Waterloo Automotive

As we approach the end of cold weather, it’s important to do some routine after-winter maintenance on your vehicle. Taking the time to ensure your car is working properly is not hard. Proper upkeep of your vehicle can keep you safe. Safety is important all year round, but we want to help by providing you with a checklist for your car’s care: Check your antifreeze. Spring time is usually when you need to do a radiator flush. There will likely still be frosty mornings, car maintenanceso be sure your antifreeze mixture is good to go. Inspect Your Tires. Your tires were working really hard in the winter weather and need some tending to. Rotating these seasonally will extend the life of them. Also, air pressure goes down from the cold, so check your tire pressure and add air if necessary. Wiper Blades. These take quite the beating from the snow. Now is a great time to rep ... read more

It’s important that after you’ve been involved in an accident that the right steps are taken. Here are the correct steps to take: Determine if there are any injuries. Your first reaction might be to panic, but it’s important to try to stay calm. Examine yourselfcar accident information exchange for any possible injuries and determine if you or anyone else in the car needs medical attention. Call the police. Whether the accident is minor or serious, you’re going to need to file a car accident report with the police. Don’t leave the scene of the accident until this is done completely. Be sure to give the authorities very complete and very accurate information. Gather information. Now it’s time to get the names, phone numbers and addresses of everyone involved in the accident. You should also ask for their drivers license number and jot down a quick description of their car and license plate number. (Don’t just assume the license pl ... read more

The following are the documents you will need in the case of being pulled over or if involved in any accident. These should be in your car at all times: Proof of Insurance
This is the first thing you need when you’re in an accident or if stopped by the police. Make your life easier by always having this handy in your car and make sure it’s not expired! Having non up-to-date information will likely result in a ticket or higher fees on an existing ticket. Car Registration
The physical paper document affiliated with your car’s license plate is your proof that your car is registered to you (or your parents). Always keep this in the same safe place, like the glove compartment, near your proof of insurance. Car Title- Not Necessary
We actually recommend leaving this one at home. This is not something you want to carry around or even something you want to leave in your car. Not only is this a hard document to replace, but it’s al


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As a regular driver or commuter, it’s important to keep a roadside emergency kit in your vehicle. We realize it’s the age of cell phones,triangle reflector but if you happen to go any lengthy distances, it may take some time before a friend or family member can get to you. You want to be able to take a few steps to making a repair or protecting yourself if you’re ever in a situation where you get stuck. Having the items you need handy will make the difference between being able to help yourself or having to wait for a tow truck. Begin by finding a toolbox or other container to hold the items. You certainly don’t want items rolling freely in your trunk to get damaged or ruined. Next, gather the following: First Aid Kit. This is something you can put together yourself. Stock with bandages, bottle of water, adhesive tape, scissors and aspirin. Jumper Cables. Make sure your cables are at least 12 feet. Blanket. If you get ... read more

Celebrating the New Year is a great and fun way to celebrate everything in your life and starting over in a different year. If you are going to celebrate with friends this year, it is good to keep these tips in mind: Drinking If you are under 21, be careful about drinking. Do not put yourself in a position you are not comfortable with or in an unsafe environment. Be mindful of drunk people opening champagne bottles (whether they are alcoholic or not). Some people do not aim the cork away from people. It is all fun and games until someone gets hit in the eye. Unless you are with a close group of friends, make sure you pay attention to your drink at all times. Do not sit your drink down, walk away, and end up drinking it later. Hand it off to a friend if you need to use the bathroom. Driving Do not drink and drive. If you have had a couple drinks, have a sober friend drive you or get a cab. Cops will be out in fu ... read more

The next month will present some difficult situations for teens as you will eventually end up a party. Whether it is for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or just a regular party, you will inevitably be in a situation where you are offered a drink (or two). As a teenager, you are given more freedom and with that freedom comes responsibility. You have a responsibility to yourself, your friends, your family and to anyone on the road. Responsibility to yourself – Whenever you take a sip of alcohol, you need to understand that you are now putting yourself at risk of being arrested. In Missouri, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to possess or consume alcohol. If you get behind the wheel of a car after even having any sort of alcohol in your system, you can be arrested for drinking and driving. Not to be taken less seriously, but a minor in possession is a misdemeanor in Missouri. Take responsibility for yourself by not putting yourself in a situation where you embarrass y ... read more

We just finished up with National Car Care Month in October but we are still looking to share ideas to keep your teens safe by simply maintaining your cars. Parents primarily focus on texting, distractions in the car, drinking and driving and using seat belts (and for good reason) but there are other dangers to your teens while they are out driving on their own. Teens are not educated enough about proper maintenance of their vehicles so we would like to share AutoMD.com’s top tips for teens (and parents) to keep their cars running well and staying safe on the road. Know your car’s maintenance intervals and keep up with service
Each vehicle has a maintenance schedule, outlined in your owner’s manual. Be sure you read and understand the schedule. Items that require regular maintenance include the car’s fluids, tires, brakes, and oil and filter changes, too. Oil and air filter changes are particularly important to keep the engine runnin
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Fresh information hit the news last month when Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) revealed the results of a survey regarding the amount of influence a parent’s driving habits has on the ones of their teenage drivers. According to the survey, which polled 1,700 teens from across the nation, adults are engaging in poor and risky driving habits while their teens are in the car and, in the process, doing more than just putting their families at risk. By engaging in behaviors such as texting, speeding and driving while intoxicated, parents are setting poor examples for their teenage drivers and causing them to follow suit by repeating the actions in nearly equal amounts. Not surprisingly, the most common destructive driving behavior modeled by parents was talking on a cell phone while driving. The second-most repeated offense was speeding, followed by texting, driving without a seatbelt, driving while intoxicated and, finally, drivin ... read more

Here in the St. Louis area, fall is in full swing. The leaves are changing colors, the Rams are back in action, and temperatures are falling once more. It’s a beautiful time of year for family gatherings, outdoor events and cozy nights, especially with the sun setting earlier by the day. With the decrease in daylight, though, also comes the need for some motorists to spend more time driving in the dark. And for many folks—young and old—this leads to added anxiety behind the wheel, as well as an overall increased probability for accidents. Statistics show that even with 60 percent less traffic on the road, roughly half of all fatal car accidents happen at night. Some of the reasons for these accidents include the decreased visibility and perception of motorists, higher numbers of drunk and drowsy drivers on the road, and a greater number of speed-limit breakers. And, for one reason or another, drivers are also less likely to wear their safety belts at night, w ... read more

ICE can do a lot more than make your drinks cold. When it comes to driver’s safety, ICE can actually save lives. No, we’re not talking about applying it to injured areas. We’re talking about the three-letter acronym for In Case of Emergency, and it’s a simple abbreviation that can be life-saving in distressing situations—especially for teenage drivers. For the past few weeks, we at Meyer’s and Waterloo Automotive have been talking about teen drivers and their safety behind the wheel. As auto service providers, we don’t like reading the statistics that show just how many of our young men and women are losing their lives on the roads every year. As the leading cause of death among teenagers in America, auto accidents are a very real threat to their safety and their lives. That’s why this week we’re talking about the ICE method. Now, if you’re a parent, you may have already heard about this practice. If that’s the case, we’re happy that you’re using it! It’s a helpfu ... read more