If it's been 6 months since you've been here, you may be in for a surprise when you visit us!  We recently updated our office to make it a little more modern and hopefully a lot more comfortable! Let us know what you think!

A local snow removal contractor performed a Krown test on some ratchet straps that he used on his salt spreader this past season. He sprayed one ratchet strap with Krown and left the other alone. At the end of the season he laid them side by side and took this photo for us! The picture speaks for itself!

While the official snowfall total for the season wasn't a big number, we did see quite a few days of at least a little snowfall, sleet, and ice.  Recently, we also saw some days with forecasts for snow that didn't end up happening. Our wonderful DOT treated the roads with liquid de-icers as a precaution.  (I'm sure you've all see those funny white lines on the roads.) We DO really appreciate the state keeping our roads safe!  However, the brine mixture collects on our tires and gets launched onto the underside of our vehicles.  And, as you've read in a previous blog of ours, that causes problems!

I wanted to see just how many days it was possible that the major roadways were covered with de-icer and how that compared to normal. Using data from the cli-MATE:MRCC Application Tools Environment, we looked the total number of days with at least some Precipitation where the Maximum Temperature did NOT get above freezing as well as days with Precipitation when the Minimum Temperature fell to or below freezing, and both were ABOVE average for this past Winter vs. the average over the last 30 years! We also looked at the number of days with measurable snowfall, and it was only a couple days below normal. 

So, even though our snow totals for the season were not record-makers, we had quite a few days with at least some snow, or the potential for slippery conditions, which means our roads and parking lots were probably covered with deicer a lot more than we realized!

• Warmth - An increase in temperature accelerates rust.
• Salt - Corrosive road salt and deicing chemicals from winter continue eating away at steel and electrical components.
• Moisture - Increased moisture rapidly accelerates rust.

If you haven't used a special de-salting wash, like Salt Eliminator, you still have salt clinging to your vehicle, especially in spots that you can't see.  The warm, moist air of Spring acts as a catalyst on that salt to intensify the corrosion on your car or truck. It's a "Red Zone" for Rust!

If you make an appointment for a Krown Rust Protection Application between now and the end of April (and mention this blog post) you can get  2 FREE Movie Tickets to a St. Louis Cinema movie theater at the time of your treatment.  May not be combined with other offers.  Must pay full retail price to receive movie tickets.

You may have also seen the movie slide below at either the Galleria 6 or Chase Park Plaza recently.  If so, please let us know which theater it was that you saw it.

Since Krown is not yet a household name in St. Louis, MO, we always ask our customers how they hear about us.  You just never know what they will say!  This week we had a new customer mention something called Dream Car Garage TV... so we googled it! Of course, we found it on YouTube, so we thought we would share.  Enjoy!

A customer came in last Friday to have his car cleaned up.  He asked for us to pay special attention to the under carriage as it looked a bit dull and rusty.  We washed it with our Krown Wash first, applied some Krown Alumabrite, and then sprayed on our T-40 for future rust control.

Below is the BEFORE.  Click Read More to see the AFTER!  It's truly amazing!

Check out the AFTER photo by clicking read more below -

Commercial Truck Trader wrote a very interesting article about Self-Driving vehicles. It breaks down the different levels of these types of cars.

In 2013, the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defined five different levels of autonomous driving. In October 2016, the NHTSA updated their policy to reflect that they have officially adopted the levels of autonomy outlined in the SAE International's J3016 document (you can download the full, 30-page document for free here) .

Level 0: This is a vehicle with zero automation.  The driver makes all of the decisions and causes all movements. There might be bells and whistles, like back-up or lane departure alerts, but you must still make the vehicle change directions or stop. 

Level 1: This level is a regular vehicle that has one specific item of automation, like cruise control or steering, is active on the car.  Most late-model vehicles are at this level.

Level 2:  Level 2 vehicles are the first step in what many would actually consider self-driving.  The driver is able to disengage by not holding the steering wheel and not pressing the foot pedal at the same time while the vehicle continues to move and stay centered in the lane.

Level 3:  Car manufacturers are working to make vehicles that are at level 3 and 4.  At this level, a human is needed for unusual situations, but the vehicle handles most of the driving because it is aware of traffic and environmental conditions. From a similar article by Tech Republic, Jim McBride, autonomous vehicles expert at Ford, said this is "the biggest demarcation is between Levels 3 and 4." He's focused on getting Ford straight to Level 4, since Level 3, which involves transferring control from car to human, can often pose difficulties. "We're not going to ask the driver to instantaneously intervene—that's not a fair proposition," McBride said.""

Level 4: This level is considered to be fully autonomous. Level 4 vehicles are "designed to perform all safety-critical driving functions and monitor roadway conditions for an entire trip." However, it's important to note that this is limited to the "operational design domain (ODD)" of the vehicle—meaning it does not cover every driving scenario.

Level 5:  At this level, the vehicle does not need a steering wheel or gas pedals.  It is considered to be a driverless car.  Not even in the Jetsons did they have these vehicles, but Google is working on it.  Learn about Waymo here.

This nice couple drove down from Chicago specifically for a Krown treatment!  We provided a lift to and from Seamus McDaniel's so they could have quite possibly "the best burger ever" while they waited.  Here's what they sent us via email a few days later....

"Laura and I made it safely back to Chicago and wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their kindness and wonderful service at Krown St. Louis.  I also wanted to give Jamison special credit for his thorough Krown application.  My mechanic and good friend was under the vehicle to do an oil change and he grilled intently about who did the service.  To have Krown St. Louis impress him with the completeness of coverage says volumes.
 
Thank you all again!   
 
Sincerely,
Dan
 
PS  A special thanks to Nicole for her excellent lunch taxi cab service."

Randy from the London South Krown location was on for Newstalk 1290's 'Ask the Experts' segment, and he certainly proved himself worthy of the title of Expert!

Take a listen and learn all the ways Krown can help you with rustproofing and car care..

http://www.iheartradio.ca/newstalk-1290-cjbk/krown-rust-control-may-24th-1.2632245