Donating To Wands for Wildlife!

This month, we will be sending in our mascara wands for the Wands for Wildlife. We have been collecting them for a few months now and we are donating quite a few! The foundation collects the mascara wands in October and February each year. We have had a collection box in our waiting room for almost a year now for any customer or employee to drop their clean wands inside. It is such an awesome thing for us to be able to give back to the community and to be able to assist animals in need. These wands are used for cleaning the orphaned animals they care for. 

If you would like to collect wands for Wands for Wildlife at home, please click the link and it will take you to all the information you may need. The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge is a rehabilitation organization. They take in injured and orphaned animals like opossums, bunnies, and owls. They raise and nurse them back to health and set them free! They also take donations for supplies that they need as they are a nonprofit or you can also donate money to their cause. 

Tip Tuesday: Winter Car Wash

With living in New Jersey or anywhere with a cold climate, it is very important to wash your car frequently in the Winter. It might sound silly since it is so cold out, but it will help protect your car. When it snows or when it gets icy, the Department of Transportation will distribute salt and sand on the roads to prevent ice. This salt and sand does help us from not slipping and sliding all over the road, but it can cause some problems with your vehicle.

Salt is extremely corrosive, and exposure can lead to rust.  Rust can eat away at the metal components of your vehicle and cause severe damage to your's vehicle’s body, under-body and even metal lines underneath such as your brake lines. If your brake lines succumb to rust, the brake lines themselves can potentially rot away and start to leak, which can lead to the unsafe possibility of your brakes not working properly when stopping.

Having your car washed frequently throughout the Winter is a great solution for this. Make sure that the car wash gets the underneath as this is a difficult part to get to. Getting the salt off every week or so is beneficial to keep your vehicle clean and free of potential corrosion and rust. I just got my car washed this weekend (pictured above).

If you have any questions about rust or corrosion please stop by or give us, Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, a call at (609)-655-2886. Be safe out there!

What does my car battery do?

The battery in your vehicle has a huge responsibility, it is the powerhouse. Car batteries power all of the electrical components that your vehicle has. If you did not have a functioning battery, your vehicle would not even start.

The battery works by converting chemical energy to electrical energy that is able to power your vehicle by sending voltage to your starter. Not only does your battery start your vehicle, but it also sends an energy supply to your engine to keep it running.

Since your battery is such an important feature in your vehicle, you would want to take very good care of it. Here at Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, we offer free basic battery testing as a part of our courtesy safety inspection. Our technicians will receive a printout and that will tell them the current health of your battery. With this information, our technicians may recommend a new battery, a battery recharge, or a battery anti-corrosion service. We do carry most standard batteries in house and we can always order them if needed. We can also charge your battery while the vehicle is here and is a $15.95 investment.

Having a healthy battery is very important, especially in the colder weather. You would not want to be stranded on the side of the road freezing. We will care for your battery through all of its life. If you have any questions or if you want to make an appointment regarding a battery issue you may have, please call us at (609)-655-2886. Hope you have a safe Winter!

Deer Accident

Driving during the Winter months can be difficult. The roads can be covered in ice or snow, it gets dark so early, and there are a lot of animals crossing the roads, especially deer. The vehicle pictured was involved in a deer hit.

You can see their bumper is cracked and the license plate frame is broken. Unfortunately sometimes these incidents cannot be avoided. 

This is a project for our auto body department. They will go through and repair or replace any damaged parts and components from the accident. If you find yourself in a similar situation, bring your vehicle down for a free estimate. We work with most major insurance companies for your convenience, if you decide to put a claim in with your insurance company. Please stop by Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, or call us with any questions at (609)-655-2886. 

Why is it important to have coolant in the Winter?

Believe it or not, your coolant is a very important fluid you need in your vehicle all year round. As funny as it sounds since the word has “cool” it in, you would not think you would need it in the Winter. Well your coolant is also known as antifreeze, now it seems important right? Coolant contains a chemical called ethylene glycol. This chemical is responsible for stopping water from boiling or freezing in extreme temperatures. Coolant can also help metal features of your engine from rusting and corroding and keeping seals and gaskets soft so they are less likely to leak.

So it is very important that you have coolant in your car in every season but especially in the Winter months. Here in New Jersey we can have some pretty cold temperatures and you would not want your vehicle to freeze in anyway.

Your coolant can be topped off when you come in for a service appointment as this is something our technicians will check. You can also make an appointment for a coolant service which as per our recommendations should be done about every 2 years or ever 30,000 miles. Please stop by or call us, Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, at (609)-655-2886 if you have any questions regarding coolant or if you’d like to make an appointment for a coolant service!

Tip Tuesday: De-icing Your Vehicle

Winter is here and in full swing. While we have not had much snow yet, we can still be getting ice from all this rain and cold nights. Nothing is more annoying than having to de-ice your windshield when you are in a rush in the morning. This Tip Tuesday we are going to talk about what is suggested by several entities on how to de-ice your windshield effectively.

Option 1:
One suggestion is to go out to your car a few minutes before you leave start it and turn on your defrosters. This will soften up the ice and it will most likely slide off. You might need to use an ice scraper a little bit.

Option 2:
Another suggestion is to use an ice scraper.
Typically it’s freezing outside when you are taking part in scraping your windshield. I used to use your standard ice scraper, but now I have one of these.

 It is a glove you can wear on your hand with an ice scraper inside. This keeps your hand warm and effectively removes ice.

If you are like me however and are on the shorter side, most of the time a typical ice scraper will not reach your whole windshield.

You can purchase the exact one that I use here from Amazon:
Amazon: Glove Ice Scraper (it is super soft and cozy inside)

Option 3:
A third option is to use a “SnoBrum” to remove some ice and snow.
This invention is a very safe tool to use to push softened ice and snow off your vehicle. This is very helpful for all those short people out there or anyone with a taller truck. The “SnoBrum” will not scratch your car as you push it along so you do not have to worry about any damage. It has a telescoping pole so you can change the length to reach all those tall spots.

You can purchase one here from Home Depot and this is the one that I use: 
Home Depot: SnoBrum

Option 4: 
Another suggestion would be covering your windshield the night before.
If you know we are going to be expecting ice or snow the following day, you can be proactive and cover your windshield. If you do not have access to a garage or carport and have to leave your vehicle outside this is a good option for you. There are companies out there that make apparatuses that you can hook on your mirrors and lay down on your windshield. We suggest looking into these apparatuses to see which would work best with your vehicle.

This is one that I have at home and used, but there are tons of other ones out there!
Sam's Club: Wintershield

Option 5:
Last but not least you can make a special de-icing solution.
There is a special hack that is going around on the web about making a solution to remove all the ice in on simple spray. You can mix ⅓ part water and ⅔ part isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) together into a spray bottle. Unfortunately I cannot try this out myself because we haven’t had the weather for it yet, but many have and claim it works.

Attached below is a video of a Meteorologist, Ken Weathers testing it out. 
Solution in Action

Before trying any solutions that we have suggested, please do your own research and decide what option would be the best for you and your vehicle.

And there you have it! A few simple options to remove ice and snow this Winter from your vehicle. Be sure to be safe out there on the roads. If you do want to make sure your vehicle is safe for the Winter months ahead stop by and make an appointment for our Winter Check.
Call us, Jerry Noonan’s Auto Center, at 609-655-2886!

Why does my windshield get so foggy?

Why does your Windshield get Foggy? Well there are actually a few different reasons that all depend on various weather conditions. Since it is Winter time, let’s get into why your Windshield gets Foggy in the Cold Weather.

When it is cold outside, we get into the car and we turn the heat on. This usually creates a fog on the inside of your windshield which limits how you can see out. To Defog your Windshield, it's recommended that you put the heat on full blast; hot air usually has more moisture in it than cool. Then you can turn the AC on to pull the moisture out. Once these steps are complete turn the recirculation button on to move the cooler air throughout the car. This method should clear up your windshield leaving it fog free!

Hope this little tip helps you have stress free mornings this Winter. To make sure your vehicle is ready for any adventure this season, make an appointment for our Winter Check. This will go through a select few items including checking your cooling system. Have a happy and safe Winter!