Happy Thanksgiving! PartsAvatar Canada lists Fun things to do during Thanksgiving Weekend in Toronto!

Not Going Home for Thanksgiving? Do you have any plan to celebrate thanksgiving? Need some time to fill up that Monday? Don’t worry! Toronto is a great place to spend the Thanksgiving Weekend- Brought to you by PartsAvatar Car parts!

Those not born or raised in Canada may not be familiar with our Canadian traditions. October 9 i.e. Thanksgiving Day is as important to the North Americans as the Christmas festival. So, if you are oblivious of this great festival, you must read this article which is full of Fun facts and traditions about Thanksgiving!

There are plenty of Thrilling things to do in Toronto on Thanksgiving Weekend. Want to make this thanksgiving most unforgettable memory for you and your family? Below are a couple of events and tips you can use to enjoy this festival! So read on below to learn about Canada’s Thanksgiving origins and traditions.

How Thanksgiving began in Canada?

The origins of Canadian thanksgiving are more closely connected to traditions of Europe than U.S. long before Europeans began settling in North America, the festival of thanks and harvest celebration took place in Europe in October. The very first thanksgiving tradition was started in Canada by Martin Frobisher who thanked the new world for his safe arrival in 1578 at Canada.

Thanksgiving had been observed as a national holiday before but on Jan 31, 1957 Canadian parliament announced that on second Monday in October, thanksgiving would be celebrated as a day of thanksgiving to god for harvest that Canada has been blessed. This year, thanksgiving is October 9^th!

Fun things to do in Toronto during Thanksgiving!

Canadians automatically get the Monday off in most parts of the country during Thanksgiving time. Though it is on Monday but you can have thanksgiving dinner at any point during weekend.

Enjoy Harvest festivals in GTA

Celebrate Thanksgiving and the bounty of the harvest. Enjoy all the activities the farm has to offer as pedal kart tracks, royal tea party, mazes, baked goods sales and traditional farmers market. Visit Wood bridge fall fair, October harvest festival and pumpkin fest Toronto and enjoy!

Apple Picking

Visit an apple orchard near you and pick fresh apples, go on apple pie hunt across apple pie trail.

Pumpkin Fest

You can visit annual Pumpkin fest which held in Toronto during thanksgiving weekend. Have fun of a lot of family friendly events like rides, contests, food and more. Ride the pumpkin express train through the park and enjoy inflatable slides, carousel, magician acts etc. it is interesting that the admission is free.

Enjoy traditional Thanksgiving Meal!

Experience the splendour of Casa Loma this thanksgiving. Enjoy the brunch with royal feeling at Toronto’s famous castle and explore the castle at your leisure.

Visit black creek pioneer village to enjoy thanksgiving themed tours, sample some historical ale and take a horse drawn wagon ride through the village. Check out Toronto’s great open table restaurants for a perfect dinner. Happy Dining!

Fall Colour tours

Explore nature’s gorgeous hues of red, orange and yellow by going on a fall colour tour. Ontario parks often organize fall colours during this time. So don’t give it a miss!

Take York Durham railway fall colour tours and take journey along the ridge of Moraine. Visit Halton Conservation Park and join birds of prey shows, wagon rides, children activities and many more!

Visit Owen Sound and enjoy salmon celebration

If you are a nature lover, then it is perfect time for you to visit Owen Sound and watch the salmon spawning in rivers, streams and much more.

Don’t miss Thanksgiving Fireworks!

Enjoy spectacular view of fireworks by going for the special fall fireworks cruise on Thanksgiving Day at Niagara Falls.

Start Halloween and Christmas decorations

In Canada you can decorate your houses with lights before Halloween and Christmas.

Turkey is important!

Turkey is usually eaten for thanksgiving in Canada though some choose to eat proteins, ham and chicken. The can also serve sweet potatoes, corn gravy and fall veggies along with turkey on the dining table. Pumpkin pie is seen as a standard traditional desert of this day!

Long walks in outdoor

For many Canadians, a long walk in the outdoors is an annual thanksgiving tradition. Because thanksgiving is in mid October, it is perfect time to do a lot of outdoorsy stuff.

Thanksgiving Day Classic

Football is also associated with thanksgiving. The Canadian football league holds something they call the Thanksgiving Day classic, a tradition which began as early as 1958. Two games are played that afternoon thus making it a doubleheader. In if you are in town, it’s a home game so grab your tickets fast!

Travel Safety Tips

Thanksgiving is considered as one of the busiest travel times of the year. Millions of people hit the road to spend time with their family and loved ones, thus invoking higher possibility of getting into an accident. Here is our best advice on Thanksgiving travel safety.

1. Drivers should observe the speed limits. Give other drivers plenty of space to avoid collision.

2. Seat belts are life saving device and drivers should make sure that every single person in the car is buckled up.

3.  be sure to check the weather along your entire route. Make sure your car’s headlights and auto windshield wiper blades are in proper working condition.

4. Have your car’s radiator and cooling system parts, serviced beforehand. Simple maintenance and fluid check can prevent many problems.

5. Drivers making unexpected lane changes to exit often cause accidents so watch the signs and know your exit.

6. Leave early so you won’t be anxious about arriving late and road conditions may change due to traffic condition.

7. It is not wise to drive when tired, upset or physically ill.

Bottom line

I think this is enough for you to get and start preparing for upcoming thanksgiving! Toronto is a great place to spend Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy your day, do something incredible and make different memories this thanksgiving!

PartsAvatar Community hopes you and your loved ones have a happy thanksgiving.

PartsAvatar advises some useful tips for cars and trucks to beat the heat this summer!

Prevent your car from sudden break down on hot summer day!Learn these tips from Partsavatar Auto Parts!

Summer driving season is coming. Though in Canada, we pay more attention towards snow but the hot summer heat can effect everything from the paint to the tires of your car or truck. So, don’t take it lightly.

Extreme heat and long drives can be tough on a car. But according to a survey North Americans love to drive in summers despite hiking prices of gasoline. But you need to be prepared as under inflated tires, leaky radiators or dirty filter may cause your car to break down. You will ultimately ruin your car’s fuel efficiency by neglecting the maintenance.

Let’s take a quick look at summer car care tips every motorist should know.

Under Inflated tires

The very first thing to attend to is out car or truck’s tires. Though, most of us overlook this thing.In summers as the temperature outside climbs, the air inside tires starts expanding. Proper inflation of tires is necessary if you don’t want to waste money on buying expensive set of tires. You can follow the instructions on your car’s owner manual as it gives enough information on exact standards and specifications of tire’s air pressure needed.You can check the tire pressure by using pressure gauge, by installing car's TPMS sensors or the best is by visiting your mechanic. Note that if you ignore the under inflated tires, they will start bulging outwards and eventually they will blow.

Under inflated tires get quite risky on a rainy day as it will make less contact with the ground resulting in hydroplaning.

The very first remedy is to always get your tires properly inflated. If you sense that the pressure is low, visit your mechanic for tire pressure detection.Deploy proper tire pressure measuring equipments and always have a properly inflated spare tire in your car.

Oil and Oil filter

Motorists should check motor oil once a month. Oil keeps the engine parts running cool, clean and smooth. Same goes for oil filter. automotive Oil filters of car need maintenance every 7500 miles.

To check the oil, park your car on a level surface and shut off the engine. Let it cool down. Pull out the automotive oil dipstick and wipe it clean. Repeat this process and inserting the dipstick in and again pulling it out. Please note that by doing so you are checking two things: how clean the oil is and level of oil. The oil should be of clean brownish yellow color. If you notice dark colored oil, they you may need oil and oil filter replacement immediately. If you are low on oil, simply add another quart or just change the oil completely.

Un-Winterize your car

This is just like preparing for summer. So, the first thing if you live in a cold region is to de winterize your car and get rid of the snow tires. You will have to pay a lot of attention to certain under the hood components and fluids.

If you haven’t driven your car much during the winter, then you might need to check the level of fluids like brake fluid, coolant, Auto transmission fluid and automotive power steering fluids.Check the oil levels as oil gets thick and collects condensation in the winters if not used.

Use summer tires for summers. It is foolish to use snow tires in summers. So get a new set for summers or all seasoned tires are also good.

Hoses and belts

Cooling of engine is very important for a better summer driving experience. If the engine overheats, there would be no choice for you other than stranding on the road side and calling a technician.

Car Radiator Hoses play a vital role in cooling as they supply coolant to and from the engine block and the belts run the fan to cool down the system. Overheating can be caused if there are damaged and worn out hoses and belts attached to the radiator.

Check hoses for cracks, leaks and loose connections. Replace them if they have been worn out. Similarly,Auto fan belts of cars can be visually checked for cracks. It is advised to replace belts every 36000 miles to avoid the risk of belt failure and overheating.

Air filter

Air filter plays a pivotal role in increasing a vehicle’s fuel efficiency. One of the main reasons of a degrading fuel economy might be a clogged and dirty air filter of your car. 

Air filters should be replaced every 12000 miles or recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer. But depending upon the driving conditions sometimes you may need earlier replacement of air filter. For example, if you are driving in an environment which is quite dusty or sandy or even if you are driving on roads full of dirt, then the air filter is going to clog up much faster than usual.

So for an economic drive, air filters of cars are cheap to replace.

Brakes

Never ignore brakes! If you do, you are just putting your life on stake. By riding around on malfunctioning brakes, you are just putting your life in danger.

Check the brakes timely and visit your mechanic for further inspection of brake components.

if you notice grinding noises coming from the brakes, illuminating dashboard light, soft and mushy brake pedal or resisting brake pedal, then it is perfect time to visit your mechanic.

You might need replacement of your car's brake pads,auto brake rotors,automotive brake drums and automotive brake shoes as worn out brake system components may cause your brakes to malfunction.So if you notice any problem and need of replacement, don’t wait any further.

Radiator

There is a limit of temperature that a engine can tolerate.Multiple components damage could be experienced if the temperature rises beyond normal. But certain cooling components like automotive coolants/antifreezes,thermostats of car and radiator hoses fan out the heat out of car and keep it in optimal temperature.

Major problems that occur in summers are related to cooling system of car. Low coolant levels, cracked hoses, broken belts, leaky radiator and missing radiator cap can cause the engine to overheat.

Check Under the hood components of cars properly. All fluid and coolant levels should be checked. You can flush out the radiator and clean the debris out of it. It is to be noted that a 50/50 mixture of water and coolant should be used instead of pure coolant as pure coolant can be disastrous for the radiator. Leaks in the radiator or hoses should be treated. Sometimes pooling of coolant can cause the engine to overheat.

If you feel that your radiator has gone bad due to some reasons, then it is time to get it replaced.Parts avatar offers durable car radiators at cheap prices.

Battery

There is a lot of load on car batteries in summers. Summer heat puts a lot of pressure on auto batteries as the chemical reaction fastens inside the battery. Heat also evaporates the fluid inside the battery thus damaging it further.

The best remedy is to regularly check and clean the battery and its terminals. If you need to replace your car’s battery, then you can get the battery which is suited for your car according to your manufacturer’s specifications.

Air conditioning

Keep your car cool when you are not driving. Air conditioners should be properly inspected. If your car is getting cold due to a/c then there might be a leak inside and you may have to spend dollars for its maintenance.

Check cabin air filters of your car , if you have one installed. You can take help from owner’s manual and replace the cabin air filters if they need to be.

Low level of refrigerant can also cause the car a/c to malfunction. Hand over your car to the professional and let him figure out where the leak is.

You can get best driving experience in summers if you follow above mentioned maintenance tips. If you are looking for aftermarket replacement parts with free shipping facility, then Parts Avatar Canada is the best option.

Here are some tips with which you can keep your ride rolling longer !!

How to make your car last longer?

Recently the gas prices are really very high and that’s why it costs a lot to travel from to point A to point B. You cannot control the costs of fuel, money on repairs and insurance rates, but one thing which you can control is to make your car last longer. It’s all up to you and you can choose if you want to spend money on a new car parts after every few years or do you want to keep your current car running efficiently and at the same time looking smart. So if you have chosen the latter route, then follow these tips mentioned below to keep your ride rolling.

1. Breathe easier

Even the mechanically challenged drivers are aware as to how the car’s oil and oil filter should be changed, even if they don’t do it always. There are some other fluids and filters which should be maintained regularly.  The most common example of this is that if you will change your air filter, then your car would breathe easily and the car’s engine would last longer. If your air filter is clogged, then it means that your car engine is not performing properly.

2. Keep it cool

It is really very important to keep your car cooling system cool and proper coolant level to ensure that your engine is working properly and then it would save you thousands of dollars in repairs. If there is any problem in the cooling system of your car, then your engine would literally melt down. You can have really big problems if your coolant system is not maintained properly.

3. Pressure check

You will agree with this that the tires are the most neglected part of a car. Most of the people don’t pay attention to keep their tires inflated. This is not only bad for your car, but also a safety issue. All you have to do is to keep your tire up to proper pressure and it would cost almost nothing.

4. Completely En-gauged

Your car gauges would inform you if there is any problem with your oil pressure, cooling system and even the tire pressure- if you are paying attention to them. But the sad truth is that majority of people don’t pay any attention.

5. Get regular checkups

Search for a repair shop and a mechanic whom who can trust easily and allow that shop service to call you every time. If you get sick, do you always go to a different doctor?  The answer to this would be no because your doctor knows you from top to bottom. So same is the case with a car mechanic.

6. Look closely

You should spend some more time inspecting your car. Whenever you are free, just take out five minutes and simply walk around your car and look at it closely. See the car tires if they are inflated properly or not. Open your car hood and check out the horses. Make sure and observe properly that all the lights are working properly. It would seriously take a couple of minutes to check these things and you can also buy them online at tdotperformance.

7. Get on a schedule

Your owner’s manual would already have a maintenance schedule on it and the added advantage of visiting the same mechanic on a regular basis is that they will make sure that you stick to the schedule. There are many things which are not included in it. The disadvantage of going to different places every time you want your car to get serviced is that they won’t have any idea about the last time you had something done. So you may end up paying for unnecessary repairs. There are many shops which have electronic records, so they will inform you when the last service was done.

8. Drive Smarter

It is really very important to drive safely and smartly, because the way you drive will have an effect on how long your car as well as gas will last. If you will take off fast and then would immediately come to a stop, then it can be really very bad on a car and would also affect its engine, car brakes as well as other auto parts.

9. Keep it clean

One should stress upon taking care of the car’s exterior. You must wash and wax it on a regular basis. At the same time you should not forget the car’s interior because it is often the most overlooked area. Spend some time cleaning it and make sure a habit to vacuum the carpet on a regular basis. If there are any spills, then you must get them out immediately or else it would be really very difficult to remove them later on.

10. Cover it

It would be really great if you will store your car in a garage or under a cover. Protect your car from sun and keep it away from bird droppings. You should even be more careful while parking your car.

First benefit of keeping your car clean is that it would make it last longer and you will feel really pleasant to drive. Then definitely you will take more care of it. So if you have a car that looks really good, then ultimately you will enjoy driving in it and you are much more prone to take care of it.

If you are searching for auto parts online, then you are at a correct place.  Just have a look at https://partsavatar.ca/ and then you can buy all types of auto parts and accessories at very affordable prices.

References

1. http://www.wikihow.com/Extend-the-Life-of-Your-Car
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQcVH6YPVRU