Month: September 2019

Seasonal Car Preparation

The cold weather affects cars as does rain and other adverse weather conditions in many ways. Therefore, it is important to do as much as you can to protect your car as this will keep your vehicle in good condition regardless of the weather. This article is going to help you protect your car during frigid weather by giving you tips on how to do this.

Antifreeze Levels

In winter, it is good to ensure that the mixing ratio of water and antifreeze is 50:50. I understand that most of the drivers out there often use a mixture with a higher ratio of water in summer. However, this should not be the case in winter as the water in the tank can freeze can lead to car problems. Your vehicle needs to have a fresh amount of antifreeze before winter arrives.

Tires and Chains

One of the best ways to prepare for winter is to get winterized tires. This is because summer tires cannot handle icy surfaces as they don’t have as much grip as winterized tires. It is a good idea to buy new Winterized tires every season. It is also good to always carry 2 separate tire chains in your trunk as this will ensure that you are always prepared for seriously slippery conditions.

Wash Your Car

If you are in an area that does not have extremely low temperatures, wash your car once in a while in winter. This removes de-icing salt which can cause damage to your car’s metal parts. Ice can cause serious damage to the lower half of your vehicle as it causes damaging rust build up on a car.

Be Aware Of Road Conditions

Check the weather forecast for your destination and the areas you will pass through before traveling. This is important, especially when driving long distance. The best times to check the weather forecast is the day before you travel and right before you start your journey. Doing this will help you be as prepared as possible.

Cover Up Your Car

If you are in a place far away from your garage, you need to think of ways to protect your car from snow or ice. The best way to protect your car apart from the shelter of your garage is to use a car cover. Covering your car in winter will protect your car against ice or snow which can break your windshield wipers or freeze your car shut.

Leahy’s Towing are the professionals that you need, when you get in a bind, stuck in snow or otherwise. Calling us for more details is the first step to preparing yourself for these situations.

When To Take Precaution And Pull Over

If you drive on a daily basis, you’ll know that car issues happen when you least expect it. You also know how frustrating these situations can get, seeing as not everyone is blessed with mechanical skills. For the most part, your car will give trouble while on the road. And when it does, the wisest thing you can do is pull over. Get to a safe spot. Then assess the problem as best you can. If necessary or in doubt, call a towing service. But what are the warning signs to pull over? Here are some of the common automotive problems that tell you something is wrong.

Noises You Do Not Usually Hear

It is recommended to get used to what your car should sound like. If the vehicle is in good condition, take note of this sound when you are on the open road. Because the moment you start hearing strange or loud sounds, it’s the moment you should practice caution. If you are lucky, it is just some debris caught underneath the vehicle. But there is no point in taking risks. There could be something seriously wrong with the engine.

You Notice A Change In Control

It can be unnerving to notice you don’t have full control of the car. Or, it feels like the wheel is buckling, and you can’t keep steering straight. This is a scenario that definitely calls for gradually slowing down, and safely stopping at the side of the road. Chances are a tire can be damaged and needs replacement. However, anything is possible.

Smoke Or Steam

The last thing you want to see is smoke or steam exuding from the underneath the hood. If steam escapes the hood, it could mean the car is running hot. As for smoke coming out of the engine, it could be a fire. Either way, you need to stop the car as quickly as possible and assess the problem.

Pay Attention To Emergency Lights

It is with good reason that cars have warning lights. For example, when the oil or temperature light comes on, it means something needs to be checked. Of course, it could be a small issue like you need to top up the oil. Or it could point to a much bigger problem. Just do not make the mistake of ignoring these lights. If you do, you risk damaging the engine more than it already might be.

The same goes for the engine warning light. In fact, there shouldn’t be any warning lights flashing while you drive. Otherwise, you take a risk that simply isn’t necessary. Because all you need to do is pull over and call a towing service when you can’t handle the problem by yourself.

What Vehicles Require Heavy-Duty Towing?

With a full fleet of heavy-duty equipment at our disposal, Leahy’s Towing is well prepared to take on the heaviest vehicles in the most complex situations. With our state-of-the-art equipment and experienced technicians, there is no sized vehicle to large or any situation too complex for our prompt solutions.

Our heavy-duty tow trucks feature under reach and wheel lifting capacity to ensure that the vehicle is delivered to a new location in the exact same conditions we found it.

Some vehicles are small and can be removed easily, for those larger and heavier vehicles it will be essential to call in the services of special heavy-duty equipment meant for this sort of task. Following is a simple guide to the types of vehicles that require more than your average towing service:

You will need heavy-duty towing assistance with these types of vehicles:

Big Trucks

Due to the considerable weight, bobtails, garbage trucks and semi-trucks will always need heavy duty service. Because of their advanced under reach and wheel lift technology, heavy-duty tow trucks can ensure that these vehicles are transported safely. For larger issues, there are even tow-trucks that allow several large vehicles to be transported at one time.

Busses

Not only are busses extremely heavy, but their long dimensions can make them harder to manage. For these vehicles, special towing solutions have been designed to reduce damage by skirting and ground grinding. This is the advantage of the extended wheel lift system of heavy duty tow trucks.

Motorhomes

Motorhome also come in some large and heavy presentations and are also especially delicate. These are important considerations when transporting the motorhome and requires wheel lift technology to ensure that it will arrive at its destination with no further damage.

Semi Tractor Trailers

All types of tractor trailers will require a proper heavy-duty tow-truck to move properly and safely. When being transported, these large vehicles are connected to their tow vehicle through a series of advanced hook up systems. Such measures are an absolute necessity given the immense size and dimensions of these vehicles makes their transportation from place to place a very dangerous undertaking.

Because a semi-truck is often the livelihood of its owner and operator, no chances should be taken. It is imperative to call a reliable and professional heavy-duty towing company for assistance in this effort. This way you will have the peace of mind in knowing that your semi-tractor will not see any damage on its way to wherever it needs to go.

Do you need heavy-duty towing? Leahy’s Towing is here for you. Call us for a quotation.

What To Do When You’re Suddenly Out Of Gas

Nothing can be quite so disconcerting as being on your way to work or another location, and suddenly, you realize you’ve run out of gas, right there in the middle of the road. This can quickly send your day south. When this happens, you’re going to have to have an emergency plan. You may wish to consider a towing service if you’re in the city so that you can get out of the middle of the road and on your way to work. It really helps to always plan ahead so that you won’t be caught in such a situation.

Towing And Refueling Services

If you’ve ever been stuck in the middle of the road and out of gas, you can call a reliable towing service in the city. Mobile technicians can quickly reach you and help you out as soon as you’ve called. You’ll have the peace of mind that help is on the way. Towing services in the city can offer you tow services as well as refueling services.

Pull Over

If you’re suddenly losing power, you should also pull your car over to the side of the road on to the shoulder. It will be much safer there than to be in the middle of the highway. Try not to panic. Stay calm. Turn on the hazard lights and call the tow company.

Find A Gas Station Nearby

Thanks to Google Maps and your GPS you’ll be able to find nearby gas stations. If for any reason you can’t reach a tow truck in the Harrisburg area, you can then go to one of the nearby gas stations and pick up a gas container and refuel your car.

Ask A Friend

You can’t have too many friends. If you’re unable to reach a tow service, you could also call a friend to come and help you out by bringing you some fuel or taking you to reach fuel safely.

Keep a Leahy’s Towing contact close to you at all times for when you need a towing service to call.

What to do When Waiting For a Tow Truck

I know that roadside breakdowns are unexpected and it is good to always prepare for them as they are part of driving a vehicle. One of the best ways to be prepared is to know the safety essentials of waiting for a tow truck. This article is going to help you know what you are expected to do while waiting for a tow truck.

What to Do When Waiting For a Tow Truck

Stay Safe

If you are involved in an accident, check if you and your passengers are safe. If you or your passengers have been injured, call emergency services as soon as you can.

Get To a Safe Distance

If your car breaks down on the road, check if it is blocking any lanes of the highway. If it is obstructing traffic, turn on your flashers and try as much as possible to move your car away from traffic. This is why it is good to always have an emergency kit in your car with cones and flares.

If you have them, set them up around your vehicle to protect your vehicle from further damage and to protect you and your passengers from being hit by passing cars. This is because cones and flares tell other motorists that your vehicle is disabled.

Remove Your Valuable Possessions from the Vehicle

While waiting for a tow truck, remove your valuable possessions from your vehicle as the tow truck team will tow your vehicle as soon as they arrive. Gathering your possessions before the tow truck arrives will make it easy for the team to tow your vehicle. Need a towing team? You can get in contact with us.

Some of the possessions you should remove from your vehicle include keys, phone, bag, wallet, and electronics. Remove anything that you may need or those items that you have been traveling with.

Tips On How To Avoid Damaging Your Car During Towing

Getting your car towed is never fun. However, when the towing is being done by a professional towing service the process can become less of a hassle. If your car is being towed, you should understand that there are many risks of damage occurring. At Leahy’s Towing, our technicians are aware of these dangers and always work towards ensuring that the process is completed safely and satisfactorily. However, we also advise drivers on the risks of damage so that they can stay informed. Here are some useful tips to minimize the risk of damage occurring to your vehicle when it is being towed.

Ensure That You Release Your Emergency Brake

While you are awaiting the arrival of a towing service, you may engage your emergency brake for safety purposes. However, when they arrive, you should ensure that you release your emergency brake. If the emergency brake is left engaged during the towing process, your car can get severely damaged. It is most important to disengage the brake if the car will be towed with its wheels on the road. There is less risk of damage to the car if it will be towed using a flatbed. However, you should still disengage the emergency brake before the vehicle is hoisted on the towing flatbed.

Ensure That You Close Your Windows

If your car is towed with the windows open, there is a high risk that the inside will get messed up or damaged. With the window rolled down, there is a high risk of dust, dirt and unwanted particles staining the upholstery in your car. To avoid the risk of damage to the interior of your car, roll up your windows before the car is towed.

Ensure That You Document the State of Your Car During the Towing Process

Prior to the start of the towing process, you should document the condition that your car is in using pictures and videos. These videos are important as they can act as evidence in case any damages occur during towing. With pictures, you can prove that the damage occurred during the towing and not before your vehicle was towed. With evidence, you can easily get compensated for any damages that occur during the towing process. With Leahy’s Towing our professionals tow your vehicle with care. Call for a quote today.

How to Avoid Getting Stuck in the Mud

If you have the right vehicle, driving through the mud and rough terrain can be one of the most exciting automotive adventures. But, if you were to become stuck in the sand or dirt, the adventure could turn sour very quickly.

In the following article we will discuss a few practices you can perform to keep yourself safe from these potential hazards. Following is all you need to know about staying safe in rough terrain from your experts in towing and vehicle recovery.

Inspect the Road Ahead

If you are unsure about the terrain you are about to traverse you can climb from your vehicle for a closer inspection. This might be the best way to plan your route through tough spots and ensure you don’t get stuck for hours.

Drive Straight

You have a greater potential to become stuck in the mud at curves, so driving straight is the best way to avoid problems. If you have plotted a course, try to make it as straight as possible through mud and sand.

Keep Steady Momentum

When approaching an area where the potential to become stuck is high, you will want to keep in a slow and steady momentum. Don’t use the low gear when driving through mud, If your wheels begin to spin, slow the vehicle slightly and allow them to regain traction. In the early morning when the sand is firm is usually the best time to do low gear driving.

Be Aware of the Direction your Wheels are Pointing In

If there are rut in the road, your vehicle is going to veer toward them as much as possible. This is why plotting your course is important so you plan to keep your wheels in a specific direction.

Deflate your Tires a Little Bit

If you take some of the air from your tires, you will allow them to gain a better traction on the road. The less air, the more contact area your tires will have with the ground, just don’t tak out too much.

Don’t Use Brakes

Try not to use your brakes as this can place you in an abrupt stop that can be difficult to get out of. Rather than braking hard, drive slowly and allow your vehicle to slowly roll to halt by itself.

A towing company can get you out of a muddy situation, call one today!

Important Tire Safety Tips Every Driver Needs To Know

One of the most important yet overlooked driving safety factors that many people forget to take into consideration is tire pressure. Did you know that tire pressure plays a crucial role in keeping motorists safe while on the road? Chicago Towing’s driving safety experts and towing specialists will talk about the most crucial aspects of tire safety whenever you’re out there in the road driving.

Choose Your Tires Carefully

While this might be common sense, many people fail to choose the appropriate size simply because one looks better than the other, or for other reasons. The tire size depends on how big your vehicle size and how much weight it can carry. If you’re unsure, always seek help from an automotive expert to help you find the right tire for your vehicle.

Have A Tire Gauge Along With You Wherever You Go

This easily lets you check your tire’s air gauge and lets you know if you need more or, or if they’re good to go wherever you are. These are available in most hardware stores.

Check Tire Pressures Regularly

If your tires are not inflated properly, they can cause damage to your tires, which can be a culprit for accidents. Additionally, this could also bring early signs of wear and tear. Always make sure that your tires are checked regularly, loaded with proper air pressure that’s suggested in your user’s manual. Do this once a month, or before you go for a long drive. Always check the pressure when your tires are cool as heat will cause inaccurate pressure reading data.

Drive Carefully When It’s Raining Or During Wet Weather

When you’re driving slower, the tire’s tread footprints will give you better traction. This is the primary reason why driving slowly whenever the road is wet is safer. It reduces accidents and hydroplaning.

Align Tires

Always make sure that you get your tires rotated and aligned after every driving 6,000 miles.

Make It A Habit To Measure Tire Treads

One easy way of measuring the tire’s treads is by using a penny inside your tire’s treat groove. If Lincoln’s head is visible, it’s a sign that your tires need a replacement.

Look For Tears And Signs Of Misalignment

Inspect your tires and make sure that there are no bulges, tears, cuts or tears in any area of your tires, sides included. Check your vehicle’s alignment, and an early sign of misalignment is when you’ve noticed that your car is starting to lean to a specific side whenever you’re driving.

Do Not Overload

Check your manufacturer’s manual to see the ideal weight to load in your vehicle. Overloading may cause strain in your tires, which increases the risks of getting flat tires, punctures, or may even cause the tire to blow. The information is usually in your manual or is usually found in a placard that’s usually stored by the driver’s doorpost.

Safeguard your tires, but if you need a towing company call us at Leahy’s Towing. We can help in your time of need.

How Do You Jump Start A Vehicle?

Do you need to jump start a vehicle?

Are you unsure about how to do it?

If you have a dead car battery, then you can use a pair of jumper cables and another vehicle to do a jump start. On the other hand, if you are using a pair of jumper cables, you need to be sure that other vehicle’s battery at least has as much voltage as your does. Also be sure that you have hooked the cables up right.

Important Point: If either one of the vehicles uses an electronic ignition system or an alternative fuel, then jumper cables might result in damage.

Follow each of these easy steps if you need to jump start a vehicle where you live:

Be sure that your car has a set of jumper cables stored somewhere. If you do not have them, then you need to find someone that does have them who can give you a hand.

Both of the vehicles should be in neutral positions with their ignitions shut off. Also apply the parking brakes.

Attach one red clip to the protruding positive terminal of your battery. It’s the one that should have POS/+ labeled on it. It should also be bigger than the contrasting negative terminal.

The next step is to attach the other red clip to the positive terminal of the other vehicle.

Now, attach one black clip to the negative terminal of the other battery.

Then, attach the other black clip to part of the metal surface on your car, preferably one that isn’t close to your battery.

Now you should start the other car, and its engine needs to just run for a bit.

Try to start your car. If it won’t go, check your cables for proper connections. Let the other car’s engine run a bit more before trying again. If it won’t start this time, then your vehicle’s battery might be past the point of repair. On the other hand, if it does work and you can start your car, don’t shut your engine off. Your vehicle battery has to recharge, so you need to drive around for at least 15 minutes.

If you wind up with the same issue the next time you try starting your vehicle, then you should probably get your battery replaced.

Leahy’s Towing is there if your battery won’t start up again, we’ll transport you and your car safely, call us and find out our rates.

Essential Tips When Driving During The Rainy Season

Many of us are excited to see the green plants, warm temperatures and enjoy the beautiful weather outside for some outdoor activities. But alongside that, we can also expect some rains making it a little bit more difficult to drive at times. Here at Leahy’s Towing, we provide professional towing services, we are experienced and we have a good grasp of understanding on the different variables that makes up safe driving practices. Listed below is a quick and comprehensive guide on what you can do to drive safely during these types of weathers.

Keep Your Headlights On

Whether you’re driving at night or day, if it’s raining hard, make sure that you turn on your headlights. Rain can cause visibility issues and your headlights will help you see what’s ahead of you.

Understand The Safe Speed And Distance From The Vehicle In Front Of You

It’s tempting to hit the rev to the floor, especially when there are not too many cars around. But if it’s raining, the floors remain slippery and driving too fast in this kind of weather may cause your car to slip then speed up – commonly referred to as hydroplaning. It is crucial that during these kinds of circumstances, that you drive at a slower pace to prevent friction towards your tires. Always remember to be careful whenever you’re trying to make a turn, and never swerve especially during these conditions. In addition to which, always remember to keep more distance than you normally would as the breaks would take more time before it fully engages when the tires and roads are wet.

Think In Advance And Always Check Your Car Parts

One of the worst things that you can experience when you’re driving is when one of your car parts starts to malfunction. If the weather channel has stated that bad weather is incoming, make sure that you check your tires and ensure that your wipers are working properly. If you’ve noticed that your tires are showing signs of wear and tear, or are simply worn out, don’t take the chances and have them replaced immediately. Windshield wipers that aren’t functioning properly limits your visibility making it difficult to see through the rain, which means you’re a threat to other vehicles and your own. Always think ahead. If you somehow unfortunately get stuck an need a tow, call your local Leahy’s Towing.