Posts Tagged ‘Used Cars Portland’

Over 6 million accidents occur on America’s roads and highways every year. They range from minor fender-benders to tragic multiple-vehicle pileups involving fatalities. In the stress of the moment, we often forget what to do. If you are involved in a crash, follow these steps.

Immediately Pull Over to the Right Shoulder If you can move your vehicle, put on your hazard lights and park as far on the right shoulder as possible. If there is no shoulder, the car is drivable, and you are uninjured enough to move it, put on your hazard lights and drive to the nearest safe place to pull over. Do not leave the scene of an accident, even a minor one, unless it would be more dangerous to remain there (such as on a winding back road or in the middle of a busy intersection).

Do a Head-to-Toe Check of all Passengers Is everyone conscious? Is anyone bleeding? Start at the head and work downward toward the toes and outward toward the fingers. Ask about every body part. This is important information to give emergency workers. Keep in mind that adrenaline will delay many physical consequences, such as soft tissue damage. Do not move anyone who is unconscious. Moving someone who has possibly sustained a neck or spinal injury, if you are not a trained paramedic with proper equipment, can cause irreparable harm.

Call 911 Police, ambulance, and possibly fire. Now is not the time to worry about ambulance fees if you’re uninsured. Many hospitals have assistance programs and payment programs, and car insurance includes coverage for harm to passengers involved in accidents. Let the professionals assess the damage.

Call AAA or Roadside Assistance It’s going to take a while for a tow truck to arrive. If you need one, call them as soon as you get off the line with emergency services. By the time you’re done with the police and the other driver(s), the tow truck will have arrived.

If Possible and Safe, Remain in the Vehicle Life is not like the movies and a fender bender isn’t going to make your SUV spontaneously burst into flames. Staying in the car, especially on a busy road or interstate, is generally safer than getting out and standing on the side of the road waiting for police and paramedics and tow trucks to arrive.

Trade Information with the other Driver(s) When the police have arrived, and it’s safe to leave your vehicle, get the other driver’s insurance information, name, driver’s license number, phone number, license plate number, and make and model of their vehicle. Get an incident report number from the responding officer(s). Keep copies of this information to give to your insurance company.

Call Your Insurance Provider The toll-free number is on the back of your insurance card, which should be in your glove box. Report the incident. Give the license plate number, name of the driver, insurance information, and description of the other vehicle. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask them and write down the answers. The stress of the situation will mean you probably won’t remember the details.

Pull into any fuel station and you’re faced with a choice: 87, 89, or 91 octane, regular, premium, or super. But is there any quantifiable difference in how a car performs when filled with one over the others? Does premium gas do anything other than cost more? Experts say, unless your car was built before 1990, probably not in any way that you’re going to notice.

Before cars were computerized under the hood, using a grade of gas lower than that recommended by the manufacturer led to knocking and clunking in the engine. The technology currently installed in most of the cars we’re driving these days makes engine knocking a non-issue.

The other concern with using lower-than-recommended octane fuel is accelerating power. It may take an extra half-second to go from 0-60 if there’s regular in the tank instead of premium. While that may be important on a race track or in a lab setting when cars are being tested and evaluated for performance, humans can’t tell split-second differences like that and everyday driving conditions rarely (if ever) call for 0-60 in very few seconds.

As with any service-related issue, however, check your driver’s manual. Just as it would be disastrous to put diesel in a standard engine (or vice-versa), your car may require higher-grade fuel. If this is the case, then use it. On the other hand, if the manual simply recommends a higher-octane gas, save your money and go with regular instead.

To find great Suzuki vehicles, browse our new inventory, pre-owned vehicles, and internet specials 24/7 at gladstonesuzuki.com.

Out of sight, out of mind. It’s easy to forget the things we don’t see every day, and who looks at their car’s fluids every time they drive? But if we neglect these vital details, our cars can be reduced to useless heaps rather quickly. While consulting your driver’s manual (either included with your vehicle or the Chilton or Haynes) is best, these rules-of-thumb can serve as a better guide than the service shops that want to upsell products.

Transmission Arguably the most important fluid in your vehicle, transmission fluid should be pinkish-red and sweet smelling. To test it, run your car for a while, pull the dipstick while the car is on, and look at and smell it. If it is dirty, smells terrible, or is cloudy, it’s time to change it. Ideally, it should be replaced before these things happen, generally every 30,000 miles or annually if you’re frequently towing heavy loads in hot weather.

Engine oil The old rule of thumb was every three months or 3,000 miles, but thanks to synthetic oils and new technologies, most vehicles can go twice or three times that long (Porsche recommends changing oil only every 20,000 miles). Always follow the driver’s manual for your vehicle; 3,000 miles is, generally speaking, a marketing ploy based on outdated technology and products.

Brake Without proper fluid, your brakes won’t perform properly, and that can be a deadly oversight. Flush and replace brake fluid annually or when recommended by your manual.

Power steering Consult your owner’s manual for exact details, but a good rule of thumb for the replacement of power steering fluid, which should also be pinkish and sweet-smelling, is five years or 100,000 miles for long-life type and three years or 50,000 miles for conventional power steering fluid.

Coolant Replace engine coolant at the same time as your power steering fluid. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle or in your driver’s manual for the proper ratio of coolant-to-water; more isn’t always better.

In addition to these recommendations, it’s a good idea to check levels and top-up or replace near-expired fluids before embarking on a longer-than-usual trip. Many service centers offer free fluid checks and top-ups between changes. Take advantage of these as often as necessary.

Looking for another new or pre-owned vehicle? Browse our new inventory, pre-owned vehicles, and internet specials 24/7 at gladstonesuzuki.com.

sources: www.edmunds.com, www.autos.com, and www.automedia.com

We at Gladstone Suzuki would like to take a moment and thank all of our newest customers! We appreciate your business and hope to serve you again in the future!

Jamie with her 2007 Toyota Sequoia! Have fun, Jamie!

Looking for another new or pre-owned vehicle? Browse our new inventory, pre-owned vehicles, and internet specials 24/7 at gladstonesuzuki.com.

Searching for a truck that’s loaded with versatility at an affordable price? Check out this Nissan Frontier from Gladstone Suzuki! The Frontier has ranked at the top of its class for years, and this model just might be the perfect fit for you!

Under the hood of this Frontier is a 4.0-liter V6 engine with less than 72,000 miles, making this a great investment for the long future it has ahead. It is also equipped with a convenient double-cab, making it much easier to bring family and friends along for the ride while still maintaining the capabilities of a pickup.

Features include everything you would expect from a top-rated pickup. The exterior includes the Nissan tow package, spray-on bed liner, alloy wheels, gorgeous chrome accents, and much more. The interior is equipped with cruise control, heated leather seats, outside temperature gauge, fog lights, and too many more to list here!

This truck is also conveniently priced at just $19,900 – a fantastic deal for a top-rated pickup with very few miles. Ready to take it for a test drive? Give us a call at 877-617-9682 to set up an appointment before it’s gone!

Looking for another new or pre-owned vehicle? Browse our new inventory, pre-owned vehicles, and internet specials 24/7 at gladstonesuzuki.com.