One last bite of summer: Your guide to savoring your last family road trip

The kids are going back to school soon, and you’re trying to round up the troops for one last family road trip. One of the most important things when traveling with kids is having a steady supply of snacks on hand, and knowing what restaurants are in the areas you’ll be traveling through so you can make an educated decision about where to take everyone.

Snacks like string cheese, rice cakes, pretzels, bagels, sandwiches, apple slices, bananas, granola bars, cookies, raisins, cereal, etc. stand up against travel pretty well and are unlikely to spoil or get too squished to eat if you keep them in a safe, readily available place.

Rest stops make perfect pit stops if you’ve packed picnic-style, and give your kids’ restless legs a chance to stretch and run around. This can save you a headache later when the little ones are all too hyper because they’ve been sitting in the car for a long time!

Choosing family-friendly restaurants en route is a good idea as well – we all know how much a packet of crayons and a coloring book place mat means to grouchy kids.

How to Get a Successful Driver’s License Photo

Most of us are disappointed after taking a driver's license photo. Have you promised yourself to make it better next time? Take a look at these tips to take the best photo ever!

1. Do not wear white, it tends to make people look sickly under the lighting at the DMV.
2. Avoid wearing t- shirts with slogans, plain shirts with soft colors such as blue, green and pink tend to be the best.
3. If you are getting your photo taken during allergy season or if you have a cold, use eye drops and make sure your eyes wide open.
4. Keep your hair neat and normal, today is not the day to try out a fancy hair do or new hair color.
5. Be on time for your appointment and stay patient. DMV’s are notoriously slow but the wait will be worth a great picture!

Here’s why the 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe is the only SUV that matters.

Positive reviews, pricing, and long-term ownership costs.  The big three.  The trifecta.  What do these three factors have in common?  Every car brand strives to produce a vehicle that masters each one.   And with the SUV market growing every year, there’s a lot of cut-throat competition!  But only the 2014 Santa Fe stands out as the SUV that perfects it all with this much style.

The 2014 Santa Fe is dramatically redesigned from its previous models, and comes with all the bells and whistles.  It handles like a dream, slicing through curvy roads like butter.  Did we mention it’s roomy enough to fit everyone comfortably, turbocharged, AND boasts an amazing MPG for its class?

Why are you still sitting there?  Come see us for a test drive today.

All-Season vs. Winter tires, explanation follows.

The good news is that winter is long gone, but at least you’ll be informed for next year. It’s quite important to know what you’re getting into when you’re buying tires.

The difference in winter tires starts with the rubber compound, which remains flexible during cold weather rather than hard like all-seasons. Deep grooves (1) in the unidirectional tread blocks (2) clear snow and slush efficiently; small cuts, called sipes (3), grip tiny variations in slick surfaces.

All-seasons wear longer because of harder rubber compounds. Drainage channels (1) limit hydroplaning; fewer grooves (2) mean better dry-surface grip. Bidirectional tread (3) allows tires to be rotated to both sides of the car.

Braking

"I'll be fine, I have all-wheel drive." It's called all-wheel drive instead of all-wheel stop for a reason. On all-seasons, the AWD car stopped in the longest distance. On snow tires, both cars came to a halt about a car length sooner—often the difference between a close call and a call to your insurance company. So long story short, Winter Tires will drastically improve your braking distance.

Acceleration

The difference between Winter Tires and All-Season Tires in terms acceleration time is not that great. 

Cornering

This is a very important part of the test, this will allow you to go around an obstacle and back on track safely. Luckily, this is the best result for winter tires, make sure you are riding on winter tires if you often drive on curvy roads, or at higher speeds.

Uphill acceleration

Going uphill on snow or ice can be quite difficult. Especially if your car is heavy and if you’re towing a trailer or anything. On this particular test, having All-Wheel-Drive is the best thing you can do for yourself, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that winter/snow tires do help quite a lot.

Make sure your Hyundai stays cool during summer!

Car fires are getting more and more attention in the news. They’re usually affiliated to design flaws and exotic cars. Unfortunately, you could be playing your role in preventing them from happening to you. Here’s a quick list of things to look out for, if you can’t do it yourself, we understand. Come to us! Our service department will be glad to check on things for you!

1. Fuel system leaks
As you can imagine, they play a large role in regular car fires. They occur when the plastic on the tube starts to crack away, forcing flammable liquids onto warm engine parts can be the easiest way to get a fire started.

2. Electrical System Failure
These are the second most common causes for Car Fires, and no they don’t have to be the ones you find Electric Vehicles, any regular car battery can make quite the damage if not kept up properly. 

3. Spilled fluids
A car has plenty of different fluids that allow it to run smoothly. Fuel, engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid and even engine coolant can all be found leaking in en engine bay. In the event of a car accident, if these fluids are leaking across your car, the chances of a car fire to initiate are higher.

4. Overheating Engines
A motor that tends to overheat is due to poor maintenance. Keeping your car in good working condition will help you avoid overheating, especially during longer road trips. It doesn’t actually cause the fire but sets it up perfectly (unfortunately) to bring fluids temperatures way up, and making it a real risk. 

5. Last but not least, the catalytic converter
As we all know, the exhaust pieces are one of the warmest in a car. It is very important to help keep the exhaust at a safe and lower temperature! In order to do that, one simply needs to make sure their spark plugs are functioning properly, anything to ensure the car’s burning process is happening properly, so that the Catalytic Converter doesn’t have to work extra hard.

Don't feel bad about traffic, some people have it worse!

This world is filled with automobiles and other means of transportation as we know it. Most of us are lucky to be living in the cities that aren't so bad in terms of traffic congestion, even we think otherwise at times. Let’s go over this reality-check and see what this world has to offer us when it comes to heavy-traffic cities.

5. Johannesburg, South Africa

Even though South Africa is known for gorgeous landscape and beaches, Johannesburg is quite a large city with many motorists. 3.2 million people called Johannesburg home in 2013.

4. Mexico City, Mexico

What makes Mexico City one of the worst driving cities in the world is the fact that its population has quadrupled in the last 40 years. The worst part is that the roads and streets have remained unchanged during all this time.

3. Manila, Philippines

Philippines residents will be shocked that Manila isn't number 1 on the list as they perceive traffic congestion as their number one problem – above respiratory problems, mountains of trash, and even drowning.

2. New Delhi, India

India is known to be a very crowded place with underdeveloped infrastructures. The government is working on that as we speak. These rough conditions make India the country with the highest number of road-related deaths.

1. The winner is….Beijing, China!
The population of Beijing is over 21 million people, so we can let you imagine where traffic is the worst. Urban planners are trying to best to defy the over population and the saturation of the land. Hopefully, City Transit will improve as we don’t see many other solutions.  

Relax and be safe at the wheel, it can save your life!

Pay Attention. 

There are plenty of distractions in this world. And, you can almost always get away with not giving the road your undivided attention. What scares us, and what should scare you, is that one time in 10 years, when one-tenth of second will save you from plowing into the back of a tanker filled with spent plutonium fuel rods--or worse, a minivan full of kids, possibly your kids. Don't try to do several things at once. You're driving now. Other people's lives depend on it.

What's the hurry? Slow down. 

What's the worst that could possibly happen? You're late. Big deal. What's the worst that can happen if you drive too quickly? You never get there at all. We rest our case...What you can do to prevent that is, give the person you’re meeting, or work and say you’ll be slightly late. Or best case scenario, leave earlier!

Leave enough stopping distance. That is, don't tailgate. Pick a stationary object ahead of you on the roadside. When the car ahead passes that object, start counting off two seconds. (One mississippi, two mississippi.) If you got to the object before counting the full two seconds, you're tailgating.

Be courteous to other peopleWhether it is a car, motorcycle, wheelchair, bicycle, try your best to be courteous. Let them go in front of you if it’s safe, if someone wants to make a lane change, they probably have a good reason, let them do it!

Don’t let your feelings get the best of you!
Do you see a crazy driver on the road? Don’t let him anger you, just relax, put on some music, roll the windows down and enjoy the weather! Stay away from him, and give him room for all of his crazy (and sometimes illegal) moves.

Engine oil, un-mythed!

Engine Oil has its myths, and it’s important to know what you’re talking about when it comes to oil. Engine oil is a key tool to keep your car running smoothly and in good health. We’re going to go over some points to clear up misconceptions!

Is black engine oil dirty? And does it need to be flushed and replaced?

No! Actually that means that it is doing its job and catching debris and sludge out of your engine. Therefore, checking the color of your engine oil is not the best way to see if you need an oil change at all. It is true that an oil that has been in the engine for too long will be darker, and will not fulfill its duty anymore by being saturated with particles.

When do I know it’s time to change the oil?

Well the best way is to check the manufacturer’s recommendations! If you lost track, call your car shop and check when was the last time you came to get an oil change.

Should I change my oil every 3000 miles?Not necessarily! Technology and synthetic oils have really changed the way we maintain our cars. New generation oils should last about 7,500 miles in average. So unless you drive your car in very extreme and severe conditions, you shouldn’t have to change your oil any sooner than with 7,500 miles interval.

Additives will improve my engine’s life.

That’s true, except most of the good and useful additives are only included in the modern engine oils, so don’t bother spending more money in additives for your car. It’s all there already! 

The dilemma is over. Leather vs. cloth interior!

One of many dilemmas is being unveiled today. Well, we all have different preferences when it comes to choosing between leather and cloth seats. One is more expensive than the other, yet has some pro’s compared to its respectable alternative. Let’s take a look at the differences and see which one best fits your needs.

Leather Pro’s:

• Luxury aspect and scent
• Soft and supple feel
• Excellent resale value
• Boost interior feel of the car
• Potentially easy maintenance

Cloth Pro’s

• More affordable than its alternative
• More comfortable (no sliding, no burning)

Ultimately, it all comes down to your lifestyle and where you live. If you live in a very hot and sunny states, you might want to avoid the leather. If you have kids and tend to have an active lifestyle, leather is actually good because of its easiness to be cleaned and ability to not retain odors.

Woah! Take a look at these roads!

Some of the highest roads on earth. It takes some serious time, money and skill to locate the highest roads on the planet, so we did it for you. You can enjoy this list from the comfort of your home. Feel free to share which is your favorite!

5) Cime de la Bonette, France - Altitude: 9,192 ft
Who would have thought France was hiding one of the highest roads on Earth, well it is!

4) Mouna Loa, USA - Altitude: 11,145 ft
This is the largest of the five volcanoes known as Hawaii.

3) Khardung La, India - Altitude: 17,582 ft

What a sight, in the middle of India, you’d find this! You wouldn’t want to run out of gas there, “Next station: 60 miles”!

2) Marsimik La, India - Altitude: 18,640 ft
India is quite THE spot for high roads, it’s lucky enough to have two of the roads on this list.

1) Uturuncu, Bolivia - Altitude: 18,923 feet
South America is a famous land for its volcanoes, well now you can also add the highest road. Not only are you REALLY high, but also, you need to be careful as you might get hit with Volcanic eruptions.

Spring Time, finally!

Spring provides such wonderful weather in almost every location. It's a wonderful time for the family to head outdoors and soak up some sun whether it's at a picnic or at an outdoor athletic event.

Spring time is perfect for families to become even closer, here are some reasons why Spring is the best for family fun!

1. Ideal temperatures -- It's not too hot, it's not too cold. The kids can run around to their heart's content without getting all sweaty and dehydrated.
2. Fun sights and sounds -- Is there anything better than heading out the door and hearing the birds chirp, watching squirrels run by, and seeing your little ones squeal with delight upon spotting them? Nope.
3. Daily trips to the park -- On any given spring day, there's really no better place to hang out with a toddler than the playground. They get to let off some steam, play with other kids, and since the weather is nice (see number one), you don't have to worry about the equipment being too hot for them to touch.
4. Learning experiences -- Now that the snow has melted, you gotta get the yard and garden back in order. Kids love to feel like they're helping out mommy, so you can turn any outdoor project into an educational experience -- even though they'll only see it as fun.
5. Fresh air is great for sleep -- For whatever reason, the kiddos sleep so much better after they've had a good dose of fresh air. Even something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood in the stroller is guaranteed to give your child (and you) a few extra z's at night.

Top 5 best safety features!

Safety features are starting to grow and multiply every year. The automotive industry is starting to implement artificial intelligence into your future vehicles and doing everything possible to avoid crashes and increase safety. We have compiled the Top 5 of our favorite safety features.

1. Blind Spot Detector
That has been such a serious issue for years, especially for new drivers. Checking your blind spot can really be a life-saver, well now, you don’t REALLY have to anymore. Most manufacturers offer this awesome feature. Even better, if you don’t know you have a car in your blind spot and you still put on your blinker, the car will beep to let you know it’s not safe to switch lanes at the moment.

2. Lane departure warning
It happens to everyone, you take your eye off the road for two seconds, you’re talking to someone, and guess what? Your car starts drifting and you don’t notice it. The beauty in the Lane Departure is that it will tell you when you’re leaving your lane.

3. Back up Camera
Everyone know what that is, but it’s quite genius! No need to break your neck and check all the way around now. Some cars will even notify you if it notices a shape (objects or humans) in the eye of the backup camera!

4. Smart Cruise Control
Some cars will automatically slow you down when you approach another vehicle while you’re using Cruise Control. This is the ideal feature for the long road trips!

5. Crash preventing braking
Last but not least, some vehicles will actually be able to brake for you! The front eyes of the car will detect an object in its pathway, and it will be able to react accordingly as needed. A true life saver!

Lease vs. buy, finally solved!

We often get asked what is the best option for me? Should I lease or should I buy? So we’ve decided to write a blog post about what the different options mean, and how they differ. If you’re interested in having a most up-to-date vehicle, and will be driving clients in it, you will probably be opting for the Leasing option for examples. Don’t forget you could also get a tax write off on that! If you prefer to think long-term with your car, and want to keep it for more than 4-5 years, you’re better off purchasing it. Here are the pro’s and con’s of each of the options.

Upsides of Car Leasing

• Lower monthly payments
• Lower down payment
• You can drive a better car for less money each month.
• Lower repair costs (With a three-year lease, the factory warranty covers most repairs.)
• You can more easily drive a new car every two or three years.
• No trade-in hassles at the end of the lease
• You pay sales tax only on the portion of the car you finance.
   

Downsides of Car Leasing

• The car is not yours at the end of the lease.
• Your mileage is limited to a set amount, typically 12,000-15,000 miles a year (excess miles are paid for at the lease termination), depending on how much you negotiate.
• Lease contracts are confusing.
• Leasing is more expensive in the long run (as opposed to buying and driving until the wheels fall off).
• Wear-and-tear charges can add up (paid at lease termination).
• It's costly to terminate a lease early if your driving needs change.

We hope this has helped you in your decision making. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to us. Thank you for reading!

Bridges, bridges and more awesome bridges!

Bridges have been known to be functional for years, but fortunately for mankind, they have also been used to leave a beautiful man-made mark on this beautiful planet of ours. Different cultures have been able to mix functionality with aesthetics, and really well! Take a minute to look at our personal selection of our favorite bridges, worldwide!

Hardanger Bridge, Norway
Recently finished construction this is really the Norwegian equivalent to the Golden Gate Bridge in California.

Confederation Bridge in Nova Scotia, Canada
8 miles of goodness between Prince Edward's Island and New Brunswick. It has a great vintage look, and 8 miles, well, that's something on its own.

Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, UK. 
Opened in 1890, the Forth Rail Bridge had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world until 1917, and it still has the world's second-longest single span. As the first major structure in Britain to be made of steel, it remains an engineering marvel even today.

Salginatobel Bridge, Switzerland
Designed by the brilliant Robert Maillart and opened in 1930, the Salginatobel Bridge feels so fresh like it was built yesterday, and remains the best thing that could happen to concrete.

Millau Viaduct, FranceThis masterpiece is known for two things. Its price, and its record. €394,000,000 and the tallest (but not highest) bridge in the world.

Tower Bridge, London, UK
British design straight from the 19th century. It's smart, it's beautiful, and you can get it as a fridge magnet.

Check our personal bucket list, you might want to steal some items!

Looking to add some excitement to your life? Tired of the same old family vacations to the same old places? For those swashbuckling, thrill-seeking daredevils out there, we've compiled a list of destinations that are sure to get your blood pumping, your heart racing, and possibly your bladder weakening.

So grab a pen and start adding these awesome entries onto your bucket list. As Bilbo Baggins would say, "I'm going on an adventure!"

 

1. Hang Gliding in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - With a warm tropical breeze in your face and a panoramic view of the breathtaking mountains and beaches of Rio de Janeiro, you will have the unique sensation of flying like a blue macaw at speeds up to 65 mph.

2. Sky Diving over Mount Everest in Nepal - Only offered four times a year, this wild adventure allows you to sky dive over the highest peak in the world. How many people can say they've done that?!

3. Base Jumping off Kjerag Mountain in Lysefjord, Norway - At 3,500 feet above the fjord, Kjerag towers above the other peaks along the Lysefjord, making it an adrenaline junky’s dream.

 

4. Bungee Jumping at the AJ Hackett Macau Tower in China - The AJ Hackett Macau Tower Bungee Jump is 764 ft hight, making this location the Guinness World Record holder for the Highest Commercial Bungee Jump in the world.

5. Heliskiing in British Columbia, Canada - Heliskiing offers a new definition to downhill skiing, allowing adrenaline junkies access to higher parts of mountains that are only reachable by helicopter.

Take a second look at how you're setting up your Hyundai Car mirrors!

Some of us have been driving for years, but that doesn't mean we are all doing everything perfectly. Maybe it's time to freshen our skills up and make sure we are setting up our side-view mirrors properly. Its original intent was to help us cover the blind spot, it's not meant to help you see who's behind you. Let's take a minute and look at this video to find out how to properly align your mirrors. If you have any questions be sure to ask us, we'd love to help!

Best road music of all-time!

Driving on long road trips doesn't have to be boring. Music can be quite the element that turns a regular drive into an epic memory that you will never forget. For this reason, we have decided to compile the best driving songs of all-time. We understand music is very, subjective, so please do not hesitate to chime in and tell us what you prefer! 

Those are motivating, fun, upbeat and will keep you going for hours!



1. "Road Tripping" - Red Hot Chili Peppers 
2. "Highway to Hell" - AC/DC
3. "Don't stop me now" - Queen
4. "Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani
5. "Hurricane" - Bob Dylan

Imagine yourself on your way to work on these roads!

Hussaini Bridge, Pakistan

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how inaccessible some parts of the world are. The Gilgit-Baltistan region of North
ern Pakistan is one such location, with transport links to the rest of Pakistan notoriously difficult. The mountainous terrain, lack of dedicated roads, and wide rivers ensure inter-region travel is tricky, and the development of the Karakoram Highway has done little to ease the struggle over the last 100 years.



Paso Internacional Los Liberatores, Argentina/Chile
As the main transport road out of the Chilean capital of Santiago and into Argentina’s Mendoza city, it sees a large volume of traffic on a daily basis. For regulars, it’s just another part of the daily commute. For outsiders, it’s perhaps one of the most terrifying mountain passes in the world.



Tren a las Nubes, Argentina

Making its second entry into the terrifying travel list, Argentina has chalked up another point on the ‘no-thanks’ scoreboard.

The Tren a las Nubes, or Train to the Clouds, is a 270-mile train line that, at points, reaches heights of over 13,850 ft above sea level. Coasting the Argentina/Chile border high in the Andes, the ten cars carry up to 640 passengers at an average speed of 21 mph.

North Yungas Road, Bolivia
The mother of all terrifying commutes, the North Yungas Road is alternatively known affectionately as the ‘Road of Fate’ and the ‘Death Road’. Yes, Death Road. One estimate is that between 200 and 300 travellers are killed on this road annually. Fantastic, let’s go.

Nature meets cars, in Sweden country side!

Deep within a Swedish forest lie 1,000 forgotten cars from the 1950s. The rusting vehicles are all that remains of a scrap yard set up in the wake of the Second World War. Back then it was the final destination for cars abandoned by American soldiers leaving Europe after the war. Two forest-dwelling Swedish brothers ran the scrap yard until the 1980s before they abandoned the site in the 1990s, leaving the forest undergrowth to claim the cars. Today, rusting classic cars including vintage Opels, Fords, Volvos, Buicks, Audis, Saabs and a Sunbeam litter the natural undergrowth.

Photographer Svein Nordrum ventured into the dense woods to snap some pictures of the abandoned vehicles. He said: "It is very quiet in there. It is a strange feeling when you’re there, as if you’re on the edge of the world... The forest is very dense. You can only see a couple of cars at any one time - the rest disappear into the woods. The cars are now a part of nature in a way. The trees grow all over and through the cars, with branches sneaking through windows and over the bonnets."

  
The 1,000 corroded vehicles are collectively worth an estimated £100,000 in scrap. However, efforts to remove the cars from the forest have been thwarted. Nordrum said "Some people in Sweden want to remove the cars, but environmentalists keep stopping them. Apparently birds and other animals have made nests in the bodywork."

The car graveyard is in the mining country of Bastnas, a town in southern Sweden. Hikers have discovered trees growing around bodywork and moss covering seats and steering wheels.

How to improve your aging car's overall comfort

Obviously, as a car dealership, we know that the best way to get an upgrade from an old car is to come in and see our latest offers. We often have great deals on new and used cars. Make sure to check our website for current offers. For some people though, we know a few quick fixes might do the trick. Here they are!

Clean EVERYTHING!

It sounds simple and logical, but many people forget or don’t take the time to do it right. Empty your car completely, and make sure you have all the right cleaning material to get started. You’ll need a vacuum for your carpets and seats, some automotive interior wipes, and some Windex (No ammonia if you have tinted windows)

Fix your cockpit

It is the area you will be looking at and touching the most, so you might as well start there. If your dash is starting to discolor, get a cover for it. If it’s already bad, try to get it painted or dyed, it’ll feel brand new! Also, don’t hesitate to replace any dying light bulbs in your gauge cluster.

Electronics

Bluetooth, iPod, Auxiliary connections, satellite radio are all rather modern features that are rarely found in older vehicles. You should definitely look into upgrading your car stereo and you will quickly find yourself in a new world. It’s worth it! You can also download great GPS apps, to add the GPS features to any car if you’re a smartphone owner.

Upgrade the Exhaust

Look at aftermarket solutions for exhaust, it will probably be a lot better than leaving your old (maybe rusty?) exhaust on. You will improve the noise level, emissions and overall comfort of your car.

Headlight Restoration

Headlight plastics tend to discolor over time, you might want to look into purchasing a restoration kit for cheap and give your headlights a brand new look. It will also improve your visibility along with your ability to see better at night.

Rubberize

Rubber tends to degrade itself rather quickly and you could update that for cheap. Buy a new set of high-quality windshield wipers, it will drastically improve your bad weather experience. Also, see if you can re-glue or replace your car doors’ rubbers, these damage themselves over time.