Potholes are lurking, here, there, and everywhere. After a crazy winter we are dedicating this week’s blog to those pesky craters and what you can do as a driver to stay safe while traveling.

Many people often wonder how a pothole is created. First, water seeps down into the cracks of the pavement and expands once it is frozen. This causes the pavement to weaken due to the frozen water pushing the pavement apart. When a vehicle drives over those weak spots, the pavement can’t withstand the pressure and crumbles. And boom, massive crater in the road.

Avoiding potholes can be somewhat simple. Steer clear of puddles, water is great at hiding a pothole’s size and depth. Only drive through if you can see a thin layer of water.

Sometimes it is just inevitable that you hit a pothole. And sometimes it is at a speed faster than you would have liked. If this happens, pullover when it is safe to do so and look over your vehicle for tire or any exterior damage that may have occurred. Potholes can do damage to tires and alignment, both things must be fixed ASAP.

If you encounter a pothole you can call your local DOT or DPW and let them know about the road conditions. The more times a pothole is reported, the more motivation to fix the problem! 

One big concern that people have when looking for a vehicle is the fuel efficiency of any vehicle that might be on the list of options. Of course, it might not be time for your family to purchase a new vehicle yet – or you may have just purchased a vehicle with great gas mileage, but are looking to increase it just a little more. Why not! The more efficient your vehicle is, the more money you save at the pump. It’s a win/win scenario! So, here are our tips for maximizing your fuel efficiency without, you know, making the leap into buying a new vehicle just yet.

Our first tip for getting those MPGs up is to not speed. Speeding is, first of all, illegal, and second of all it can bring your MPGs down drastically. When you are speeding, you’re accelerating (and decelerating) a lot more than you normally would be, which is a terrible waste of gas. To combat this, don’t speed! And use your cruise control when you are on the highway – it will keep you at a safe and consistent rate of speed.

Combine trips when you leave the house to run errands. Carpooling is a great solution to not only lowering your emissions but helping everyone save on gas! When you’re out and about, don’t idle your vehicle. Idling for one minute uses as much gas as it takes to start your car in the first place, and it creates a lot more exhaust.

When you’re out in the warmer months, try to park in the shade. Not only does this make your vehicle more comfortable for you to get into when you’re done with your errand, but it minimizes the evaporation of fuel in your tank from the heat and leaves you with more gas to use while driving. Finally, minimize the weight of your vehicle and the drag from vehicle storage. Clean out your vehicle and get rid of things in it that might be weighing you down. If you have roof storage, like a box, consider making room for those items in your vehicle or switching to a rear-mounted box to reduce drag.

Keeping your vehicle in peak condition is also incredibly important. Your tires should be properly inflated and your alignment should be perfect at all times. Regular inspections, tire rotations, and alignment checks are essential in maintaining good fuel economy. When your tires are properly inflated, the amount of drag that your engine has to work through is reduced. When it’s time for you to get new tires, ask for low rolling resistance tires to help your engine even more.

You won’t increase your MPGs from 20 to 70, but if you do these things then you’ll hopefully see an increase of a few miles per gallon through careful driving! And if after reading this you’ve been convinced that it might actually be time to get a new vehicle, consider something from Fiore Volkswagen!

Every St. Paddy’s Day, my family participates in a fun-filled family football game. I know, I know… typically that’s a Thanksgiving thing, but we loved the fun so much that we decided to carry it over to March too (especially since we’ve already relapsed at least twice since our Super Bowl withdrawal started).

So, here’s the thing… It’s supposed to be fun, but unfortunately, my family is pretty competitive. Even a game of monopoly becomes an intense sport that takes strategy, athleticism, and skill. This past Christmas, I watched my sister drop tackle my brother because she caught him slipping himself an extra hunnit or two from the bank. It did not go well.

Since the Christmas Debacle Of 2017, bro has been throwing some serious shade at my sister. St. Patrick’s Day is literally tomorrow, and I am determined that they let bygones be bygones. So what better way to get them both in a better mood than stopping by Fiore Volkswagen to save a crazy amount on a new car! The Sm:)e It’s Spring Event is under way, after all, in addition to their monthly specials!

My sister has been talking about downsizing from her HUGE minivan (I have 6 nieces and nephews just from her, who are now all grown up and drive their own cars) to something a bit more her size, bear in mind she is conservatively 5 feet tall on a good day. The 2017 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T SEL, or the 2017 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T SE, which are both on sale for under $19,000 would be right up her alley! Maybe even the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4MOTION® AWD, which she can lease for $169 a month OR for 2.49% APR for 60 months would peak her interest if she still wants the size that a car that isn’t a sedan can offer! I know for a fact my brother has had his eye on the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas S 4MOTION® AWD for him and his brood of children, and now he can get it for $319 a month, or 1.9% APR for 60 months!!

All in all, I’m expecting the whole family to be singing my praises this weekend, thus restoring peace just in time for our Reuben Dinner. After such a strenuous endeavor, I think I just might reward myself with a sweet new car too!

*All specials expire on 4/2/2018 see specials page for full details.

Your gas tank is home to a delicate ecosystem that you need to nurture, no matter how far you drive or what type of gas you use. This means never topping it off – an important responsibility that a lot of people ignore. Why is this important? A number of reasons, most of which amount to saving money and breaking a habit that I am sure a lot of us have. Check out why you shouldn’t top up the tank, no matter how tempting it might be to get to that perfect round dollar amount.

Reason number one is that part of your ecosystem is the evaporative system, and topping off can overwhelm that system. This is because of built up pressure due to the fuel expanding when heated by the movement of your vehicle (or the environment). Topping off your tank is basically the same as overfilling it, and when there’s nowhere for the excess to go, it heads to the evaporative system. The evaporative system then dies on you, which is an expensive repair.

Reason number two is just simple money-wasting. Modern gas stations have pumps that can sense when you have overfilled your tank, or tried to do so anyway. The pump, when it senses you’re trying to go too far, just sends the gas right back up the line and into the station’s tank… but of course, you’re still getting charged for that fuel. It’s a waste, plain and simple.

If you’re trying to save money, which I think it’s safe to say we all are, think about breaking the topping-up-habit. Leave yourself a note on the inside of your gas cap cover, a reminder on your phone, or just use the power of memory! You got this, friend!

Washing your car… seems like something you could do in your sleep, right? You used to do this with your dad all the time when you were a kid. He’d get out the hose, fill up a bucket with some soap and a rag, and then let you go to work while he sat back and cracked a beer, offering advice from the sidelines every so often.

Well, times have changed, and your dad’s car probably had a ton of swirl marks from your youthful washing strategy. So, we’re here to just make sure that you know exactly how to properly wash your vehicle so that you can teach your kids how to not ruin your paint while enjoying a fun springtime family activity!

Your first step should be to rinse your vehicle thoroughly with the hose before doing any washing. Make sure you’re using fairly high pressure water to really get the dirt off of your vehicle. Then, get your clean microfiber cloth or washing mitt and automobile shampoo (NEVER use dish soap!!!) and get to work.

When washing, make sure you do a panel at a time and that you wash in long, straight strokes. Rinse your washing cloth frequently so you’re not grinding debris into your paint job unintentionally!

After you’ve soaped up your vehicle, wait a minute before rinsing it off and get your wheels with a wheel brush. Wash between each of the spokes with soap and make sure your tires and wheels are in good shape after the winter.

Finally, rinse off your vehicle with another blast from the hose, and then dry it off with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. Never let the water evaporate on its own! This leaves rings and deposits that are hard to remove later and can damage the paint of your vehicle. For this reason, it’s great to wash your vehicle in the shade.

The last step? If you want to, apply a protectant spray or wax to your vehicle to make sure your paint stays glossy and beautiful and doesn’t get damaged easily. There you go!

No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, if you’re driving then you are always at risk of having an emergency. Well, that’s a risk no matter what, but this is a blog about cars so we’re going to focus on that. Regardless of the emergency, you always need to be prepared! Check out our suggestions for things to keep in an emergency kit. Put these things in a bag, find a good place for them in your vehicle, and then leave them there. Make sure everything isn’t expired or depleted every so often, and then drive confidently! You’ve got it handled!

• First Aid kit. Some of the items to include are:
  • Band-Aids
  • Hand sanitizer.
  • Antiseptic.
  • Antibiotic ointment.
  • Bug spray.
  • Aspirin (or similar).
  • Cotton balls.
  • Gauze pads.
  • Tweezers.
  • Bandana.
  • Ace bandage.
• Fire extinguisher.
  • Choose a small one that is easy to store.
• Road flares (if not already in your tire-changing tools).
• Jumper cables.
• Rain ponchos.
• Tarp.
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Rags.
• Duct tape
• Scent-free baby wipes.
• Drinking water and non-perishable snacks.
• Multipurpose tool. 

If your check engine light has ever come on, then you know the feeling of panic and helplessness that comes upon you when that little engine symbol pops up. But hey! There’s no reason to panic. The five most common reasons that your check engine light can come on are easy fixes that don’t mean that your vehicle is going to just die on you in the middle of the road. Not by a long shot! Check out what those reasons are, how to assess them, and then take a deeeeep breath. You’re fine!

The first reason your check engine light might come on is because you need to tighten your gas cap. Or put it on in the first place. This is one of the things people don’t really know about – your gas cap can be a culprit of the check engine light. When it’s loose, off, or broken, fuel vapors can escape and just throw off your engine for a bit. Checking your gas cap should be the first thing you do when you see the check engine light come on.

It could also be your spark plugs, especially if you’re nearing (or just past) the hundred-thousand-mile mark on your vehicle. Spark plugs need to be replaced about every 100,000 miles and it could just be time for that to happen!

The Mass Airflow Sensor is another component that could be triggering your check engine light. If it is broken or malfunctioning, it will increase your emissions and maybe cause your engine to stall. The purpose of the Mass Airflow Sensor is to tell your vehicle’s computer how much fuel needs to be added or used based on the amount of air that comes into your engine as you drive.

Oxygen sensors (O2 sensors) need to be replaced from time to time, so it could be that! The purpose of your O2 sensors is to monitor the amount of unburned oxygen in your exhaust, which then tells your vehicle how much fuel is actually being burned in your engine. If these sensors go too long without being replaced, your catalytic converter could burn out.

That takes me to this last possible culprit. The catalytic converter is, unfortunately, the most expensive repair of the bunch, because it reduces your exhaust gases. When this part dies, your MPGs increase and your acceleration ability decreases.

If your check engine light comes on, breathe! You’ve got this! Take a minute and check things over, then give us a call and let us know you’re coming in. Don’t wait to get your vehicle looked at – but don’t panic, either.