Once you purchase a vehicle from Mike Albert Direct, you’re almost ready to head out on a road trip. Before you leave, make sure you have everything you need, including an emergency kit. An emergency kit is helpful if you become stranded due to weather or other reason – or even if you find yourself unexpectedly spending an extra night out on your trip.
Image by State Farm via Flickr Creative Commons
Emergency Items: You should have an extensive first aid kit, especially if your trips involve camping, hunting and fishing. The kit should contain:
Several sizes of self-stick bandages for cuts and scrapes
A roll of gauze
Gauze pads
Medical tape in various sizes
Anti-bacterial creme
Burn creme
Eye wash
Small pair of scissors
Tweezers
Needle and medical thread
Super Glue
Rubber gloves
Jumper cables
Caution signs
If you or a family member is a diabetic, you should bring a special diabetic kit with you whenever you travel in the vehicle. Pack your blood glucose meter, extra needles and an extra bottle of Insulin. If your Insulin requires refrigeration, pack it with gel-pacs in a small Styrofoam cooler.
Other emergency items that you should have in your kit include:
Extra blankets for each person in the vehicle
An extra jacket – if it is spring or summer, you may want to keep a light jacket and rain jacket in the kit. If it is fall and winter, keep a heavy jacket in the kit.
Tissues
Pen/pencil and paper
Hand sanitizer
Skin lotion
Chapstick (Keep this in a kit that you keep inside if it is hot – it tends to melt.)
Knife
Hatchet
Hand saw
Use a large tote to store things that can be left in the vehicle. For things that cannot be left in the vehicle due to heat or safety reasons, keep them packed in a small carry bag with a long shoulder strap. You’ll have it nearby in the vehicle and can easily carry it over your shoulder while in the woods or hiking.
As always, be sure to have your vehicle serviced at Mike Albert Direct before you go on a long trip.
Everyone needs a makeover now and then as we lose a little weight to get rid of our chunky look and beef up those muscles. Hyundai has decided to do the same for its 2014 Equus, as the chunky exterior has disappeared and a sleeker interior is a welcome change to this vehicle as new car dealerships in Cincinnati are checking out the prices and specs to prepare for its release next year.
So what changes have been made to this full-sized luxury sedan? Let’s look at the few things that they eliminated. No longer will you see the chrome bumper appliques as those have been replaced with LED fog lamps. Also gone are the rear parking guards. So for those car drivers that liked those things, you aren’t going to find them on the 2014 model. What you will see on the exterior are the 19-inch alloy rims, restyled grille and the upscale taillight internals. The vehicle definitely has a more elegant and less chunky look, fitting more into the “luxury” coined on this Hyundai Equus.
The interior also has a new look, as Hyundai focused more there than it did anywhere on this vehicle. Real wood trim will be the first thing you see when sitting behind the wheel. You’ll also notice the new instrument cluster and center stack as the LCD screen on the instrument cluster and a 9.2-inch center display will certainly appeal to those tech-savvy car drivers. Rear-seat entertainment consists of dual 9.2 high-resolution monitors to keep the kids happy during the ride.
When it comes to performance, Hyundai carried over the standard 5.0-liter Tau V-8 with an eight-speed automatic transmission. So you’ll still have that great 429 horsepower pushing those big wheels down the street. Upgrades focused on the air suspension, allowing drivers to experience better handling. Fuel economy is what to be expected with this luxury sedan, as you’ll see the 15mpg in the city and 23mpg driving on the highway as with the older model. When it comes to safety, the 2014 Equus has the smart cruise control, lane departure warning and blind-spot protection.
Big cars appeal to some people, and the 2014 Equus is definitely a vehicle to appeal to those people who don’t mind that much car on the road. There are definitely some upgrades that people will love about this vehicle as the unnecessary items have disappeared. Hopefully, all of these changes will be enough to entice car buyers onto Cincinnati Hyundai dealer lots to purchase the 2014 Equus.
Which kind of car wax is the best? The purpose of waxing your car is to give it a layer of protection from the sun and rain to keep your paint and clear coat strong. Choosing the right kind of wax sounds easier than it is. With new high performance waxes, liquids, pastes, and everything else on the market, it may make you second guess what you need for your car. So which one is the best?
Well, the first thing you should know is that a higher price does not always mean higher quality or protection. Consumer Reports just tested a batch of waxes and wax agents for cars and they found out that the lower priced waxes perform just as well as the ones that are described as maximum performance. If you are unsure about what kind of wax will best protect your car, you may be looking for a higher price and think that it is a higher quality, but just remember that is not always the case.
With new liquid waxes on the market, the ease of use makes people think that it is not doing as good of a job protecting your car. Well here’s some more good news. In the tests, the liquid waxes had a negligible difference between the pastes that take more work to apply and use. In fact, if you are an owner of a car with a darker paint job, you may do more damage with paste based waxes because it may cause micro scratches in your paint while application. So what it all comes down to is ease of application and a better price. Both of these things well not make much of a difference in the amount of protection they provide.
Waxing your car before the long fall and winter months will really help keep your car looking good all year long. If you are looking for a new car that already looks great, then come into Superior Cars.
Not all of us have the benefit of attending a Winter Driving School. Let’s face it, almost every year is like a winter driving school anyway. Sometimes winter driving tip is actually to not drive at all, but since that isn’t always a viable option, it will be in your best interest to learn how to correctly drive on snow and on ice. After all, as much as we want it to be, not ever day can be a “snow day” in Cincinnati. The video below has some really good points and tips to remember.
Get a grip. It pays to have the right tires on your Cincinnati car, truck or SUV. There is a difference between the tread on summer tires and winter ones. If you want to “get a grip”, having the right set of tires on your vehicle is paramount when it comes to keeping control on the snow and ice.
Make sure you can see. Two things here. If you have bad, or old wiper blades, you are going to have a hard time seeing. Also, you can put some de-icer in your windshield wiper resivoir. If you can’t see, you are just compounding your problems and ability to navigate safely in foul weather.
Run the air-conditioner. Running your A/C may sound backwards, but it will remove condensation and frost from the interior of windows Set the temperature on “hot” and make sure it’s fresh air you are circulating.
Check your lights. This is a no-brainer. Use your head lights so you can see and others can see you.
Give yourself a brake. It’s easy use antilock brakes: Stomp, stay and steer. Stomp on the pedal as if you were trying to break it off. Stay hard on the pedal. Steer around the obstacle. After you “Stomp”, the ABS will begin to cycle and you will feel pulses in the pedal and probably hear the system working. You might have the urge to “pump” you brakes, but resist this urge, the brakes are, in fact, already pumping.
Too much steering is bad. Over-correcting, or over-steering will probably lead to an accident. What happens is as you come off of the ice onto the asphalt your tires will grab and ultimately redirect your car…usually into a barrier, or another car. Keep your wheels straight, you can’t steer on ice.
Remember, ice amplifies bad driving techniques! Learn how to drive safely before it starts snowing and icing over. You’d better hurry, Winter is right around the corner…literally. However, if you do end up in a fender-bender, you know that you can always bring your Honda, Acura, Kia or Hyundai into your Superior Automotive Group location.
Don’t think your Cincinnati car has a fingerprint? Think again! All vehicles contain a very important strand of car DNA and that’s the VIN number.
VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. Way back in 1981, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required VINs for all vehicles. Read on for more from DMV.org:
Vehicles made during or after 1981 have a VIN made up of 17 characters (letters and numerals). Before that, the VIN usually ranged anywhere from 11 to 17 characters.
The VIN provides clues as to a vehicle’s background, including the manufacturer, model year, and where it was built. In other words, it records the vehicle’s identity. To learn what the individual characters in a VIN represent, visit our page on decoding the VIN.
The VIN also provides a means to trace a vehicle from its “cradle” (the factory) to its “grave” (the scrap heap). In that way, it is similar to a Social Security number for Americans. So it is important to know where the VIN is in order to order a vehicle history report from AutoCheck.
A VIN appears on many forms: registrations, titles, insurance identification cards, accident reports, recall reports, and body shop records, to name a few.
For those of you that don’t know where your VIN number is…trust me, I know you are out there…your vehicle’s VIN can be located at the lower left corner of your dashboard. If you still can’t find it, just give your Cincinnati Car Dealers at the Superior Automotive Group a call.
Getting a flat tire can really put a huge wrinkle in your day. IT always seems to happen at the most inopportune tine too. Throw in the fact that you haven’t been maintaining your spare tire and you’ve just set yourself up for the the most frustrating day ever.
If I had to guess, I would say that only a few people take the time to actually make sure that their spare tire is kept in good working condition. By working I mean primarily filled to the right PSI. You should check the tire pressure on your spare tire once a month, or at least every other month. Tires lose air over time so it is best to add checking your spare tire pressure to your regular maintenance routine.
If you do need to use your spare tire, remember that it is just a short term fix and that you should get to your new car dealership Cincinnati, like the Superior Automotive Group, to get your flat tire fixed, or your old tire replaced.
I also recommend familiarizing yourself with where your spare tire is located as well as where all of the tools are located to get your spare tire up and running. Also, learn how to install the spare tire too and practice changing a tire every so often. This will make it much easier for you if the time ever comes.
If you drive a vehicle where the spare tire is kept underneath your vehicle you should learn how to lower or release it. Sometimes in bigger SUVs, you will have to use a special tool that goes through the hitch receiver which can be very tricky if you don’t know how to do it. I would highly recommend practicing getting access to your spare tire if it is indeed located underneath your vehicle.
Check out this video on how to change out a flat tire with a spare tire:
At every Superior Automotive Group location we service all makes and models and can help you with all of your car needs! Stop by today!
There is no doubt that as we search for a solution to solving some of our dependence on oil by increasing research and development of alternatively fueled that our modern gas engines also need some re-vamping as well. The modern gasoline engine has gone through some serious redesign in the fuel-efficiency department. Modern gasoline engines have been put under the microscope recently in efforts to get more miles per gallon. Major manufacturers like Kia have been at the forefront of the gasoline engine revolution.
So, what type of improvements are we talking about here? Check out 5 new technologies for improving the fuel efficiency of the gas-powered engine.
Variable valve timing and lift. Gasoline engines have valves on them that open and close to let the air/fuel mixture that powers your car in and out. Generally, the valves will open for the same amount of time regardless of how fast the vehicle is going. However, some fuel ends up being wasted because the vehicle is using the same amount whether it’s towing a large load or coasting. If the valve time is varied, the engine will get only as much fuel, as it needs for the amount of work it is doing. And according to the U.S. Department of Energy, this can make a vehicle about 5 times more efficient.
Cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation works on the same principle as variable valve timing in that only the amount of needed cylinders will work depending on the amount of work the vehicle is doing. If a vehicle is maintaining a steady speed and not accelerating, some of the engines cylinders that are not needed will shut down. And if they are not in use, they are not using fuel. This can improve engine efficiency by 7.5 percent.
Direct fuel injection. Researchers have found a way to inject fuel into the gasoline engine without using a spark to ignite the fuel. This process reduces the amount of gasoline your vehicle’s engine needs and allows it to burn cleaner and more efficiently. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this can improve efficiency by up to 12 percent.
Turbochargers. A turbocharger is a fan powered by gasses from the vehicle’s exhaust system. By adding a turbocharger to a smaller engine, this will help it to the same amount of work as a larger engine, thus saving fuel.
Light-footed drivers. The biggest determinate of how much gasoline your vehicle uses is the driver. The faster and more powerfully you accelerate, the more fuel your vehicle will have to use, as opposed to gradually accelerating. Automakers are helping drivers know when they are driving efficiently. The Kia Forte is one of the vehicles that have a green light on the dashboard to let the driver know when they are driving efficiently.
For more information on fuel-efficient technology visit www.energy.gov. And stop by your your Cincinnati Car Dealers, the Superior Automotive Group to check out the latest gas engine technology for yourself.
Getting to sell the best Hondas, Kias, Hyundais & Acuras in Cincinnati at Superior Automotive Group, sometimes we forget that not all cars are created equal. In fact, throughout automotive history, there have been the good, the bad and the ugly. I guess that’s what you get when you push the boundaries of design and engineering. So, do you know what the worst cars ever made were? Of course, the list isn’t the definitive list because everyone has their own ideas about what they like, or don’t like. This, of course, is just for fun and I’m sure you have a few on your list that are deserving to be on this list. Let’s take a look at a the 10 worst cars ever made:
So, what do you think? Tell your Cincinnati Car Dealers, The Superior Automotive Group what you think are the worst cars ever made.
Have you ever put any thought into understanding what it’s like to drive an 18 wheeler on a crowded and hectic roadway? Your Cincinnati Car Dealers, The Superior Automotive Group wants to remind you that, even though you share the road with truck drivers and their cargo, you have more maneuverability and a clearer line of sight which makes you the game changer if there is a sudden reduction in speed or lane change. Chances are YOU will be the one that is either rapidly approaching a rig in your lane, or changing lanes to get around one.
I can say that most big rig drivers follow the rules of the road fairly well, if they don’t they could incur sever penalties, or fines which can affect their ability to be hired by the companies they truck for. So, you see, most of the time when you are frustrated with a slower moving rig, it’s not his fault, he’s going the speed limit; it’s you who needs to drive less aggressively.
To really appreciate the difficulty in driving an 18 wheeler, you have to understand their physics. They have wide turning radius. They have large blind spots. That also take 800 feet to stop going 55 mph, whereas you would take only 400 feet. In other words, pass them quickly, don’t follow close behind, don’t cut them off when you make lane changes, etc. Common sense may not be so common for many drivers.
The bottom line is give these guys a break. Slow down. You will make their driving task much easier and less stressful, and at the same time you will be less aggressive and less of a nuisance. It’s just a matter of respect. Even if you’ve been behind the wheel since you were 16, there are still those of you out there that could stand to learn to share the road with others.The Superior Automotive Group just want you understand that courtesy is contagious, avoid problems, don’t be a part of them.
At some point in our driving careers, we will be stuck with a dead battery. Maybe we left our lights on, maybe there is corrosion around the poles, maybe we just have bad luck, either way the Superior Automotive Group knows how miserable it is. But don’t worry, help is on the way…and no, it’s not the tow truck. It’s a battery charger! The best way to avoid any unforeseen problems is to avoid them altogether right? So, keeping your battery in good condition is one way to “avoid” one such “unforeseen problem”. Got it?
Let’s say you accidentally left your interior lights on all night and you wake up to find that you have a dead battery, what do you do? Without a battery charger, you call into work and burn a personal day in hopes of getting a jump from a neighbor or a new battery. With a battery charger, well you get to save that personal day for a time when you really want to play hooky. Let me tell you, for around $50, it’s worth it and you’ll get a pretty decent charger to boot!
How does a charger work? Check out the video.
How easy is it to use? This easy.
Of course, there could also be other reasons why your battery is discharging faster than usual, or not having enough juice to turn the starter, and that is a bigger issue. If your Cincinnati car is loosing its charge rapidly, it could be your alternator. I’d advise you take your car to any Superior Automotive location if your battery issues become problematic.
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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