3 road trip tips for Labor Day weekend

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Do you typically go somewhere each year for Labor Day or another holiday weekend? More often than not, I find myself wanting to take advantage of those rare moments where I get 72 hours of free time by visiting friends out of town. Chicago and Kansas City are some of my favorite spots to hit up, as I can get to both fairly easily from St. Louis. You'd think that with both destinations only requiring one different highway each to travel on, it'd be straightforward and simple. That's not always the case!

Labor Day weekend (and really any three day holiday weekend) is going to be the busiest time of the year to travel. Our Lou Fusz Insurance manager Chris was talking with me about driving, and she came up with some ideas for getting yourself mentally and physically prepared for going out of town. Here are her top three pieces of advice before you pack your bags and hit the road:

1. Make sure your car is ready for the stress of several hundred (or more!) miles.

Has it been awhile since you've had your car checked for routine maintenance, or taken it in for an oil change? A road trip is the perfect excuse to get it done before you leave, so you can minimize the chances of having any problems occur. This includes the engine, radiator, and other fluids, such as your windshield wipers. Don't forget to check your tires and make sure they're properly inflated! It can be incredibly expensive to get your car fixed if you're out of town and need last minute repairs over the weekend. 

2. Plan ahead and know your route.

Traffic can get brutal on a Friday evening! If you're heading out after work, it's best to leave extra early if possible. You'll want to ideally be on the highway before 3 PM as many people tend to take shorter days on Friday, especially if it's a holiday weekend. Rush hour traffic can add an extra 30 mins to an hour of driving! If you're hoping to get to your destination by a certain time, it's also important to check online and see if there are any lane closures or construction work being done, as those can add significant amounts of time to your journey. A phone charger for your car is a good idea as well, if you plan to use GPS often.

3. Stay safe, energized, and focused on the road.

The weekend always brings a higher likelihood of drivers who are either tired or have been drinking. Because of this, you'll need to take extra precaution on the highway, more-so if you're driving at night. Taking a road trip longer than several hours? Make sure to have frequent stops to eat, use the restroom, stretch, and keep yourself hydrated. You should also consider splitting up driving duties if traveling with others. Know your personal limits, and if you start to feel tired, stop and rest! Drowsy driving is incredibly dangerous, and many people don't even realize when they start falling asleep behind the wheel for one to two seconds at a time.

Do you have any other road trip tips or ideas? Leave a comment and share them below! 

Could you live without your car?

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I enjoy driving. There's nothing quite like feeling the rush of the wind as I'm cruising down the highway in my FR-S, with the windows rolled down and having complete control with every turn and burst of speed I make. Now, I'm all for promoting a healthy lifestyle by walking or biking places when possible, but the freedom to go where and when you want is not easily replaceable, especially when you live outside a major city in areas with rampant urban sprawl. For this reason, I don't think I could give up the ability to turn the key in my ignition and be halfway down highway 270 in a matter of minutes.

These days, more and more articles are popping up online about how millennials don't seem to care as much about owning a vehicle. They claim that we're driving less not just because of economical reasons, but for societal ones as well. The big argument at stake is that we're living life more for the experiences than for possessions. Does that mean it's cool to not have a car anymore? Even with gas constantly hovering near $4 a gallon, I would argue against that (as would my odometer)!

For every teenager and young adult we read about who is cherishing the benefits of going car-free, there are just as many who are earning their licenses and eagerly waiting to own a vehicle, or getting excited to buy a car with their first "real world" job. This rings true when you consider that not everyone in America has access to efficient mass-transit systems where restaurants, shopping, and other amenities are a short distance away. Would we like those things to be closer? Sure! Those who are attached to their cars are not all that different from the car free advocates. We still rely on technology to socialize and plan our outings, but realize that trying to do so without our vehicles is not always an option when you have friends spread out over urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Another thing to consider is just how many activities and places of interest are centered around driving to the destination. In St. Louis, for example, we love going on float trips in the summer, visiting theme parks like Six Flags, and spending time in Forest Park. All of those activities are made immensely easier by owning a car, whether you're transporting inner tubes, food for a picnic, or several kids!

Instead of focusing on the idea of going completely car free, it would be more realistic (and beneficial) for all of us to encourage the growth of bike paths and walkable neighborhoods in the areas where we live, and also promote more businesses that are located near those spots. This will give us a reason to drive less, but also one that most car-free advocates support the most: it helps to bring the sense of community back to our neighborhoods, whether we choose to get there by foot, bike, or in a Prius.

Do you think you could give up your car? What would it take?  

Entune gets an upgrade: what to expect

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Toyota recently announced an upgrade coming to their Entune multimedia system, which current (and future) users are sure to appreciate. If you've never heard of Entune, it's Toyota's way of decking out your car with technology and entertainment. Originally available in 2011 in certain Toyota vehicles, Entune can now be equipped in most Toyotas, and offers a touchscreen display built into your stereo system, with the ability to quickly access a suite of useful applications (such as Bing, Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc). In addition, there are several different systems available, with premium versions offering features like navigation and the ability to play DVD's while the car is parked.

If you currently have a Toyota with Entune, the big news is that it will no longer require a subscription, effective immediately! For future Toyota owners, the upgraded version of Entune will be available starting with the 2014 Tundra (and then make it's way into the next versions of the Sequoia, 4Runner, Tacoma, RAV4, Highlander, Corolla, and Camry). This upgrade will include new features such as:

• Enhanced voice recognition
• Improved navigation capabilities, such as Tollbooth Guidance and Speed Limit Display
• Save up to 2,500 contacts in phone storage, now with image display as well (previously 1,000)
• New Yelp and Facebook Places apps available
• Ability to customize homescreen in certain sections
• Customize arrangement of apps and audio menu screens
• Cache radio feature that lets you "pause" live radio, up to 20 minutes.
• Color touchscreens with up to 8'' display screen size

To see full details of all the changes coming to Entune, you can visit the official Toyota site here. Which new feature is your favorite?

Introducing: the Lou Fusz Car Pass

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One of the things that makes owning a car from Lou Fusz unique from other dealerships is the free membership into our AutoAwards program, which gives you perks and freebies, such as the ability to earn points for every dollar you spend towards service. Those points can then be redeemed and used towards the purchase of a future car, saving up to $1000 off the price! AutoAwards members also get a key tag that can be shown for a discount at many businesses and restaurants all around St. Louis (which will sound familiar if you remember our recent "Blindfold Taste Test" moment). It's like having one of those entertainment books, except you don't have to carry coupons around with you! Last but not least, as you accumulate AutoAwards points, you earn service gift cards when you hit certain milestones.

Those are all some pretty cool benefits, just for owning a car from Fusz! We could stop there and call it a day, but we wanted to take things a step further, to offer a benefits program that is, in our own words, "truly exceptional!" With that, we're excited to announce the Car Pass program, an upgrade to your AutoAwards membership that can be purchased at the dealership any time. What is the Lou Fusz Car Pass, exactly? It's our way of giving owners the VIP treatment with peace of mind and convenience!  

With Car Pass, you get all of the benefits of AutoAwards, as well as:

• 3 years of complimentary oil changes, including synthetic oil.
• Free Missouri state inspections and emissions testing
• Free Windshield sealant and chip repair if your window gets damaged.
• 1 free paintless dent repair every year, up to the size of a dime.
• Priority service scheduling-you'll get moved to the "front of the line" any time you reserve a service appointment!
• Additional trade in bonus. Selling your old car? We'll give you an extra $500 for being a Car Pass member!

Want to learn more? Visit our website or call us and talk to an associate to see how you can get enrolled.

Which Car Pass benefit do you like the most?

How highway driving can affect your gas mileage per gallon

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What could be better than hitting the pedal on the highway and feeling that burst of speed as you cruise down the open road? It's one of life's simple pleasures that we all love to indulge in, usually forgetting about the fuel efficiency hit our cars take every time we do it. If your car has a display setting for showing your MPG (which many newer Toyota/Scion vehicles such as the Camry, Prius, and FR-S do) you can see that when you floor the gas pedal, the difference is dramatic. Your average mileage drops faster than a cliff diver in Acapulco plunging 136 feet into the Pacific Ocean!

How is your MPG affected when you drive for extended periods of time at certain speeds, though? A new Consumer Reports study took several vehicles (including a Toyota RAV4 and a Ford Fusion) and put them to the test, driving at 55, 65, and 75 miles per hour. They found that the vehicles exceeded their MPG when driven at 55 miles per hour, which many experts agree is the "sweet spot" for getting the best highway efficiency out of your car. For example, a 2013 Toyota RAV4 with two-wheel drive is rated by the EPA to get 31 highway MPG, but in the Consumer Reports test it actually achieved 37 MPG when driving at a speed of 55 miles per hour! 

At higher speeds, fuel efficiency dropped considerably, and the RAV4 only got around 27 miles to the gallon. On an average 200 mile trip, that means you would shave an hour of drive time by traveling at 75 instead of 55, though you will be burning an extra two gallons of gas and have a higher likelihood of getting into an accident. In these situations, you have to ask yourself: is the time saved worth it? 

On road trips with long open stretches of highway and few other drivers around, I like to cruise at slightly higher speeds, around 75 (especially if I can turn a 5 hour trip into a 4 hour one). However, for daily driving, I much prefer to keep my speed lower to maximize my mileage per gallon, as I know it adds up over the course of a year. 

How about you? What is your speed preference when it comes to road trips vs every day driving?