If you are anything like me you are sick and tired of shoveling and wondering where on earth (or at least on my little patch of it) am I going to put more snow. The snow banks on either side of our driveway are already 5+ feet high.

Now I consider myself a tall strong woman, shoveling through storm 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 didn't faze me much. Storm 4 was a challenge as I had to sling the snow higher and further than before. I am now thinking that I will have to develop some supernatural- gravity fighting- ability to shovel snow over a bank that is taller than I am and far enough out that it doesn't come rolling back down in order to deal with this next one.

Maybe I should have sat down at the beginning of this winter with a large map of our property and drawn out a snow removal plan, maybe I should have gone into this with a strategy, a master plan. But alas, here I am with no plan, snow banks up to my eyeballs and wondering if I will see my grass ever again.

There is a lot to be said for being prepared. Even though a master snow removal plan has eluded me it has had me thinking a lot about all of my family and friends out on the road driving around in these snowy ice conditions and has inspired me to share a couple of things you can do to make sure you are prepared when you head out on the road this winter. A few of this tips I learned from my Grandpa, who was never without some preventative advice, and others I have learned from experience and heard on the news.

1. Never let your gas tank go under half a tank (thanks Grandpa). He always told me to pretend that half full was almost empty. This way no matter what the conditions, traffic accident on the highway, emergency in the middle of the night or unexpected (or expected) bad weather you are never at risk for running out of gas. Certainly the night before a storm it is a very good idea to fill your tank.

2. Never leave the house without a warm jacket (again thanks grandpa) Even if you are just running to the store or gas station, your car is already warm or you already have a jacket at the office, there is no guarantee that you will make it where you are going. Even if someone were to rear-end you at the traffic light you don't want to be standing out in the cold in just a t-shirt. Having gloves and a hat in your car is also a very good idea.

3. Cell phone charger in your car  (okay grandpa has been gone for a few years and didn't have a cell phone, but if he did I am sure he would have advised having a car charger) I am the worst culprit of running around with a half charged cell phone and have more than once been on my way home late a night with a dead cell phone and no charger thinking what if I were to get in an accident, I would have no way of calling for help. Buy a car charger - keep it in your vehicle at all times.

4. A warm blanket - if you get stranded on the road and your car won't start or you run out of gas (see #1 on how to avoid running out of gas) it will get chilly, having a warm blanket could help you survive freezing temperatures.

5. A candy bar/ protein bar of your choice - This way if you get really, really stranded, like the kind of stranded that makes national news where you are undiscovered for days and days, you can nibble on your candy bar of choice and when you are finally rescued you can attribute your survival to said candy bar and probably get a million dollar endorsement deal.

6. Flares - I just heard on the news about how important it is to have some. I always assumed the police put them out for you, but if the conditions are bad it make take the police a while to arrive and if you are in an accident that has compromised your cars electrical system your four way flashers may not work. I will be stopping at the store tonight to pick some up, if you have a vehicle emergency kit they might be included.

7. Flashlight - Again if your cars electrical system fails and you need to see stuff it would be helpful to have some light. Don't take the sun or your dome lights for granted.

8. A Bag of sand - Next time you're at the beach, okay just kidding and seriously I am doubtful that this snow will clear in time to go to the beach at all this summer. Don't take sand from the beach, its probably illegal, but do try and have a bag of sand or some rock salt to sprinkle under your tires if you get stuck in the snow/ice.

9. An ice scraper - I just ran my last one over and cracked it to pieces (another good idea is to not throw your ice scrapper on the ground and then decide to move your car so you can get around it to get the snow off). If you are like m you might want to carry an extra.

Well there you have it, 9 really good ideas on how to be prepared. This list is not meant to be all inclusive, I am sure there are a lot of other things that could help save you in a bad situation, so do some Google searching if you really need a complete list. Listen to the news and the forecast and try to avoid going out in the storms if at all possible.

Of course do the proper vehicle maintenance to keep you car running smoothly and if you have a fender bender, an unfortunate run in with a snow bank (but I thought snow was soft?!?) or mechanical failure this winter call East Coast with your OEM replacement parts needs. We will be here, rain, snow, sleet or hail!

1-800-231-9121

Monday -Friday 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-12Noon

Upgrading to this new software will allow East Coast Auto Salvage to surpass the already high level of service our cutomer's have come to expect from us.  Pinnacle Professional will help streamline many of our processes; improving part searches and speeding up delivery times while virtually eliminating errors made in order processing.

We are all very excited to add this intuitive, cutting edge software to our already strong sales team's resources.  Our customers should expect and will see a marked improvement in overall service and satisfaction!

As always, please feel free to call any time with your salvage or aftermarket parts needs!

East Coast Auto Salvage

800-231-9121

860-345-4591

Here at East Coast Auto Salvage we are anticipating the convention, which will be held in Austin Texas October 20-23 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel. Every year the national convention provides automotive recyclers from acorss the country with valubale information about the the industry and how to improve business. The schedule for this year looks promising with topics being covered from employee management to improving customer service as well as training from the ARA University. The networking events such as the BBQ, yard tour and Saturday evening dinner are not to be missed as they provide the priceless opportunity to meet and make connections with other auto recyclers from all across the country.

Besides the convention we are also looking forward to visiting the city of Austin which has so much to offer. We will definitely be taking the opportunity to visit some famous eatieries and BBQ restaurants and hopefully see some live music downtown.

For more information about the Automotive Recyclers Association 67th Annual Convention and Exposition please visit www.araexpo.org. See you there!

In the autumn 2009 issue of the Locator UpFront Magazine there was a feature article about our website and e-commerce department. To view the article please follow this link The Locator UpFront Autumn 2009

I would like to take a minute to remind everyone to drive safely and when there is a storm concentrating on the road and driving alertly is essential. Even a minor distraction is enough to send you sliding into a guard rail or the car in front of you. Don't assume your SUV or truck will automatically save you from an accident either. As I mentioned all of the accidents I saw this morning were AWD vehicles who were probably driving faster or more carelessly because the driver assumed that they had better control. Concentrate, stay focused on your driving and leave a lot of room between you and the car in front of you.

And remember to keep your vehicle running safely. If you need replacement parts this winter season, whether it's mechanical or a body part please remember that East Coast Auto Salvage is your best source for quality recycled parts, and we ship nationwide. Drive safe!

2001 Trailblazer, 2000 Windstar and 2001 Jeep Cherokee traded in under the Federal "Cash for Clunkers" program headed for the crusher.

getting paid for the vehicles traded in under the 3 billion dollar Federal Cash for Clunkers program they are turning over the vehicles to auto recycling facilities and scrap yards.

What a surprise today when they brought down a load of vehicles including a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, 2000 Ford Windstar and 2001 Trailblazer. Three beautifully well maintained vehicles with moderately low mileage that will be destroyed because the Federal government somehow thinks that this is saving America money.

I do not know a high school or college student, low income family, single working parent or any other average Jane (including myself) who would not mind the opportunity to purchase one of these used vehicles. But as you might already know the Cash for Clunkers program mandates that the engines on these vehicles are destroyed and that under no circumstance are the vehicles resold; they are destined for the crusher.

So now these vehicles will be processed here at our facility just like all other salvage and wrecked vehicles. Fluids drained and other contaminating substances removed, all salvageable body parts and other miscellaneous parts stocked for resale and then off to the crusher to be recycled.

So if any of you out there are searching for a reasonably priced, well maintained used vehicle to get you to and from work or school and are having a hard time coming up with the money or finding a good vehicle think of the 750,000 used, running vehicles like these that were destroyed in the past few months and your hard earned tax dollars that fueled this genius plan.

Today is the official start date for the federal Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) formally known as "Cash for Clunkers".  This program will allow vehicle owners to trade in their older, less fuel efficient vehicle for a $3,000-$4,500 credit toward the purchase of a new more fuel efficient vehicle. For consumer related information about the program please visit www.cars.gov

The trade in vehicles are required by law to be destroyed by an authorized auto recycler or scrap yard. Only a few thousand facilities nationwide have made the list of authorized facilities. The government drew the list up from a database of disposal facilities that participate in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program. Most of these facilities are already in compliance with the environmental regulations for auto recycling and the government believes them to be the most qualified for participation in the CARS program.

East Coast Auto Salvage Inc. is proud to be on the list of authorized disposal facilities in the state of Connecticut. If you are an auto dealer participating in the CARS program and would like to talk to someone about the removal and disposal of the trade in vehicles that you acquire please do not hesitate to give us a call. 

Call East Coast Auto Salvage Inc. today to discuss disposal of Cash for Clunkers trade-in vehicles.

Toll Free: 1-800-231-9121

Local: (860) 345-4591

Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday 8AM-12Noon

For more information about the disposal of the trade in vehicles please visit CARS Disposal & Salvage

VIN Location on Vehicle

Beginning in 1980, all vehicles sold in the United States have a 17-digit serial number. The eighth digit from the right end identifies the model year of the vehicle.

• Years 1980 through 2000 are designated by a letter from A to Y.
• The letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used because they can be easily confused with a number or another letter.

Beginning with 2001, numbers are used to designate the model year.

eBay Gold Powerseller and over 2,000 positive Feedback  - As some of you may already know, since 2005 we have offered a selection of our best parts on eBay. Over the years we have worked our way up to Powerseller Gold status and have a positive feedback rating of over 2,000. We have found eBay to be a very good market as it enables us to reach out to customers across the country instead of just locally. The biggest challenge has been finding a way to accurately list and offer the thousands of late model used OEM parts that we have in inventory, we often have more vehicles rolling in the door than we can put up on eBay. That problem has been solved in part by an automated system that helps us better manage the thousands of parts we have listed and a full time staff member that is dedicated to maintaining our online inventory.

Now over 5,000 Quality Used OEM parts for your vehicle - The good news for our customers is that we have more parts than ever available for direct purchase on eBay and we are listing more every day. If you haven't checked out our eBay store please do so today. You can find us at http://stores.shop.ebay.com/East-Coast-Auto-Salvage-Inc  If you see any part on eBay that you would like to purchase please consider giving us a call to order. We usually can save you at least 10% when you place your order over the phone. Our nationwide toll free number is 1-800-231-9121 and our local number is (860) 345-4591.

Accurate listings with photos of parts - We specialize in accurate eBay listings with complete descriptions of the part and actual photo of the item that you will receive. We know that some used parts sellers on eBay use stock photos to represent the parts that they are selling and that this can be confusing to the seller. Providing a photo is particularly important when dealing with interior or body parts where the seller wants to see the condition and color of the part that they are buying. We take pride in our listings and being able to offer photos of the items for the buyer to see. Some of our best selling parts on eBay this last month were interior parts including Power Window Switches, Sun Visors, Interior Door Panels and Seats.  All of these listings had photos and descriptions that tell about the donor vehicle and interior trim codes and color so there were no surprises when the customer received their part.

Nationwide and International Shipping - We can ship almost any part anywhere in the country and we can ship many parts to countries around the world. We ship small parts like tail lights, door mirrors, alternators, temperature controls and radios with UPS Ground within the US and with USPS internationally. Larger parts such as car seats, doors, engines and transmissions we ship with UPS freight to the US and Canada.

Check out our eBay store http://stores.shop.ebay.com/East-Coast-Auto-Salvage-Inc we are adding hundreds of new parts daily!

If you haven't reviewed the schedule for the IT show lately you should have another look. eBay motors has just been added to the program with a workshop on Friday morning and afternoon and a Seminar on Friday after lunch. As many of you already know eBay is a great marketplace for used parts. We have been using it for over three years and continue to grow each year. You can check out our eBay store by following this link. East Coast Auto Salvage eBay Store

For those of you that are not familiar with the benefits of selling on eBay this is a great way to learn about it. From my understanding eBay will be going over the basics of how their on-line auction website can help your business generate revenue by marketing your parts on a nationwide level. If you havent considered this as an option for your business you certianly can not afford to miss this oportunity to learn about it.

The schedule for the IT show - aka - Meet Us At IT - is packed with many educational seminars and workshops. If you are planning on attending then we will see you there! If you haven't signed up yet it is not too late, don't miss "IT"! To see the complete updated schedule for 2009 and registration information please visit www.meetusatit.com