The most annoying part of winter driving

If you were to have people to make a list of all the different aspects of winter driving that they hate, you'd get stuff like "it's cold", "it's hard to steer", "the car won't start", "I have to shovel my driveway to get to work". Pretty standard stuff. No surprises there. Part of what makes us Canadian is our shared dislike of the coldest 6 months of our seasonal year.

Everyone has something they hate about winter driving. Want to know the thing I hate most?

It has nothing to do those things listed above (although they can be troublesome, I'll admit it). What I hate most about winter driving is something I call "The Tank Syndrome".

Here's what happens: You (yes, YOU) get up in the morning and it's cold and you don't want to go to work. And when you get out to your car, you notice that there is snow and ice all over it. Instead of taking the three minutes to brush off all of the snow and then using the ice scraper to completely clear all the windows, you create a wee little opening to see out of.

This little opening is probably the size of a postage stamp or, if you're really diligent, maybe it's the size of a business-card. It's small enough to make old-time pinhole camera manufacturers jealous. For those who are really conscientious, they can boast about creating a panorama with their postcard-sized hole.

I call it "The Tank Syndrome" because it reminds me of military tanks – the car is armoured in show and ice and there is a small slit in the front window that the driver can see out of but the enemy can't shoot inside. You feel invulnerable in that kind of rolling cage of safety.

How does this happen? During the summer, the windows are down (or better yet, the convertible roof is retracted), and you have full range of vision and can drive safely. That makes sense.

But during the winter our minds somehow change and we decide that the weather is bad so we don't want to see any of it. Somehow, the short days and bitter temperatures confuse us into thinking that we shouldn't have a clear field of vision to drive through ice and to swerve around snow banks and to battle through blizzards. We somehow think that our cars – armoured in snow and ice – will protect us from the worst weather and we minimize our field of vision to the narrowest possible amount.

By the end of winter, the ice and snow on our cars have built up so much that only a team of archaeologists could chip down to the original surface of our car.

Please! Take a few minutes and chip off the ice and snow. Ignore your desire to drive around in a tank and do battle with the snow.

And, if you get hit by a moving ice-tank, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass and we'll restore the REAL safety features of your car so you can get back out there and face the elements.

Five lessons that poker can teach us about driving safely

Poker is a fun game! There is a small amount of luck, a surprising amount of skill, and you can win a lot and lose a lot on every hand. In this article, we'll look at five truths about the game of poker that can help you be a better driver.

1. Read your opponents: Good poker playing is all about understanding who your opponents are and what their "tells" suggest about the cards they have. Sometimes your fellow drivers do a good job of telling you what they are doing (with signals or appropriate braking) and sometimes they don't. Watch the other drivers around you and try to figure out what they are planning on doing before they do it!
2. Think ahead: Good poker playing means thinking ahead – calculating the odds that the card you want is going to turn up and figuring out what other cards are likely to have been played on the table. As a driver, you should think ahead before every trip so you can make sure you take the best route.
3. Never bet on a short straight: This is a common problem in poker. Between the cards in your hands and the ones revealed in the flop, you end up with 4 cards of a 5-card straight. So you stay in. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against you and you'll frequently lose the hand. Good drivers make sure that their cars are mechanically sound – the brakes work, the lights work, the car is as safe as it can be – so that the car will be responsive if you need to drive defensively.
4. There is no room for cheats: Poker has its rules and players who break those rules aren't likely going to be invited back for more gameplay. In driving, the consequences of cheating (i.e. skirting the law) are harsher and can include financial punishment or even the revocation of a drivers license.
5. Know when to hold' em, know when to fold 'em: In poker, good players get out when they should get out (instead of staying in and playing a particular pot through to the end). Likewise, in driving, some drivers choose to drive even though they shouldn't. Fatigue and inebriation are frequently the cause of collisions because they impair our ability to drive safely. Smart drivers recognize when they should and shouldn't drive.

Poker can be a fun game for those who know how to play and who sit at a table of other players who are serious about a good game. Likewise, driving can be an enjoyable experience when everyone is following the same set of rules and intent on getting where they need to go safely.

If you're driving your car and you collide with someone who should not have been playing the game, bring your car in to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We'll fix up your car and get you back on the road so you can play a strong hand and get where you need to go.

Basics for Babies campaign was a success!

Babies deserve every chance they can get to grow up with the right food and clothes, but not all families have the means to provide their children with those essentials...

So the Basics for Babies campaign (which is put on by the Greater Vancouver food bank) is a really exciting opportunity for Boyd Autobody & Glass to get involved and make an impact in the community.

The Greater Vancouver locations of Boyd Autobody & Glass collected donations from staff and vendor partners. 

Thanks to the effort of Boyd staff and our vendor partners, Basics For Babies received 29 boxes of baby related items plus cash/cheque donations. In total, the combined food and money donations exceeded $5,000.00.

Special thanks to our vendor partners who participated!

• Performance Radiator 
• Marrand Auto
• Hemrich Bros. Garage
• Granville & Avery
• Carter GM
• Metro Motors
• Pro Body Parts
• Auto Tech Air Conditioning
• Lordco Auto Parts
• Caruk & Associates
• Anvil Auto Glass
• Autohouse Technologies
• APT
• QRP
• Wolfe Langley Mazda
• Jonker Nissan
• Maple Ridge Chrysler
• Vancouver Auto Colour
• Kent Automotive

Reduce the chance of automobile vandalism

Aside from your house, your car is probably one of the biggest purchases you make; therefore, it's important to keep it in good shape. It's frustrating to walk out of the shopping mall only to find that someone has vandalized your car – by painting it or keying it.

Here are some ways to help you reduce the chance of automobile vandalism

• If possible, park in a closed, locked garage.
• Lock your car and use a club and/or an immobilizer. (This will help to eliminate vandals who are looking for a quick payday from the cash in your ash tray.
• Be discerning about where you park your car – An area that has a lot of graffiti might mean that your car is a blank canvas waiting to be tagged.
• Understand that there are different kinds of vandals out there: There are vindictive vandals who will key your car because you parked too close to theirs or because your car is nicer than theirs, and there are thrill-seeking vandals who just vandalize things for some laughs. You need to keep both types of vandals in mind when parking your car.
• Choose parking lots that are monitored by CCTV or security. Even if these cost a little more, the few dollars of parking fee will more than cover for the peace of mind that you'll have (compared to the cost and inconvenience of having to get your vandalized car repaired).
• Park as close to a source of light as possible. A street light, for example, will help to keep your car illuminated and can deter vandals who are looking for some quick laughs.
• Park close to where other people are walking around. Vandals are less likely to act when they could be spotted by others.
• In a shopping mall parking lot, don't park too close to the store or too far away. If you part half-way to three-quarters of the way from the store, you'll hit the "sweet spot" of the parking lot: Close enough to other people so you reduce the thrill-seekers; far enough from other people so you reduce the vindictive vandals.
• Avoid controversial bumper stickers that could invite a response – such as political or religious bumper stickers that could be viewed negatively by others.
• Repair vandalism as quickly as possible (even if it doesn't appear to impact the integrity of your car's body) because some vandalism can attract other vandalism.

If your car is vandalized, assess the damage as soon as possible. A car that has been spray painted doesn't look good but can still be driven for a while. A car that has been keyed might have to be looked at by an autobody shop sooner because the paint could be scratched off, exposing the metal and risking a foothold for rust.

If your car is vandalized, bring it to Boyd Autobody & Glass. We can take a look at the damage and help you understand what needs to be fixed right away and what can wait (if you choose to wait). A quick visit to Boyd as soon as the vandalism happens can help you to restore the value of your vehicle and protect it from rust

5 ways to master the dreaded snow bank

One of the very first times I drove into a snow bank, I was by myself in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. It was not good. It was too cold to walk anywhere and I didn't have the kind of emergency survival equipment that one might need to stay alive in a situation like this. It was a "dig out or else" situation… and not something I ever want to repeat. (And since I'm writing this, you can probably figure out that I survived).

I did some pretty crazy things to get out of that snow bank (including leaving the car in drive while I ran out behind it to push (NOT ADVISABLE). Fortunately, that stupid solution didn't work. I was stuck solidly. I didn't get out until someone else happened to be driving down the same remote road some time later that night. We used a snow shovel, some car mats, an old coat, and a heck of a lot of muscle-power to unstick my car.

Since then, I don't travel without a few things in my car that will solve the problem. Depending on where I'm going and how bad the weather is supposed to be, I travel with some combination of the following items, and you should consider including some of these things in your car, too:

1. Snow shovel. I like using a plastic shovel that is lightweight and doesn't take up a lot of room in the trunk. It does the job in a pinch and doesn't cost a lot. (Also, the plastic ones won't puncture the rubber if you're digging around your tire).
2. Cat litter or salt. This is good to get traction on ice… especially if you've spun your tires a lot and turned the snow into ice!
3. Towel. I was surprised at how well this worked: It was enough traction to get out of snow.
4. Wooden boards. I've used these with some success in the past. They're good for those occasions when you are on some deep snow and have a little bit of distance to traverse before you get out. Just be careful that you don't stand directly behind them when driving because they can shoot out from under the car!
5. Tow rope. Tow ropes are great if you have another vehicle to help you get out.

Once your car is out of the snow, walk around it to make sure that there isn't a big build-up of snow around the tires or in the exhaust pipe or engine compartment. Snow in these areas can degrade the operation of your vehicle and can even be very unsafe to drive!

Also, walk around your car and check for damage. The snow, ice, or something hidden by the snow can damage your car. Check under your car, the body of your car, and keep an eye on your wheel alignment.

If your car's body is damaged, bring it to Boyd Autobody & Glass right away. We'll restore it quickly and professionally to help keep rust out of the damaged area and to return the car to its safest condition.