Category Archives: New Cars

How long do your brakes last? That’s up to you.

#TechTuesday Tip: Braking

How long will the brakes in your car last? Well, that’s really up to you, how you drive your car, and where you drive your car. Flat, easy terrain will mean longer lasting brakes. You live in the mountains? All bets are off… The way you drive your car also plays a huge role in the lifespan of your brakes. Here’s a few tips to help your brakes live a little longer

  • Stops from high speeds are your brake’s #1 enemy. Brakes sacrifice themselves by turning energy into heat. By stopping from a slower speed, a lot less brake material will be burned off. By coasting up to a known stop will significantly increase your brake’s lifespan
  • Only use your right foot to drive. Ever see cars that are driving down the road with their brake lights on? That driver is probably driving with both feet, pushing the gas pedal and (inadvertently) pushing the brake at the same time.
  • Brake fluid needs to be changed from time to time. It’s what mechanics call flushing and bleeding the system. If you have an older vehicle, renew the brake fluid. You don’t gain a thing if you’re saving the brakepads and the system is rotting from the inside out. Brake fluid naturally attracts moisture which can promote internal corrosion, and really limit the effectiveness of your brakes.

If your driving habits are sensible but your brakes are still wearing rapidly, the problem may be with the car. The Service Department at the Woody’s Automotive Group is a full service shop that works on all makes and models- Just give Matt a call today! 888-869-0963

Chrysler 200 Proves Its Worth

The 200 comes in four trim levels. The LX is the options-light entry-level package, starting at $21,700. The Limited trim clocks in at a starting price of $23,255. The S — what we drove — is Chrysler’s sports-sedan trim. At $24,495, the car comes with leather-trimmed sport seats, a tighter, sports-tuned suspension, 18-inch rims, paddle-shifters, and dark-finished interior and exterior accents. More on all that later. The top-of-the-line 200C starts at $25,995, though if you feel like treating yourself, a checklist full of options can push the car well north of $36,000.

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All 200s come standard with a 184-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and Chrysler’s nine-speed automatic transmission. The 200S and 200C are available with Chrysler’s award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, which pumps out 295 horsepower. All-wheel drive is available in the 200S and 200C, albeit for an extra $4,200.

The styling of the 200 makes it an attractive car. Some have complained that it looks too much like something else; but if that something else is an Audi or Hyundai Genesis and not the old 200, it seems as if Chrysler’s doing something right.

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And the 200 actually can be fun to drive. The V-6 has power-a-plenty and it works quite well with the nine-speed. So well, in fact, that the paddle shifters seem kind of pointless. Keep your expectations realistic, but putting the car in sport mode adds to the fun by changing up the throttle response andshift points and tightening the steering. The V-6 also sounds good, especially at higher revs.2015-Chrysler-200S-EXT-GIF-HEADER1

So now the 200 can stop pretending. It is in fact a highly competitive vehicle in the mid-sized sedan class!

A headlight is just a headlight, right? Not anymore!

Woody's Automotive Group Headlight Service

A headlight is just a headlight, right? At one time this may have been true, but today there are three main options for manufacturers and auto buyers to choose from. Headlamp technology has evolved over the years, but does newer always mean better? I guess it depends on what you’re looking for in a headlight.

The first up is the trusty, time-tested halogen headlamp. Most vehicles on the road today are using halogen lights. This is the oldest of the three options found on new vehicles, but it’s still widely used today because it’s primary advantage is longevity and cost. Under normal conditions, a halogen bulb will last about 1,000 hours and the replacement lamps are usually inexpensive to replace. So why not use them in everything? Halogen isn’t exactly the best example of efficiency. Lots of the energy used by a halogen lamp is turned into heat and is just wasted. If you’re driving an electric car or a hybrid, you can’t afford to be wasting your power in the form of throw-away heat. One thing to remember when changing a halogen bulb is to not touch the glass with your fingers. By wearing gloves, you can keep the salt from the moisture in your skin away from the glass. These salts can compromise the way the glass will resist the high temperatures created by the filament.

Halogen Advantages: – Long life – Bright illumination – Inexpensive replacements

Halogen Disadvantages: – Energy wasting – Extra care when handling

Next up is the Xenon headlight, or the HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamp. These are generally regarded as a more efficient solution because they generate more light and have a better color temperature (to the naked eye, they appear to have a blue tint). These lamps can generate more than twice the light of a traditional halogen lamp. More light is a good thing, right? If you’re driving with HID lamps, yes. If you’re the oncoming traffic, not so much. For all the light they generate, an HID lamp should last about 2000 hours under normal conditions. These lamps do cost a little more to produce, install, and replace. Another thing to consider is that some of the Xenon lamps may contain toxic substances like mercury.

HID Advantages: – A longer lifetime than halogen lamps – More efficient than halogen lamps – Better visibility for the driver

HID Disadvantages: – Lots of glare for other drivers – All around higher costs than halogen – Harmful materials MAY be found in the lamps

The third major type of headlight used today is the LED, or Light Emitting Diode. These lamps are certainly a leap forward in technology, but they still have a ways to go. Don’t get me wrong- this type of light still has plenty of advantages and it could take over the headlamp world in a few years. These lamps need very low power to work, which is why they are the lamp of choice in electric and hybrid vehicles where electricity is a premium commodity. Also, an LED lamp is usually pretty small compared to a traditional headlamp, allowing manufacturers to produce all kinds of shapes and configurations that wouldn’t have been possible with the older headlights. Although these don’t create the heat that the other lamps do, there is still a certain amount of heat created at the base of the emitter. This hot-spot does create a potential risk for nearby assemblies and cables. This is the primary reason that these lamps aren’t used more frequently. Currently, production costs are pretty high for LED’s, and they mostly offered as options.

LED Advantages: – Very low energy consumption – Small size allowing for different configurations

LED Disadvantages: – High production costs – Not the brightest – Could cause heat damage to nearby assemblies

So how well does your car see in the dark? Come see the experts at the Woody’s Automotive Group today!

What a chunk of change!

The first production 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat sold for $825,000 during the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2014 auction Saturday.

“The VIN0001 muscle car was not only one of the hottest cars that rolled through the Barrett-Jackson auction lanes, it is also the ultimate collectible 2015 Dodge Challenger as Dodge is ensuring there will never be another one like it,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge and SRT brands president and CEO, in a statement.

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The auctioned Challenger Hellcat included a special 6.2-liter supercharger engine cover and a “Hemi Orange” painted presentation containing an iPad with a video documentary that shows the step-by-step building of the car.

Money raised from the Challenger Hellcat auction benefited Opportunity Village, a not-for-profit organization that serves people with significant intellectual disabilities in the Las Vegas area. The Engelstad Family Foundation of Las Vegas matched the auction price, bringing the grand total raised for Opportunity Village to $1.65 million.

Fiat! A Fun Filled Ride!

You live your life with efficient ease. Drive your car the same way. With fuel efficiency ratings of 31 city / 40 highway mpg, your FIAT 500c Lounge is anything but complicated.

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Protected by seven airbags, including advanced multistage driver and front-passenger airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, full-length side-curtain airbags and seat-mounted pelvic-thorax airbags, you can rest assured that you and your passengers stay secure.

Your EVIC keeps you conveniently in touch with your vehicle’s information at a glance. This digital display presents speed, rpm, fuel level, engine coolant temperature and much more, as well as time, date, ambient temperature and mileage.

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Speak easy and listen to music hands-free while you’re on the move with BLUE&ME. Stream your favorites wirelessly with Bluetooth Streaming Audio. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with this voice-activated “must-have” convenience.

Added touches bring an extra level of luxury. Immerse yourself in the simple beauty of the FIAT®500c Lounge with details such as leather trim on the shift knob and steering wheel. The available Luxury Leather Package includes heated leather-trimmed front seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and the rear park assist system.

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Enjoy the freedom and flexibility of your power retractable soft top with four preset positions, as well as a full cycle of stopping points, from fully opened to fully closed. This dual-layer cloth top can be retracted at speeds of up to 60 mph!

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Uconnect In All It’s Glory!

With Chrysler LLC, the purchase of a new vehicle offers up the delight of a Uconnect system! This extremely sophisticated media center is equipped with an easy to use interface. The Uconnect system offers: Entertainment, Navigation, Internet Access (if subscribed), Bluetooth Connections and Streaming, Safety Functions and more! All located on an 8.4″ touchscreen, this easily navigated system is frosting on the cake with your new vehicle!

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  Premium Sound! Beats Audio, Alpine, Harman Kardon, Infinity, Boston Acoustics. Your multi-speaker sound system and built-in HD radio is guaranteed to deliver a memorable driving experience as you roll on down the road.

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  Comfort is always an important feature with driving those long distances! Adjustyour seat or your cabin temperature; select a new music station; or make a call without taking your eyes from the road. All your radio, touchscreen and steering wheel controls are designed to be easy to find and easy to use.

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MOPAR ELECTRONIC VEHICLE TRACKING SYSTEM

Want to protect your vehicle? Check out this great device offered up by Mopar! They really do think of it all!

Protect your vehicle with Mopar’s Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS), a state-of-the-art GPS-enabled stolen vehicle recovery system. It features everything you need to recover your vehicle in the event of a theft, plus additional features that put other systems to shame.

EVTS includes nationwide tracking without a subscription, but you’ll want to add either the Silver or Gold Plan to get a wide variety of extra benefits, including 24/7 Emergency Service Dispatch, Security Fence, Arrival/Departure Notification, Excessive Speed Notification, Trace Maps of Past Locations, and much more. Keep your vehicle safe and sound with EVTS.

The Technology in a Town & Country!

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So many people think a minivan is just a minivan! However, there is much more to it than meets the eye! So let’s start at the top and work our way down! Roof Racks! 

Accommodate just about anything you might carry on your journey. The Stow N Place Roof Rack can transport up to 150 pounds of properly secured cargo. When not in use, fold the crossbars down into the side rails to help improve aerodynamics and decrease wind noise. Need to get inside? No Problem! Access the power sliding doors and power liftgate in one of three ways—with your remote keyless entry, the power door lock switch on the interior front door panels or the liftgate release handle.

The sun bright out? No worries! Working double-duty, deep-tinted sunscreen glass obscures the view of objects inside your vehicle from outsiders while it helps protect passengers from the sun’s harsh rays. The storage is out of this world though!

The Stow ’n Go Seating and Storage System includes fold-in-the-floor seats and in-floor storage bins. One quick motion folds, tumbles and stows the seats into the floor. Folding the second and the third rows gives you 143.8 cubic feet of storage. The Chrysler Town & Country comes with a class-exclusive super console, which features a large driver-accessible storage area and another large storage drawer accessible by both first- and second-row passengers.

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The fun though, starts with the safety! Rear Cross Path Detection uses sensors to monitor for vehicles and objects crossing your path when you’re moving in reverse. The system alerts you with an icon in the exterior mirrors if a vehicle approaches from the left or right. Rain-Sensitive Wipers activate automatically when they detect moisture on the windshield. You don’t have to take your hands off the wheel to adjust the wiper controls as the rain level changes. The ParkSense Rear Park Assist System uses sensors that detect objects when your vehicle is moving in reverse at low speeds. The sensors determine relative distance, and readouts in the instrument cluster notify you of the proximity of the object.

The children need to have fun, too! Keep your passengers occupied with a standard dual-screen Blu-ray and DVD Entertainment System that includes second- and third-row viewing screens. Appreciate the designed-in sound of the Infinity nine-speaker system with subwoofer, standard on the Town & Country Limited. It delivers superb quality surround sound with an 11-channel amplifier and 506 watts of power.

Carbon Foot? How is your vehicle?

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The carbon footprint of making a car is immensely complex. Ores have to be dug out of the ground and the metals extracted. These have to be turned into parts. Other components have to be brought together: rubber tires, plastic dashboards, paint, and so on. All of this involves transporting things around the world. The whole lot then has to be assembled, and every stage in the process requires energy. The companies that make cars have offices and other infrastructure with their own carbon footprints, which we need to somehow allocate proportionately to the cars that are made.

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With this in mind, unless you do very high mileage or have a real gas-guzzler, it generally makes sense to keep your old car for as long as it is reliable – and to look after it carefully to extend its life as long as possible. If you make a car last to 200,000 miles rather than 100,000, then the emissions for each mile the car does in its lifetime may drop by as much as 50%, as a result of getting more distance out of the initial manufacturing emissions.

Find out your vehicles carbon footprint right here! My 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer has made 49.45 metric tons of CO2..

If you are in need of a new car or want something more reliable that also gets amazing gas mileage, Woody’s Automotive Group can handle that! We have over 700 vehicles and each one is fantastic in its own right! Stop in and see us today!