Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers

Many homeowners who fall on hard economic times find a solution in refinancing their mortgage, but can you do the same with an auto loan?

Actually, you can. But it plays out a little differently.

Since your auto loan is usually underwritten by an auto finance corporation or, in some cases your dealer, then there are fewer hoops to jump through to refinance your auto loan. You still need to undergo a credit check. If that checks out to the satisfaction of your lender then you could very well refinance your auto loan in a short time.

The benefit to refinancing your auto loan is that you can lower you car payments. The ideal time to do it is when interest rates are low, which will give you a better rate on your loan and make your car loan easier to pay over time. You could, in some cases, lower your car payment without extending the life of your loan.

But you don’t always have control over situation that requires financial rearrangement. If you need an auto loan refinance then you need it when you need it.

If your car loan payments are too high then now is the best time to refinance. And just so you know, you don’t have to keep the same lender. You can refinance under a different auto loan financing company. The main thing is that you lower your car payments.

Santa Fe is not just a city in New Mexico. It’s also a classy midsize SUV manufactured by Hyundai. The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe will make you proud to be a driver in any city, or on country roads for that matter. The U.S. News & World Report ranks it #12 among midsize SUVs, a distinction to write home about.

MSRP for the Santa Fe starts at $21,695. For fuel economy, its gets 19 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. Not bad.

She stocks a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with an option for a 3.5-liter V6. The smaller engine puts out 175 horsepower while the V6 kicks out 276 horsepower. Along with that 4-cylinder you get a 6-speed transmission, choice of automatic or manual. The V6 comes with a 6-speed automatic as a standard.

The Santa Fe is comfortable on the road and handles well too.

As a midsize SUV, you don’t get three-row seating. The two rows do provide ample room for 4 passengers, however. If you opt for the upper trims, the SE and Limited, then you can have leather seats. But even the lowest trim level on the Santa Fe is comfortable inside and quite nice. You’ll be proud to sit in it.

Among the interior features are:

• Steering wheel mounted controls
• Blue ambient lighting
• Tilt, telescopic steering wheel
• On the SE trim you get leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather upholstery
• Power driver’s seat (SE trim)
• 34.2 cubic feet of cargo space, 78.2 cubic feet with rear seats folded down

Options include a navigation system, power sunroof and rearview camera.

One of the things you’ll notice about the 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is, if you’re a long-time Santa Fe fan, the more conventional look of the exterior body. Earlier versions of the Santa Fe were a bit more quirky and unconventional.

For safety, the Hyundai Santa Fe rocks the charts. The U.S. government gives it five stars. Passenger protection, both for front and rear passengers, is excellent so no worries there. Standard safety features include:

• Electronic Stability Control
• Traction Control System
• 4-wheel anti-lock braking
• Advanced dual-front airbags
• Roof-mounted side-curtain airbags with rollover sensors
• Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist

The 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is a great family vehicle with cargo carrying power. It’s practical, stylish and comfortable inside. Your family will love it.

Honda has once again outclassed its competition. With the 2010 Honda Element SC you get an SUV that is beyond practical, stylish and beautiful. Let’s start with the body.

Unlike most SUVs, Honda put the style back into sport. Not rounded or curvy, the Element is more like a box square, but that doesn’t mean boring.

It rides low to the ground so you get some road hugging going on and with 18″ alloy wheels you have plenty of grip. There’s lots of cargo space in the back too with the clamshell tailgate, a signature feature of the SC. The butterfly-style cargo doors also make it easy to load the back of the cab, a nice feature if you do a lot of backseat loading.

It’s not really fair to call the Element SC an SUV. It only seats 4, but there is plenty of cargo area so you should just call it a sport cargo vehicle. Maybe that’s what the SC stands for?

The engine is a 2.4-liter, 16-valve 4-cylinder engine that cranks out 166 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 161 pound feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, perfect for delivering impressive fuel economy. The 5-speed automatic transmission with its 5.6 quart crankcase can deliver 20 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway.

Let’s go back to cargo space. The 2010 Honda Element SC brings 74.6 cubic feet of cargo space to the table. Behind the second row you get 25.1 cubic feet. But there’s also plenty of room for passengers with 103.6 cubic feet of passenger volume.

Standard interior features include:

• Rear ventilation windows
• Power door and tailgate locks
• Steering wheel mounted cruise and audio controls
• Overhead storage compartment
• Urethane-coated utility floor in the cargo area
• 12-volt power outlets in the front, center and rear
• Rear window defroster
• Rear seat heater ducts
• Cargo area storage bins and area hooks

And that’s just a start.

Standard exterior features include:

• Impressive side cargo doors
• Variable windshield wipers
• Roof-mounted antenna
• Remote entry system
• Green-tinted glass
• Privacy glass
• Multi-reflector halogen headlights
• And the impressive clamshell tailgate for easy loading

If that isn’t enough, Honda packed the Element with great safety features and audio as well. Seven speakers with a subwoofer is standard as well as satellite radio provided by XM and MP3/Windows Media Audio playback capability.

The 2010 Honda Element SC has all the style you’d expect of a modern sport vehicle and all the practicality and usefulness of a world-class cargo vehicle. You get utility and sport in one package in a classy vehicle that looks classic with all the best modern features.

Your Hyundai’s battery does a lot for your car, from helping it start to operating all of the electrical systems in your car. This is especially important today, as most cars rely on highly-specialized electronics to help them get down the road.

Unfortunately, the posts on your Hyundai’s battery are a wonderful breeding ground for corrosion. This corrosion looks like a crusty white residue located around the posts. As this corrosion builds up over time, it can interfere with the connection to your battery.

There are a number of cleaning products for your Hyundai car battery. Each has its own particular features, but the important thing is that they help to get your battery terminals clean.

Generally speaking, you need to remove your battery terminals to get them clean of corrosion. You will use wrenches to remove the negative battery cable first, and then the positive cable. If a cable is stuck, you can use a screwdriver to help pry the terminal open.

Once the terminals are free, it’s time to clean them. Apply the recommended amount of cleaning solution on the posts and terminals. Use a small brush to get rid of any stubborn corrosion. Once they’re clean, rinse them off and reinstall them, starting with the positive side.

Think you might need a new battery?  Bring your car into your Lehigh Valley Hyundai car dealer today.

Determining value on a used vehicle can often be a difficult task, but if you are selling your used car then it’s a necessary pre-sales step. If you don’t determine the value of your vehicle before listing it for sale you’ll either have a difficult time selling it because you have it listed too high or you’ll end up with money on the table because you sold it for less than it was worth.

Two great resources for helping you determine your used car’s value are N.A.D.A. and Kelley Blue Book.

There are two types of value with regard to selling your vehicle. There is trade-in value and private party value. Your trade-in value will be much lower. The private party value is the retail value of your used car. If you are planning to trade your used car in for a newer vehicle then consider those values because the auto dealer will not give you retail value. One advantage to selling to a dealer, however, is you can usually sell it much more quickly than if you tried selling your car to an individual.

The most important thing you’ll need to learn to do in determining the value of used cars is judging condition. A good vehicle will be worth more than a vehicle in poor condition.

Used car buyers want to know how available parts are for the vehicle they want to purchase. For that reason, common vehicles are more easy to sell than exotic cars. But in terms of value, a classic vehicle can often be valued at more due to its collectible status.

If you have trouble determining your used car’s value then take it to a dealer and ask for an appraisal. Most dealers will do this free of charge if you are planning to trade your vehicle in for a newer model.

This month, as part of the Vinart Local Partner Program, we are proud to bring back our very FIRST local partner, Our Memories in Motion of Lenhartsvile. Our Memories in Motion is a fantastic local business, and we hope that you’ll support them by using one of their many services, like their Picture Slide Show Creation or VHS to DVD Conversions.

Our Memories in Motion is offering local Lehigh Valley residents, Vinart Insiders, and Vinart Facebook connections, a FREE VHS to DVD Conversion or Audio Cassette to CD Conversion. Do you have a stack of VHS tapes sitting on your entertainment center? If you do, you’re like millions of Americans across the country. When we take video of family and friends, we assume this video will last for many more years. The reality is that the video we captured can break or, even worse, be taped over with another movie. You’ve heard the story, you know the one where the husband overwrites a video of his child’s first steps with last year’s Super Bowl, or, a family sits down to watch a video of their vacation 3 years ago only to find that the VHS tape has broken. Our Memories in Motion’s VHS to DVD Conversion service allows you to preserve your precious videos by putting them onto disc.

You can obtain Our Memories in Motion’s local partner coupon one of two ways: Sign-up to become a Vinart Insider and we will email you a link to the coupon OR connect with Vinart Dealerships on Facebook, and we will post the coupon as an image to our Facebook Wall. You can then follow instructions to print out the coupon and bring it with you to Our Memories in Motion, located in Lenhartsville, PA.

Our Memories in Motion wants to show the local community that their quality is top notch, and we suggest that you take this opportunity to try out their VHS to DVD Conversion, or even their Audio Cassette to CD Conversion service. Our Memories in Motion is a local business, owned by fellow members of our Lehigh Valley community. Help support our community by using a service from Our Memories in Motion the next time a need arises.

Vinart Dealerships Email Insider Program

There are two ways to sign-up to become a Vinart Insider: via email and via mobile phone. The Vinart Insider program is free to everyone and provides you with great Insider Savings opportunities on new and used vehicles, service, and parts. Vinart Insiders also get access to our local partner coupons. We hope that you will sign-up for the Vinart Email Insider Program.

Vinart Dealerships Mobile Insider Program

If you’d rather receive Vinart communications on your mobile phone, we can do that too. No more printing out emails and bringing them with you each time you want to use a coupon. Now, to join our mobile Insiders program, simply text LVINSIDER to 639227.

Vinart Dealerships on Facebook & Twitter

Vinart Dealerships is on Facebook and Twitter. We hope you will connect with us so that we can begin to get to know you better.

Tire rotation is one of the most important maintenance routines every vehicle owner and driver should perform. You probably don’t want to do it yourself, but you can. If you can’t jack up your vehicle so that all four wheels are off the ground then you’ll need to do it one wheel at a time and that will take you a while.

In order to perform a tire rotation successfully, you’ll have to take your front wheel off, jack up the back end of your vehicle (on the same side) and take off the rear wheel and replace it with the front wheel you took off earlier. Then you’ll have to put the rear wheel on the front. Some don’ts:

• Don’t rotate tires on the same axle (i.e. front left to front right or back right to back left)
• Don’t criss-cross (back left to front right)
• Don’t crawl under your vehicle while it is jacked up
• Don’t let the wheel touch the ground with your tire not on it

Now for some dos:

• You’ll find it easier to place blocks under the front axle while you jack up the rear so that you don’t have to let the front down, jack up the back, let the back down, jack up the front, etc. That will get tiresome in a hurry.
• Make sure you rotate tires to the opposite axle on the same side of the vehicle

Rotating your tires every 5,000 to 10,000 miles will ensure they last longer and keep driving safe. As the tread wears down on the tires you’ll find that they do not handle as well. Rotate them a couple of times then replace them with new tires.

If you don’t want to rotate your own tires, be sure to hire a professional mechanic to do it for you.

The 2010 Hyundai Sonata SE is a 4-door family vehicle with class, practicality and fuel efficiency. It’s the perfect family car.

Starting at MSRP $18,700, this vehicle is affordable and easy to drive. It’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine delivers 175 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 168 pound feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The 17.7 gallon fuel tank supports an estimated 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Combined, the number is 25.

The 2010 Hyundai Sonata SE falls into the mid-size class and seats 5 comfortably. It also offers 16.3 cubic feet of luggage capacity and 40.1 inches of headroom in the front seats. Leg room for the front passengers stretches out to 43.7 inches while the rear passengers can sit comfortably with 37.4 inches of leg room. That’s not bad for a sedan.

The drivetrain is a 5-speed shiftable automatic transmission. The seats are leather with cloth upholstery, making it a comfortable ride.

Safety features include:

• 4-wheel anti-lock brakes
• Traction control
• Stability control
• Standard airbags for the driver and passengers

A step up from the GLS trim, the SE features 17 inch alloy wheels with performance tires. It also features a rear spoiler, a sport-tuned suspension, steering wheel mounted audio controls and 8-way power driver’s seat. Optional features include an auto-dimming rearview mirror, sunroof, Bluetooth system, and a 240-watt Infinity sound system with 6-CD disc changer.

Standard audio features include AM/FM in-dash single CD player with CD MP3 playback, element antenna and 6 speakers.

The SE trim also has two step up trim levels, the SE PZEV and SE V6. All three are front wheel drive, but the SE V6 increases the power of the Hyundai Sonata with a 3.3-liter 6-cylinder V6 engine, but it sacrifices a little bit in fuel economy. The interior and luggage capacity are the same as the SE with its smaller engine.

If you want a family car that gets around and looks pretty doing it, with practicality, fuel efficiency and comfort then the 2010 Hundai Sonata SE is a great pick.

The 2010 Honda Accord Sedan is as dashing as any vehicle on the road can be. Besides being affordable and practical, it’s also stacked with the best technology and is surprisingly simple.

The starting MSRP is $21,055. EPA estimated fuel economy is 22 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway.

Built for performance, the 2010 Honda Accord Sedan is available in 6 different trims:

• LX
• LX Premium
• EX
• EX V-6
• EX-L
• EX-L V-6

On the bottom end, the LX features a 177 horsepower 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4 cylinder engine. The EX trim steps it up a little to 190 horsepower on the same engine block. But the EX V-6 and above go beyond the 4-cylinder engine to a 271 horsepower 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine. And then it just gets better from there.

By the time you get to the EX-L V-6 trim you have standard features like leather-trimmed interior, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, steering wheel mounted phone controls, XM Radio and HomeLink Remote System. Even then, at $29,105 MSRP, the Honda Accord Sedan offers tremendous value at every price point.

Here’s what you get as standard technical and safety features on the 2010 Honda Accord Sedan EX-L V-6:

Technical

• Variable Cylinder Management
• Drive By Wire Throttle System
• Double Wishbone Front Suspension
• Independent Multi-Link Rear Suspension
• Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars

Safety

• Brake Assist
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Dual Stage, Multiple Threshold Front Airbags
• Dual-Chamber Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System
• Side Curtain Airbags
• Active Head Restraints for both front passengers
• ABS
• Electronic Brake Distribution
• And a whole lot more

The EX-L V-6 trim also features a one touch power moonroof with tilt feature.

If you’re not convinced yet that the 2010 Honda Accord Sedan is stylish and classy with a fun side then I don’t know what will seal the deal. This is a beautiful vehicle inside and out for the practical driver with a sporty side.

After years of use or thousands of miles of driving, brake problems are going to be inevitable. But do you know how to determine what the problem is without taking your Hyundai car to a mechanic? Here are some simple ways to diagnose your Hyundai brake problems to give you a better idea about what’s wrong so you can make an informed decision.

Squealing
If the brakes on your Hyundai vehicle squeal until you push on the brake, you have worn the pads down. The high-pitched squeal you hear is a little sensor that is designed to alert you so you know the pads have worn down and need to be changed.

Soft Braking
Soft braking refers to pushing on your brake pedal and having it go down before the brakes actually “kick in.” This is usually because of air bubbles in your brake line and can often be solved by bleeding the brakes. It could also be an indicator that you have a bad brake master cylinder.

Pulsating Brakes
When you push on your Hyundai brakes and they feel like they are pulsating, you probably have warped rotors. This can affect your stopping distance so it’s vital to have this checked.

These are just a few of the things that can go wrong with brakes. For more information or a complete checkup on your braking system, visit your Allentown Hyundai dealer today.