What If My Check Engine Light Comes On?

Winter is here, but is your car ready? Prepping your car for winter is a great way to help your car live its full life span. Here are 7 simple tips to prepare your car for winter. Wash it We all know this is something we should do more often, but doesn’t always get done. It’s important to get it done before the winter because build up on your car from salt and snow will happen in several states. Washing your car before winter can really help your car's exterior. Check your tires and breaks Make sure your tires have tread and your breaks function properly so if the roads are icy your car can function as it should. Some would even recommend having winter tires put on your car, but this isn’t always necessary in all parts of the USA. Get your oil changed Your car needs lots of juice to function well in cold weather, so an oil change is a must. Make sure your oil is up to date and check your manual to see if your car needs a lighter oil to run better in the winter. Check the battery and tire pressure When you’re getting your oil changed be sure to ask them to test the battery and check your tires. Being stranded in the cold because of an old battery or flat tire  is a nightmare, so get it checked before the cold hits. Fill fluids This is another simple thing to have done when you have your oil changed. Just ask them to top them off, especially your wiper fluid. Replace the wiper blades Most people don’t realize you should change your wipers based on the weather, so check out https://www.monkennissan.com/blogs/4240/best-wiper-blades-for-your-vehicle for details. This can help if you’re driving in winter weather! Prepare an emergency kit This might sound silly, but you can’t prepare for every situation to keep your car from having issues, so it’s smart to have a car emergency kit. Put all you could need in a bag and toss it in the trunk with a blanket.

Summer is coming to a close, kids are back in school and families are starting to focus on getting things done other than blowing up pool floats. Fall is a busy time for all of us, but it’s also the perfect time to slowly start getting your vehicle ready for the winter, (yuck, the ‘w’ word), months ahead. Getting a head start in the fall means that you don’t have to scramble in once winter does hit and it may be too late. The following are our Fall Car Care Tips to help get your vehicle ready for both fall AND winter. No need to have all these done at once. Spread the cost out over the fall so that by winter you’re safe and ready to drive! Here are our September Service Specials for Toyota, Chrysler/Nissan, and Chevy Buick GMC. Check your Tire Tread – you can visually check this yourself. The easiest way is to grab a penny and insert the penny into a tire groove on each one of the tires. Make sure that Abe Lincoln’s head is upside down and facing you. If you can see ALL of Abe’s head, it’s time to replace your tires. This isn’t a fool proof test though, depending on your tires, so if you have doubts, definitely bring your tires in to be checked by a service professional. Check ALL your Lights – it will start getting darker sooner and you don’t want to be caught out driving at dusk with lights that don’t work. Grab a family member or friend and have them help you check to see that your brake lights, turn signals and high beams all work. Check fluid levels – most vehicles will now alert you when you need to replace fluids or if there is a fluid leak, but if you have an older model vehicle, you will need to check for these manually yourself or have a service professional do an inspection. Washer fluid – this is an easy issue to rectify yourself and washer fluid is inexpensive. But oftentimes people forget to refill this and then find themselves in a scary situation when “winter” weather creeps into fall months without warning. Heating and Cooling – checking the HVAC system is something that is a little bit more difficult to do at home. Obviously, you can tell if your AC/Heat has completely stopped working, but if the system is on it’s way out, you may not notice right away until the temps drop drastically. But at a service center this is a quick test and they can tell you exactly how adequately yours is working. Tire Pressure – air pressure in a tire decreases 1-2 pounds for every 10 degrees of temperature change. This is something that you will want to check a few times each season. And the nice thing is that putting air in your tires is free! Not just to help ensure your safety this fall and winter, keeping your car properly tuned can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4%* - everybody likes saving on gas money! *source: The Car Care Council

If you are a Centralia High School alumni or had a child attend Centralia High School, then you are familiar with the Centralia May Fete tradition that has existed for over 100 years.  The Monken Family has been proud to be a part of this tradition and all family members have participated in the dances and/or court during their high school years. Jan Monken's mother, Dorothy Rixmann Miller, was the 25th May Fete Queen.  At that time May Fete was held outdoors and Dorothy made her own dress and train.  Her daughters, Jan, Melissa, and Wendy, were all attendants their junior year. Kim Monken McMillian's daughter, Megan Marcum, was a flower girl for Stacey Smudrick, a freshman attendant and May Fete Queen.  Her sister, Andrea Walton, was a freshman attendant the same year that Megan was queen. Both girls were involved with dances when they weren't on the court.  Lance and Megan’s kids, Hadley and Eli Marcum, served as scepter bearer and crown bearer. Shawn Monken Hartmann, was a flower girl for Carol Jo Vaccaro and an attendant her senior year.  Her children, Bredesen Hartmann and Katie Hartmann, along with their cousin, Will Miller, served as the trainbearers and flower girl for Megan Marcum.  Bredesen Hartmann participated in the couples dance every year and became a May Fete escort during his junior year.  Katie choreographed and participated in multiple dances all four years. Wes Monken, was the trainbearer for Jan Johnson when he was seven.  He wore the first white tuxedo ever used in May Fete and participated in the dance. Wes's older daughter, Jalyn Monken, participated in dances all four years. This year Wes's daughter, Addison Monken, will wind the senior maypole for her last year at Centralia High School. She has participated in dances every year.  Addison is the last Monken grandchild to participate in May Fete.  We look forward to all the great-grandchildren participating!