One thing I saw firsthand was how much damage automatic car washes could do to the paint of a car. It was years before I was willing to subject any vehicle to that sandpaper-like damage.

A relatively new car wash off of Route 50 in South Riding, Main Street Car Care, has turned me into a fan. Although the lines are long on weekends they move quickly. The wash is as mild on the paint as any I’ve experienced despite being effective (car gets cleaned). They even offer a couple of kind souls to dry your car after you’ve run it through to keep the water drops from spotting your car (very important in the hot summer sun).

They offer a coupon on their site in exchange for filling out a short survey. Will take less than a minute so it’s worth the $3 savings.

Gas prices are finally moving in the right direction… DOWN! Did you ever think seeing gas prices close to $3.50 a gallon would be a good thing!?

I added a great new tool to the Resources section to help you find the best deal on gas in our area. Of course it can be used to find the best deals anywhere you happen to be traveling as well, but the report on GumSpringRoad.com will focus on prices in our immediate area. It’s updated frequently and should make it much easier to find the best bargains. Visit our Gas Prices page for the list.

If you want to help the rest of us out register at Gas Buddy and add a report when you spot a great deal in your area. It’s the largest site of it’s kind with thousands of stations in Virginia alone being reported* on every day. (* By “reported on” I mean the gas station’s prices are being updated)

(Edit: After reviewing all of the options for online classifieds and reviewing the health of other local online classifieds we’ve chosen to refer our visitors to craigslist. It’s the best way to sell something via an online classified ad and it’s a great way to purchase something you’re looking for. For more information visit our Marketplace.)