Photo: The News Wheel
Your car is a complex machine with a bevy of bells and whistles. Features like your advanced infotainment system, heated seats, and responsive engine often get your full attention. There are plenty of overlooked features, though, that goes a long way in elevating your time on the road. Here is a closer look at three components you wouldn’t want to drive without.
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Gas pump helper
Although it has happened to most drivers, it doesn’t make it less annoying when it happens to you. You drive into the gas station, pull up to the pump, get out, and realize your car’s gas tank is on the opposite side. Next time, save yourself some frustration by looking at the fuel warning light on your dashboard. Next to the icon is a little arrow. That arrow points to the side of the car where your gas tank is.
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Dangerous conditions
Two squiggly lines under the tires of a car icon represent your car’s Electronic Stability Control warning system. If you have never noticed this symbol on your dashboard before, it’s important to always pay attention when this indicator light starts to glow.
“That means your stability-control system has kicked in after sensors in your car picked up potentially dangerous conditions on the roadway. Your stability control system did its job, but if the indicator lights up over and over, you’ve hit an unforgiving stretch of road — slow down,” advises Cheapism writer Andrew Lisa.
Helpful hooks
Have you ever picked up your dry cleaning and placed it carefully on the backseat or in the trunk, thinking it would be safe? Unfortunately, by the time you arrived at your destination, the bag had slid into a smooshed pile. Or, have you driven to a job interview in a suit jacket that became a wrinkled mess during your journey? You can help your clothes look their best by using the innovative garment hooks located next to or near your doors’ grab handles.
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DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.
