to roads that may not have been treated.
• During heavy snowfall. If flakes are flying at the rate of more than one inch per hour, snow will accumulate on the road faster than the plows can clear it away.
• Peak travel times. When Mother Nature dumps a rush hour storm on Rhode Island, be prepared for congestion, delay, frustration and accidents on main and secondary roadways as annoyed commuters seek to avoid traffic jams.  
• When weather conditions suddenly change. If temperatures dip rain can quickly change to snow causing black ice, frozen and falling limbs and power lines and extra hazardous conditions.
• After the storm. Sometimes the roadways look deceptively safe and drivers are unaware that the ice melt has washed away and dipping temperatures caused the road to refreeze into lethal black ice.

Always use extra caution when traveling during winter weather. Clean snow and ice from your windows, headlights and roof if it accumulated there. Make sure that your mirrors are not frozen and you can see out all of your windows. Check the forecast before you head out, and if you happen to be driving during these times, slow down and allow extra space between your fellow drivers.

We care about your safety and hope that you won’t suffer any car damage. However, accidents happen, and Grieco Collision Center is here to help if it happens to you. Conveniently located in Johnston, Rhode Island, Grieco Collision Center is a short ride for Massachusetts residents. We treat each customer’s needs with paramount concern and seek not only to meet but to exceed your high expectations. Allow our experienced, knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff to demonstrate our commitment to excellence. We encourage you to browse our website or please feel free to request additional information by using our online form or by calling us at 401-231-1118.