Monthly Archives: March 2013

We’re Ready This Easter Weekend

We’re in the midst of one of the most unique weeks in Winnipeg’s recent history.

Not only is it spring break for schools across Manitoba, but it’s also Good Friday and Easter weekend upcoming, not to mention Passover.

In combination, this means that traffic patterns are going to, quite literally, be all over the place. Our normal driving routines of 8:30 to work, 5:00 home will be almost non-existent as we go forward with an unusual set of paths – taking kids to the Museum, loading the family in the minivan to head to grandma’s… yep, it’s certainly not business as usual.

Add to this the recent snowfall and melt (hopefully the last for us!), and you’ve got a real mess on our streets and highways, even before the potential for accidents that can stall traffic and make you late for your various events.

At this point we do want to note to you that if you find yourself in an emergency and require roadside assistance from Dr. Hook, we will be available. We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your needs.

We wish you and your family all the best during this season. Enjoy this time of year with your family.

The More You Tell Us, The Better Off You’ll Be

Encountering car trouble is never a good thing.

Whether your car won’t start, has stalled in the middle of traffic or worse, there is a natural tendency to panic, and this fret can transfer from the moment of highest concern to the time when you call Dr. Hook for roadside assistance.

If you encounter such a situation though, there is an important thing to remember – the more we know, the better we’ll be able to assist you. While your natural instinct may be to say, “My car was making a funny noise and it just died at Portage and Main!”, the better you can describe the “funny noise” the better we’ll be able to help you first over the phone and again once one of our trusted experts is on site.

Factors that can assist us are:

1. Previous trouble – For example, this is the third time your car battery has died this winter or if the tire that just was punctured previously had a similar trouble.

2. Alarming noises – such as if you have been hearing your brakes squealing and are now facing a real issue.

But all of this comes hand in hand with the most important part of your action – don’t panic. We understand your urgency, but the calmer you are, the easier it will be to convey important messages to our staff.

Beware the Re-Freeze!

We were so close… so very, very close to winter being over.

With warmer temperatures over the last few days, pavement and asphalt could be seen again on sidewalks and streets, or at least through murky puddles. Like little kids, we would happily splash through these mini basins of water as we drove to and fro. Sure, we were still digging ourselves out of another large snowfall, but the end was in sight – our warmer days were in sight and we would soon be in the clear.

Then Tuesday evening happened.

With temperatures dropping into the -20 region overnight, freezing once again became an issue on Winnipeg streets, and with that comes the everpresent reminder of cautious driving.

Unfortunately, this cycle isn’t looking like it will slow down any time soon.

With this in mind, we want to encourage you to be mindful of road – and especially highway conditions around Winnipeg. Blowing snow from the previous fall (and another forecast to be on its way next week) is going to make driving harder, along with melt-and-freeze temperatures that look to take us almost through the end of the month.

Should an emergency arise, don’t hesitate for a moment to call Winnipeg’s towing experts. We provide roadside assistance both in the city and outside the perimeter, and can help get you back on the road.