I ran across a video recently that I couldn’t believe. If you think that seeing one child behind your new Cincinnati car, truck or SUV was hard, I’m sure you’d have no problem seeing 60 children? Of course you can! Right?
Wrong! Even with your mirrors properly set, it is virtually impossible to see, not just directly behind your vehicle, but almost 15 ft in some cases depending on the height of your vehicle.
Watch the video below and you’ll understand.
It’s OK, I’ll let you change your answer.
Please be 110% aware of all of your surroundings. It is your responsibility. It is your requirement. It is your duty to be as safe a driver as you can. Yes, accidents do happen, but they usually happen when we aren’t paying attention.
Now…watch the video again.
All of us here at the Superior Automotive Group would like to ask that you please please re-post this as many places as you can.
There’s a game here at Superior called, “What’s in the glovebox?” Here’s a hint, it’s usually not gloves. Even now, as we are rolling into the electronic age, I’ll bet your glove box is filled with receipts from oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations and who else knows what. Or even better, you cram them in a cardboard box in your garage. Let’s face it, it’s probably about time to get rid of your maintenance receipt receptacle in lieu of something a little more organized and up to date.
I’ll be the first to admit that keeping records of automotive repair and maintenance is a chore few of us relish, but keeping organized files can save you and your mechanic time and grief down the road. Essentially, these records are your car’s medical records; it’s important to be able to present these to your auto technician, so they know how to diagnose and “treat” your vehicle! Especially if you are changing workshops. Whether they’re oil change records or transmission repair receipts, it’s a good idea to keep all these records together. Things like having a record of the last timing belt replacement can save you unnecessary maintenance costs, but they can also save you from breakdowns due to overdue maintenance.
Of course, this is a modern age and you’ll probably find it easier to have everything at hand on your computer. In fact, there are many software programs you can get to keep track of your car’s maintenance and repair schedules. I’ve read that Lonewolf Software is one good option, and so is MTCPro. Even working off of a simple Excel spreadsheet will be a lot easier than pulling your latest maintenance reports apart because of the gum you left in your glove box.
Want to keep all your papers together in the glove box? Take a look at the video:
The bottom line is, here at Superior, we believe the better the records you keep the better your car can be serviced whereby making you a much happier driver.
Insurance. If you own a car, you must have it…but how do you choose?
After short-listing your potential car insurance providers, check out car insurance quite sites online where you can fill out your details once and have the site submit your information to your chosen car insurance providers. Let THEM do the work of getting your business!
Work on a having a good driving history. Insurance companies are taking a risk on your driving habits. As such, if you have a good driving track record, then chances of you getting in a road accident (and ergo chances of the insurance company needing to make a payout) are slim. So, good driving record = better car insurance rates.
Know your credit score. Your credit score is one of the things an insurer takes into consideration when figuring out the auto insurance quote to give you. If your credit score is bad this means your finances are not good, which means you’re a big risk for the insurance company, which in turn means you get a high car insurance rate.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are often mistakes in one’s credit score! The best thing to do here is for you to know your credit score NOW and fix any erroneous entries by getting in touch with credit report companies to get these mistakes out and thus improve your credit score. In the end, a good credit score = better car insurance rates!
Read auto insurance reviews online and learn from other people’s experience! With your good driving record history and better credit score in hand it’s time to seek the best car insurance providers. The best way to find these providers is to learn from the experience of others. A great place to be better informed is to visit AutoInsuranceReviewer.com (AIR). AIR is third-party site where thousands of people just like you sign up and post their own personal reviews of car insurance providers they’ve dealt with. The review criteria for each vehicle insurance company are: Extent of Coverage, Claims, Customer Service, and Car Insurance Cost.
Take higher deductibles. If you can afford it, opt to pay a higher deductible (the amount you need to pay the insurance company before they pay any claims) than normal. It may be steep at the start but this means paying lower monthly premiums too, which in the long run means more savings for you.
Go ahead… ask for a discount! Nowadays, there are plenty of discounts that can be had on car insurance (e.g., low mileage drivers, presence of anti-theft gadgets in the car, car-poolers, etc.) but in many cases you do have to ask for them! So go ahead and ask! Hey, it’s your money, right?
There are many great resources you can follow-up with on the internet if you have any further questions. It’s always good to do your research, so you know you will be getting the best coverage for the better rates. Then come and see the Superior Auto Group a pick out your new car!
The Superior Auto Group knows that picking out a car can be a lengthy, frustrating experience for some. But, it doesn’t have it be! There’s a car out there for everybody and it only takes a little time and patience to find the perfect fit for you. Allow me to give you a few helpful pointers to get you started finding your 4-wheeled soul mate:
First, get out a piece of paper and start jotting down a few questions:
Which makes/models do I like?
How often will I be driving?
Which safety features are important to me?
Will I often have several passengers?
How much cargo space will I need?
Do I want an automatic or manual transmission?
These are just a few questions to get you going in the right direction, and feel free to change them up or add more.
Your soul mate is out there
Now is a good time to decide if you would like to lease or buy your new car. Leasing can offer lower payments with less money down, while buying can require more money upfront with higher monthly payments. This can vary from dealer to dealer and be dependent on monthly incentives.
Along with deciding whether to lease or buy, you should crunch some numbers so you know your budget while shopping around. According to Edmunds, a good rule of thumb to follow is that your payments shouldn’t exceed 20% of your monthly income.
Another good site to use to compare ratings and reliability is Kelley Blue Book’s site.
Once you have everything written down and figured out, make sure you take all of that information to the dealerships you visit. Now that you have a few car models in mind, make sure you test drive them – both on the freeway and on the street. If you can, try driving around in areas that are familiar to you, and try and go up and down hills and areas with several turns so you can get a good feel for the acceleration and handling.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to post them here or visit any Superior Auto Group location.
You’ve made the ultimate decision. You are getting a new car from Superior, and that means it’s finally time to give up that faithful old car that has no doubt been both your best friend, and at times, your worst enemy. What do you do with it? You’ve got 3 choices: Sell it, Donate it or Scrap it.
Selling Your Used Car:
If you’ve decided to not trade in your used car and planned on selling it yourself, there are a couple of things you might want to know first. Is your car going to be easy to sell? Is it a hot commodity? Or will you have to drop your price and search out additional avenues to sell it?
Here are a few general rules to answer these questions:
Family sedans, while unexciting to many, are in constant demand by people needing basic, inexpensive transportation.
The sale of convertibles and sports cars is seasonal. Sunny weather brings out the buyers. Fall and winter months will be slow.
Trucks and vans, used for work, are steady sellers and command competitive prices. Don’t underestimate their value.
Collector cars will take longer to sell and are often difficult to price. However, these cars can have unexpected value if you find the right buyer.
What about donating it?
If you know anything about us, then you know that we give as much back to the Greater Cincinnati community as we can. In fact, we’re really a big advocates of donating a reliable vehicle in good condition. A donated car is an invaluable tool for those who have difficulty affording one on their own. Although donation can be a laborious process, the benefits far outweigh the minimal amount of time and effort it takes to donate. To make things even easier, look below for a few time saving tips:
1. Avoid middlemen. Numerous for-profit intermediary organizations advertise aggressively on TV, billboards and elsewhere, offering to help you donate your vehicle to charity. Here’s the catch: These organizations typically keep about 50 percent to 90 percent of the vehicle’s value for themselves, and the charities don’t get what they could have gotten.
2. Find a worthy charity. If the charities you normally support aren’t equipped to accept such donations, do some homework until you find a reputable charity that is. You can research charities’ track records online at this Better Business Bureau site and through Charity Navigator.
3. Check the math. If you still feel compelled to use an intermediary organization – possibly because you’re busy – at least ask the organization how much of the car will go to charity. If the organization simply gives charities flat fees — say, $100 for a used vehicle regardless of its value, or $2,000 a month — your donation may not be eligible for a tax deduction.
4. Know the status of your recipient. In order for you to qualify for a deduction, the charity that gets your donation must be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) organization. Your church, synagogue, mosque or temple likely qualifies. (Check first just to make sure.)
5. Do the delivery yourself. Once you’ve identified a worthy charity, recognize that it will have to pay someone to pick up your car for you. To help the charity maximize the benefit of your donation, drop the car or boat off yourself.
6. Transfer the vehicle with care. Formally re-title the vehicle to the charity, and report the transfer to your state’s department of motor vehicles or licensing. Never agree to leave the ownership space on the charity donation papers blank.
7. Be detail-oriented. This paper trail may seem cumbersome, but think about it: This may be one of the biggest charitable donations you ever make. By taking the time to dot the i’s, you can make sure that the charity gets the most benefit and you get the biggest possible deduction.
Scrapping your Used Car:
I don’t have to explain this one. No one wants to inherit, or buy garbage. Be honest. If it’s junk, it belongs in the junk yard.
Who’s had experience donating a car before? Can anyone offer the Superior Auto Group more advice?
The safety, security, and performance of your new car Superior Auto Group car is crucial if you desire to travel without fault. In order to ensure that each of these elements are at their highest quality you must ensure that you are constantly maintaining every element of your new car or truck.
The problem is that many people will neglect to follow up on common vehicle problems unless these problems hinder the operation of their vehicle. This is the worse thing you can do. A problem which may seem small right now could erupt into an even larger scale problem that could ultimately cost you a great deal more money than if you would have corrected the issue when it first was revealed.
One problem that many people attempt to avoid dealing with is issues with their vehicles air intake system. If you remember one thing about this article it should be this:
“The air intake mechanism in your vehicle can’t be ignored! Ignoring this element could cause additional damage to your vehicle and could also render it useless.”
What Can Happen If I Don’t Repair Or Replace My Damaged Air Intake System?
Deposits can accumulate on air intake valves, fuel injectors, and combustion chambers. When this happens, your vehicle could lose power and be rendered useless. You could also experience a misfire, knocking, or a rough idle. Finally, you may have avery hard time starting your car.
What Do I Do If I Am Experiencing Issues With My Air Intake System?
If you are experiencing issues with your vehicles air intake system you should immediately stop driving the vehicle and should immediately correct the issue. You can attempt to clean the air intake mechanism on your own or you can take your vehicle to a trained specialist who can repair and clean or replace your vehicles air intake mechanism for you.
The good news is that a new air intake system is inexpensive and can generally be replaced with little effort. Even if you choose to carry out this task on your own, you will quickly discover that it is a very simplistic process. Additionally, you will quickly be pleased with the manner in which your vehicle will operate once you have cleaned, repaired, or replaced your damage system.
Here’s a fun little video to show you how easy it is to clean your new car’s air intake system: (Yes, I know the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car.)
If you have any more questions or need a little assistance, just see any Superior Auto Group location.
Now we haven’t really been hit with any extreme snows just yet, but you know as well as Superior knows that a Wither storm can pop up almost without warning. I expect many of you would appreciate hearing some winter driving tips. Take a look at this video from Michelin, which talks about:
Exiting a tight turn
Traction
High-speed cornering
Four winter tires in winter
I know the roads in the Tri-State area haven’t been great, have you had any troubles driving your vehicle so far this winter? Can you give Superior any advice you’ve learned while driving in Winter weather?
One major issue we see coming through the Superior Service Department is cars not running smoothly, poor gas mileage, engine stutter and more. Guess what the main culprit usually is: The Air Filter. The air filter is an important part of the intake system in your vehicle as it is what helps your engine “breathe.” Your engine runs on an exact mixture of air and fuel, but before it is combined it runs through the filter first. This is to get out all of the dirt and foreign particles which could possibly damage the engine. A dirty air filter will certainly affect your vehicle’s performance.
Another important reason to have a clean air filter is that it will help with gas mileage. And with gas prices higher than we would like, it’s a great reason to check your air filter to make sure it is clean. Usually once a year, preferably twice is good to change your air filter, however if you live in highly polluted area then you should check and change it more often.
We like to recommend that you bring your vehicle in for a winter and spring checkup to make sure that all things are working properly where we will check the filter and change it if necessary. Air filters can also be checked during your routine oil change.
If you would like to check and change your own air filter it is a fairly easy process. Open up the hood and locate a large plastic tube that leads away from the top of the engine. Follow this to a large box that maybe metal or plastic, round or square, depending on your vehicle. This is the air filter box which contains the air filter. Pop off the top and locate the filter. If the filter is brown or black, then it is restricting the passage of air and should be replaced immediately.
It’s important to check and replace your air filter to maintain your vehicle’s performance and extended the life of it. You could set up an alert in your phone to remind you to check it every 3 to 6 months. Or if you’d like help, just bring it on by to our service department at the Superior Automotive Group!
Cincinnati Kia fans, the last time we heard about Kia’s concept sports car, the four-door Kia GT, was when it was shown in Frankfurt, Germany, and recently, it’s been seen a little closer to home, in Los Angles, CA at the Los Angles Auto Show. This will be the first rear-wheel Kia to make it to production.
One really appealing feature is the four-door design. Even though it’s a four-door, it still screams sports car. The spacious cabin provides seating for four and with the GT’s front and rear-hinged back doors that open slightly upwards makes it easy to get in and out of.
While the Kia GT is most definitely something spectacular to look at, it also isn’t lacking under the hood either. With a 3.3-litre turbocharged Lambda V6 Gasoline Direct Injection engine coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission, this rear-wheel-drive sports car put outs 395 horsepower and 593.5 pound-feet of torque that is just amazing.
We have yet to hear any speculation as to when the Kia GT will or even if it will become available. So for now we can just marvel at all of it’s beauty on paper.
Or you can take a look at this video that offers a 360 degree of the Kia GT:
Kia has definitely revamped its look in the past few years and is now a fierce competitor that offers very affordable prices. In fact, there are four Kia models that have just been awarded “Best Buys” by Consumers Digest. If you want to find out which ones, click this link to take the jump to that article here: Four Kia Models Get “Best Buys” Awarded. Then I think you should come check out all of the new 2012 Kia’s at your Cincinnati Kia dealerSuperior Kia today and see for yourself!
This is the Superior Auto Group’s introduction to airbags and their efficacy. A lot of the information you may already know, but some of it you may not
As we all know an airbag is much like a heavy-duty plastic balloon that inflates fully within fractions of a second during a collision. A deployed airbag protects the driver or passengers from injury by limiting and cushioning movement during a crash.
One of the biggest things to remember is that the airbag was designed to be used in conjunction with a seat-belt. The seat belt holds the person in place so that the airbag provides maximum protection. A lot of people, too many in fact, believe that just having an airbag will protect them fully. This is simple not the case. Without use a a seat belt, the airbag can actually be a hazard.
Airbag restraint systems have been around for quite some time and therefore vary greatly in the types of technology they use to deploy the bag. Also when airbags started to be used back in the late 80s they where only placed in front of the driver and mounted on the steering wheel. Nowadays these supplemental inflatable restraint systems will include side and passenger deployment systems to protect many if not all passengers. Even the driver side airbag in most cases now has an added knee diverter or sometimes referred to as the knee bolster bag.
AIRBAG SAFETY AND SERVICE
Now that we have a brief review of the overall airbag picture let’s talk about what to do after a collision when it comes time to replace the deployed units to assure that they are ready to do their job again once all vehicle repairs are completed.
It is highly recommended to replace airbag system components with original equipment manufactured replacement parts. Aftermarket parts may appear to be less expensive and yet interchangeable, but internal differences may result in inferior occupant protection.
The factory installed fasteners, screws and bolts used to fasten airbag components have a special coating and are specifically designed for the airbag system. Your body shop should use the specialized fasteners and they should not be substituted for regular or standard grade fasteners.
You should make your body shop aware that you expect all of your airbag components to be replaced with brand-new parts that were made by the vehicle’s original manufacturer.
Failure to make your shop clear on this might make them think its okay to use recovered junkyard parts or less expensive and possibly inferior aftermarket airbag parts.
As part of the repair process an interior detail is usually performed and is recommended before the family begins to use the vehicle as usual. The Powder residue emitted from a deployed airbag can cause skin and sinus irritation. This is especially true for people that are sensitive to airborne irritants.
When you get back in your vehicle and turn the key from the off to the run position your airbag or SRS light should light up maybe even flash and then go out. This is a bulb check and a self-diagnostic routine that is performed by the body computer.
If there are any problems with the supplemental inflatable restraint system the indicator light may show a malfunction by staying on. You can visit my other website Auto-Facts.org for more information about airbag warning lights.
Airbag Technology Continues to Develop
I recently read that Siemens VDO has developed sensors that listen to an auto crash to determine the location and severity to determine how best to deploy the airbags and seat belt restraints.
According to the company, with the Crash Impact Sound Sensor (CISS) technology, “the airbag deployment can take place up to 15 milliseconds earlier than with conventional systems. The result is a considerable increase in driver safety.” That’s great news!
What do you think? Helpful info on airbags? Have any stories on how your airbag deployed to your benefit? Share them with Superior.
The Superior Automotive Group and Mike Albert Direct have been serving Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky since 1928. We care about you, your cars, your safety, and our community.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask and any suggestions are always welcome at SuperiorAutomotiveGroup@gmail.com
Click To Subscribe In A Reader
Please Visit Us Online At Any Of Our Social Networks Anytime!!
I ran across a video recently that I couldn’t believe. If you think that seeing one child behind your new Cincinnati car, truck or SUV was hard, I’m sure you’d have no problem seeing 60 children? Of course you can! Right?
By Superior Automotive Group
