Fuel Efficient Autos

With summertime quickly approaching and the temperatures going up, it’s time to revisit one of the warnings that go along with this time of year.

Every year, some absentminded parent or pet owner does not think about how hot it gets inside their car when it is sitting in the direct sunlight of a parking lot. As a result, they think it is okay to leave their young child or pet in the car while they go into the store for a few minutes. Even with the windows cracked, temperatures in the car get up to a blistering heat that can kill kids and pets in a short time.

“There’s a misconception that if we crack the windows of our vehicle that it will alleviate that heat build up, actually cracking a window does very little to alleviate that heat buildup,” said Captain Clint Smith with the United Fire Authority.

Even though you may think the temperature is not so bad, it could be worse for your young kids. The core temperature of a child increases much faster than it does for an adult, making it more dangerous for them to be left in a hot place from which they cannot escape. They can suffer permanent brain damage in as little time as 10 minutes if the temperature is high enough!

Don’t take a chance with your child’s or pet’s life. If you cannot take them inside where you are going, do not take them with you in your Pontiac cars. It’s simply too much of a risk to take.

When you are driving your VW cars, it is definitely not a good idea to text your friends, boss or anybody else for that matter. Now some high schools are taking the initiative to teach teen drivers about the dangers of texting and driving. Some are even using effective yet unconventional methods to help the teens remember the dangers.

Vail Christian High School in Colorado is using the popular video game Mario Kart to teach young drivers how texting negatively affects a person’s driving ability. Students are required to hold the game’s steering wheel in one hand and a cell phone in the other hand. They must also create a text message while they are “driving” to see if they can concentrate on the game and still avoid crashing.

One teen involved in the study had this to say about the study: “I ran into a lot of things and it was very stressful.” If it is stressful driving a fake car on a TV screen, think of how much worse it should be when you are behind the wheel of two tons of metal in the real world.

The point is that you should not text and drive in your VW cars or any other car for that matter. Nothing is so important that it cannot wait until you have a chance to pull over or ask a passenger to do the texting for you. It’s just responsible driving.

The economy is bad all over the country. People are out of work and looking everywhere they can for jobs to support their family. Many are waiting for the plant to build VW cars in nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Residents of Trenton, Georgia are especially anxious about the factory currently under construction in the Tennessee town. It is only a 30 minute drive from Trenton, but it will provide a number of jobs for a town where a mill recently closed. People in the town now line up outside the local library in hopes of getting a chance to use one of the computers so they can get online and search for jobs.

On Thursday, Volkswagen raised a ceremonial wall at the new factory. It is scheduled to open in 2011 and there will be enough work to employ 2,000 workers as well as creating enough demand for 9,500 supplier jobs around the region.

Barton Harris, the mayor of Trenton, had this to say about the building of the Volkswagen factory: “I wouldn’t call Volkswagen our savior – Jesus Christ is my savior – but it would be a real shot in the arm for our community.”

It’s nice to see that the automaker is planning to build more VW cars while other automakers are shutting down plants and dealerships. Volkswagen must be doing something right!

If you have ever wanted to get one of your favorite Pontiac cars for your garage, there is probably no better time than right now.

With General Motors recently announcing it was going to drop the brand next year, lovers of Pontiac cars have a huge benefit. They can get great deals on their favorite brand and keep them for several years until they become collector’s items.

One example of great deals on Pontiac cars is the 2006 GTO. When it came out, the price was nearly $31,300. Currently, however, it sells for less than $19,000 according to Edmunds.com.

Prices of other Pontiac models are expected to fall as well. The Pontiac Solstice has great handling and would make a perfect car for first-time drivers. Some analysts are even saying the Pontiac Aztek is going to turn out to be a cult favorite as the years go by with its “quirky looks.”

Either way, getting behind the wheel of one of the Pontiac cars at your Media area dealer in the next two years may be your last chance to experience the brand as new. Check one out today while the deals are hot and the time is short.

Do you ever get phone calls asking you if you want to extend the warranty on your Pontiac cars or any other car that you own? If so, you are not alone. You are also not alone if these calls are becoming more and more frustrating. But now you have a United States Senator on your side.

Earlier this week, Senator Charles Schumer held a news conference to express his frustrations with car warranty telemarketing calls. Like many other Americans, he has received many of these “robo calls” and he finally got tired of it. “I’ve had enough,” he said. “These are scam artists.” So he decided to do something about it.

So far, Senator Schumer has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to conduct an investigation into who is conducting these calls and how they can be stopped.

The Better Business Bureau has received nearly 150,000 complaints about these calls and officials in 40 states are already investigating the source of the calls. The frustrating part is that the callers call landlines and cell phones and even though the recorded message gives you an option to be taken off the list, it does not seem to help because they continue to call.

If these people call trying to get you to extend the warranty on your Pontiac cars or any other car that you own, just hang up. It’s not worth your time to listen to the pitch or try to get taken off the list because neither one will work.

The Jetta is one of the more well-known VW cars produced by the automaker. Here are seven features that make these VW cars so popular among buyers.

• Heated front seats – Those cold winter mornings are no longer a nuisance when you heat up the front seats in your VW Jetta. Stay toasty and warm on the way to work, school or wherever you need to go.
• Stereo system – Eight speakers create an amazing sound and you can plug your MP3 device into the system so you are never far away from your favorite songs.
• ESP – The Electronic Stabilization Program gives the VW Jetta more stability on even the roughest terrains and in slippery weather.
• Theft Deterrents – With the engine immobilizer and other deterrents, even the most experienced car thief will want to avoid stealing these VW cars because it would be useless for them.
• Navigation – The RNS-510 navigation system helps guide your way and it includes a 30GB hard drive.
• Dual Reflector Headlamps – These state-of-the-art headlights give you more light for driving to help improve your visibility.
• HBA – Hydraulic Brake Assist recognizes the braking emergencies to provide more effectiveness in stopping.

These are just a few features that come with these VW cars. Check one out today!

If you have a cell phone and a car, you are probably guilty of at least checking your text messages while driving. But one course shows drivers the dangers of texting while driving in hopes of discouraging people from engaging in this distracting behavior.

Brandon Bogart, with the In-Control Advanced Driving School, conducted the course which took place on an old runway at the old Weymouth Naval Air Station. Bogart invited TV reporter Bill Shields to drive a car along an obstacle course with a cell phone in his hand. He then asked Shields to drive 60 mph around the cones. Shields managed to maneuver around many cones, but he also hit several of them.

“If those cones were a car,” Shields said, “I would’ve demolished it.”

Bogart uses a similar demonstration in his driving courses to show new drivers that texting and driving is a huge distraction regardless of their thumbing skills. “They know how dangerous it is to driver while using a cell phone, but we show them how disastrous it can be,” Bogart explained about many of the drivers in his courses.

Don’t take a chance at crashing your Pontiac cars. Stay off your cell phone when you are behind the wheel even if there are no laws against it in your state. It’s not only common courtesy, it’s also your responsibility as a driver.

One of the more popular VW cars on dealer lots is the Routan. With all the features and its classic style, it’s no wonder why this model is so popular. Following are five features you will undoubtedly enjoy when you make one of these VW cars your next family vehicle.

• A tire pressure monitoring system provides real-time data about how much air is in each of your tires so you do not even have to get out and check them.
• Enough room for seven passengers makes the Routan a great option for large families or small families who like to take a lot of luggage with them when they go on road trips.
• Electronic Stabilization Program adds more safety in case of treacherous driving conditions.
• Dual power sliding doors makes it easy to get in and out of the Routan regardless of where you like to sit. With one push of a button, the side door slides open effortlessly, too.
• The Rear Park Assist system alerts you when something is behind you while trying to park. Ultrasonic sounds waves let you know when you are getting too close to something behind you to help you park.

These are just a few of the features that make these VW cars so popular. Check out these VW cars in Philadelphia today!

The Firebird is one of the most unforgettable Pontiac cars ever to come out of Detroit. With the industry losing the Pontiac brand, we would like to showcase some interesting facts about this wonderful “blast from the past.”

• Pontiac has produced four generations of the Firebird between 1967 and 2002.
• The original concept of the Firebird was to be a two-seater ultimate sports car.
• The Firebird was designed to attract a younger demographic.
• When the Firebird was first produced, it was available in both six and eight cylinder versions.
• The second generation Firebird debuted on February 26, 1970. The body style was changed from a “Coke bottle” style to a more “swoopy” body style.
• The Trans Am was a “specialty package for the Firebird,” according to this Wikipedia article. The Trans Am version offered better handling and suspension as well as more horsepower. There were also minor changes in the appearance to make it look sportier than the normal Firebird.

These are just a few facts about the Firebird. You may be able to find these Pontiac cars in Springfield or other dealers around Pennsylvania and New Jersey. With the Pontiac brand going away, the Firebird would be a great collector’s item to have!

Have you ever been to a swanky restaurant or hotel that uses a valet parking service? If so, you probably know the procedure. However, if you have never been to a place like that and you are planning to go, here are some tips when handing over the keys of your VW cars.

• Watch other people. Valets make a great deal of their wages from tips. That means the faster and more efficient they are, the more money they make and the happier the customers are. If you slow them down, they are less likely to be nice to you.
• Let the valet open your door for you. Do not get out of the car before the valet opens your door. It may mess up the system they got going on.
• Let the valet know of any problems with the car. For instance, if the alarm is touchy or if the doors do not lock properly, the valet needs to know about it before parking your VW cars.
• Tip the valet when you get your car back. Customary tips range between $5 and $10 depending on the type of place you are visiting. Remember that it’s always better to tip too much than to tip too little.