Here are a few tips for easy mid-winter car care that will help maintain the integrity of your vehicle:

Head to the car wash. Even in winter you can take your vehicle through an automatic car wash. The key is to take the trip on a sunny day when the temperatures are hovering above the freezing mark.

Use a high-pressure ‘wand’.  Removing salt and dirt on a regular basis, especially in hard-to-reach places like wheel wells and body seams, will cut down on corrosion and save on the life of your car. A layer of wax should protect your vehicle paint from minor scratches and, when weighed out, the benefits of winter car maintenance outweigh the negative.

Give your car the personal touch. The best solution to winter car care is to always hand wash. When finished washing, always dry off the weather seals on all doors and the trunk. Roll down the windows about an inch and dry off the seals.

Share/Bookmark

Tires. Have you checked that your tires are inflated to proper tire pressure? Are the treads still satisfactory for different types of weather you might encounter on the long drive?

Tire repair. Do you have a working jack? A spare tire that still holds air? A tire gauge and a tire sealer inflator can? And will you need a lug nut wrench to get the tire off?

Under the hood. Have you checked all fluids- like oil, transmission fluid and coolant? How about a windshield wash that won’t freeze up in sub-zero weather? What about parts that will be working harder than usual- like the battery, hoses and belts?

Emergency kit. Do you have a store-bought kit or are you assembling your own? Does your kit contain a tool kit with common sockets, pliers and screwdriver? Flashlight? Gloves? Duct tape? Jumper cables? Are flares included in your emergency kit?

Up-to-date maintenance. Are there any suspicious vibrations or knocking that you should ask a mechanic about? Have your wheels been balanced and aligned lately? Are your AC and heater in good working condition, and how will they perform after a long drive and hours on the road?

Cold weather kit. If you get stuck in cold weather, do you have the things you need to survive overnight in your car? Candles? A blanket? High-calorie food? Water?

Driving conditions. Keep an eye on current weather reports and, if possible, schedule your trip when conditions are best. If you have to drive in conditions like snow, adjust your speed and obey the rules of the road. Give snow plows plenty of space and, if possible, avoid passing snow plows. NEVER pass a snow plow on the right, as visibility and clearance make this extremely dangerous.

Route plan. Let others know your estimated departure and arrival time and, where service allows, consider taking along a well-charged cell phone. Pull over to a safe location to make any calls.

Extras. What might you run out of between gas stations? Windshield wash? Gas? Do you need a gas can? What else might you need?

Proper preparation can save you from problems on the long drive ahead. If your car is in need of maintenance, remember to leave yourself enough time for repairs well before your departure date.

Share/Bookmark

Over the course of the St. John’s IceCaps season, we will hold nine (9) qualifying races during the IceCaps intermission. Five (5) lucky fans will race down the ice dressed as sumos, grab giant keys, and then turn the ignition to see who wins! The winner will win a spot in the VIP finale on April 7, 2011 where they’ll watch the game from the Capital Auto Group luxury seat and compete for a free car.

How to qualify: “Like” the Capital Auto Group Facebook page and then update your status with “I WANT TO SHUFFLE WITH @Capital Auto Group FOR A FREE CAR”. We will draw for 4 winners each week.  Check out all the details at www.facebook.com/capitalautogroup.

Share/Bookmark

“During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in Canada and around the world. With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer.”  - Movember Canada

The staff from MINI St. John’s and Capital Mitsubishi have been sporting their best moustaches all month as seen in the photos below.

The guys at MINI on Day 1

Paul Dyer of Capital Mitsubishi goes the traditional route with his moustache.

Cookie anyone?

To help both dealerships raise money for this great cause, visit their Facebook pages at facebook.com/capitalmitsubishi and facebook.com/ministjohns.

Share/Bookmark

Check out www.facebook.com/capitalautogroup for news on how to win tickets.

Share/Bookmark

“…The Capital Subaru team have been fitting in as many spins on the lake as we can. Early mornings rain or shine and even on our lunch breaks! This summer has been a learning experience! Thinking back on the crew that first stepped into the boat back in late May, well,  we have all improved and accomplished our goal of learning to row.  There have been times of frustration, exhaustion and pure exhilaration to be part of such a great sport.  Rowing takes teamwork and dedication; juggling 7 busy women’s schedules was quite the challenge at times, but we managed to make it work and in just a few short days we will be rowing in the Regatta for the very first time! While we know the championship race is out of our reach (for this year anyway ) we are excited to take to the pond with other dedicated athletes to put our time and effort to the test and engage in some friendly competition! Win or lose we know we will be happy just to get out there and prove that we can do this!  We look forward to taking part in an iconic St. John’s event and welcome our friends, family and fans to join us in celebrating Regatta Day!”

Their race is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
Please come out and enjoy a great day of festivities at the lake, and cheer for TEAM CAPITAL SUBARU!!

Share/Bookmark

Capital Auto group is raising money for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland, and you can help!

From now until September 17th, for every page LIKE counted on our face book page, $1 will be donated to the kids.

Click here to trade your like for our loonie !

www.facebook.com/capitalautogroup

If you do not have facebook (and have already told all of your friends and family that do about the campaign), you can STILL help by giving directly to the organisation.

Here’s how to find and/or contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Newfoundland 

To contact any of the Capital Auto Group dealerships, please call 709-752-3300.

Share/Bookmark

Now I know what you’re thinking – “of course they took immediate care of you, you WORK there!”. No. They take care of their drivers, not just their employees. Here’s an example:

Lance had a little accident with a large shopping-cart-esque object that left deep scratches on the driver side rear door a few months back. I had a small fit.
Now. Let me ask you, how many sales managers do you know that go out into the dealership garage and promptly BUFF THEM OUT BY HAND wearing dress shoes?

Yeah. Mitsubishi. Always one-upping your expectations.

So. Back on track here.

While I was waiting for almost 3 weeks for the insurance company to send an appraiser to the body shop, write reports, and issue me a cheque to replace my beloved Lance, I was driving alllll the Mitsubishi vehicles. (Partly because I am supposed to know how awesome they all are since I work for Capital Auto, and partly because I was a customer test driving to determine which one my picky, picky self was going to commit to.)

Stay tuned. I’ll tell you more about that spoiled-rotten-with-brand-new-cars-time in my life.

In the meantime, Google “Mitsubishi Lancer Evo top speed”. Yeah. Mitsubishi.

Share/Bookmark

I will tell you all about it over the next little while - it’s a long story.

(2 things: 1. Yes I work for the capital auto group, 2. No this is not a sneaky way of getting you to buy a car. It’s just a good story…)

Share/Bookmark

Amy recounts the day:

The Saturday of time trials the lake was buzzing with activity and there were many more teams and spectators present than on Discovery Day. Full of team spirit and anticipation we lined up at the start line. This was our second race and we had trained hard and had a few good practice races leading up to this day. The team came to time trials with a new confidence and new Capital Subaru Shirts to show the competition!

Despite a delay for fog and a strong wind, we nailed our start and headed down the lake, long and strong around the buoy, hearts racing as our coxswain yelled and motivated us to keep going when our bodies were tiring. Nose to nose all the way down the lake we finished a satisfactory third place in our race with a time nearly one minute faster than our Discovery Day time (not a bad improvement for just two weeks!!).

Regatta Day here we come!!!

Go team Capital Subaru

Share/Bookmark