Tips for Car Battery Maintenance

Your car’s battery is it’s lifeline with out this power your car just isn’t going to go anywhere. Take care of your car’s battery and it will keep your car running for a long time.

Here are some good guidelines in keeping that battery in tip top shape!

Test your car’s battery regularly and especially if you are planning a long trip or after it has just been recharged. One thing you don’t want to have happen when you are far from your home is a battery that fails to start.

Park that Car in the garage especially in the winter months, because an insulated garage will keep that battery warm on those cold winter nights. By keeping your battery warm in the winter time it will be easier for your car to start. If you don’t have an insulated garage, then you should insulate it yourself with a blanket.  

When you test your battery, you should take the time to do a once over cleaning, by removing the clamps and cleaning any dirt and great from the terminals as well as on the clamps themselves. You will have a nice strong connection and you won’t be weakening the battery’s charge. Clean the exterior of the battery case with baking soda which you will need to dissolve in warm water. Dirt will conduct electricity as well as discharge electricity.

While cleaning your battery check the fluid level. If it is low add some distilled water to top it off. In keeping the fluid levels full this will help extend the life of your car’s battery. If you don’t see any fluid, you may want to just go ahead and replace the battery. When there is lack of fluid that is a good indicator that your battery is near the end of its life span.

Make sure that your battery is safe and secure in its mounting bracket. A loose battery will slide around and become damage and in some instances has been know to cause short circuiting.  

Let Manly Automotive Group help you in your new and previously owned vehicle choices today stop by our website today and drive away knowing that you made the right choice with us! Manly Auto http://www.manlyauto.com can also can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/ManlyAuto and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Rosa-CA/Manly-Auto-Group/103413126362572?v=wall&__a=3& ; stop on over and visit us! 

Tips for Buying a Pre-Owned Vehicle

If you are thinking of purchasing a pre-owned vehicle it just might have some worth while advantages for you then choosing to purchase that brand new vehicle. You will more then likely be saving some significant about of money when you one that is pre-owned however, you also take some risks that you wouldn’t be taking when making a new car purchase.

Here are some tips for you to consider before choosing that vehicle - 

Most pre-owned vehicles will include the remainder of any of the original manufacturer warranty, as well as an extended warranty. They might differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. As an example one manufacturer might offer a 12 month 12,000 miles warranty with bumper to bumper coverage and another might offer a 5 year 100,000 mile power train warranty for its certified used vehicle. Those that are well maintained and in very good condition will be reflected in the price and it may be a bit higher than those that are not certified pre-owned.

When shopping for that pre-owned vehicle always think twice before purchasing one that is not certified pre-owned. If you purchase a pre-owned vehicle that is certified you will want to try to get some of the remainder of the manufacturer’s original warranty so that you can still take proper performance care of that vehicle. Newer vehicles usually have some years left on the basic warranty as well as they may even have some left on their power train warranty.

Always ask for the Car’s maintenance record information when you are purchasing a used vehicle. Check for any problems that may have shown up in the past. If someone is offering you a used vehicle and does not offer you the maintenance record, is more then likely means that there is something wrong with it or is just in really bad condition and you should think twice before you buy. Always have a mechanic check any vehicle that does not come with the maintenance record.

When you are looking at a pre-owned vehicle you should always have a third party mechanic inspect the car. The mechanic you choose will advise you of any issues or possible problems with the vehicle that you need to know about.  Also if that person trying to sell you the vehicle won’t allow a third party mechanic inspection then walk away.

Also something that not many people do is to do a little research on the VIN which is known as the Vehicle Identification number to obtain the vehicle’s history. Other’s may have it on the inside driver’s door jam or on the engine bay. You should then take that VIN to a reliable source such as Carfax to get a complete history on the vehicle. They will be able to tell you of any accidents, what maintenance was performed and who owned it prior to you.

Sometimes there is a bit more to purchasing a used vehicle then there is with a new one; however with a bit of research you will have peace of mind before signing on the dotted line.

Let Manly Automotive Group help you in your new and previously owned vehicle choices today stop by our website today and drive away knowing that you made the right choice with us! http://www.manlyauto.com/  We also can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/ManlyAuto and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001445954579&v=wall stop on over and visit us! 

The Service Value of Sales Prospects

Dealerships in the past believed that the value of a sales opportunity was realized only if a customer actually made a purchase. But in today’s world they are finding that the value comes from every aspect of their business. They are now realizing that it is necessary to integrate sales prospects by giving them information into their marketing database and even more important is that it should be a part of their marketing strategy.

When it comes to marketing strategies for service, a typical dealer will rely on the customer that had previously purchased a vehicle from their dealership as well as using them as a feeder for their business and other service opportunities. With the economy today, many service departments are having to deal with corresponding a reduction in their revenue. A recent press release by J.D. Power & Associates stated that dealer service traffic volumes are expected to decline through to 2013 which will result in a 25 percent decrease in total service dollars.

These days to bring in new service customers a store manager will need to come up ways to increase their business and many dealerships are finding out that with used car leads from third party providers will help in turning that into a new car sale.

When a sales person is sourcing floor or phone customers they need to be able to encourage a potential customer and obtain their email address so in the future they will be able to send an offers or specials directly to them. Those prospects that are not willing to give up their email addresses to a sales person might decide to do so in order to get that deal on service.

Dealers should be competing for a customers business by offering a service package that is designed to win them over to your service department even in the event that the customer had purchased their vehicle at a competitor’s dealership.

Regular emails, coupons, testimonials as well as other information about service packages should be sent out by the Service Managers which are designed to be competitive along with their quick lube service centers.

Whether it is a new or used car lead and it actually closes you can set another standard for a sales practices by offering your new customer a free service or even a coupon for a series of discounted services package. It might seem to be something obvious to some and probably even effortless for a marketing opportunity, however, many dealerships do not do this. Many new vehicle owners are wandering out their doors with pretty much no information about the dealerships service department and nor are they receiving an incentive to return for future servicing to that very vehicle that they just purchase from them.

A successful dealership will be able to find ways to bring in those unsold prospective buyers and unlock each and every lead’s true value by taking it a step further in expanding their lead sources. In turn those that are Internet Sales Managers may be able to obtain additional lead budget dollars if part of that investment could be absorbed by the dealerships service department and include it in their marketing budget.

In trying some new techniques, you could make your dealership have a jump in the service portion of your business during a time when it will be needed the most.

Let Manly Automotive Group help you in your new and previously owned vehicle choices today stop by our website today and drive away knowing that you made the right choice with us! http://www.manlyauto.com/  We also can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/ManlyAuto and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001445954579&v=wall stop on over and visit us! 

Hyundai Pushes the limit

The leading fuel economy auto manufacturer, Hyundai Motor America announced its plan to continue being a leader in achieving their current average fuel economy rating of a minimum of 50 miles per gallon (mpg) and they intend to keep this going through to and beyond 2025 for all of their passenger cars and light duty trucks.

The NHTSA which is the Current National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations are requiring automakers everywhere to achieve the CAFÉ rating of a minimum of 35.5 mpg by the year 2016. Even before these rules were in place last year, Hyundai was already announcing its own plan to reach 35 mpg by the year 2015. With the announcement of this long term goal of planning to deliver a minimum 50 mpg CAFÉ rating by 2025 they are being consistent with their philosophy of being able to stretch their objective while aligning their resources. Hyundai will continue to challenge it team and bring happiness to consumers and society as a whole.

Hyundai’s president and CEO stated that by making their announcement to reach 50 mpg may seem like a huge leap by making this commitment they are organizing their R & D initiatives so they will be able to keep this goal for the future.

Hyundai wants continue to show their customers high quality and stylish products and still offer a fuel economic vehicle. Currently Hyundai’s Sonata for 2011 will be their first mid sized family sedan to offer a 4 cylinder engine. It has achieved the EPA highway rating of 35 mpg and leads their competitors for power output with the use of advanced gasoline direct injection or what is called GDI.

The Sonata’s sales are up 48 percent in the first half of 2010 and at the same time the transaction prices and the residual values have exceeded those of their mid sized competitors. The Sonata will offer its 2.4 liter Theta II GDI engine currently being built at their Hyundai Motor Manufacturing in Alabama.  

 Let Manly Automotive Group help you in your new and previously owned vehicle choices today stop by our website today and drive away knowing that you made the right choice with us! http://www.manlyauto.com/  We also can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/ManlyAuto and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001445954579&v=wall stop on over and visit us! 

Cash for Clunkers

Cash for Clunkers which been around for about a year now is a program that helps to jump start car sales during the current recession. Automakers are facing some pretty tough challenges during these economic times; however some companies have been able to increase their sales compared to the sales flow from last year.


All Honda sales were down over 5 percent, but currently sales tallies have increased well over 9 percent versus sales totals from last year. The strongest sellers seem to be Honda’s Odyssey, Honda Pilot and the Acura MDX.


As for Hyundai they continue their sales have increased 19 percent over last year and year to day they are up 24 percent which is a record for the company. Having redesigned their models which are now fueling the move forward the leaders for Honda seem to be the Sonata and Tucson. The Elantra is also selling strong with a 34 percent increase over last year and all this after last years redesign offing.


Nissan as well has posted a 12 percent increase over last year and has gained strong sales with their Rogue and Murano SUV’s. The new QC56 and Infiniti G Sedan has also had a sales increase compared to last year’s figures.


Subaru marked its highest ever sales increase which is up 10 percent even though they have experienced these sales increases during last years Clunker program. Overall their sales are up 30 percent over last years sales. Their recently redesigned Legacy and Outback are still drawing in customers.


Toyota sales overall are down 6 percent but over all the year to date figures show them up over 7 percent from last year. Their Camry is continuing to sell very well which is their second highest selling vehicle.
All continue to be hoping to see these numbers continue to increase as the year progresses quickly to an end. For the moment however they are enjoying record breaking numbers from last year’s full month of Cash for Clunkers sales.


Let Manly Automotive Group help you in your new and previously owned vehicle choices today stop by our website today and drive away knowing that you made the right choice with us! http://www.manlyauto.com/  We also can be found on Twitter https://twitter.com/ManlyAuto and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001445954579&v=wall stop on over and visit us!