Your Holiday Service Guide: Keeping it Safe on the Roads this Winter

Choosing the Right Tires for Your Toyota in Mount Airy, NC When you live and drive in the foothills and mountains around Mount Airy, NC, your tires aren’t just rubber on the road—they’re your first line of defense against unpredictable mountain weather, icy roads, and rugged terrain. At Mount Airy Toyota, our service team knows that choosing the right tires can make all the difference in safety, performance, and comfort. In our recent YouTube Short, our Service Manager, Chris Pack, walks through how different vehicles, driving styles, and terrain demand different tires. You’ll learn of how tire treads vary and why one size doesn’t fit all. That visual short helps bring this tire education to life. Whether you drive a sedan, SUV, or truck, your tire needs are unique. Add in the challenges of snow, ice, rain, and gravel roads—and it’s easy to see why one-size-fits-all tires simply don’t work. Let’s explore how to choose the perfect tires for your Toyota—and why now is the perfect time to take advantage of Toyota’s Buy 3, Get the 4th for $1 Tire Sale! Why Tire Choice Matters in the Mountains Driving in Mount Airy means tackling steep inclines, winding roads, and seasonal snow or ice. Your tires must handle all of it while providing grip, comfort, and fuel efficiency. T he right tire for the right vehicle and terrain means safer driving. Elevation changes create more stress on tires, snow and ice require flexibility, rough terrain demands durability, and rain needs special tread channels. The right tires keep you safe and performing year-round. Types of Tires and Their Best Uses Different vehicles and driving styles call for different tire types. Here’s a breakdown of the most common categories—some of which you’ll see demonstrated in the video. Tire Type Best For Ideal Vehicles Terrain & Conditions Key Features All-Season Tires Everyday driving Sedans (Camry, Corolla), Crossovers (RAV4) Moderate climates, light snow Balanced tread for comfort & fuel economy All-Terrain Tires Mixed on/off-road use SUVs (Highlander, 4Runner), Trucks (Tacoma, Tundra) Dirt, gravel, mud, snow Deep treads & reinforced sidewalls Winter / Snow Tires Cold and icy conditions Any vehicle used in winter Snow, slush, ice Softer rubber and added siping Performance Tires Sporty handling Sport models (GR86, Camry XSE) Dry roads, high speeds Low tread depth for cornering & braking Mud-Terrain Tires Off-road adventure 4×4s and lifted trucks Mud, rocks, deep ruts Aggressive tread & self-cleaning Touring Tires Long-distance comfort Sedans, hybrids Highways & paved roads Quiet ride and even wear Tires for Sedans Toyota sedans like the Camry, Corolla, and Avalon need tires that balance comfort, fuel efficiency, and traction for changing weather. Recommended: All-Season or Touring tires. They offer a quiet ride and handle light snow well. If you compare all-season tire against a winter-rated tire on a frozen surface you will see that traction differences can be dramatic. For sportier handling, performance tires are great, but they’re not ideal for snow. Tires for SUVs SUVs like the RAV4, Highlander, and 4Runner face mixed terrain—from city pavement to gravel backroads and snow. Recommended: All-Terrain or All-Season tires. They provide traction on mountains while staying smooth on highways. Swap to winter tires if you drive in higher elevations. The difference between an SUV highway tire and a mixed-terrain tire is in the stiffer sidewalls and deeper grooves that improve control in the mountains. Tires for Trucks For trucks like the Tacoma and Tundra, tire choice depends on use. Daily drivers benefit from All-Season or Touring tires for comfort and fuel economy. Work and towing trucks do better with All-Terrain tires for durability. Off-roaders will want Mud-Terrain tires for maximum traction. Heavy-duty tires differ in construction. Those load ratings matter for mountain towing. Truck tires also feature reinforced sidewalls for steep, heavy hauls. Tires for Different Terrains Mount Airy roads can mean pavement one day and ice the next.  Here's how tread patterns perform across different conditions: Paved Roads: Smooth tread reduces road noise and improves efficiency. Snow & Ice: Winter tires stay flexible and grip cold surfaces. Look for the snowflake symbol. Gravel & Dirt: All-terrain tires have wider grooves that grip loose surfaces. Mud & Trails: Mud-terrain tires clean themselves to maintain traction. Rain: Deep circumferential grooves prevent hydroplaning by channeling water out from under the tire. How to Check Your Tires for Wear and Tear Keep your tires in top shape with these checks: Tread Depth: Use a penny—if you see all of Lincoln’s head, replace the tire. In the video, the manager uses a tread gauge to show this difference. Uneven Wear: Can signal alignment issues. The video shows how edge wear looks on a misaligned tire. Cracks or Bulges: These are signs of damage and need immediate replacement. Pressure: Cold weather and altitude changes can lower pressure quickly—check monthly. When to Replace or Rotate Tires Replace tires every 5–6 years or 40k–60k miles, depending on use. Rotate every 5k–7.5k miles to ensure even wear. Alignment should be checked yearly or if your car pulls to one side. R otation may not be optional for mountain drivers because curves and elevation make uneven wear happen faster. How Long Tires Last in the Mountains of NC Mountain driving wears tires faster. Expect: All-Season: 45k–60k miles All-Terrain: 40k–50k miles Winter: 3–4 winter seasons Keep them inflated, balanced, and rotated for maximum life. Take Advantage of Toyota’s Tire Sale Now’s the perfect time to get new tires for your Toyota! Mount Airy Toyota is proud to offer Toyota’s Buy 3, Get the 4th for $1 Sale, available for a limited time. Waiting to replace worn tires means risking your safety—so take advantage of this deal before the first snow hits. Our certified team will match the best tires to your Toyota, terrain, and driving style. Schedule Your Tire Service Today Don’t wait for the ice to find out your tires aren’t ready. Visit MountAiryToyota.com or call our Service Center to schedule your tire inspection or replacement today. Drive safer, smoother, and smarter—with the right tires for your Toyota and your mountain lifestyle.

It’s the beginning of a new summer season, which means it’s the perfect time to begin scheduling your vehicle’s regular maintenance with us at Mount Airy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat. Sure, maintaining your car might not sound like the most exciting summer fling, but once you realize how much money regular service saves you, it gets exciting. It doesn't take a car enthusiast or a professional mechanic to know that once you purchase a car, old or new, it will need to be regularly serviced—tires, brakes, radiator, etc. But despite this understanding, many people today drive their vehicles into the ground, forcing them into an early grave. The truth is, it takes minimal effort to keep your car maintained and it can save you thousands of dollars and many headaches. From tire rotation to a quick oil change, you should follow the factory guidelines that have been laid out for your vehicle. These complicated machines we so dearly rely on need care and attention to keep them running well, and often—if not always—this care and attention cost money. A new radiator can be upwards of $500; tires and brakes each the same amount or more. Yeah, it’s not cheap owning a car, but it doesn’t have to break the bank if you plan ahead. So where to begin? Start by grabbing the manual from the glove box and opening it up for once. Reading your manual won’t turn you into an expert technician, but it will provide you with basic information about your specific vehicle that you need to know. Getting acquainted with your car is step number one in establishing longevity. Five Reasons to Regularly Maintain Your Car Beyond saving you tons of money by servicing your vehicle on a regular basis, there are plenty of other benefits. Check out these five big ones: Increased Safety. Cars these days have incredible safety features. From Lane Assist to a constant 360-camera view of your surroundings, it’s easy to see why drivers today feel pretty safe on the road. But what about when a tire blows when you’re moving at 75 miles an hour? Or, out of nowhere, your car’s temperature gauge shoots up into the red and your engine begins to smoke? What do you do then? Regular maintenance can keep these, and other, things from happening unexpectedly. Top Performance At All Times. Keeping everything under the hood, beneath the car, and around the rear in check won’t only keep your car running. It will keep it running well—like it did when you first bought it. Lower Cost of Fuel. A well-maintained car savors every drop of fuel. A vehicle that is struggling down the road, however, tends to burn a bit more, as well as spill a little along the way. When everything’s in its right place, doing what it was built to do, your car will run like a gem for as long as its combined parts continue to work together. Your Time Saved. It takes time to open the hood and check the fluids; it takes time to drive to Mount Airy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram & Fiat and have a technician check out your water pump. But no matter how long it takes you to figure out how to even open your trunk, or no matter how many miles you live from Mount Airy, the time lost during a breakdown is always worse. Stranded on the side of the road, trying to get your car started in your own driveway while you are late for work, these time wasters have added stress that makes them even worse. Higher Resale Value. How can you tell someone buying a used car knows what he’s doing? The first question he asks is, “So what maintenance has been done to this car?” And if all your paperwork is current—showing regular maintenance year after year—he will have no problem paying top dollar for it. Weather And Your Car It is important to take extra precautions in order to make sure your car runs correctly this winter. Extreme temperatures of any kind can do major damage to integral parts of your car. And if these things are not checked regularly, you could end up stranded. Or worse, you could end up needing a new vehicle. Here are four ways to keep your car alive and well during the severe weather months: Have your battery checked. Cool air paired with the jolting vibration of a running vehicle can cause your battery harm if it’s not up to par. Likewise, a car that sits in cold weather all day can cause sluggishness and poor performance. And taking a long trip during any season can cause your battery to wriggle free from its connections. Once extreme weather is upon us, the best bet is to bring your car into Mount Airy Chrysler for a quick battery check in order to make sure it is operating as it should. Have your coolant flushed. Your vehicle’s coolant fluid keeps the engine from overheating. You might not think it, but this is something very important during the summer months. After long periods of time, the coolant can become contaminated and much less effective, and if you are driving long distances there is always the chance of your thermostat going bad. Once this happens, your engine doesn’t know when to cool down, which can cause it to heat up enough to do some permanent damage. It’s a good idea to have this fluid flushed and replaced with fresh coolant that can keep your car running smoothly. Check all other important fluids. Your car runs the best when the oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid are all topped off. These are relatively easy to check and should be looked at about once a week. If you have trouble finding any of these, contact a service member at Mount Airy Dodge and he can tell you exactly what to do. Get your heating system checked by a certified professional. Driving without heat in the winter is not comfortable—or safe. Even if you’re heating system seems to be okay, it’s a great idea to have it checked anyway. You never know when it could break down. And you do not want to be in the middle of a winter road trip when this happens. Avoid being stranded this year by scheduling a maintenance appointment at Mount Airy Ram today. Mount Airy’s Service Specials As we have seen, if you keep your vehicle maintained, it will last longer—years longer. This simple act of keeping things current can save you money and frustration, which is why we at Mount Airy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram & Fiat are always offering service discounts. This year, we have some extra special discounts that can keep your vehicle ready to handle even the toughest driving situations. Check out these deals: Oil and Filter Change. When the weather gets cold, so does the oil in your car. And if the oil is not fresh and pure, it becomes difficult for your engine to work with which, in turn, can cause some major damage in the long run. Right now we are offering a $49.95 regular oil change and $54.95 synthetic oil changes. Battery Replacement. Nobody wants to be left out in the heat due to a dead car battery. Extreme weather asks a lot of your car, and if your battery is old or corroded, it's simply not worth the risk of getting stuck out in the elements. This is why we are offering a battery replacement only at $129.95, which includes installation, a 60-month warranty, and an 18-month free replacement. Wiper Blade Replacement. With extreme weather approaching, you can count on wet roads, which results in flooding and mud. Nothing makes your windshield wipers work harder than dirt and grime buildup. Stop in today and we'll even install them for you! Act now and get brand new blades for only $19.95. Brake Pad Inspection. Needless to say, your brakes are important. At Mount Airy, we can take a look at your existing brakes and let you know about how much longer you have until you will need new pads. And if you happen to need them right then, we can take care of that too. But act now to receive a FREE inspection! And if they are in need of changing, we have plenty of options to offer. The service department at Mount Airy Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram wants to keep your used vehicle running as it should. Whether you need a part, repair work, or just someone to find and fix that clunky noise that won’t go away, our team can take care of you. A technician will run diagnostics on your vehicle to make sure everything is working and running properly. And if something is not, he can pinpoint the exact issue and fix it immediately. But what if the vehicle wasn’t purchased from our dealership, will they charge me more to work on it? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, if your old ride still has a factory warranty, you could actually save even more. Setting up an appointment is easy. Simply go to the dealership’s website navigate to the service department link, and click on the “Schedule Service” tab. From there you will be asked a few questions about your vehicle and availability to stop in. It’s really that easy. What sort of things will your service technician look for? Anything that is not performing properly. He or she will also look for things that could go wrong in the near future. Intricate pieces like engine belts, hoses, and plugs. These all need replacing every so often, and if you wait until they completely malfunction you could be left stranded. And even worse, they could cause damage to other parts of your engine. So don’t wait until something breaks. It’s time to head into Mount Airy CDJRF’s service department now. Let a professional look over your vehicle so that you can keep it running for years to come. There are plenty more rebates and discounted services currently being offered at Mount Airy. Check out our service website and find the discounted services you need before they expire!

A change in the seasons can serve as a good reminder for many things. If you’ve skipped out on oil changes, this article, and the transition of Summer into Fall, may be the necessary nudge you need to get your car serviced and prepared for the cooler months. And while it may be tempting to ignore your odometer as it slowly outpaces the previous service sticker on the top of your windshield, the benefits an oil change has to your car, and wallet, are well worth it. Here are just a few ways your vehicle will benefit from the extra attention. Extends Engine Life: Oil in your engine that’s unclean and that has gone a period without an oil change creates more friction, which in turn translates to wear and tear on your engine. Removing old oil removes sediment that can damage your engine and prevent your car from making it to the long haul. Improves Engine Efficiency: Removing old oil not only cleans your engine but also improves the way in which it works. The removal of sediment means that oil flows more freely, giving you a better-performing vehicle. Increased MPG: Efficiency isn’t tied to just performance; it also results in more fuel efficiency. A smooth engine directly translates to saving at the pump and getting more out of every gallon. Going Into The Fall Season Outside of an oil change, there are other important things you need to do to take care of your vehicle as the weather cools. Using the season as an indicator for upkeep will not only result in you being safer going into the cooler months, but also much more comfortable, and less likely to have to spend big on your vehicle. Check Your Tires - With cold weather comes the potential for snow and slick driving conditions. Checking your tire tread as you go into fall lets you plan for when you need to replace or rotate your tires, preventing you from driving on slick roads with little traction. For those in colder areas, it may also be a good time to consider investing specifically in snow tires. Check Your Brakes - Having your brakes checked before cooler months is vital. Cold weather can exacerbate brake problems, and slick roads necessitate strong and responsive braking systems. This creates a recipe for disaster that can be completely avoided with regular brake checks. Make sure to listen to unusual noises that occur when braking — a good sign of issues or need to repair or maintain. Check Your Heat - Warm months mean not using your car’s heat, and that can lead to you finding out your heat isn’t working at the worst time. It’s a great idea to check your heat and make sure it’s working before you need it, so you’ll have it when you do! Mount Airy Toyota: The Place For Fall Service When it comes to servicing your car and making sure it’s ready to last, you need to make sure you’ve got professionals taking care of it. Mount Airy Toyota is the perfect dealership when it comes to checking on your vehicle and giving it what it needs to stay reliable. Reach out today and schedule a service appointment, don’t keep your car from what it needs!