Utah's 4th of July Events 2011 and Road Trip Tips

Make sure your vehicle is ready if you are going on a road trip this holiday weekend! Make sure to check your tire pressure, check your oil, and make sure your windshield washer fluid is filled up. Here are a few articles that will help you prevent disasters on your road trip:

• Driving tips to keep your family safe
• What to keep in your vehicle
• Preparing for a road trip
• Road Trip Tips
• Warm Weather Tips

Remember, we are always happy to do a "trip check" on your vehicle! Just give us a call! (801) 966-6021


View Utah's NEW firework laws HERE.


LISTEN to 4th of July music HERE.


Below is a list of 4th of July celebrations happening in Utah:

Salt Lake County

• Gardner Village Historic Family Scavenger Hunt - throughout the month of July
• Salt Lake Bees baseball games
• West Jordan Western Stampede and Fun For The Whole Family - June 25th through July 4th
• 4th of July Make and Take July 1st and 2nd
• Teen Independence Party July 1st
• Magna 4th of July celebration July 2nd - 4th
• Liberty Days at This Is The Place July 2nd and 4th
• Freedom Half Marathon July 4th
• Gallivan Center Salute The Troops July 4th
• Sugarhouse Fireworks - July 4th (previously canceled, but now back on!)
• East Millcreek Celebrations - July 4th
• Millcreek Parade and Breakfast - July 4th
• Snowbird Pancake Breakfast - July 4th
• Brighton Breakfast and Parade - July 4th
• Sandy City Celebrations - July 4th

Summit County

• Oakley Rodeo and Celebrations - June 30th through July 4th
• The Canyons celebration - July 3rd
• Park City Celebrations - now through July 4th

Utah County

• America's Freedom Festival Children's Parade June 25th
• America's Freedom Festival Freedom Days July 1st through 4th
• America's Freedom Festival Balloon Fest July 1st through 4th
• Stadium of Fire with Brad Paisley and David Archuleta July 2nd
• America's Freedom Festival Parade July 4th
• Lehi City Fireworks July 4th
• Crandall Historic Printing Museum Colonial Days July 2nd - July 5th

Davis County

• Clearfield City 4th of July Celebration
• Centerville July 4th Celebrations July 1st through July 3rd
• Layton's Liberty Days July 3rd and 4th
• Kaysville Celebrations June 30th through July 5th

Tooele County

• View all updated Tooele 4th of July activities HERE on page four.
• Car Show July 2nd
• Bit n Spur Rodeo July 2nd - 4th
• Tooele County Chamber Breakfast July 4th
• 4th of July parade July 4th (Events in the park following the parade)
• Ty Herndon and Charley Jenkins concert July 4th

Washington County

• Washington County 4th of July events

read more "Utah's 4th of July Events 2011 and Road Trip Tips"

FRIDAY TIDBIT: Fuel Injector Unit

Fuel injection unit on a Chevy or GMC truck

This "spider-looking vehicle part" isn't as creepy and scary as it looks! In fact, once you "get to know it", it can be "quite friendly"!

This specific fuel injector unit goes in a chevrolet V8 engine. The little black tips are the fuel injectors. Chevrolet and GMC are the only ones that use this style, and they are found in their trucks.

Because of growing emissions and fuel efficiency rules and regulations, carburetors are no longer used, and fuel injectors have taken their place. 

Take this fuel injection quiz to see how much you know about fuel injectors, and learn all about them in the process! 

You can read more information about fuel injectors on Wikipedia.

For more tidbits like this one, visit our Auto Care Tips page.

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WIN A Family Four-Pack Of Tickets To A Bee's Game!

The weather is getting warmer (slowly but surely!), and it's time for baseball season! Nothing says summer to me like sitting at the ballpark, watching a game, and eating a hot dog!

CONTEST CLOSED! Congrats to Britt Hatch!

Thanks to Stephen Nord with the Salt Lake Bees, Gines Auto Service is giving away a family four-pack of tickets to any game of your choice, EXCLUDING July 4th, and July 23rd-25th. View the complete Bees schedule HERE.

The deadline to enter will be Thursday June 16th at 11:59pm, and the winner will be announced on Friday June 17th.

One Entry Per Person!

Extra Entries are given for:

• "Liking" Gines Auto Service on Facebook
• Following Gines Auto Service on Twitter
• "Friend" the Discount Salt Lake Bees/Utah Jazz/Energy Solutions Arena Tickets on Facebook or "Like" the Disount Salt Lake Bees/Utah Jazz/Energy Solutions Arena Tickets on Facebook
• Following the Salt Lake Bees Discount Tickets on Twitter.
• Sharing this contest with others via blog, facebook, twitter, etc. Each person that mentions your name when entering will get you an extra entry.

Other sites giving away tickets:
(Each one of these sites has their own family four-pack to give away, so the more you enter, the better your chances are!)

• Enjoy Utah!
• Squawkbox Sound

To purchase tickets to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game at a discount and without fees, visit the Salt Lake Bees website and enter promotion code SN6928. You can also call Stephen Nord directly at (801) 350-6928.

More about the Salt Lake Bees baseball team:

• Did you know the Salt Lake Bees baseball team began in 1915?
• Firsts at Spring Mobile Park
• The Salt Lake Bees are involved in the community
• There are special promotions going on all season long
• Bumble, the Bees Mascot
• Ask a Bees player any question you have about baseball!

read more "WIN A Family Four-Pack Of Tickets To A Bee's Game!"

WINNER! Salt Lake Bees Tickets!

Congratulations to

Britt Hatch!

She is the winner of a family four-pack of tickets to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game!

Britt said, "I love seeing America's sport, baseball, live!!!" She heard about this contest on our Facebook page.

Congratulations Britt, and enjoy the game!

To purchase tickets to an upcoming Salt Lake Bees game at a discount and without fees, visit the Salt Lake Bees website and enter promotion code SN6928. You can also call Stephen Nord directly at (801) 350-6928.

Get out and enjoy a Salt Lake Bees game!

read more "WINNER! Salt Lake Bees Tickets!"

WHAT IS IT?! Picture Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the WHAT IS IT?! picture for tomorrow. Stay tuned on our Facebook page for complete details! The first person to correctly identify this vehicle part will receive $10 off their next service; but remember: do not start guessing until it's posted on Facebook tomorrow!

read more "WHAT IS IT?! Picture Sneak Peek"

FRIDAY TIDBIT: How To Make Your Car Last 300,000 Miles

Yesterday for our WHAT IS IT?! picture, we posted an odometer from a 1993 Ford Ranger truck that has just turned over to 300,000 miles!

The key to making your vehicle last is maintenance. You've heard us say it a million times, and that's because it really is true. Proper maintenance can eliminate up to 50% of repairs.

How do you know which maintenance to do, and when?
Look in your owners' manual. It will give you a maintenance schedule. If you can't find your owners' manual, or are not sure where to look, we can always look it up for you.

ACDelco is a great resource for maintenance. Read through a list of maintenance tips on their website.


Why is maintenance important?
By following your maintenance schedule, you can eliminate up to 50% of repairs. That is a huge number! By doing the small tasks, you can avoid costly repairs, and increase the life of your vehicle.

Think of your body and going to the doctor. By getting preventive maintenance checkups, you can find problems before they become a huge issue, and start taking better care of yourself. Many diseases like diabetes, cancer, thyroid problems, and other illnesses can be detected early, and when detected early you can start treating them early and increase the years in your life. The same can be said for vehicles and vehicle maintenance.

What if I can't afford to do my regularly scheduled maintenance?
By knowing what your maintenance schedule is, you can factor in $30-$40 a month to your budget to prepare for those maintenance checkups. Here is a breakdown to show you how easy it really is to prepare for maintenance into your budget:

• Let's say you want to factor in $40 per month into your budget for maintenance. That breaks down to only $1.33 per day.
• I know most of us spend more than that a day in soda, lunch, etc. By bringing a sack lunch to work, or cutting out that stop at the gas station on the corner for treats, you can save up enough money for your vehicle maintenance.
• If you make $10 an hour, and work an 8 hour day, you are making $80 a day (without taxes factored in). To make an extra $1.33 per day, you need to work approximately an extra 8.3 minutes. Come in to work 4.2 minutes early, and stay 4.2 minutes longer, and you have earned enough money for your vehicle maintenance.

If you are ever unclear as to what maintenance your vehicle needs, don't hesitate to ask us any time. We are glad to go over it with you.

For more tips like this, visit our Auto Care Tips page.

read more "FRIDAY TIDBIT: How To Make Your Car Last 300,000 Miles"

WHAT IS IT Picture Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the WHAT IS IT?! picture for tomorrow. Stay tuned on our Facebook page for complete details!

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HOW TO: Check Your Windshield Washer Fluid

 WHY do I need to check my windshield washer fluid? It's important to always make sure your windshield washer reservoir has fluid in it. If you get splashed with sticky dirt or mud, you need to be able to clean it off right away in order to see out your windshield. Checking and filling up your washer fluid reservoir is such a small, simple task that can prevent a lot of headaches and problems while driving!  

read more "HOW TO: Check Your Windshield Washer Fluid"

FRIDAY TIDBIT: AC Inverter for Hybrid Cars

Alternating Current Inverter for Hybrid Cars

The AC inverter converters high voltage alternating current in the Hybrid systems to direct current high voltage to charge the high voltage battery and also converts high voltage direct current to alternating current to run the electric motor that powers the car.

These systems have their own cooling system separate from the engine cooling system. They are very dangerous to work on because the voltage can be up around 650 volts. Only trained professionals should work on these systems with specialized safety equipment. To put it in perspective, the heavy cable for an electric clothes drier in most peoples homes is 220 volts AC. Some of the hybrid cars on the road are putting out almost three times that amount of power at 650 volts.

read more "FRIDAY TIDBIT: AC Inverter for Hybrid Cars"

WHAT IS IT picture for Thursday June 2nd

Here is the picture that will be posted on our Facebook page tomorrow, Thursday June 2nd.

The first person to correctly identify this vehicle part will receive $10 off their next service. Remember, do not start guessing until it's posted on our Facebook page tomorrow, and good luck!

read more "WHAT IS IT picture for Thursday June 2nd"