Maintenance Monday Post: Fill with washer fluid only

Does your car have a case of the Monday's?

Don’t add water to the windshield washer reservoir. It won’t clean as well as washer fluid, and it may freeze in cold weather and damage the system. Don’t try to run your windshield washer system once you suspect there’s no more fluid in the tank, or you may damage the washer fluid pump.

Courtesy of Reader's Digest

Listen to Coldplay if You Want to Stay Safe on the Road, Study Says

Want to stay safe on the road? Wear a seat belt, check your blindspots, avoid texting while driving and ... listen to Coldplay.

Strange as it may sound, the British band's soothing tunes could help you avoid accidents while driving. Coldplay's "The Scientist" landed on a list of "ultimate safe driving songs" compiled by Confused.com, the creator of driving app MotorMate.

From the data, London Metropolitan University professor Simon Moore concluded that the optimum music volume for driving is 55 to 65 decibels, while the ideal tempo should mimic the human heartbeat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute.

Based on Moore's findings, Confused.com created a safe-driving playlist that includes: Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me," Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours," Radiohead's "Karma Police" and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." For more, check out the video above.

On the other side of the spectrum, Moore cautioned against listening to music that is noisy, upbeat and increases your heart rate. For example, drivers should avoid the Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama," which topped Confused.com's list of top 10 dangerous driving songs.

Courtesy of Mashable.com

As 2013 Rolls In, Forbes Finds The Kia Soul To Be In High Demand

As 2013 begins and many auto brands wrap up their holiday sales, Forbes has released a list of the vehicles that were in the highest demand during the busy selling season. Coming in at number four on the publication's Top 10 Hard-to-Get Cars list is the Kia Soul urban crossover, which has been attracting buyers with its affordable pricing and eccentric styling.

Forbes worked with auto researcher Edmunds.com to rank its Top 10 Hard-to-Get Cars based on the average number of days it took for each model to turn, or how long a dealer had a vehicle in inventory before it sold. Edmunds.com reported that the average Kia Soul model stayed in stock for just 15 days, as the vehicle remains a high-volume seller, moving well past 100,000 units in the United States in 2012.

"If you look at the Forbes Hard-to-Get Cars list, you'll notice that every model has attractive styling, but none of the other styles are quite as unique as the Soul's funky design," said Scott Levy, general manager of Rosen Kia of Elgin, a Chicagoland Kia dealer. "The tall roof and angular lines of the Soul have made it perfect for drivers who want to stand out but still need a practical, versatile ride for day-to-day driving."

Last February, Kia used the style of the Soul as the basis when it unveiled the sportier, two-door Track'ster concept, which was recently named a 2013 10Best Concept Car by Car and Driver magazine. Taking on a longer wheelbase and a wider stance with more prominent fender flares, the Kia Track'ster has a race-ready appearance, donning various scoops and vents as well as a pair of booster-rocket exhaust pipes.

Though there are no current plans for production, Car and Driver indicated that the aggressive styling of the Kia Track'ster could make the coupe a viable competitor to the MINI Cooper, in much the same way that the Soul has taken on its boxy four-door counterparts, the Scion xB and Nissan Cube. Even if the Track'ster remains a concept, it may influence the style of the next-generation 2014 Soul when it goes on sale as soon as this year. A prototype of the new Soul has been spotted with a steeper front end similar to that of the Track'ster.

"As an automaker, you have to be careful that you aren't trying fix something that isn't broken when redesigning a popular model, but all signs point to just the right amount of styling updates in the next Soul," added Levy. "Fans can expect the same recognizable shape along with new modern touches that will keep the crossover turning heads for years to come."

Courtesy of Read Media

Awesome job, sales team! Another satisfied customer.

"I purchased a Sorento and I absolutely love it. Do not hesitate to purchase a car from Paramount Kia of Hickory... Trust me when I say that they will treat you right and help you in any way that they can." - Customer

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Congrats, service team, on another great review!

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"I have always had my needs met in an orderly manner and any questions I had, they took care of. I will be using their service again in the near future." - Sonya P.

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Tire Myths...and Reality

Myth: I should inflate my tires according to the pressure indicated on the tire sidewall.

Fact: The handwriting's not on the wall--the tire sidewall, that is. Molded into the sidewall is the tire's maximum inflation pressure, not the manufacturer-recommended pressure. For normal operation, follow inflation pressure recommendations in the owner's manual or on the vehicle placard located in the glovebox or on the door post.

Myth: A tread pattern is needed to provide great traction on dry roads.

Fact: A racing slick--a tire without any tread--provides the ultimate in dry traction due to the maximum amount of rubber touching the road. A tread pattern, with its groove voids, actually compromises this adhesion capability on dry roads. The role of tire tread is to act as a squeegee on wet roads to remove water from under the tire and channel it through the grooves for improved wet traction.

Myth: Performance tires wear out faster because of the sticky compounds.

Fact: Performance tires may wear out faster than conventional family-car tires; however, tread rubber polymers aren't the culprits. In fact, new polymers and ultratensile steel constructions make performance tires last longer than ever. Industrywide, performance tires average about 45,000 miles in tread life, similar to the figures for family-car passenger tires. Fast wear usually is due to high-horsepower vehicles fitted with the tires and aggressive driving. Jackrabbit starts and quick stops can shorten the life of any tire.

Myth: Wide tires provide better traction under all weather conditions. In fact, putting oversize snow tires on a car delivers better snow traction.

Fact: The opposite is actually true. Wide tires tend to "float" on deep snow, and the tread lugs never have a chance to "dig" through to the road surface to gain traction. Narrow tires are a better option in deep snow. The tire acts similarly to a knife cutting through butter; the blade works best when using the narrow edge to push through the butter rather than the wide flat side of the blade.

Myth: All-season tires are so good that winter tires are never needed.

Fact: In some parts of the country, this may be true, but if you live in the northernmost states or in Canada, the traction provided by winter tires can't be beat. Winter tires reign supreme in rural areas where snow remains on the road for days. They provide 25-percent-improved traction in deep snow over all-season tires. Metal-studded tires deliver up to 40 percent greater traction on hard-packed snow and ice over all-season tires, but many locales have restrictions regarding the use of studs.

Myth: Never rotate tires from side to side, only front to back.

Fact: Radial tires can be crossed from side to side in the rotation pattern. The old front-to-back rule applied to bias ply tires. Regular tire rotation--every 6000 to 8000 miles--promotes more uniform wear for all tires on a vehicle. (Goodyear recently designed a light-truck tire system that requires no rotation; the Wrangler RF-A provides a rear tire with a different tread design from the front tire).

Myth: Put your new tires on the drive-wheel position to get the most traction.

Fact: This is only true on a rear-drive vehicle. In all cases, install new tires on the rear axle. Most tire buyers purchase new rubber for the drive-wheel position to get the most traction; however, by doing so they transfer most of their traction capabilities from the rear and make it susceptible to oversteer. The vehicle's rear will fishtail and swing out in fast cornering or emergency maneuvers.

Myth: Sticking your fingernail in the tread can help you pick the tire with the softest compounds, and thus, the best adhesion.

Fact: It's sort of like kicking the tire, but with another part of your anatomy. Tread compounds only tell part of a tire's story. Tread pattern, tire shape, and tire footprint shape on the pavement provide clues to its adhesion capabilities. Don't rely on the fingernail test.

Myth: The government tests tires for traction, temperature resistance, and treadwear and assigns grades molded onto the sidewall.

Fact: Uniform Tire Quality Grading is a federal law that requires tire manufacturers to grade their own tires for treadwear, traction, and temperature resistance. Tire manufacturers, not the government, test tires and assign their own grades. Unfortunately, the government has not prescribed a formula for converting the manufacturer test results into universal grades; therefore, the numbers are not objective. According to the Federal Trade Commission, treadwear grades are for comparison purposes only and are not intended to be converted into anticipated or promised tire mileage.

Myth: An undulation on a tire sidewall is a weak spot that could lead to tire failure.

Fact: An undulation is created where materials overlap each other in the tire carcass, and it actually is the strongest part of the tire. Still, motorists perceive a "wave" on the sidewall as a defect. Goodyear's new ultratensile steel reinforcement eliminates this material splice and overlap. Ultratensile steel should reduce sidewall undulation in polyester-reinforced tires.

Myth: Before you buy a car, kick the tires.

Fact: It might not tell you much about the vehicle or tires, but it could tell you whether your shoe padding is adequate.

Courtesy of MotorTrend.com

Awesome job, Brent! Another glowing recommendation.

"Car salesman, Brent Huffman, was a pleasure to deal with and I will be more than happy to give them my repeat business in the future, as well as offer a positive word of mouth recommendation to others." - Greg M.

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