Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Automotive App: CarZar



If you’re reading our most recent blog post, then you’re most likely a car enthusiast.  You get a rush shifting gears on the Autobahn, I’m sorry, the I-95 whenever you reach speeds in excess of 80 mph.  If you’re in tune with the digital world, then we recommend a cool new smartphone app for your enjoyment.  CarZar, a social media network that puts a spin on the philosophy is for you.  For example, lets say you see a sweet new car on the street that you really admire.  You can snap a photo of that ride and share that ride with fellow car freaks and earn badges like Foursquare for yopur efforts.  You can also gain followers through your contributions like the Twitter platform. 

After you download CarZar and register your info, You can list your favorite car, favorite car and connect your existing social network accounts.  Then, you're free to snap car finds and share them with your friends on the go.  According to Endmunds: “By hitting the camera icon in the upper-right corner of the Spot screen and following the prompts, you can post a photo of your own automotive discoveries and share info on the car and add comments. In addition to linking your CarZar activity to your existing soical networks.”


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Safe Driving Tips for the Holidays




It’s an exciting and hectic time.  If you’ve been running around frantically, searching for the best gift, buying decorations, or trying to balance work and home life lately, you’re not alone.  The holidays are a time of love, compassion and the occasional MAYHEM.  While you’re out and about this time of year, take precaution.  Traffic is heavy this time of year and its important to still keep your driving skills up to par.  Here are some tips on maintaining your safety this holiday season.

Vehicle Maintenance

Get a tune up and make sure your car is prepared for travel if you’re taking a road trip.  This is CRUCIAL, especially regarding winter driving conditions.

Restrain Yourself Properly

This should be the norm.  Remember, the rear seat is the safest place for any children to ride.

Stay Alert and Energized

Take plenty of breaks and don’t push to meet unrealistic schedules like finishing all of your holiday shopping in a few hours.  If you feel yourself getting tired, pull over into a rest area or business, and get out and stretch.  If that doesn’t work, find a place to rest.  These crashes most often occur during the late night/early morning hours and the late afternoon hours to drivers who are sleepy.

Keep Speed Down

Hey, Ricky Bobby, give yourself plenty of time and distance to react to the traffic around you.  Let impatient and aggressive drivers pass you.

Choose a Designated Driver

There will be tons of intoxicated drivers on the roadways.  If you absolutely have to drive during this time of year always have a designated driver.

So, do you have any tips?  Feel free to comment below!


Drive safely this holiday season with our blog tips!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

How to Buy a New Car in 24 Hours


Contrary to popular belief, many potential buyers dread the car buying experience (cue sarcasm).  They feel it’s too long, redundant, and that sales people are trying to take advantage of their good nature.  Our dealership is different.  We make your car buying experience fun and enlightening.  So, in today’s blog, we’re providing a way to purchase your dream car in one day. 

1.    Find Your Dream Ride
Check out our inventory online to find your perfect fit.  Narrow your search down to color, trim level and the options you desire in an easy quick to use inventory system.

2.    Make a Deal
Call us up and speak to our Internet Manager.  During your chat, ask for our pricing and double-check with us for any incentives or rebates for the vehicle you’ve fallen in love with.

3.    Arrange Delivery
So, you’ve found the perfect car, the price is within your means you’re good to ride off into the sunset.  Don’t cue those closing credits just yet.  Now, you can setup an appointment to close the deal in our dealership.  To speed up the paperwork, just ask us what documentation you’ll need, as well as completing a credit app on our website.   When you come in, just ask us to give you the demonstration of your vehicle.  We’ll show you all of the cool new technology your car offers, how to use certain settings, and answer any questions that you might have about your vehicle.  If you’re pressed for time, just bring your new car in a week later for a detailed briefing.  By then, you’ll probably have a few questions to ask our car gurus. 

We understand that a car purchase is a big decision, but it CAN be done quickly with little to no stress.  Follow the above tasks and you’ll be driving off in your new vehicle in a jiffy! 

Tell us about your best car buying experience below: 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

5 Ways to Devalue Your Vehicle



So, you’ve got a reliable vehicle that’s great on gas, looks great, and gets you from point A to B in style.  You want to keep it for a long time, bu you also want to maintain a lot of the value associated with it so you can trade or sell it when you’re ready to update.  In today’s blog, we’re describing 5 ways to devalue your car quicker than you can say “junk it”  So, hold on and be prepared, it’s going to e a bumpy ride (pun intended).

1. Lack of Maintenance and Servicing

Every buyer wants piece of mind.  A feeling of tranquility when they purchase their car AND verification that the vehicle is in a good state of reliability.  Each car comes with a service book, which will be marked and stamped by the dealer, so keep ALL of your records to show prospective buyers (dealerships, too) that your car has a great history.

2. Lackluster Paint Care

DO NOT neglect your paint job.  In most cases, vehicles these days maintain their paint jobs due to the detailed precision of application during the car’s inception.  Don’t buy discount car care products.  The best wax kits include: washes, waxes, polishes, and extra protective layers.  Don’t use brushes to wash your car, but rather soft clothes.

3. No Friggin Insurance

Always get insurance for your vehicle.  Why?  Because it’s the single most important remedy for accidents that can happen when you’re driving.  It also means any damage will be fixed properly, usually by us or a reputable bodyshop. 

4.  Smoking Cigarettes

If you EVER want to resell your vehicle., don’t smoke in it.  Smoking seeps into fabric surfaces, seats, headlining and carpets and is virtually impossible to extract.  This will depreciate any potential buyers who are repulsed by smoke, or potential buuyers with children

5. Not Cleaning Vehicle Interior

For some parts of the day, your vehicle is your home.  Treat it well.   Make sure you keep your car clean and vacuumed.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Our FAVORITE Instagram Photos of the Month

If you're like us, then you have a certain appreciation for the automobile.  It's smooth contour lines, leather seats and the speed and power that comes from a great engine.  As big social media fans, we can also appreciate a vehicle captured in the right light.  In today's blog, we're showcasing our favorite Instagram photo of the month.  A collective effort from our peeps at the dealership.  Check out our favorites below! 




Wednesday, November 7, 2012

5 Facts About Kids and Car Safety




Kids are the future of our nation, the bubble gum popping and bike riding youths of the new world.  Keeping them occupied in the back seat of a moving vehicle is difficult enough.  Today, in our weekly blog, we describe 5 facts about kids and car safety.  

1.) Most accidents happen near home: Most accidents occur on residential, rural roads that are local, during a routine trip to the grocery store or day-care center.  No matter what, always buckle your child into their seat, even if the drive is two minutes away.  "Always buckle your child up, no matter how near or far you're going," says Marilena Amoni, associate administrator for research and program development at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). "And never forget to use your own seat belt. Kids watch everything that you do, so it's important that you set the right example."

2.) Kids are at more risk than babies and toddlers: If your child is between 4 and 8 years old, they are more likely to be hurt in an accident than their smaller counterparts.  Most parents strap their infants into rear facing car seats, but only 20% of kids between 4 and 8 ride in booster seats as safety experts recommend. Some children even sit in the front seat before 13 years old.  Children are the safest in the backseat, putting them far away from the impact of a frontal crash.

3.) SUVs aren’t safer: It’s BIG, bad, and menacing, but SUVs are no safer than ordinary sedans.  They’re more likely to rollover.  The safest vehicles are low to the ground and larger (station wagons).

4.) A car does NOT have to move to be dangerous: Parked cars are also, surprisingly deadly.  As many as 220 children per year are killed in non-traffic auto accidents.  Some are strangled by a window when they’re leaning out, inadvertently leaning on the rocker-type power window switch.  Other children, when alone, release the emergency brake, setting the car in motion.  Finally, at least 30 kids die each year when their parents leave them in the car and they suffocate from overheating. "Children should never, ever be left alone in an automobile -- not even for a minute," says Terrill Struttmann, executive director of Kids in Cars, an education and advocacy organization he and his wife started after their 2-year-old son was killed by a car set in motion by two kids playing alone inside.

5.) Kids don’t need to be inside a car to be hurt by one:  nearly 400 children are killed each year when they’re hit by an automobile.  ALWAYS keep an eye on your little ones, no matter how many times you’ve warned them to stay out of the streets.  A survey conducted by Safe Kids Worldwide found that a majority of drivers speed in school zones, and that nearly a third violate stop signs in neighborhoods where there are kids.

Do you have any tips of your own?  Feel free to comment below: 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

How to Change a Flat Tire



Imagine driving you car down a rural road on your way home from work.  Your favorite song is blaring on the radio, and you finally feel a sense of ease from a busy day.  At your favorite part of the song, you hear a loud pop, then the slow roll of a popped tire as you cruise to the median.  First, you make sure that you’ve steered clear of any hazards.  Then, you realize that your front left tire has become a disheveled piece of rubber.  Hands on your hips, foot tapping the ground, you take a long sigh, but not one of relief, one of frustration.  Darn! A flat tire.
Now, if you own a vehicle with run-flat tires or a low tire pressure warning system, you most likely won’t have to deal with these frustrations, if you don’t own those options, you’re in luck.  We’ve got a step-by-step guide to helping you change that tire.
1.    Get your tools – find your car’s spare tire, jack and tire iron.  The spare is usually in the trunk under the floor mat, or in a minivan mounted on the back of the tailgate or underneath the vehicle.
2.    Check air pressure- if you have an air pressure gauge check the tire’s pressure on the spare, hopefully it should be fine.


3.    Remove flat tire- MAKE SURE CAR IS IN GEAR OR PARK, and that the emergency break is set. Also, make sure your car is on a flat surface.
4.    Use the tire iron- (the L shaped bar that fits over the wheel lugs) to loosen each lug.  They are usually very tight, so use a little force, they should loosen after a couple tries.  Leave the lugs loose and move the jack under the car (shown on directions of jack).  Raise the jack until it contacts the car’s frame.  Continue to expand it.
5.    Once the tire is completely raised off the ground, remove the wheel lugs completely.
6.    Take the spare tire and line it up over the wheel studs, you’ll have to hold up the tire and try to line up the holes in the wheel. One tip is to balance the tire on your foot while you move it into position.   Once done, the lugs should screw on easily. Once each of them is snug and you can't tighten them any further by hand, use the tire iron to finish the job.


7.    Lower the jack- carefully, and then pull the jack away from the vehicle.  Once the spare tire is on, carefully lower the jack. Pull the jack away from the vehicle. The final step is to tighten down the lugs completely. The reason you tighten the lugs now is that the tire is on the ground and it won't rotate around like it would if it was still hanging in the air. 

Congrats, you’ve just changed a flat tire!! For more tips or questions, visit http://www.landroversandiego.com