Get your vehicle ready for fall!

Where did the summer go? It’s already time to start thinking about end-of-the-summer maintenance. The non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence offers these tips to get your car ready for fall driving:

• First, read the owner’s manual and follow the manufacturer’s recommended service schedules.

• Have engine driveability problems like hard starts, rough idling, stalling, and diminished power corrected at a good repair shop. The colder fall weather will only make existing problems worse. Make sure that you replace dirty air, fuel and PCV filter.

• Change your oil and oil filter as specified in the owner’s manual. If your driving is predominantly in the city with a lot of stop and go, consider changing it before the recommend time period.

• The cooling system should be flushed and refilled as recommended. The level, condition and concentration of the coolant should be checked periodically. Also have the tightness and condition of drive belts, clamps and hoses checked by a certified automotive technician.

• Make sure your heater works.

• Have a certified auto technician check your battery and its connections.

• Inspect all lights and bulbs and replace any that are not functioning. Clean road grime from all lenses with a moistened cloth or towel.

• Have your vehicle placed on a lift and the exhaust system examined for leaks. The trunk and floorboards should also be checked. Exhaust fumes and carbon monoxide can be deadly.

• Make sure that you check your tires for remaining tread life and uneven wearing. Check the sidewalls for cuts and nicks. Check the tire pressure at least once a month.

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Vehicle Review ~ 2011 Dodge Charger

The 2011 Dodge Charger has hit the showroom here at Fox Chrysler Dodge Jeep and WOW, it's a sight to be seen! If looks and muscle are your thing then the 2011 Charger does not disappoint. Here's what the guys on Autoblog had to say about it: "Lift the hood of a 2011 Dodge Charger R/T and you'll find a powerful 5.7-liter HEMI engine bursting at the seems. It's a joyous site that gets better when armed with the knowledge of the HEMI's prodigious power - 370 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque, to be exact. But just how accurate are those numbers? The folks over at Inside Line put the Charger R/T to the test on their dyno, and it appears Chrysler may be underplaying its hand. Test by Inside Line show that the Charger R/T sends 360 hp to the rear wheels at 5,300 RPM, with torque peaking at 393 lb-ft at 4,260 RPM. When you consider that the average drivetrain accounts for a 10 to 15 percent power reduction before its all sent to the wheels, you're looking at a powertrain with a lot more bite than the company brochure cares to admit." Those are pretty strong words! Whenever any company, let alone a car company undersells their product that has to be a good thing. Come in to Fox Chrysler Dodge Jeep and see one of these awesome machines in person. I promise you wont be let down... *Full credit goes to Autoblog. To read the full story click here.