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 dealer Superior 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.
“So, how do I improve my credit score?” It’s not something you learn how to do in school and, to be honest, it’s sort of assumed that everyone just “knows” how the whole credit scoring thing works. As you can imagine, here at the Superior Automotive Group, credit is a major influencer of car buying. Here’s a quick, short explanation:
People who utilize credit, from credit cards to auto loans, have three standard credit scores tallied separately by the three major credit reporting agencies. The scores are known as FICO scores (Fair Isaac Corporation). The scoring ranges from 300 to 850. The most current national median score is roughly about 675.
Let’s say you need an auto loan but have a low credits score.
Here are a few key principles you can follow to raise your credit score.
1. The most important way to improve credit scores is also the least complicated. Pay your bills in full and on time. Your overall history of making payment on your current bills accounts for about 35% of the FICO score. Missing credit card payments or submitting the minimum due each month will immediately lower scores, as will any debt collections or bankruptcy filings that show up on your credit report.
2. Build up an active and lengthy credit history. Don’t close out all of those old credit cards! Keeping them open builds your credit history. This makes up about 15% of the FICO score. Keep a few dormant accounts active.
3. Don’t open new accounts within 60 days of making a major purchase. This results in about 10% of your score. Taking out new credit lines raises red flags because it makes you look riskier. Just be smart and think twice about your future purchases and what looks likely to take place over the next few months.
4. Maxing or topping out your credit cards will drop your score like a rock. Even using 50% or more of your limit can cause problems because it increases the risk that you may not be able to repay. If you have five credit cards with a $5,000 credit line each, for example, it’s not wise to carry a balance of more than $2,000 per card. It’s better to carry smaller balances on several cards than to pile everything onto one card.
5. Get a copy of your credit report and make sure your credit report is accurate. This is very important. Since credit scores are based on credit reports, it’s very important to make sure the information in your reports are fee of errors and fraud. Federal law gives you the right to get a free report from each of the major credit bureaus once per year.
6. Have a wide variety of credit experiences and loans, over time. This is called diversification and you’ll get credit for having a variety of loans. It’s better to have an assortment, including installment plans like auto loans or mortgages rather than simply credit cards.
Sounds simple enough. If you think you need help with your credit because you need a new car, see the any one of the Superior Automotive Group stores.
If the Superior Automotive Group were to give you a hint on what your resolutions should include this year, make it to make regular auto maintenance check-ups and service all the automotive liquids. That means your oil, coolant, power steering fluid, and transmission liquids. Make checking your tires a habit too.
Refer to your new car owner’s manual often. The new car owner manual is like the bible of your vehicle. If you don’t already have one, get one. You’ll wish you had one if your car breaks down. There is a lot of trouble shooting you can do when you consult your manual.
Your car engine will thank you with better performance and quicker reaction times, which is an essential part of keeping you and your family and friends safe on the road. Make yourself aware of this info. It may save the life of your engine one day. It will save you money on gas and auto maintenance.
Choose the right fuel. Your vehicle is designed to take regular unleaded fuel, which will have this symbol (87) on the pump at the gas station. The 87 symbol refers to the level of octane in the fuel. Using lower grade of fuel will jack up your car engine and will cause heavy knocking, which could easily damage your engine.
Higher grade fuels will protect your fuel system from rusting and protect against fuel lock in the fuel system (causes engine to hesitate/stall and hard to restart). In addition, it will minimize fuel deposits in fuel injection system, and prevent your engine from knocking/pinging.
Finally, increase you gas mileage by not driving at life-threatening highway speeds. That can dramatically lower your fuel economy. Plus, gradually increasing your speed will save you precious fuel. And the way gas prices have been, it is nice not having to cram all your money into your gas tank. Extended idling of your engine will lower your miles per gallon.
All of us at the Superior Automotive Group hopes theses tips allow you to spend more time with your family and friends. As well as save money on gas, and auto maintenance.
Gas prices are continuing to fluctuate, but unfortunately, it’s looking like they are going to stay on the high side for quite a bit longer. At this point, most people are taking every precaution they possibly can to save when it comes to saving money on gas… even if the tip happens to just be a myth. This CincinnatiCar Dealer wants to give some real tips that will actually stretch your dollar at the pump.
The other day, I received a forwarded email from a friend of a friend. I’m not normally one for reading forwarded emails, but the title of this one, Tips on Pumping Gas, caught my eye. It was written by a man who works at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline in California. Since he’s worked in the industry for more than 30 years, you might say he’s an expert on the subject.
Check out his suggestions on ways to save at the pump.
1. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the fastest mode. If you look you will notice that the trigger has 3 stages: low, middle and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fastest rate, some of the liquid that goes into your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked back into the underground storage tank so you are actually getting less than your money’s worth.
2. Fill up when your gas tank is half full. The reason for this is because the more gas you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof which serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere thus minimizing the evaporation.
3. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks where you plan on stopping to get gas, DO NOT fill up there. Most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas in being delivered, and you could pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
You’ll probably hear all sorts of advice when it comes to saving at the pump, and no one blames you for trying all of it on your Cincinnati Car. With gas prices this high, what do we have to lose?
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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 [email protected]
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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:
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
“So, how do I improve my credit score?” It’s not something you learn how to do in school and, to be honest, it’s sort of assumed that everyone just “knows” how the whole credit scoring thing works. As you can imagine, here at the Superior Automotive Group, credit is a major influencer of car buying. Here’s a quick, short explanation:
Gas prices are continuing to fluctuate, but unfortunately, it’s looking like they are going to stay on the high side for quite a bit longer. At this point, most people are taking every precaution they possibly can to save when it comes to saving money on gas… even if the tip happens to just be a myth. This Cincinnati Car Dealer wants to give some real tips that will actually stretch your dollar at the pump.
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