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With the official spring less than a week away, it's time to make sure your car is prepared for the warmer weather and wet roads ahead.

• Give your car a good wash: Salt can build-up on your car during winter. This can cause rust and other problems, so be sure to you give your car a good wash once winter is over.
• Don't forget about the inside of your car: Spring is a great time to spend a day outdoors cleaning out the inside of your car. Vacuum, throw away any trash that has accumulated during the winter…

Which Type to Choose and Who to Bring It in To?

It's important to change your vehicle's oil regularly. Knowing the difference between synthetic oil and conventional oil certainly helps in this endeavor, for you must make a decision between the two that will affect your vehicle's engine life.

First of all, the conventional type of oil has been around first. It is a refined crude oil that has worked well for many years, but it requires more frequent changes as it is susceptible to forming sludge. Synthetic oil may start as crude oil as well, but…

Here at Earthycars, we recognize that car engines have truly come a long way over the decades. In addition to becoming more lightweight, powerful, and even fuel efficient, car engines now use technology to help you travel between destinations with ease. That’s why it is important to check every component in your vehicle’s engine routinely to ensure optimal performance and efficiency. Regular service appointments can help you to avoid the issues caused by friction, corrosion, overheating, and more.

This #Ford employee’s idea could bring #cleanwater to parts of the world that need it. https://t.co/oCuoSX0V8V pic.twitter.com/lXJQA4st3c

— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) September 27, 2016

Though it's not something we worry much about in our day-to-day here in Vermont, around the world, there is an increasing scarcity of clean drinking water. As climate change continues to take its toll and human population continues to soar upward, the UN estimates 47 percent of people will live in water-stressed areas by 2030.

Cars, you would think, are part of the problem, not the solution.

Ford…

At Earthycars, our expertly trained parts and service professionals offer can offer you a refreshing alternative to the long waits and anonymous customer service you find at big box stores and national retail chains.

Since it's International Women's Day today, we thought we'd share with you the story of one of the most important women in automotive history. She took the first long-distance car trip in the world. She was the unstoppable Bertha Benz.

Before Bertha Benz ever married her husband, Karl Benz, she acted as his investor.

She was from a wealthy family, and he was raised in poverty by a single mother. Despite his financial disadvantage, Karl was brilliant, well-educated, and an idealist. She fell in love with him, and used her own dowry money to support his failing…

Many Vermonters avoid the dreaded manual transmission altogether. "Who has time to learn?" we hear people say. More importantly, who will sacrifice their car to teach you?

There are hazards to teaching someone to drive any car, like the chance they will confuse reverse for drive and back into your garage door before lesson one. When newbies forget to press the clutch before shifting in a manual, however, that really grinds our gears.

A few innocent mistakes, like forgetting to shift, or forgetting the clutch, and you'll be looking for auto repairs near Burlington, or a new car altogether…

As a proud purveyor of affordable, environmentally responsible used vehicles, many of our customers are local college students. Well, this week we found a new auto detailing video that had us wringing our brains to remember long-forgotten chemistry lessons.

Our professors would not be proud. We had to Google it.

Without further ado, here is how to get persistent salt-stains out of your vehicle's carpet... and more importantly, why it works!

Here's a breakdown of the science:

Road salt is mostly NaCl, the same stuff you put on French fries. Even in land-locked Vermont, you'll know salt…

Nobody knows winter like us Vermonters. Yet sometimes before the season starts, we may be at a loss for how to adequately prepare our cars.

Eric the Car Guy runs a YouTube channel filled with helpful repair videos from a professional mechanic. Here are some tips he has for winterizing your car that we found useful.

First, inspect your tires. You've likely already put on your snows or all seasons. If not-- hurry up! The snow has been holding off so far, but this lull won't last long.

Check your tread depth and make sure it is at…

There's a good chance you're heading home for the holidays, or have family coming to visit you in Burlington. No matter which of the plethora of festivities you'll be celebrating, a lot of traveling is in your future.

Give yourself the gift of gas money in your pocket by making your drive as efficient as possible.

1. Reduce wind resistance. By reducing your drag coefficient by 0.01, you'll make a 0.2mpg gain in fuel economy, so take off those antenna toppers, and any unused roof-racks. Truck drivers, keep your tailgates up or beds covered.
2. Reduce…