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You're Ready to Travel - But Is Your Car?

20 June 2000

You're Ready to Travel - But Is Your Car?

    PITTSBURGH - If you're one of the millions of Americans taking to the road
on vacation this year, you should be aware of a few fast and inexpensive car 
maintenance tips that can give you a safer and more comfortable journey.

    According to PPG Industries, manufacturer of Aquapel(R) Glass Treatment, a 
travel checklist that includes an oil change, light check, wiper blade 
replacement and rain repellent glass treatment offers improved vehicle 
performance and measurable visibility benefits:

    -- Oil Change:  Changing your car's oil regularly, and before taking any
         long-distance drive, is critical to maintaining optimal engine
         performance.
    -- Head and Side Light Bulb Check:  Are all your lights in working order?
         A burned out bulb can limit your visibility, as well as your ability
         to be seen by other drivers.
    -- Wiper Blade Replacement:  Wipers should be cleaned to ensure that
         their edge maintains good contact with the glass, and replaced if
         they have lost flexibility and shape, or if the edge is wavy, rough,
         cracking or tearing.
    -- Glass Treatment:  The installation of a professionally applied, water
         repellent glass treatment will further improve your driving
         visibility by repelling rain from your auto glass and reducing glare,
         especially in wet night driving conditions.

    "Aquapel Glass Treatment causes rain to shed off glass, making it easier
to see through your windshield," says Robert C. Howard, manager of Aquapel
Glass Products.  "It also eases the removal of bugs, tree sap and road dirt,
which can be a real distraction on a long drive."

    A study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
found that rain repellent windshield treatments can improve drivers' visual
acuity up to 34 percent over an untreated windshield.  Driver response time
also improved by up to 25 percent, a potentially crucial difference in
responding to driving hazards.