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Getting new tires but don’t know how to figure out the size?  Filling your tires up with the air they’ve lost in the cold weather but don’t know how much to put in?  Or just want to learn something new?  Well, the information on the sidewall of your tires can be hard to decipher, but we’re here to help show you how to read your tires! P We’ll start with the numbers that indicate the size of your tire.  The letter “P” labeled in this picture with a green color is the Service Description.  This lets you know what kind of use the tire is intended for.  Obviously it is meant for the road, but there are different letters and combinations they use.  P stands for passenger car, LT stands for light truck, ST is for special trailer, and T stands for temporary.  So, if you have any type of car or SUV (excluding trucks), then your tires will most likely be marked with a P, and if you look at your spare tire for either your car or SUV it will most likely have a T. 235 The second part is the number “235” labeled with yellow writing in this picture.  This number simply represents the tire width in millimeters up and over the tires tread. 55 This number “55” is what’s called the aspect ratio.  That ratio is made up of its section height divided by its section width.  We already know its section width is 235 millimeters, so this particular tire’s aspect ratio says that its height is 55% of its width.  The lower the aspect ratio the lower the sidewall height, which makes for better handling. R The next letter “R” refers to its internal construction and stands for radial construction.  You will see an R on 99.9% of tires now-a-days because it’s been the industry standard for about 25 years.  The only exception being certain large trucks that still use Bias-ply tires, represented with a B instead of an R. 19 This number, 19 in our case, stands for the rim diameter in inches.  This means that this tire will only fit on a 19-inch rim. 101V The next marking is kind of a two-in-one.  The number that comes first represents the tires load index.  And a tire’s load index is exactly what it sounds like: how much weight can that one tire carry.  So, from here you need to do two things.  First, you need to look at your number on the Load-Carrying Capacity Per Tire chart.  According to the chart, our number 101 can carry 1,819 pounds.  Secondly, you need to multiply that number by the number of tires on your vehicle to get a total amount of load capacity you can carry.  So, the vehicle that this tire belongs to would have a maximum carrying capacity of 7,276 lbs. The second part of this marking is a letter; a V in this case but it may be different on your vehicle.  This letter indicates the speed rating.  And just as you had to refer to a chart with the number, you have to do the same for the letter although this chart is not as extensive and can be seen below. Here is a complete list of the various tire speed ratings, and their associated letters: S = 112 mph T = 118 mph U = 124 mph H = 130 mph V = 149 mph *Z = Over 149 mph W = 168 mph Y = 186 mph (Y) = Over 186 mph *Used to be the highest rating The number that corresponds with V is 149 mph.  That means that this tire can handle speeds up to 149 mph for a sustained period of time.  If you go above that speed your tires won’t necessarily explode but it is certainly not recommended for safe driving. M+S The final marking on this part of the tire simply means it is rated for severe snow conditions. The next set of markings aren’t really necessary to know how to read your tires – but may be interesting at the same time – are important to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and are referred to as the Tire Identification Number (TIN).  The TIN is made up of sets of letters and numbers.  The first two letters/numbers are always representative of the manufacturing plant.  Each plant gets a two digit code – whether it’s one number and one letter, both numbers, or both letters – and it will always be the first two markings you see to the right of DOT.  The next part will be a two digit code indicating the tire size.  The middle four letters, JAIR in our case, identify the tire brand.  And finally the last four numbers tell you what week and year the tire was made.  For our example, it was made during the 37 th week of the year 2006. There are certainly other numbers on the sidewall of your tires including maximum tire pressure (which is not the same as recommended tire pressure), temperature rating, traction rating and others.  These are just making you aware that the tire, if used outside of those specifications, may not perform favorably.

The day after the Super Bowl is for talking about the big game at work, recanting the crucial plays, and maybe best of all discussing everyone’s favorite Super Bowl Commercials.  This year there were some pretty powerful spots; including two from Nissan, one controversial ad from Nationwide Insurance, a PSA by coalition No More, and several others.  Serious was the name of the game, and we were right in line with our three spots on NBC – WRDE. Our spots were based around thanking our valued customers of the Delmarva area and beyond.  Our message even got picked up by those at Edmunds.com, who wrote an article about us and what we were trying to accomplish.  Our commercials spots also got great reception with people liking, sharing, and commenting on them via Facebook during and after the game.  Some of the top comments included things like, “THAT is a GREAT commercial – thank you!” and “What an awesome local commercial from Preston Frogz!”  We were even able to use pictures and video of local people in the ads.  Whether it was military or EMS personnel or members of the community at our various events, we got to connect our message back to them.  You can view all three of our spots below or on our Preston Frogz YouTube page. Thanks for supporting us Delmarva!

It’s that time of year again for the big game – Super Bowl XLIX.  As you know this game will be played between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Sunday February 1, 2015.  We know there will certainly be a ton of viewers glued to their televisions on Sunday night.  Last year 167 Million people watched the big game, making it the most watched television broadcast in U.S. history, overtaking the Super Bowl from two years prior by approximately 200,000 viewers.  Bottom line, this year’s game is projected to set a new record and advertisers have certainly taken notice. Historically, people watch the broadcast for the Super Bowl Commercials as much as the actual game sometimes.  The commercials have been getting funnier and more creative each and every year.  This year Preston Automotive Group will have three Super Bowl Commercials featured on NBC – WRDE.  We were inspired this year by the service men and women in our communities.  From Firefighters to Police Officers, EMS to Military Personnel, we wanted to form our message around you; thanking you for everything you do for us.  We created Preston Cares in order to convey this message to you. Preston Cares is our way of saying thank you to our local community.  It is because of you that we are still in business.  “Our customers give so much to us that we are happy to give back to the community,” says Dave Wilson, Preston Automotive Group President, “We were excited to produce these special Super Bowl Commercials to thank all of you on Delmarva and beyond.”  Not only do we love our customers, we love our local communities and try to be involved as much as possible.  Preston Cares supports the local communities that each of our dealerships live in.  From Little League Baseball teams to Supporting the Fight Against Breast Cancer, we truly believe that together we can do more. So, when you see our Super Bowl Commercials this year be sure to remember that you, our valued customers, are of key importance to Preston Automotive Group’s success.  Thank you again!

There’s a certain negative connotation that has followed around the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) for as long as they’ve been in existence; but why?  Gearheads seem to cringe before you can even finish the acronym CV… but whatever started this perception?  We take a look at how the CVT works, what its benefits are, and why people judge it so harshly. First of all CVT is a type of transmission that doesn’t actually have gears in the sense that we would think of gears.  A CVT’s “gears” are “Continuously Variable” meaning that they don’t have teeth like traditional gears – they are always changing.  In laymen’s terms there are two cones that are held together with a rubber or woven metal belt.  Those belts will start out at the tips of both cones while the car is at or near zero RPMs, and as the RPMs increase, the belts will simultaneously move outward to the thickest parts of the cones.  Think of it as a 21-speed bicycle with a gear boxes on the front and back, but now replace the gears with fat-ish cones and you suddenly would be able to hit “gears” such as twelve-and-a-half or ten-and-three-quarters.  This creates for seamless shifting (in most vehicles) and less wear and tear on mechanical parts that you would have in a regular manual or automatic transmission. Can you spot where the CVT "cones" are located in this expanded picture? There are several benefits to a CVT and we’ve even named some, but the main thing that seems to draw consumers in is the fuel savings that accompanies these debated transmissions.  It’s one thing that everyone can pretty much agree upon.  The way it does this is keep the revolutions per minute down while under light acceleration and thus maximize fuel economy by constantly shifting “gears” rather than raising RPMs.  It’s a benefit that can actually be seen at the pump.  Another benefit would be the ease of maintenance because instead of multiple gears to potentially replace, essentially all you have to worry about is the belt (mostly woven metal chain now-a-days) and the two cones.  Benefits to a CVT also include the ability to maximize acceleration by holding an engine at peak output. Now, there are doubters out there (and plenty of them), but with recent advancements CVTs are becoming more mainstream.  Even still, people still have a negative perception of these transmissions.  For instance, because of the way a CVT holds constant engine speed, often-times drivers complain that a poorly calibrated CVT can feel like applying the throttle on a motorboat.  It’s been described as “droning” or “lagging,” but more and more people are coming around and these innovations are being put into more cars every year. It’s difficult to give you an idea just how many cars have CVTs in them without just listing them, but it should get the point across that this is the way the world is turning.  For example, just about every Nissan has a CVT and most have had them since the mid-2000s (although they’ve seen much improvement since then).  A handful of Ford vehicles are on the list as well including the Fusion and Escape Hybrids.  There are plenty other manufacturers utilizing the power of the CVT such as Audi, Lexus, Subaru, Honda and Toyota.  While there are more, this should give you plenty of an idea about how popular they are becoming sooner rather than later. Like them or not, it seems as if CVTs are here to stay.  So, the question becomes, when will all the “haters” come around and change their attitudes on these fuel saving transmissions?  There will always be the regular manual and automatic transmissions for those hardcore gearheads and people who actually need them, but the CVTs are here for those who want a seamless transmission that saves them money at the pump!

Tuesday, December 16 th, the Senate passed the Tax Extenders Bill that expands the Section 179 deduction limit thru December 31 st 2014.  This has quickly become a huge deal for local businesses big and small. It gives them the ability to write-off 100% of equipment purchases, including vehicles for business use, up to $500,000. In addition to the increased limit of $500,000, Section 179 deduction will also reinstate the 50% Bonus Depreciation. The bill is a one-year, retroactive extension of the tax breaks, even though it only last through the end of this month. Only this 2014 tax year will be covered by the measure and therefore it is a good business decision for many to buy/finance equipment, such as new vehicle purchases from Preston Ford Commercial Trucks, immediately to make the December 31, 2014 cutoff for the write-off provisions. “We are excited to hear that the Section 179 deduction has been expanded,” says Dave Wilson Sr., President of Preston Ford and Preston Automotive Group, “Not only will our Ford Commercial Truck customers and buyers be able to take advantage of the expansion but we as a business will be able to as well.” Preston Ford’s Business Preferred Network Commercial Truck Department has seen a large increase of businesses buying new commercial Ford vehicles since the bill was passed. Preston Ford, Ford Dealership of Maryland and Delaware, is currently in pursuit of becoming a Top 85 Ford Dealer in the Nation and has helped accommodate the bills passing by lowering prices on their Ford commercial vehicles and other Ford vehicles.  Preston Ford has over 1000 Ford Commercial Trucks in one location at the Preston Autoplex in Preston, MD. This tax break extension will also directly affect sales in the Preston Nissan Commercial Department.  As of now, Preston Nissan of Maryland has over 30 new commercial vehicles: The NV Cargo Van, Passenger Van and NV 200.  These vehicles are mostly left all white to make it easy for businesses to customize them with their own insignia and color scheme.  This tax deduction expansion is huge and business owners will understand that now is the perfect time for them to buy! Check out vehicles for any type of business at Preston Ford and Preston Nissan located on the same 38 acre lot in Preston, Maryland.  The Top 100 Sales Drive and the extension of this bill are both huge reasons to buy now.

Ever heard of flat-spotting? Maybe you’ve heard but you’re not sure if you should be worried about it.  Perhaps you’re already worried but aren’t sure what to do about it.  Well check this out to see what everybody should know about their tires! Flat-spotting is the phenomenon when the weight of a car presses down on the tires and actually changes the circumference from circular to … less circular.  Out-of-round tires cause vibration, which you might have noticed the last time your car was parked on a cold night.  Under the right conditions, an immobile tire that sits through the winter months under the weight of even a small car can warp the tires and create a “flat” spot on one side.  It becomes a bigger problem in different temperature extremes: hot and cold.  With winter right around the corner you should know how to safely store your vehicle; and more specifically your tires. Flat Stoppers are another way to prevent Flat-Spotting. First of all, Brian Grimm, Body Shop Director for the Preston Automotive Group says, “Tires should be stored as clean as possible.”  You might not be able to see it but the dirt and brake dust on the surface can mess with the compound at a molecular level.  That may be hard to believe, but it is actually true and has been proven.  So, a soapy scrub down will get the rubber nice and clean. Another precaution to take is to fill the tires to their correct pressures before storage.  It is recommended that whether you leave the tires on the vehicle or take them off, you should check the pressure periodically throughout the winter as pressure will drop with the temperature. The experts also believe you should keep tires out of direct sunlight to avoid damage.  If you store them in your garage and it has windows, consider covering them.  UV rays will cause seen and unseen damage to your tires, so it is recommended to keep them out of the sun. If you want to be extra-careful, you could even remove the wheels and tires and store them in a temperature-controlled room.  So, if you choose this route, you could do one of two things with the now wheel-less car.  You could put a set of junk wheels and tires back on if you have them and set the vehicle back down.  You could also put it up on jack stands for safekeeping if you have the space for that too.  If none of these suggestions sound good to you, then you could always just move your vehicle occasionally.  Roll the vehicle back and forth every couple weeks so it’s not sitting on the same patch all the time. This is one of those things that can skip people’s minds but it is a very real problem if you leave a vehicle sit stagnant for the winter or summer months.  Take these precautions this winter and you’ll be all ready to go once the snow melts.  Our Body Shops in Preston, Cambridge, and Snow Hill will be coming out with more tips such as these in the coming months.  As always, check back to our blog for more information about all things automobiles!

Veterans served our country with selfless fortitude.  Whether it was in the First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Vietnam War, or any other war in our history, the Veterans of our Armed Services have been the ones keeping us safe; so today we salute them. Did you know that Veterans Day was first called Armistice Day back in 1919?  Armistice of course means an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting; in other words, a truce.  The first celebration of Armistice Day, November 11, 1919, marked the one year anniversary of the end of WWI, and was put in place to applaud those who risked their lives in that war.  However, it wasn’t made a federal holiday until 1938.  And in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower amended the holiday to include all veterans. Did you know that Veterans Day wasn’t always on the 11 th of November?  It started out as the 11 th, as previously stated, and is currently the 11 th but wasn’t always like that.  For a period of ten years, from 1968-78, Veterans Day was changed to the 4 th Monday in October.  The petty reason for that was to give Federal Officers a three day weekend.  Today, all Federal Offices and most schools are off in observance of Veterans Day. Did you know that Veterans Day in the US is shared with many other country’s celebrations.  There were 19 countries that fought with the Allies in WWI and most – if not all – have celebrations on November 11 th to honor their Veterans.  For instance, this year, the UK is celebrating 100 years since the start of WWI with a big ceremony and moment of silence in London. Finally, did you know that many places give out Military Discounts to Active Duty Members and Veterans on Veterans Day?  This year restaurants such as Denny’s, Olive Garden, and others are giving out free or discounted meals to Veterans with Military ID’s.  Specifically here at the Preston Autoplex we have a $500 Military Discount that we run every day on every car on the lot.  It is just our small way of saying thank you to the men and women that serve, and have served, our great country.  Happy Veterans Day!

It’s November and the cold weather is setting in on Delmarva and around the country.  Cold weather can bring about some things that make life more difficult.  Knowing this, I’ve put together a list of life hacks.  I’m sure most of you have seen the various life hacks that show up on your Facebook news feed every now and then.  These life hacks are all about how the cold weather affects you and your vehicle. Put some hand sanitizer on your car key if the lock is frozen. If you still must use a key instead of a fob to unlock your car, then this is a good one for you.  Any amount of moisture that gets trapped in your car lock will freeze on a cold night.  So, squeezing some hand sanitizer directly into the lock will melt the ice because of the alcohol content of the sanitizer.  You could also apply it to your key and insert it into the lock.  Either way the alcohol will break down the ice and unfreeze it. Park your car facing east to defrost the windshield. Overnight your car is sure to accumulate some frost or ice on the windshield when the weather gets close to or below freezing temperature.  Parking it facing the east will enable the morning sun to clear some of the ice off before you actually come out to do it yourself before you leave for work.  Depending on how bright the sun and how long your car sits in the sun, you may not have to even scrape any ice off at all.  Now, that would make for a good start to the day! Carry a little bit of kitty litter in your car all winter long. If you get stuck in the snow this little life hack will come in handy this winter.  Say you’re tires are spinning in the snow; you’re stuck.  Sprinkle a bit of kitty litter in front of each tire in order help you gain traction.  The next life hack is a little extension of this idea.  Also it may not be a bad idea to keep a small shovel in your car during the winter months to help dig you out of some tight spots when kitty litter just won’t do the job. As a last resort use the car’s floor mats to help you get traction. If you don’t have kitty litter, salt, or a shovel, you can take your car mats off the floor and lay them on the ground in front of the drive tires to gain traction.  This may damage your mats, so this should be used as a final resort. Stick your windshield wipers up off the glass to prevent ice from sticking to them. Anytime you are not using your car, pull the wiper blades up so they stick out perpendicular to the windshield.  This way they will not become frozen to the windshield if it were to snow.  This is great to do overnight or even when you’re parked all day at work.  Ice can damage your blades over time and could even scratch your windshield if you were to try to use the wipers with ice stuck to them. Ice-proof your car by misting a 3:1 mixture of distilled vinegar and water before a storm. This will prohibit ice from forming on any surface that you spray.  You will still have to clean the snow off, but at least there will be no ice underneath!  And if you forget to do this before the storm, you could spray the mixture directly onto your icy windows to melt the ice. Finally, don’t leave electronics in your car. The cold air will drain the battery without even using them.  If you usually keep your iPod in your car for music while driving; don’t.  The battery will almost surely be drained the next time you get in.  Especially don’t leave more expensive electronics in there like your laptop, tablet, or phone.  This may do more than drain the battery; it may actually have more lasting effects. Hopefully these cold weather life hacks will get you through the winter this year!

Preston Hyundai has just received a Hyundai Star Award for the #1 Service Satisfaction Dealer in the District for the 3 rd Quarter of 2014.  That is a very prestigious award, yet it’s not the first time Preston Hyundai has won it.  Just last quarter (Q2) Preston Hyundai of Maryland was also #1 in the Southern Region for Service Satisfaction.  So, that is back-to-back now for Preston Hyundai’s Service Department.  They must be doing something right to win that award two quarters in a row. To give a little background, this award is based off of surveys sent out to customers immediately after they’ve had service done on their vehicle.  The survey is very extensive and covers everything from the type of work performed to the professionalism of the staff.  Those are only two questions out of a 50-question survey.  Hyundai wants to get the most accurate reading out of their surveys which is why there are so many questions to be answered.  This award that Preston Hyundai has won two quarters in a row is based solely off of these surveys. Preston Hyundai’s Service Department worked on hundreds of cars during the previous two quarters.  And during that time, Ryan Carter, Parts and Service Director at Preston Hyundai said, “The most common reason for service was an oil change.”  Preston Hyundai Service Technicians were also able to average under an hour for all oil changes performed in those two quarters.  So, naturally, that type of speed and efficiency would make any customer very satisfied. Preston Hyundai is constantly training their technicians in order to ensure the best job possible, and it obviously shows by being the owner of the #1 Service Satisfaction Dealer Award in consecutive quarters.  Again, this is a huge honor and Preston Hyundai is very proud of their accomplishment.  “It shows that we value our customers and want them to have the best service experience possible,” Carter says.  Preston Hyundai – located in Hurlock, MD, but serves the entire east coast and places all around the United States – is looking forward to maintaining this standard of excellence through the 4 th quarter and beyond to win many more Star Awards.

If you’ve never heard of 3D Printing you are robbing yourself of important and useful knowledge.  It is going to be the future of manufacturing and it’s coming up quick, so it’s something you should know about. 3D Printing is simple: It’s a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file on your computer.  It is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is finished.  If you’ve ever used CAD, a Computer Aided Design program, then you’re already familiar with the first steps toward how an object is created with a 3D Printer.  You make the file in a CAD program and send it to the 3D Printer just as you would a regular paper printer.  Researchers and experts are already using 3D Printers for prototyping and various other things.  However, it is not necessarily being widely used.  Yet. Local Motors, a fairly new company from Phoenix, AZ, did the impossible by 3D Printing a drivable car.  This is truly amazing but shouldn’t be unbelievable – because it happened in front of a bunch of people at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago last month.  The entire process of printing all 212 layers of the car took about two days.  The body was made of 15% carbon fiber and 85% ABS composite.  That body had to be put over top of all the internal parts such as the electric engine, steering components, and custom wheels – all of which were 3D Printed.  As you can see in the video, it turned out to be a very small but drivable car (HINT: Skip to about 3:15 to get to the real action). Nissan Motorsports also did some experimenting with this technology; not to make an entire car but to prototype some cooling adjustments for their race cars.  The video below is a bit long but does show you some neat processes of the actual printing itself. There is no doubt in my mind, 3D Printing an entire car that is safe, legal, and drivable on American roads will happen eventually; but a more reasonable and immediate expectation of 3D Printing will be to manufacture automotive parts on the spot at dealerships.  Dealer service shops, such as ours here at Preston Nissan Service, will be able to print out the parts needed to fix a car right at their location if they get a 3D Printer whenever they become available to the public.  I can honestly see this becoming a reality within the next 5 years. It’s going to be an amazing technology to watch develop over the coming years.  The potential this has to change the automotive industry is unquantifiable because it is a brand new technology.  But here at Preston Automotive Group we’ll be watching it closely because we know the giant impact it can have in the very near future.

The Ford F-150 is perhaps the most anticipated vehicle of the 2015 model year.  The F-150 has already been the #1 selling truck in America for the past 37 years, and there is no doubt that will continue through 2015.  We’re very excited about these trucks and cannot wait until they arrive later this year! The 2015 F-150 will come available in Regular Cab, SuperCab, and SuperCrew models.  There will also be five trim levels to choose from including XL, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, or Platinum.  So, if you multiply it all together, you find that there are 15 different ways you could get your 2015 F-150 – not to mention all the available options you have choose from.  From differing bed sizes to various luxury options, you can truly get an F-150 to meet your specific needs. To jump on board the fuel efficiency train – like everybody seems to be doing – Ford has made a 2.7L 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine available.  It will still have similar towing and payload capacity; however, it will be able to achieve impressive fuel economy because of the smaller yet capable engine.  The official fuel specs aren’t out yet, but it is rumored that the 2015 F-150 will average somewhere in the mid-20s, which is high for a truck. The aluminum body is also 700 pounds lighter than last year’s model, so that will enable an increase in fuel economy even with the bigger 5.0L V8 engine.  This revolutionary change is seen as Ford taking the lead and setting the future standard for trucks.  Like I said, F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America for 30+ years, so a change this big came as a pleasant surprise to many. Now, using aluminum is tricky because not all body shops will be able to service an aluminum body.  But have no fear, our service technicians in Preston, Cambridge, and Snow Hill are all certified to work on an aluminum bodied vehicle. We’ll be on social media alerting you of everything from when they arrive, to how many we have, to who you should call.  So, be sure you are following your closest Preston Automotive Group Ford Dealer on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter to keep updated on these 2015 Ford F-150’s.

Several new laws went into effect in Maryland on October 1, 2014.  A couple of those laws will directly impact drivers in Maryland. The first one is referred to as Jake’s Law and it strengthens the penalties for distracted driving.  Anyone who texts or reads messages while driving and causes an accident that kills or seriously injures another will face up to a year in jail plus a $5,000 fine.  That will be in addition to any other violations you may get charged with such as involuntary man slaughter or reckless driving. This law was named after Jake Owen who was killed in a crash in 2011 by a driver who was talking on his cell phone and rear ended the parents’ car, killing the 5 year old boy who was in the back seat.  Its aim is to be an extension of the handheld device law that prohibits talking on your cell phone while driving. No matter how many laws are put into place, there will still be people that think they need to send that last message or make that quick phone call while driving.  Check out this powerful public service announcement regarding texting and driving. The other law concerning drivers in Maryland is an addendum to the Move-Over Law that is already in place.  You already know that you must move over or slow down for emergency vehicles on the side of the road.  That includes police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, etc.  And now you will have to move over for tow trucks as well.  This new law in will require all vehicles to move over into the next lane, or simply slow down if there is no lane to move into.  It's normally a common courtesy, but failure to comply will result in a minimum $100 fine or 1 point on your license. The common denominator between these two new laws is safety.  This is another step toward making our roadways safer here in Maryland and maybe even other states will follow our lead.  In the event you do get in an accident, trust Preston Automotive Towing to come get your vehicle and one of our three auto body shops to make the repairs at the best price around!