Are your headlights out? Do you think your headlights are out, but you’re not sure? Might be time for you to give that a check. If you know that your headlights are out – or even just one headlight is out – you need to get that fixed ASAP. Not only is that a serious safety concern, it’s against the law to have one or both headlights out while driving. And imagine driving at night – why would you do that without all the light you need to see? Here’s how to fix your headlights and even make them a little better, to help you out in the long run.

So, like I said, your headlights are one of the most important safety features your car has. Especially in the night or in the rain, your headlights not only help you to see but help other cars to see you as well. With one or both headlights out, your chances of getting into an accident rise exponentially. With only one working headlight, your full-sized car could be mistaken for a motorcycle, which takes up significantly less space on the road.

In order to fix your headlights, you can take your car into the shop or dealership, or you can take care of things at home. Here’s how to do things the DIY route! First, you’ll want to check your owner’s manual to see what type of light capsules (the word car people use for bulbs) your vehicle takes. Then, you can see if there are upgrades you can do. In most cases, this means switching out the prior halogen capsules for brighter, longer-lasting, energy-saving LED capsules. If you don’t want to switch the color of your headlights (LED bulbs are often a bluish cool light) then there are higher-brightness halogen capsules on the market that you can use. Anyway, switch those out, put your headlight assembly back together, and bada bing! You’re all good.

If your headlights seem to dim again or even die again quickly after you replaced the capsules, you’re going to want to take your vehicle into the dealership or shop to be looked at no matter what. There could be a more serious issue with your car than just the headlights!

So I just picked up a new Volkswagen Beetle from Fiore Volkswagen, and DANG. I love this car. I love it so much!!! If I didn’t already have a boyfriend, I would dump him for this car. I am not lying to you. This is true love. I thought I would share with you all ten things that I LOVE about my new Beetle, even though there are literally ten billion trillion things that I love about him (yeah, okay, his name is Steve and we have a connection). But I will whittle that down to ten things. Please pray for me.

1. The shape! We all loved the new Beetles when they came out in the early naughties, but this latest redesign is prime. Like, it looks retro? But also super modern. And the trunk opening is HUGE. You wouldn’t think that you could haul a lot of stuff in a car this small, but you fully can. It’s amazing!!

2. The interior. I have the Titan Black leatherette on the inside and my friends it is siiiick. My Beetle is white, so the dashboard where the exterior finish is brought inside just looks so good. I am really into minimalism lately so this is really fitting into my aesthetic. And the Käferfach-inspired glovebox (okay, I looked that one up) is just that right touch of retro. That’s where I keep all the napkins I steal from fast food places. They come in really handy.

3. The turbo engine. For a little car, this guy has a LOT of power. You can really feel the turbo when you’re accelerating up a hill… I never have to wonder if lil’ Steve can make it up. He doesn’t even slow down, not even a little. I feel like I am driving a racecar, no joke.

4. The ambient lighting. This kind of ties into the interior one, but I wanted to keep it separate because I really love it a LOT. I can change the color to match my mood or playlist or whatever, and it’s especially great because I have trouble seeing at night, so I can make the inside red if I want.

5. The screen. I have the navigation package, and it’s so great!! But everything else is amazing as well. I can connect my phone to Steve and play my music, look at some of my apps, and talk on the phone through the Bluetooth. And I also have the Fender premium audio system, so my beats are BUMPIN’.

6. VW Car-Net. Like, do I need to say more? I am really bad at remembering where I parked my car, but with this app, I know exactly where it is. Like. This is a game-changer, folks!!!!!

7. All the safety tech. The blind spot monitor, rear traffic alert, and park pilot have made my life a million times easier. Okay, sure, I passed the parallel parking part of my driver’s test, but that was literally over a decade ago. You can’t expect me to retain that kind of information for more than ten minutes after the test is over! So, park pilot. Life-saving!

8. Keyless access. I have a purse. Things get lost in it pretty much constantly. Yesterday I found a movie ticket from 2008 in there. So, it’s really great that I don’t really have to find my keys to open up my car.

9. Heated seats. I know not every Beetle comes with them, but Steve has them and they are incredible. Even when it’s not winter, I turn them on when I’ve just hit the gym to help relax those muscles a little. But they are going to be sooooo good in the winter, and I am SOOOO excited.

10. How I feel in this car. It’s a freakin’ Beetle! I feel so cool! I know people are always like, oh, your car needs to be safe and reliable and yeah, I agree. Steve is totally safe and reliable. But Steve is also REALLY COOL. And I feel awesome behind the wheel. I think that’s my favorite part, actually.

It’s Electric!

No, not the Electric Slide, but the all-new Volkswagen I.D. Buzz. You might recognize this vehicle as – and you should be sitting down for this one – the new, electric version of the classic VW Bus. Yeah. Seriously. It blew us off our feet too. This vehicle is so iconic and such a part of American history, and Volkswagen is taking that and running with it. We’re EXCITED. This vehicle is fully electric and fully connected and fully awesome. Of course, it’s not available yet, but Volkswagen recently announced that it would sell a production version of the I.D. Buzz in the US, Europe, and China in 2022. That’s really not that far away, especially when you think about how long it’s been since the VW Bus premiered. (Hint: it was 67 years ago.)

So what does the I.D. Buzz have? It has a light strip around the vehicle, LED headlights that act as “eyes” to communicate the vehicle’s status, 22-inch wheels, tons of space for passengers or cargo, autonomous technology, and everything else that you’ve come to expect in a vehicle – and more. Just remember, these are all conceptual. But it’s still exciting!

Check out this video from Volkswagen about the I.D. Buzz. You’ll love it! We definitely did. And now we’re super excited… is it 2022 yet?

https://youtu.be/H2O58X4NNbQ

We tend to think of getting our cars towed as something that happens if we make a parking mistake, or if we get too many tickets. So, generally, we think of tow trucks as our enemies and try to stay as far away from them as possible.

But what happens if we need a tow? When you Google search “getting car towed,” there are a lot of questions and answers about getting your vehicle out of impound or paying off tickets and the like. There’s not so much about what happens if you break down and need to call for a tow that you actually want, as opposed to some dark midnight operation by the forces of the Law. So, please read on – in this blog are some answers about what you should do if you need to call for a tow, and how to prepare both yourself and your vehicle for that event.

First things first – if your vehicle breaks down, make sure you’re all the way to the side of the road or as far from any traffic as you can be. Make sure your hazard lights are on, and if you have cones, flags, or any other indicators in your vehicle, put them out.

Gather everything you’ll need from your vehicle – not just your stuff, but the registration and insurance paperwork as well as your driver’s license and any roadside assistance membership information, like AAA. These are important to have out, especially when calling for a tow – programs like AAA have their own towing and maintenance vehicles and can be called directly to help, so you’ll need your membership information for that.

If you don’t have a roadside assistance membership, you can call your automaker if your car is still under warranty or your insurance provider, if your insurance includes roadside assistance. If you don’t have any of these, Google can be your friend. Make sure you have information for this saved for the future, though… and maybe consider enrolling in something like AAA.

Now, you wait. Think of where you want your car towed to – your preferred garage or perhaps your dealership – so that you can tell the tow truck driver when they arrive. It might be a while, so make sure you have something to occupy yourself in the meantime. Don’t let anyone besides the tow truck driver or the police approach your vehicle!

When the driver arrives, they’ll guide you through the towing process and might offer you a lift to where you want your vehicle towed to, unless you’ve called someone else to pick you up. From there, your vehicle just needs to get fixed by the people you’ve taken it too.

We hope this article has helped you out – towing doesn’t have to be a scary or expensive process if you know what you’re doing.

Have you ever been driving down the road at night and thought to yourself, “I thought my headlights were brighter than that”? Well, chances are, they were brighter than that before but now because of the amount you’ve driven and the age of your car, they might have dulled a bit. There are a bunch of simple solutions to this problem that are very easy to take care of at home, and you’ll notice a change in the brightness of your headlights the next time you’re driving in the dark!

First, just take some window cleaner and a soft cloth to your headlights. The problem might only be that they’re dirty and need some TLC – this is the easiest answer and easiest solution. If this doesn’t work out, however, you might have to put in a little more elbow grease.

So, you’ve cleaned your headlights and they still seem dim. You might have to go to the auto parts store and get a headlight reconditioning kit. This is a simple kit that lets you clean your headlights a little bit more by buffing out any dirt or UV damage, as well as scratches and divots from road debris. This is definitely a little more difficult than just washing your headlights, but hopefully, you should see a difference.

If they are STILL dim, you might have to replace the bulbs in your headlights. This involves going to your auto parts store and buying some replacement capsules – your owner’s manual will tell you exactly what type of capsules your vehicle needs. If they’re halogen, you can upgrade them to either a brighter halogen capsule or a drop-in LED capsule. This will really make a difference in the brightness of your lights, but make sure you are doing the replacement correctly. This isn’t super hard, but if you’re hesitant to try it yourself, come to Fiore Volkswagen and we’ll take care of it for you.

If you’ve tried all of these options and your headlights are still dim, you should have a professional take a look at your alternator. Dimming headlights can be indicative of a dying alternator – especially if your headlights brighten when you accelerate and dim when you’re slowing down.

We hope these tips have been helpful to you! Happy trails!

Updating your car’s registration is never something any of us look forward to. However, it’s a lot easier than it seems at first and it saves a lot of headache in the end! Through the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles, you can renew your registration online or by snail mail. There are different rules for both, but it’s simple and puts you at less risk of getting a ticket!

If you want to re-register your vehicle online, you can do so if the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) has your current name and address on file, and if your current registration will expire in six months or less. You will need to have the first eight digits of your title number, your PA license plate number, your insurance information, and the odometer reading of the vehicle you are re-registering. Then it’s just a matter of printing your temporary registration card and paying the renewal fee. Easy peasy! Now, you can only do this online if you are re-registering your vehicle – if you need to register a vehicle for the first time, your best bet is to do it in person.

To re-register by mail, you should first have received a renewal notice. Find that and follow the instructions on it – simple!

If you want to complete the process in person, you’ll have to go to a Pennsylvania DMV office. You should make sure you have your renewal notice or registration application, or a completed request for registration (aka the form MV-140) if you don’t have your renewal notice. You should also have enough money to pay the fee to get your vehicle registered. In Pennsylvania, the fee for a passenger vehicle to get re-registered is $37, and for a motorcycle, it’s $19. If you’re retired, it’s only $10 a year!

If you’ve lost any of your registration documents, you can also request new copies of those for a small fee. A new license plate is $11, and that’s the most expensive replacement fee.

As always, things are different from state to state. Check out your state’s DMV website if you’re outside of Pennsylvania for instructions on renewing your registration. No matter where you are, though, this is an easy process that you’ll be glad you took care of in a timely fashion! But make sure you stay on top of the registration deadlines (i.e. your expiration date), because if you let it lapse you might get pulled over and a ticket!

Sometimes it can be hard to find the right music to accompany a summer drive in your new Volkswagen from Fiore Volkswagen. Thankfully, our musical experts have put together a rockin’ playlist for your pleasure that’ll be sure to please the whole family.

“I Love a Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbit
“Love Story” by Taylor Swift
“Just a Ride” by Jem
“Wooly Bully” by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
“Surfin USA” by The Beach Boys
“In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry
“Wipeout” by the Surfaris
“Here Comes the Sun” by George Harrison
“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard
“Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin
“Beautiful Day” by U2
“Stand by Me” by Ben E. King
“No Rain” by Blind Melon
“Lollipop” by The Chordettes
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Let us assure you that our highly trained team of Tune Professionals has tested this playlist extensively in all driving conditions and times of day, from early morning commutes to night time drives. It might not be the best soundtrack for lulling the baby to sleep, but it’s fun for pretty much any other time of day, and it sure beats talk radio, according to the kids surveyed in the course of this research.

However, we will provide the caveat that it is important to always pay attention to the road and not let the sweet tunes listed here distract you from driving. This is made a lot easier with some of the technology features in newer Volkswagen models – in the 2017 Volkswagen Beetle, for instance, you can use the VW Car-Net App-Connect technology that lets you use some apps from your cell phone on the touchscreen display of your vehicle. You can also use Bluetooth connectivity to your advantage, giving you a hands-free way to listen to these songs.

But please – don’t take our word for it. Get into a new Volkswagen from Fiore Volkswagen and test this playlist out yourself. Just try not to let any of the songs get stuck in your head… that’s been a really interesting time for us down here.

Shark Week has always been one of my favorite television events. I will take any excuse I can get to talk about or watch more of Shark Week. It probably all started because my little brother used to hatch shark eggs in our basement. Yes, I’m being completely serious. My brother has had a pretty serious love of sharks his whole life, a love we now can share, and so he would love telling me all about the sharks he was hatching and then we’d go on a road trip to release them into the ocean. It was kinda a cool experience for the two of us. It helped us to bond as we got older.

So why, you might ask, am I going off on a tangent about Shark Week in a Volkswagen blog? WELL, this year during Shark Week, which is happening right now, Volkswagen, who has been a sponsor of the television event for 6 years now, has introduced Land of Sharks, a different kind of look at the oceans of the past and the sharks that lived there in a cross country journey in the all-new 2018 Volkswagen Atlas!

“The Land of Sharks campaign, developed by Volkswagen’s agency of record Deutsch and produced by Discovery Channel, includes a short video series to tell the story of a family on a road trip in a Volkswagen Atlas as they travel to various locations to learn about prehistoric sharks that once swam there. These three 60-second vignettes will display the family visiting an archeological site, traveling to a research lab and finally driving in an Atlas to dive with modern sharks.”

It’s clear why they chose the all-new 2018 Volkswagen Atlas as the vehicle to make this cross country trek. The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SEL Premium “fits families of all sizes with its Easy-Access 3rd-row seating for 7, and includes an array of high tech interior features such as the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit with available Volkswagen App-Connect and Fender Premium Audio System. The all-new Atlas is also the only vehicle in its class to offer Automatic Post-Collision Braking System. The Volkswagen Atlas comes with a six-year or 72,000-mile (whichever occurs first) New Vehicle Limited Warranty, with coverage that’s transferable beyond the first owner—the best transferable, bumper-to-bumper warranty among SUVs in America.”

In addition, if you want to check out what sharks lived in your own neighborhood, VW and Discovery Channel put together an interactive page called Land of Sharks which connects to google maps to show the sharks that would have been found in your backyard millions of years ago! This is available from Sunday, July 23, 2017, to Sunday, July 30, 2017, so you still have time to check it out! Fans will be able to access the experience through the Land of Sharks website, http://landofsharks.com/. I’ve been playing around with it for like an hour now and it is awesome! I’ve already learned about a shark called the Helicoprion. This thing has teeth running down the center of its mouth like a table saw. It’s INSANE! Definitely go check it out!

Ltd, Newspress. “VOLKSWAGEN TAKES A BITE OUT OF DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S SHARK WEEK WITH.” Volkswagen Media Centre. N.p., 21 July 2017. Web. 28 July 2017. <http://media.vw.com/release/1414/>.

I learned how to drive on a tractor when I was quite small. Probably much smaller than was actually legal, BUT I lived on a pretty large farm in Duncansville, PA at the time, so the worst I was going to do was drive into a hay bale at maybe 10mph (not saying that makes it THAT MUCH better, but like a little better). Either way, I have always felt quite at home driving a stick shift vehicle. It felt more natural to me. Which is why it makes me sad to see that stick shift vehicles are so overlooked and consequently not super popular among my fellow drivers.

There are so many wonderful reasons why a stick shift is WAY better than automatic, if for no other reason, A BEAUTIFULLY toned left calf. But seriously, let’s take a minute to look at why the stick shift is boss.

1. Stick shifts improve fuel economy

I’m a penny pincher from way back, so I promise you, the savings friends, THE SAVINGS on gas you will have from switching to a stick shift vehicle is INSANE. According to the experts from Consumer Reports stick shifts can increase fuel efficiency by 5 mpg. Vehicles with stick shift accelerate faster than automatics, and because vehicles are most efficient in higher gears, the ability to accelerate and upshifting quickly is important to having better mileage.



2. Stick shifts save you more money

Replacing your transmission can be an expensive endeavor, BUT with a stick shift, the cost is reduced by almost half. Replacing the transmission on an automatic tends to run in the neighborhood of $3,000. But on a manual? Just $1,200 to $1,500.



3. Stick shifts make distracted driving harder

When driving a stick shift, do you know what I can’t do behind the wheel? Text or check my phone. Wanna know why? I only have 2 hands and both of them are needed for me to be able to drive my car. This doesn’t mean educating drivers about distracted driving isn’t important, it just means that in a stick shift car, your only option is to focus on the road.



4. Stick shifts are way more fun

I’m gonna be real, I feel pretty darn awesome driving stick! Like, it’s probably my number 1 reason. I have fun driving. I mean, come on. It feels like I’m driving a spaceship. All that other stuff I mentioned is really just icing on the cake.

So, if you want to step up your driving experience take a ride over to Fiore Volkswagen and check out our manual transmission options!