Come Out to Detroit’s Autorama World of Wheels Event

Autorama World of Wheels

Detroit is regarded around the world as one of the biggest centers of the auto industry, and this March, you can experience a car show worthy of Detroit’s reputation. The Autorama World of Wheels and Cavalcade of Customs event is touring the United States and will be making its way to Detroit, Michigan on March 2-4.

The Autorama event is prestigious in the custom car community, and enthusiasts from the world over make their way to the festival to show off their work and compete for the Ridler Award. This award is given to the vehicle deemed best in show. From individual cars to large collections, everyone in the custom car community is welcome. There are also activities such as chop-shop demonstrations and autograph sessions throughout the weekend.

When the Autorama World of Wheels event makes its way to Detroit this March, it will be taking place at the Cobo Center. Online tickets aren’t available as of yet, but keep an eye out for ticket prices. Make sure you mark your calendar for March 2-4 so you can make it to this can’t-miss event in the auto world, packed with creative vehicles from all over.

Prepare your Car for Winter and Be Ready for Anything

Prepare your Car for Winter

Winter driving can be stressful for you and hard on your vehicle. With a little preparation, though, there’s no need to let the cold weather slow you down. Here are some ways to properly prepare your car for winter from Rochester Hills CDJR.

Monitor your tires

Cold weather can cause the air in your tires to compress, which leads to deflated tires. Keeping your tires filled with the correct amount of air is crucial to optimal traction and handling. The last thing you want on snowy or icy roads is to lose grip, so keep an eye on your tires all winter long.

Test your Battery

Those cold winter mornings are extra taxing on your car’s battery, so before the weather turns ugly, make sure your battery is fully charged. If it’s not holding a full charge, it’s time to replace it.

Pack an Emergency Kit

It’s important to keep an emergency kit in your vehicle during the winter. If you’re ever stranded in the cold, be prepared by stowing blankets, water, food, and a cell phone charger in your car so you can wait out the elements until help arrives.

 

This year, skip the stress and be prepared. Take these simple winter car preparation tips and be ready for anything! If your vehicle needs a new battery or tires, stop by Rochester Hills CDJR before the cold rolls in.

Reasons You Should Own a Pickup Truck

2017 RAM pickup truck

Interested in getting a new truck? We understand why. They’re capable, reliable, and offer unprecedented towing power. Here are some of our top reasons for why you should own a pickup truck.

Power and Capability

Pickup trucks typically come with several engine and transmission options that crank out some serious ponies, as well as having good ground clearance, rigid body construction, and wheels built for traction.

Towing

In addition to delivering plenty of power, pickup trucks provide drivers with the ability to tow and haul whatever they need. Whether you’re hauling boats for a weekend away or a trailer full of moving boxes and furniture, your truck has got you covered.

Safety and Visibility

Pickup trucks are a lot taller than your average car, so you’ll be able to see a lot more on the road. Plus, with a tough body construction and advanced safety features, pickup trucks are often safer, too.

Versatile

With the ability to tow and haul, pickup trucks can be used for many different purposes. Depending on your needs, you can choose between several different body configurations of both cabs and truck beds to make your pickup truck your own.

 

If you’re on the hunt for a new pickup, head over to Rochester Hills CDJR to see our inventory of capable, popular RAM trucks.

Driving Safety Tips: What to Do When You Hydroplane

Stay Safe by Knowing What to Do if you Hydroplane.

Driving in the rain with low visibility is scary enough, but when you skid on the water and feel yourself losing control of your vehicle, it’s even scarier. But there’s no need to panic—it’s actually very easy to regain control, so just follow these steps for what to do when you hydroplane and you’ll be fine!

The first rule of hydroplaning is do not slam on your brakes. Don’t even touch them! If you brake, especially if you brake hard, you will skid and lose even more control of your car. Not preferable. There are two different methods, depending on if you’re in a front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive car.

In a front-wheel drive car, you’ll want to steer into an open lane so you have plenty of room in front of you. If there isn’t an open lane, try the side of the road. As you’re steering over into that lane (don’t swerve!) slowly accelerate until you have more control.

In rear-wheel drive, on the other hand, you’ll want to take your foot off the gas pedal as you steer into the other lane. Don’t brake still! Just let your car decelerate. You should regain control quickly.

Think you might need new tires? Schedule an appointment with our service department.

PepsiCo Recycling Teams Up with FCA to Help Disabled Veterans

We should all thank our veterans for their honorable service.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, PepsiCo Recycling is launching a new program together with FCA to help disabled veterans and increase recycling efforts.

By placing more recycling bins in traffic-heavy areas of the Fiat-Chrysler America assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, FCA and PepsiCo Recycling encourage employees to recycle more trash, which in turn supports PepsiCo Recycling’s partnership with the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. This program provides business training to disabled veterans to help them get back on their feet after returning from the line of duty.

FCA officials have been looking for a way to decrease landfill waste and increase recycling, and the partnership with PepsiCo and its support of veterans is the perfect way to go about it. Plant employees are doubly encouraged to recycle, knowing they will help both the environment and the men and women of the armed forces.

FCA also has a long history of supporting the military, including cash allowances for veterans buying new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles and teaming up with the Prestige Group Co. to grant internship positions at FCA to returning veterans.

If you’re looking for ways to help the environment, then why not look into purchasing a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle?

How to Find an Oil Leak

If your car is leaking oil, the problem could be minor or major, so it’s important to do some troubleshooting before you decide on your next step. Here are some tips on how to find an oil leak:

Some leaks are easy to fix at home. If your oil line has a leak, for instance, you can repair it with silicone tape. But most products claiming to patch up holes are notoriously unreliable, so if you have a more serious leak you should definitely go straight to a professional, especially if you have multiple leaks.

First, you’ll want to check your oil levels. If it’s low, fill it up with oil and check it every half hour. If it’s draining quickly, you might have a leak in your oil pan. There are all kinds of tricks to spot where a leak is coming from, like dusting talcum powder on the engine or adding fluorescent dye to the oil and using a black light to spot it.

Remember, this is an important thing to fix both for your car and the environment. Oil runoff is harmful and leaves ugly stains in your driveway! Bring your vehicle into Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge, and let our service team look it over.

Dodge Announces 2016 Challenger and Charger New Features

2015 Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger

While some may be put-off by Dodge’s recent announcement that the 2016 Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat will receive a price hike compared to their previous year models, the announcement did not come without good news – the new prices are being used to pay for a short but luxurious list of new features.

For the 2016 model year, the Charger will receive a $1,950 increase, while the Challenger will see a $2,500 increase. Though there are only two features being added, they aren’t disappointing; the roughly $2,000 price hikes will pay for the cars’ new Laguna leather seats, as well as a standard navigation system.

It’s not like the increased prices weren’t expected, either. With 707 horsepower and a supercharged V8 engine, both cars were in high demand, and the new 2016 models are expected to sell just as well as their previous year counterparts. Still, giving the Challenger and Charger new features in addition to raising the price proves Dodge is looking to make the higher cost worth it for their customers.

Yes, There Is a 1,000-Horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat in the Making

How much horsepower is too much? For some, the sky is apparently the limit, because new reports are saying that there is a Dodge Challenger Hellcat well on its way to hit an astounding level of 1,000 horsepower.

At Forza Tuning and Performance, an Indiana-based company of driving enthusiasts, the process of turning a Challenger Hellcat into a 1,000-horsepower-machine is proving to be surprisingly easy, and you can watch videos of their progress on their YouTube channel.

Though 1,000 horsepower does seem shocking, it’s not too surprising that the guys at Forza are going to be able to make it happen. The 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat is the strongest American muscle car of all time, after all.

The real question is: what will they do next? Could they push the Dodge Hellcat to 1,250 horsepower? Only time will tell.

What do you think of a possible 1,000-horsepower Dodge Hellcat? Too much—or not enough? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

College Car Packing Advice to Get You Started Before the Big Trip

Once you decide exactly what to bring to college and slowly pack it all up, the next great challenge is getting all of it to actually fit inside of your car. It may seem trivial, but a poorly-packed car can actually hinder your safety. To make sure you can bring everything you want with you—and you pack your car safely, here are some college car packing tips to get you started:

• Before you begin, determine realistically if you’ll need to rent some sort of cargo van or truck, and make reservations for it.
• Enlist the help of others, and if you must, split into two cars. Don’t cramp yourselves and make the ride unsafe.
• Fold down as many seats as you can before starting to pack
• If you’re planning to stay overnight at a hotel during your trip, pack your overnight essentials separately, and put them in the front of the car with you.
• Trying to keep the weight of the car balanced, slowly begin to pack the vehicle with the heaviest objects on the bottom.

Do you have any other tips? Let Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge know what helps you pack your car.

Get Rid Of Your Bad Driving Habits!

Ever get cut-off in traffic and think, “Oh well.  I’ve made that same mistake before?”  Odds are, no – that’s not a common reaction. However, it is true. We all make mistakes in the car. Admitting we have a problem is the first step towards a solution. The next step is learning what we can do about it. Here are a bad driving habits that you may be guilty of:

Tailgating. A helpful tip to prevent you from tailgating is to remember that in the event that you rear-end someone, you will be faulted for not establishing a healthy clearance.

Territorial Drivers. It’s not YOUR road. We share the road with others. So, when someone is trying to merge, make room if you can.

Inconsistent Speeders. Though you may not care if you oscillate back and forth between 60 and 75 mph, it’s awfully annoying for the drivers behind you. Adaptive cruise control isn’t ubiquitous yet.

Skimmers. These are people who don’t move over a lane when passing a stopped vehicle on the shoulder. Ever try to change a tire when cars are going 80 mph about seven feet from you? It’s terror – abject terror. Get over if you can.

The bottom line in driving, just like in life, is the golden rule.  Treat other drivers how you’d like to be treated and you should fare well on America’s mean streets. We here at Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge want all of the drivers out there to be safe!