Quality Plus Automotive Service - February 2022

Quality Plus Automotive Service - February 2022

February 2022

In the Name of Love Embracing Valentine’s Day The month of love has arrived! Every Feb. 14, couples celebrate Valentine’s Day by embracing their love for each other with candy, chocolates, and flowers. Every year, my wife is my Valentine. We were high school sweethearts and have been married for 46 years, and I love to show my admiration and appreciation for her by spoiling her on this day. Valentine’s Day traces all the way back to the story of a cleric named Valentine. Many years ago, the Roman emperor Claudius ordered soldiers to fight rigorous battles for him. He believed that because married

for my classmates and friends was captivating. Handing them out was tons of fun, but it was even better getting them back from my friends. This was before cellphones and texting, and the thrill of actual cards, notes, and messages was second to none — not to mention the candy and goodies that came along with them!

Today, Valentine’s Day isn’t only for couples and lovers to express their love and exchange gifts, poems, love letters, and candy. It’s

men showed allegiance to their families first, they weren’t the best soldiers, so he abolished marriage. Behind Claudius’ back, Bishop Valentine was secretly performing the forbidden ceremony, all in the name of

for everyone who makes our lives special. We all have someone who we care about and rely on. It’s about celebrating the beautiful relationships we have in our lives. This Valentine’s Day, take the time to wish your family, friends, siblings, parents, coworkers, or anyone you consider to be

“Every year, my wife is my Valentine.”

love. Once Claudius heard of this, he had Valentine arrested. While he was in jail pending execution, he fell in love with the jailer’s blind daughter and wrote her a letter and signed it, “From your valentine.”To this day, we send Valentines to each other. And don’t forget Cupid, the son of Venus, the god of love and beauty in Roman mythology. Cupid was notoriously known for shooting arrows at the gods and random humans. These arrows led them to fall in love with each other in an instant!

special in your life a happy Valentine’s Day. We don’t take the time to appreciate each other often enough. Love is always worth celebrating, and although it has been slightly commercialized over the years, at its core, it’s all about celebrating the special connections in your life. Love inspires books and movies. It is the vision for many paintings and songs. Love creates and sustains families and encourages us all to be the best versions of ourselves. Celebrate your loved ones this month — I know I’ll be creating special memories with mine! Happy Valentine’s Day!

-Randy Bunn

I recall as a kid being so excited about Valentine’s Day in school. The thrill of working hard to make cards

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Wake Forest • 919.453.0345 — Raleigh • 919.231.6164

Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com

Social Jet Lag: THE SILENT PRODUCTIVITY KILLER Maybe it’s not a case of the Mondays after all. Social jet lag, the discrepancy between sleep on a workday and sleep on a weekend, is a real thing! Your chronotype — your body’s natural sleep and wake preferences — is deeply impacted when you switch up your schedule on a whim. The hustle and bustle of your busy weekends may be making your job at the office more difficult or even compromising the accuracy of your work. What can be done?

Saving DRIVING FOR THE BES

With inflation on the rise, your fuel economy is extremely important! Whether you want to tighten up on your budget or you’re dealing with rising gas prices, getting the best gas mileage possible is probably on your mind a lot. Here are a few tips for getting every last drop of fuel out of your vehicle. First and foremost, plan out your trips to reduce the amount of time you spend in your car. Do you need to head out to the store during rush hour, where you’ll likely be caught in traffic? Idling can burn up to a half-gallon of gas an hour! Make sure you plan ahead and map out the best possible route. Second, keep a close eye on your speed. Your optimal fuel economy usually peaks around 50 mph, varying slightly from car to car. When you go faster than this, your fuel economy takes a dive. If you reduce your speed even by 5 or 10 mph, your fuel economy rises. Third, be conservative about your driving! Don’t jerk the steering wheel or brake hard with quick, sporadic acceleration. When in traffic, avoid riding the brakes and maintain a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you.

As a general rule, to avoid social jet lag, aim for at least seven hours of sleep within your normal sleep-wake window.

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While you may think that one way to combat social jet lag is by catching up on sleep, it may be a stopgap fix, but it certainly does not cure the problem. Instead, you must make changes in your daily routine so that your circadian rhythm, your internal clock that keeps your sleep-wake cycle normalized, is aligned and your sleep deprivation low.

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You can do this by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. If the temptation

to sleep in on the days you don’t have to

Inspire

Justin F., Wake Forest — Feb. 27

be at the office takes over, only allow yourself to

sleep in an extra hour. This ensures that your circadian clock isn’t thrown off too much. But, if you can resist the urge to sleep in and keep your sleep-wake schedule on track, an afternoon nap is a quick way to catch some z’s. Because our chronotypes are mostly set in stone, it’s easier to work with them than against them. But, if you must shift it, do so gradually to allow your body time to catch up. And, most importantly, prioritize sleep. Without it, showing up at work on Monday morning with social jet lag can make it extremely difficult to get going.

pump the brakes ... It’s puzzle time!

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g Gas ST FUEL ECONOMY

Do You Need New Brakes? The life of your vehicle’s brakes is based entirely on usage. The more you use the brakes and the harder you are on them, the shorter their life will be. On average, your brake pads should be changed out every 25,000 to 65,000 miles. However, your rotors can last anywhere from 30,000 to 70,000 miles. Keep in mind that this number is only an estimate because it really depends on driving styles and conditions. However, you can spot signs that tell you if it’s time to replace your brakes sooner before the mileage is up.

YOUR BRAKES ARE SQUEAKING AND SQUEALING.

ourth, take advantage of the cruise control function on your car! Driving a very consistent speed saves you fuel! If your vehicle is a manual ansmission, shift gears smoothly and upshift as soon as it makes sense. hen stopping, use the brakes and avoid downshifting to slow the vehicle.

When your brakes are going bad, the first sign will always be the squeaking noise the brakes make, which is caused by worn down brake pads. Once you ride through the squeaking, the squealing will transform into a grinding noise — this is not good. That noise is the sound of your rotors being damaged. Once this happens, the repair cost skyrockets.

as is precious and costly, so don’t waste it! By making small changes to our driving style, you are sure to save some serious cash.

YOU FEEL A VIBRATIONWHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES.

If you feel your car vibrating when you’re coming to a stop, this is cause for concern, and it’s likely that your rotors are warped and the brake pads are worn down, possibly unevenly.

Share this luscious red velvet cake with your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day!

IT TAKES YOUR VEHICLE LONGER THAN NORMAL TO STOP.

red by LovingItVegan.com

• • • • •

2 cups flour

• • • • •

1 cup soy milk

If you experience poor stoppage time when you apply the brakes, this is a sign that

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp baking soda

your pads are very worn or your brake fluid is low and you may have a leak. Either way, it’s time to get your brakes checked out ASAP!

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp distilled white vinegar 1 tsp red food coloring (gel works best)

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

•

1 tbsp lemon juice

•

Frosting of choice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease baking pans of choice. Line bottoms with parchment paper. (Two 8-inch round pans work best.) 2. In a large bowl, sift flour and mix in sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. 3. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and soy milk. Leave the mixture to sit for about a minute so it can curdle into buttermilk. 4. Add milk mixture, vanilla, oil, vinegar, and food coloring to the flour mixture, stirring well to break up large clumps. 5. Pour batter into pans and bake for 20 minutes. 6. Cool cakes completely before frosting with icing of choice.

For all of your brake and auto

needs, we are here! If you feel that you may be in need of new brakes, give us a call today.

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Wake Forest 919.453.0345 Raleigh 919.231.6164

QualityPlusAutomotive.com 1601 Heritage Commerce Ct. Wake Forest, NC 27587

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INSIDE This Issue Happy Valentine’s Day Beating Social Jet Lag How to Get the Best Fuel Economy Vegan Red Velvet Cake 1 2 3

Signs That It’s Time to Replace Your Brakes Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Your Kids

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Your Little Sweethearts

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for adults. Let your kids know they are the most important loves in your life with these sweet, inexpensive ideas that the whole family can enjoy! Your children will remember these traditions for years to come.

BAKE VALENTINE’S DAY GOODIES TOGETHER.

MAKE A SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY BREAKFAST.

What’s better than baking with your little ones? If you are short on time, you can find premade dough, usually with a Valentine’s Day theme. Or, you can try out your skills with heart-shaped cookie cutters and sprinkles. It can get messy, but it’s certainly worth it!

Guess what? Pink pancakes, pink milk, and even pink eggs are a thing! With strawberry milk, food coloring and strawberries in the pancakes, and food coloring in the eggs, you’ll have an effortless and special breakfast for the little ones.

WRAP UP A SMALL VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT.

Tip: Set the table the night before after the kids go to bed to make serving Valentine’s Day breakfast easier the next morning.

Whether it’s a Valentine’s Day outfit, candy, a teddy bear, or a necklace, it doesn’t have to be big or costly! Your children will enjoy feeling the love, and they’ll be excited to get something new. Don’t forget to have fun with the wrapping! Most stores have Valentine’s Day gift bags and wrapping paper around this time of year.

CREATE VALENTINE’S DAY CARDS FOR EACH KID.

Tell your children all of your favorite things about them with their own personalized cards. There are so many ways you can get crafty with construction paper and glitter. Your kids are sure to love getting mommy-made or daddy-made one-of-a-kind valentines.

Your baby valentines have stolen your heart —make sure they know it by spreading the love! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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