SHOCK and Awe: Avoiding Shock Treatment When Exiting Your Car

We’ve all been there.  You’re casually cruising in your car, glancing over to peer at your German Shepard as he soaks in the sun from an open window.  You stop for gas and begin to exit the vehicle, and you’re greeted with a quick jolt of static electricity.  Bzzt!  In today’s blog, we’re providing you with some quick tips to avoiding the shock treatment. 

1.    Be cautious of clothing – fleeces and synthetic materials can increase your risk of shock.

2.    Grip the frame of the door to expel static charge – Having your hand on the car frame when you get up lets it discharge more slowly. 

3.    Watch your shoes – Beach shoes with foam soles are conducive to static electricity, be careful!

4.    Touch the glass – as your exit your vehicle.  This option discharges any electricity and avoids shock.

5.    Hold a key in your hand and touch the metal doorframe as you exit.  It acts as a lightning rod and discharges the static without pain.

Static shock may seem like a minor issue for the average driver, but these tips are actually meant for your safety.  Static electricity has the capacity to cause small explosions at the gas pump.  You should NEVER re-enter your car while gassing up, as this could provide MORE static electricity build up.  If you have another tip for us, please comment below!

Full Size Remote Racing Car? There’s An App for That

We’re HUGE fans of technology. At the dealership, our lives revolve around the constant shift and change of our vehicle lineup as more technological advances make our vehicles even more cutting edge than their existing models. Like kids in a candy store, we perfect our craft, getting to know each vehicle in and out.

In today’s blog, we found out that an automotive engineer that shares our passion for cars has taken it to the next level by teaming up with a mobile phone game developer to create the first ever full-sized remote racing car driven remotely by…you guessed it: a smartphone.

As part of a promotion for the new Sony Experia smartphone Dr. Brighton, the automotive engineer, turned two roadsters into giant remote control cars.

"The primary challenge is trying to create an interface that someone can actually drive a car with in a similar manner to the way they drive the game," he said. Martin Noriander, co-founder of Pixelbite, challenged English technology journalist Hunter Skipworth to a race at Bentwaters, an abandoned RAF air base about 130km northeast of London.”

Both cars made it through the course unscathed, with Skipworth winning by a hair. "I never thought I would end up using a phone to control a car," Skipworth said.

Self-driving cars? Wow, the future is here! Tell us what you think below.