Monday morning is not the day to discover your car battery is dead. Monday is always the day that you’re rushing around, you can’t consume enough coffee to revive yourself from your weekend coma, and traffic is always a mess. Add a dead battery to the mix and you know the start to your week has just gone from busy to a standstill. So, how do you even know the reason your car isn’t starting is due to a dead battery? There are signs to help diagnose whether your car battery is dead.
You probably don’t inspect your tires very often, but at some point, you’re going to notice the tread and think about new tires. We all want to get the most mileage out of our tires (because let’s get real, tires are expensive) which causes most people to continue to drive on older tires even when they need to be replaced. How long should tires last? And at what point do they become unsafe? There are several signs that show you need new tires. Let us help you recognize when it’s time to buy new ones.
You know it’s time for spring in Columbia when the last freeze has finally passed and your memories of the St. Patrick’s Day festivities start to fade. Your flowers, that you decided to plant when it was 80 degrees outside, didn’t quite make it to spring, but that doesn’t squash your excitement for all the spring events that come with warmer weather. Whether you are interested in food, fitness, or just plain fun, get out your calendar and start saving the dates for these spring events in Columbia.
Tartan Day South
From Celtic music to classic British cars, the Tartan Day South Highland Games and Celtic Festival on Saturday, March 24th has a lot to offer for all ages. Grab some traditional food and drink and cruise over to watch the sheep dog herding, archery, swordplay, or the Quidditch tournament. Gates at the Historic Columbia Speedway open at 8:30am and you could easily spend all day enjoying the variety of activities, vendors, and presentations. Just remember to bring cash for parking and tickets if you aren’t buying online. Kids 12 and under are free.
Soda City Fitness Festival
Make your way downtown for the 2nd Annual Soda City Fitness Festival on Saturday, March 31st. Not only is this festival free, but it helps raise money for Camp MATES, a nonprofit sports, social skills and nutrition camp for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities. There will be 30 minute workouts provided by Rooted in Wellbeing yoga, barre3, Orangetheory Fitness Columbia, and many more in Boyd Plaza. Once you’ve broken a sweat, grab some yummy food from Rosewood Market and Deli Primal Gourmet and check out the 20+ fitness and wellness vendors lining Hampton Street.
Food and Wine Festival
For the first time ever, Columbia is hosting a Food and Wine Festival on Sunday, April 15th starting at 11am on Saluda Avenue in Five Points. There will be 40+ restaurants and over 25 beverage stations. From established restaurants like Motor Supply and Mr. Friendly’s to newbies like The Grand on Main and The War Mouth, chefs will be serving up delicious bites. Don’t miss out on the chef presentations and beverage seminars going on throughout the festival. The Soda City Brass Band will be performing while you make your way through all the amazing smells and sites. Tickets are available online through FreeTimes.
Springtime brings us out of hibernation and invites us to explore and enjoy events in our capital city. Get ready to explore Columbia this spring and save the date for all these exciting events. Here are some other events happening this spring:
March 31: Crawfish Boil at World of Beer
April 7: SC Taco Festival at Historic Columbia Speedway
April 12-15: Indie Grits Festival at Nickelodeon Theatre
April 14: World Famous Hip Hop Family Day at City Center on Main Street
Columbia International Festival at SC State Fairgrounds
River Rocks Festival on Williams Street
Soiree on State on State Street
April 21: Kinetic Derby Day on Meeting & State Streets
April 28: Back to the Roots Festival at City Roots
Taste of Africa Festival at Lake Carolina
As the flowers bloom and our winter coats get put away, let’s enjoy what Columbia has to offer us this spring. And since you will be out and about driving to all these spring events, make sure you stop by Godwin Motors for your Spring Maintenance Check and let us know which event you are heading to next or one we need to add to the list.
I know you’ve experienced this situation. You get in the car. Then you put your phone on the console. Next, you move to get situated and that’s when it happens. Your phone slips off the console and falls between the seat and your console. You then let out a frustrated sigh as you try to squeeze your hand down to find your phone. Now this is where it gets interesting, almost nostalgic. You bring your hand back up grasping a pen, some hair, a morsel or two of food, and those ear buds you thought you lost. Yes, this is the moment you think to yourself, “When was the last time I detailed my car?”
When most people think of auto detailing, they think of cleaning the inside of their vehicle. Vacuuming the carpet, wiping down the console and dash, and putting up one of those scented tree deodorizers. Auto detailing consists of so much more. At Godwin Motors, we keep your vehicle for the day because of the amount of care we put in to making sure your car or truck is pristine on the inside and outside. Here are details about what our auto detailing package includes for $165:
Interior Process
Exterior Process
Now, you might think that going over to the gas station and driving through the automated car wash and then using the vacuum for as long as your quarters last should be enough, but it’s not. Some automated car washes can actually damage your paint job because it doesn’t use enough water or the brushes that clean your car have too much dirt stuck to them. It is recommended to use pressurized car washes that just use water and soap with no contact at all, meaning nothing lands on your car’s surface except soap and water. The vacuuming you do is not getting rid of all the dirt, scum, and germs in your car and we all know that the gas station vacuum can’t reach in those hard-to-reach areas. It’s worth it to invest a little more money into detailing your vehicle the right way at Godwin Motors. It’s easy to schedule an appointment on our website. Detailing your car at least twice a year will increase your car’s resale value and help your car look newer for longer.
Have you ever heard your car squeal like a pig? Did you think to get your brakes checked or figured it would just go away? Our vehicles make lots of different noises, but squealing, grinding, clicking, and pulsating are usually not a good sign. And those sounds tend to get worse the longer you ignore them. Listen to your car and check with an expert before your brakes fail.
Don’t think that your antilock brake system (ABS) light has to come on for there to be a problem with your brakes. Yes, you definitely need to pay attention to that light since there might be a wiring or electrical problem, but there are other signs you need to be concerned about. Here are some sounds associated with brake failure:
You should also be concerned if your vehicle seems to pull from one side to the other or drags a little more when hitting the gas. This could be a problem with your emergency brakes, alignment, or fluid leaking on the brake pads.
The last thing you want to happen is to get in an accident due to failed brakes. Regular maintenance can help you avoid the nightmare of not being able to stop before it’s too late. Godwin Service, Godwin Motors’ in-house full-service center, can help you diagnose whether the sounds you are hearing are brake related or not. You can now get quotes for your auto repair anytime with OpenBay repair and maintenance estimator. Just enter in some quick information about your vehicle and receive a quote. Make an appointment at http://www.godwinmotors.com/schedule-car-maintenance-or-auto-repair-columbia-sc . We also offer a Winter Maintenance Package that includes checking your brake wear along with all the other maintenance you need during cold weather months. Take advantage of the discount at http://www.godwinmotors.com/car-coupons-columbia-sc .