It's The Time Of The Year To Help!

Lexus of Maplewood is proud to be a Toys for Tots drop location for the 5th year in a row. We encourage our customers to bring in unwrapped gifts for children in need.

Look for our General Manager on Kare 11 December 10th during the 10 p.m. News. We are able to promote our location as a Toys for Tots partner.

Toys must be dropped off by December 18th, 2012. Thank you for giving back this holiday season.

Monday Maintenance: The Test Drive

The test drive is one of the most important parts of buying a car. No matter what the car reviews say, if a vehicle doesn't fit you and your lifestyle, you're going to become dissatisfied with it long before that payment book is empty. The test drive is your opportunity to make your own personal assessment in a thorough, hands-on manner. If you're attentive to the details here, you can quickly tell whether or not you and the vehicle are meant for a long-term relationship.

The test drive is your opportunity to make your own personal assessment in a thorough, hands-on manner. When it comes to test driving a vehicle, the more time behind the wheel on various roads, the better. If you can arrange to rent a vehicle that's similar to the one you're considering, it could be worth the cost to be able to spend several days in it. Besides helping you become familiar with the vehicle, a rental car—without the new-car gloss—can also provide a reality check by showing you what yours might be like a year or more down the road. Most often, though, you'll have to make the most of the dealership test-drive. Here are some tips:

Test Drive Tips

• Don't rush. Allow yourself the time to do it properly. A car's true personality (the side you won't find on paper) really only shows up while driving. Also, make sure you can concentrate on the vehicle. If you feel self-conscious or distracted by the salesperson, politely ask him or her if you can drive alone.
• Take another person to the dealership. Your friend can give you a second opinion, take notes while you're driving, or run interference with the salesperson, if necessary.
• Start with the basics. How easy is it to get in and out of the vehicle? Some taller vehicles require a high step-up, which can be awkward for shorter people.
• Does the car fit you? Adjust the seat and steering wheel until you're comfortable. Seats vary quite a bit from one vehicle to the next. A seat that fits one person perfectly may be contoured wrong for someone else. Over the long run, if a seat isn't just right, it can become a real annoyance. Also, can you reach the pedals comfortably without being too close or too far from the steering wheel?
• How's the safety factor? Does the seatbelt fit comfortably across your body, without the shoulder belt cutting into your neck or riding too low? Are the belts adjustable? Is the headrest adjustable? Are there rear headrests?
• Are the controls conveniently located? With all the other distractions of driving, you don't need hard-to-operate controls. Are the dash switches easy to reach and the gauges easy to read? Are commonly used controls positioned high enough so that you don't have to divert your eyes too far from the road?
• Are there places to stow things? Can you fit CDs or cassettes in the center console? Are the cupholders secure and adjustable enough to fit a variety of sizes? Does the rear seat fold down for carrying larger loads in the trunk? On a minivan or sport-utility, can you open and close the rear door or liftgate easily?
• How well can you see in all directions? Are there blind spots that could pose vision problems? Can you see the front of the hood well enough to use it as a gauge when parking? Try pulling into one or more parking spaces to see how easy it is to park.
• Feel free to choose your own driving route so that you can take the car on a variety of road surfaces, from a high-speed highway to a patched-up back road. Is the ride smooth and comfortable or rough and bouncy? If you typically drive on hills, try to include them, too. A car that feels fine on level ground can run out of steam on hills.
• How's the driveability? Is the vehicle easy to steer in a crowded lot without being too vague on the highway? On the road, does the car feel responsive and controlled or sluggish and wallowy? Can you accelerate onto an interstate or freeway comfortably without holding up traffic?
• If you can find an empty stretch of road where you'll be safe, try applying the brakes hard a couple of times. How's the feel of the pedal? Do the brakes respond adequately in proportion to the amount of pressure you apply to the pedal?
• Listen as you drive. How quiet or noisy is the overall experience? Noise typically comes from the engine, wind, and the tires on the road. Also, listen for any squeaks or rattles. There shouldn't be any in a brand new car.
• If you'll be test driving several cars, try to do them in the same day so that your impressions are fresh. When evaluating the differences between vehicles, there's nothing more informative than being able to drive them back to back.

 

Courtesy of Mobil Oil

Fan Of The Month

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Congratulation Margaret LeClair Miller! You have been selected as our Fan of the Month!  Thank you for your loyalty.  Please visit our website for details http://www.lexusofmaplewood.com/Community.

Everything - Introducing the New 2013 LS

Just when you thought you had it all...Think Again. The all-new LS F Sport.

Kelley Blue Book Recognizes Lexus for 2012

The Best Brand and Best Luxury Brand trophies are the most coveted awards handed out at the Best Resale Value Awards presentation held annually in Los Angeles on the eve of the LA Auto Show.

Best Luxury Brand: Lexus

Like the Toyota brand from which it spawned, Lexus is taking home its second big Best Resale Value Award in three years, again topping established automakers such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW for Best Luxury Brand honors. Now into its third decade, the Lexus lineup has grown to include a wide range of vehicles bookended by the sub-$30,000 CT 200h hybrid and the six-figure LF-A supercar – every one of them roaming the earth surrounded by a glowing aura of quality that draws new- and used-car buyers alike. Combined with a renowned dealership experience, buying a Lexus is the beginning of what many owners cite as their most pleasant car ownership experience ever.

 

Courtesy of Kelley Blue Book

10 Commonly Forgotten Vehicle Maintenance Tips

Vehicle maintenance is something that is often overlooked on most cars and trucks; most people will avoid maintenance and just drive em till they drop or the engine blows. There are a few particulars of maintenance that should never be over looked. This article will outline the most common things as far as maintenance that are a must to keeping your vehicle on the road.

Oil changes

As far as maintenance is concerned oil changes are a must and should be done regularly to keep your engine free of friction causing deposits. Actually changing your oil and not just adding oil is a must. If you are simply adding oil to your engine and not changing it with the filter you are doing your engine a major disservice. When just adding oil when it gets low you are creating silt deposits in the bottom of the pan that over time can cause oiling issues when the pick up tube screen gets clogged; this can lead to low oil pressure and poor oiling to the top end of the motor, ultimately it will cause engine failure. Another oil changing maintenance tip is to never change the type of oil you use; if you use cheap oil than continue to do so. Switching from cheap oil to a full synthetic can lead to gasket and oil sealing problems whereas the cheap oil leaves deposits behind that seal up these tiny crevices; full synthetic has many detergents that will clean these deposits away and cause oil leaks.

Transmission service

The number one cause of automatic transmission failure is the lack of changing the transmission fluid and internal filter at the correct intervals; for automatic transmission maintenance one should always refer to the owner's manual for the correct intervals. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person automatic transmission service is a breeze. Simply drop the pan, remove the old filter and gasket and replace the transmission fluid (with the vehicle specific fluid, failure to do so can lead to automatic transmission failure).

Manual transmissions and rear ends

These two parts of a vehicle are often overlooked, especially the rear end. You should change these fluids at the regular maintenance intervals to ensure that they last a really long time. Over time low fluid levels can cause a lot of heat and friction that can cause expansion and contraction of the transmission and rear end metal geometry which can cause leaks. So, keeping fresh fluid in there and keeping them full is a must have for manual transmission and rear end maintenance.

Fuel filter

A clogged fuel filter is a sure fire way to fry a fuel pump or starve and engine from fuel and make it run lean. Fuel filter maintenance is very often over looked, failure to change the fuel filter can be very costly if you don't do it at the correct service intervals.

Spark plugs

Spark plugs are a very important part of engine maintenance; if they are not replaced at the recommended times they can create havoc on your engines ignition system. Worn out spark plugs can cause coil pack failure as well as engine misfire problems. An added benefit of changing your spark plugs is that they will provide you with the best fuel economy, making a complete burn of the air fuel mixture. Always use vehicle recommended spark plugs for ignition system maintenance; some cheaper spark plugs will just not work worth a darn and you may end up having to change them frequently.

Timing belt

This may be the most costly part of maintenance, but it is key from preventing your engine from having catastrophic engine damage. You should always change your timing belt as the vehicle manufacturer has scheduled it. Failure to do this maintenance can result in bent valves and damaged piston; essentially complete engine damage.

Balancing and rotating tires

You paid a lot of money for your tires so this type of maintenance is just a cheap portion of service to ensure your investment. The driving wheels on a vehicle will always wear out tires from the ones that simply roll, so rotating your tires and getting them balanced every six months or so is a good way to keep your tires in tip top shape, this will also eliminated annoying shakes in your steering wheel. In addition to this maintenance an alignment is also key, without a proper vehicle alignment after hitting a curb or a big pothole you may very well have changed your vehicles suspension geometry, this will lead to uneven wear on the inside or outside of your tires; so be warned.

Coolant

Coolant is the heart and soul of your engine maintenance program; if you begin to get low on coolant it can cause serious engine damage such as blow head gaskets and leave you stranded, you should check your coolant levels every two to three weeks and have the system flushed once a year. Also adding too much water into the system is a bad idea especially if you live in a climate that has freezing winters. You don't want your engines coolant to freeze and expand which can possible crack the block or make water seals leak.

Battery

Your battery is very important to the maintenance of your vehicles electrical system. A bad or undercharged battery (or jumping off the car too often) can cause damage to the alternator from overworking it and to the starter. Both of which can be costly to repair.

Serpentine belt

This piece of maintenance is fairly inexpensive to replace and can generate quite an annoying sound. Other than that you can be really up the creak if it breaks, because it operates your water pump and sometimes your power steering, alternator, and air conditioning. If your belt breaks either your engine is going to overheat or you will drain your battery; failure to do this maintenance will always leave you stranded.

 

Courtesy of Yahoo

Orange Wrap Lexus DEVIATE at Urban Legends Car Show

Houston Texas 2012 Lexus wrapped at http://www.Deviateautosport.com
Set for all of the Urban Legends car show photos here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjCFLgX2