It’s a beautiful summer day- the sun is out, the birds are chirping. Everything is peaceful and calm. UNTIL a quick glance at your dashboard in your peripheral vision alerts you to a symbol lighting up. Darkness descends upon your day. The check engine light is on. BUT WHY?! Don’t panic! We’ll walk you through a few things you should do when your dash tells you it’s time for a checkup on your engine.

Why is the darn light coming on in the first place?

It’s perhaps a bit misleading to call this light the check engine light as the light can be activated by a number of issues that don’t necessarily have to do with your engine. In fact, this light is also called the malfunction indicator light (MIL). Basically, the light is activated when a car’s on-board diagnostics (OBD) system detects a problem with the performance of some of the car’s major components. Depending on your car’s year, make, and model the OBD will be looking for different warning signs.

The top 5 reasons a check engine light might activate. You could need to:

1. Fix a loose, damaged, or missing gas cap

2. Replace your oxygen sensor

3. Replace your catalytic converter

4. Replace your massive airflow sensor (MAF)

5. Replace your spark plugs or plug wires

So, how do you figure out what the real problem is? Your best bet is to get your vehicle checked out as soon as possible. While having your MIL light on isn’t usually anything to panic about, it shouldn’t be ignored either. By dealing with the issue immediately, you will likely save yourself from a more expensive trip to the service center.

So what do you need to do? When the MIL is activated, the car’s computer memory stores a “trouble code” specifying the problem. By translating this trouble code,  your mechanic can pinpoint the problem and make the necessary repairs. To do this, an electronic scan tool or diagnostic computer is used to read this code. While you can certainly do this on your own, for the most accurate diagnosis of what is going on with your car, you really should go to a professional. The Technicians at Fiore Toyota will be more than happy to help you out and get your car back in pristine shape.

So when your check engine light comes on, don’t panic. Get it checked out before it becomes something you really need to worry about. By fixing the little things early, you are helping to stop the bigger things from happening.

We all have that one friend that we are a wee bit hesitant to get in the car with because they suffer from a bit of road rage. If you didn’t read that sentence and picture one of your friends immediately, you are lying. For some there is a root cause, such as hanger, causing the road rage, and for others, they simply do not possess patience. Sometimes we have no idea why they are enraged, we just know that once the car is in drive, all bets are off.

In my case, my friend suffers from a healthy combo of hanger and lack of patience. We’ll be driving along, enjoying a lovely ride when out of nowhere, a rogue elderly couple enjoying a beautiful afternoon drive is going 10 in a 35 and our simple conversation about what we’re going to get for lunch can quickly turn into a very colorful string of phrases not appropriate for pleasant conversation.

If you can relate to any of what I have described above, here are a few tips to survive the drive with your road-raging friends.

1. Always have a snack on hand. I typically pick something small and light, quick enough to temper the immediate hanger, but not so much that they no longer want to eat lunch. My go to light snack of choice is a Snicker or other such chocolatey treat. It’s hard to scream at other drivers when I have unceremoniously shoved a snickers bar in your face.

2. Be ready with a Spotify playlist or song that you know the driver finds soothing or enjoyable. There is nothing like car ride karaoke to distract the driver from their rage, but not the road. It’s the perfect balance.

3. Tell your angry friend how pretty they are. This works on men and women. Tell that dude that he is the prettiest man whose face shines with the light of 1000 selfie filters and he’ll be hard pressed to not be at the very least distracted from his road rage. Also, he’ll probably feel so darn good about himself that the rage will be forgotten!

4. If all else fails, hold on to the handle above the front passenger seat (assuming you’re sitting up front and your friend isn’t driving you around like a limo driver) and hope for the best.  

Keep it safe out there, friends. Road rage isn’t something to be taken lightly, so if you or someone you love suffers from road rage, please do everything in your power to keep the situation calm and collected. If your car is stressing you out, stop by Fiore Toyota and we’ll help you find a car that keeps you feeling zen. We’re all just trying to live out there, so try to find your happy place. If you can’t we’ll help you find one.

One of the benefits of buying a car, truck, or SUV from a place like Fiore Toyota is that you can walk into the showroom in the morning and drive away in your new car a few hours later. Unfortunately, many people go to the dealership unprepared without even really knowing that they are unprepared. Inevitably, this delayed the process for them and created extra paperwork for the dealership. Largely in part, this is because most people don’t really know what they need in order to buy a new car. Good news, friends, we have a list of everything you will need.

If you want to take a test drive and let’s be real, you’re going to want to take a test drive, you need to bring your driver’s license. Many dealerships ask to make a copy of your driver’s license before they’ll let you drive their cars. Once back from your life changing test drive, and you totally want to buy that car, chances are you need to provide your driver’s license and a current proof of insurance card before they can complete the paperwork.

Should you need to apply for a car loan at the dealership,  the lender usually requires proof of full insurance coverage before they’ll let you drive the car home. In most states, your existing proof of insurance card will suffice. You then have a few days or weeks after the sale to let the insurance company know that you have purchased a beautiful new car. You don’t have to tell them that it’s beautiful, but you’ll probably want to anyway. As long as you notify them in time, your new vehicle is fully insured! WOO HOO! If in doubt, check with your insurance company.

If you don’t currently have full insurance on a vehicle, all you have to do is make sure your insurance company or agent is available by way of telephone right after you make your purchase. This way you can contact them with the year, make, model, VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), and miles on the car. Once the paperwork is done and you have paid, they can fax proof of insurance to the dealership so you can drive your new vehicle home.

Make sure that you bring an electric bill as proof of residence with you. You may not need this but always helps to be prepared. In addition, you should also have at least your 2 most recent pay stubs for proof of employment particularly if you’re looking to get a loan.

If you currently have a vehicle in relatively decent condition that you’re looking to trade in, remember to bring the “Certificate of Title” or pink slip. This will save both you and the dealership time from having to request a duplicate title from the DMV, which can really slow down the whole process. Please remember to clean out the car. Look under the seats for that cup your 2-year-old threw violently at the window last Thursday. Grab the CDs that were hidden in the glove compartment. Grab the Britney Spears CD you’ve been listening for the past 2 months from the CD player. Also, bring the manuals and extra keys and leave them in the car.

Finally, remember your checkbook. It’s amazing how many people don’t think of this and forget their checkbooks at home. Even if you plan on financing the entire cost of the vehicle, it’s usually a good idea to bring your checkbook in case you run into something you hadn’t thought of. You never know.

Buying a new car is a fun and exciting experience, so remember to enjoy the ride!

Have you ever horribly misjudged a road trip? No? Well, I have. Like, I’m not talking about I ran out of snacks or the drive was kinda long. I violently underestimated how far my car could go on 1 tank of gas and didn’t take the time to plot out where the rest stops with gas stations were. So here I sit, on the side of the road. No cell service and no idea where the nearest gas station is. My only hope was to wait for some kind person to stop and take pity on my stupid self.

My situation was not looking super promising. I was running low on snacks and it was starting to get dark. I had basically given up hope that anyone would drive by when, like a beacon in the night, a police car showed up on the road. They pulled up behind me and asked me if there was a problem. No officer, I just like to chill out in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road in my Camry. Please feel free to go on ahead. Obviously, I didn’t say that, BUT I was feeling sassy so I definitely thought it. He was kind enough to get me some gas so I could carry on my way. I was very lucky this time, but I could have been out there for quite a while if he hadn’t come by.

Other than the obvious concern of running out of gas on the side of the road there are quite a few reasons you should never let your gas go below ¼ of a tank.

You can’t always count on your fuel gauge to give you an exact measurement of how much gas is left in your tank, so keeping the gas level above ¼ tank removes the concern of ending up stranded like I did. Additionally, allowing the level of gas in the tank to run low can damage your car. If you run completely out of gas it could cause damage to your catalytic converter which could be an expensive job if it needs to be replaced or repaired.

The gas in your car also helps to keep the temperature of the electric fuel-pump motor regulated, much like coolant, so when your gas is running low, the pump sucks in air creating heat and resulting in the fuel pump to wear down earlier and potentially fail. That repair could cost a couple hundred dollars — which I’m guessing is significantly more than what you would have had to play to fill your tank.

If saving money is your reason for holding off on buying gas, just know that this effort to save a few dollars could end up costing you hundreds. If you are really concerned, you can stop by Fiore Toyota and find a vehicle with incredible mileage and save yourself some money that way!

So to recap, here are some tips to avoid running out of gas:

• Keep your gas tank no less than ¼ full.

• Fill up before heading out on a long trip or to work…

• Don’t rely on your car to tell you exactly how much gas is in your tank.