Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Five Less Obvious Signs That Your Car Is In Need of Service





While most of the time your car will be intelligent enough to let you know when it's time for service, there are instances when you may need to identify signs a little less obvious than a blinking orange light on the dashboard.

Here are five more subtle indications that your car needs a trip to the doctor.

1. You notice a sudden drop in gas mileage. This could be a direct cause of a bad fuel injector, dirty fuel filter or a problem with the spark plugs.

2. Strange sounds. There are many different noises that cars make; some natural while others not so much. Knocking, thudding, squealing, droning: these are some common indicators that something is wrong. 

3.  Leaks. Automobiles require a litany of fluids to properly function. Not all leaks will indicate a problem. For example, in the summer when the A/C is running, water may condense and drip on the ground. The same is true for exhaust pipes. Oil is one particular fluid that you do not want to see accumulating on your driveway. A good way to test if it is just water, or perhaps something else, is to dab a bit of the fluid on your finger and smell it. 

4. Spongy Brakes. Are you having to apply more pressure when braking your vehicle? It may be time for a brake inspection. 

5. Smells. Use all of your senses when operating your vehicle. Burning or metallic scents coming from the vehicle are good signs of overheating, or brake issues.

If you think your car is in need of service, schedule an appointment with us online!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Disney's 'Muppets Most Wanted' and Terry Crews Take Toyota on a Super Bowl Joyride


2014 Highlander Spot Highlights Muppets’ Mission to ‘Unborify’ Crews on Game Day

 

 

The Muppets gang is in for a wild ride when they join forces with Toyota this year, blending Toyota’s exciting ‘Let’s Go Places’ spirit with Muppets mayhem. The collaboration celebrates the upcoming Toyota Highlander launch and the Muppets’ all-new big-screen adventure “Muppets Most Wanted,” in theaters March 21, 2014.

Disney’s Muppets will hit the road with Terry Crews, star of the Golden Globe®-winning FOX series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” in Toyota’s new commercial for the all-new 2014 Toyota Highlander. The 60-second spot, entitled “Joyride,” will make its broadcast debut during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, February 2.

“Our game-day spot shows how Toyota Highlander puts the 'fun' in function,” said Jack Hollis, vice president of Toyota Division Marketing at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Toyota vehicles are built to last and can even endure the most boisterous Muppets, a former NFL player as well as a center console full of chickens.”

With their over-the-top personalities, the Muppets teach Crews’ character a thing or two about “unborifying” his lifestyle as they “borrow” his sweet ride, the Toyota Highlander. The spot features humorous hijinks, dancing and surprises—and no Muppet caper would be complete without an original song. Viewers will see that with seating for up to eight human passengers or more than a dozen Muppets, the all-new Toyota Highlander has plenty of room for everything—everything except boring.

“We’re always game for a wild ride,” said Kermit the Frog, who makes a special appearance in the campaign, “as long as Animal’s not driving. He doesn’t quite get the whole concept of brakes.”

Crews, who played six years in the NFL as a defensive end/linebacker, is known for his roles and appearances on television shows such as “Arrested Development” and “The Newsroom,” and films “The Expendables” franchise, “Bridesmaids” and “The Longest Yard.”

“It’s truly an honor to be a part of this wild ride with Toyota and the Muppets,” said Crews. “The Toyota Highlander is the perfect vehicle to teach my character how to loosen up and have some fun. Be prepared for some laughs on game day.”

In addition to the commercial, the Muppets gang will provide real-time updates as they travel to the big game in their Toyota Highlander on February 2. Fans and customers are invited to chat live with the Muppets on game day by tweeting @Toyota or using #NoRoomForBoring.

The broadcast spot and social media activities were developed in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Conill and 360i. “Joyride” will air during the second quarter of the game.


Here's a preview of the commercial:


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Toyota Thanks Its 4 Millionth Certified Pre-Owned Customer


Michigan man presented with check; Toyota donates matching amount to local Ann Arbor non-profit



When Jose Ortiz of Ypsilanti, Mich. bought his 2010 Toyota Matrix at Dunning Toyota in December 2013, he didn’t realize the historical implication of his purchase. Ortiz’s decision enabled Toyota to become the first brand to sell 4 million certified pre-owned vehicles in automotive history.

The record-breaking sale was part of a banner year for Toyota, which sold more than 370,000 certified pre-owned vehicles in 2013.

To commemorate the milestone, Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of Toyota Division at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., presented Ortiz with a check equal to the total cost of his Matrix. The ceremony took place at Dunning Toyota in Ann Arbor, Mich., the dealership where he bought his vehicle.

Toyota also marked occasion with a check presentation of the same amount to Alpha House Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), a local non-profit that Dunning Toyota has sponsored for many years.

Located in Washtenaw County, IHN is an emergency shelter for children and their families experiencing homelessness. Through IHN’s ongoing support and advocacy, families remain securely housed, better able to cope with ongoing challenges and more connected to community resources.

“Driven by great teamwork, Toyota’s certified used vehicle program has been a tremendous success not only in terms of units sold, but also in building customer loyalty,” said Fay. “Toyota was the first manufacturer to have a certified used vehicle program and there is no better way to celebrate this milestone than to buy a Toyota certified for our 4 millionth customer. On behalf of Toyota, I’d like to thank Jose Ortiz for being part of the Toyota family.”

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

'Toyota Car of the Future' On Sale Next Year


Reasonably priced hydrogen fuel cell electric targets 300-mile range, 3-5 minute fill-up 

 



“We aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel; just everything necessary to make them turn,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. Inc., at the opening of CES, the world’s largest trade show. “Fuel cell electric vehicles will be in our future sooner than many people believe, and in much greater numbers than anyone expected.”

Two vehicles shared the stage at the Toyota press conference: The FCV concept, showing what the four-door mid-size sedan will look like in Radiant Blue; and the camouflage-taped engineering prototype used for extensive and extreme on-road testing in North America for more than a year. The prototype has consistently delivered a driving range of about 300 miles, zero-to-sixty acceleration of about 10 seconds, with no emissions, other than water vapor. Refueling of its hydrogen tanks takes three to five minutes.

“Hydrogen works beautifully with oxygen to create water and electricity and nothing more,” said Carter. “For years, the use of hydrogen gas to power an electric vehicle has been seen by many smart people as a foolish quest. Yes, there are significant challenges. The first is building the vehicle at a reasonable price for many people. The second is doing what WE can to help kick-start the construction of convenient hydrogen refueling infrastructure. We’re doing a good job with both and we will launch in 2015.”

For the last 20 years, Toyota’s investment in fuel cell R&D has been massive. Since 2002, Toyota has been testing and developing a series of prototypes in North America. In those 11 years – and more than a million miles – it has dramatically reduced the cost of building a fuel cell powertrain. In fact, Toyota estimates a 95-percent cost reduction in the powertrain and fuel tanks of the vehicle it will launch in 2015, compared to what it cost to build the original prototype in 2002.

The FCV represents a major engineering achievement, where the size and weight of its powertrain system was significantly reduced while maintaining an impressive total power output of more than 100kW. A fully-fueled vehicle will be capable of supplying enough energy to power a house for a week in an emergency. Engineers are currently looking to develop an external power supply device that could be used in this manner.

“There’s no doubt, that the success of this technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience,” said Carter. “Cost is one thing, but convenience is another.”

Focusing on California, where the vehicle will be launched initially, Toyota has partnered with the University of California Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) to help map out potential locations for new hydrogen fueling stations.

The APEP spatial model considers a variety of data including R.L. Polk ownership of hybrid and electric vehicles, traffic patterns, population density, and so on. The model is based on the assumption that owners want to reach a refueling station within 6-minutes.

What the model produced was an initial cluster map that requires only 68 station sites in the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley, as well as Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. If implemented, the mapped system could handle a fuel cell population conservatively estimated by APEP at about 10,000 vehicles.

“Stay tuned,” added Carter, “because this infrastructure thing is going to happen.”

While specific sales volumes will be announced closer to launch, Carter said that Toyota has revised initial market plans and requested additional vehicles. More information will be announced in the weeks and months ahead, including U.S. sales volume targets, the name of the vehicle and comprehensive specifications and performance data. Consumers interested in learning more about the Toyota Car of the Future can visit www.toyota.com/fuelcell


Let us know what you think about this exciting, new technology and be sure to visit the Day Toyota Scion website.