Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Blogger #1: Kathy Dalton from Adventure Mom TV

At Ken Garff Honda of Orem, we love Hondas.  (I know that comes as a big surprise.) We know they are award winning vehicles with great safety records, great repair records, they look good and are stuffed with cool technology.  Although every word that is true, it's also true that we might be a bit biased.

So we invited a handful of top Utah bloggers to test drive a vehicle out of the 2013 line-up and they can tell you what they think of the cars.  

Kathy Dalton from Adventure Mom TV, as it happens, is in the market for a car.  So she became blogger #1.  She and her darling kids are having some adventures in a 4-wheel drive 2013 Pilot, perfect for when the roads look like this.



Kathy and her kids have been having a good time.  


OK, perhaps too good of a time... but it's sure fun to watch!  

To see all of Kathy's adventures this week follow her on Twitter @KathyDaltonSLC.  Don't forget to check out Kathy's blog Adventure Mom TV  where she is going to review the Honda Pilot when her test drive is done. 


You can follow all of our bloggers at #HondaTestDrive

Photos Courtesy Kathy Dalton

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Replacing Honda Wiper Inserts

With all of the dirt, salt and residue from a Utah winter coating my car and increasingly streaky windshield wiping, I knew it was time to get the windshield wiper blades replaced--or at least so I thought.

Evidently, windshield wiper blades constitutes the rubber wiper as well as the metal that encases it.  On Honda's it's rare to need to replace the actual blade, metal included.  Generally, you just need to replace the rubber insert that fits inside the blade.  The nice thing about that?  It's a fraction of the price.  Inserts only cost $7.00 whereas wiper blades range from $15-$25.

Honda wiper inserts are pretty easy to replace.  Javier from our parts department demonstrates here how to do it.



This install method works on the Odyssey, CRV, Pilot and Ridgeline.  The only difference in the smaller models is that the lock is on top rather than underneath the blade and is most easily opened with the end of a key.

There are a few import things to know about Honda inserts.
1) If you replace the blade (metal included) with a non-Honda part, Honda inserts cannot be installed in them.  The only fix is to buy new Honda blades, then you can resume getting Honda wiper refills.
2) If this looks kinda complicated to you.  Just come into the dealership and we'll install them for free.

That is $7 well spent.  And by the way, I'm loving my new wiper inserts.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Urban SUV

With one of Honda's coolest concepts ever, Honda unveiled the Urban SUV on Monday at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Photo Courtesy Cars.com Kicking Tires


Coming to the US in 2014 (we'll definitely let you know when we get one), this all-new small SUV will be fuel efficient, chock-full of Honda technology and priced and positioned below the CRV in Honda's light truck line-up.  Measuring 169.3 inches, the Urban SUV is 9 inches shorter than the CRV, increasing it's maneuverability on crowded city streets while maintaining drivability on mountain roads.

John Mendel, executive VP of sales at American Honda noted, "We expect fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive 'small' cars to play a key role in meeting the needs of consumers in the U.S."

Photo Courtesy Cars.com Kicking Tires
The dynamic and youthful styling seemed to be aimed at younger buyers with an active lifestyle.  So, US consumers, what do you think of it?


Monday, January 14, 2013

Seat Belts in Hondas

At the New Car Clinic that I attended recently, Scott West, one of the service managers, explained a unique feature of Honda seat belts.

Scott West
Honda's seat belts have a special feature to make it safe to install carseats.  When you pull the seat belt all the way out, you hear the belt "ratchet" as it rolls back in.  At any point that you stop, the seat belt is locked in place and cannot be pulled forward again.  This was designed so that when you install a carseat, you first lock the seat into the latch system, then roll the seatbelt all the way out and tread it through the back of the car seat.

Once the seat belt is buckled and the slack is ratcheted back in, that seat belt is locked in place and will not move.

That is a great thing for every parent and grandparent to know.  But, Scott mentioned, it's important to know this for non-carseat using passengers as well.  Anytime you pull the seatbelt all the way out, the passenger will now be locked in place.  If you take a breath, the seatbelt moves a bit tighter.  Take another breath and it gets tighter still.  Parents have been know to cut their children out of the seat belt because the child is panicking.

That's not necessary, Scott points out, all you have to do is release the belt and let it all the way back in, the pull it out to buckle again, but don't pull it all the way.

Photo Courtesy: Automobilemag.com

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Welcome to the Honda Family: The New Car Clinic

Every two months, at Ken Garff Honda of Orem, every customer that has purchased a brand-new or like-new Honda is invited to The New Car Clinic.  The New Car Clinic is hosted by the Service Department and held in the Service Drive.


I spotted rows and rows of folding chairs when I arrived for the evening meeting.  I was handed a packet of information, as well as a notepad and a pencil for jotting down information.  Every customer who came was provided a catered dinner,  and families were welcome.  One ticket per family was entered into a drawing to win a 40" TV.

Ed Pasqule. the Service Manager, opened the evening, by introducing his team.  Then different team members took the time to walk all of these new customers different aspects of the service department and made sure they knew how to take care of their cars.

Kyle, a service writer, was first and began by saying, "How many of you just bought your first Honda?"  Several hands went up and he smiled and said, "Welcome to the family--the Honda family and the Ken Garff family."

Then he talked about Honda of Orem's amenities which include:

  • Express Service for fast services with no appointment necessary.  
    • Oil Change with hand car wash
    • Air in your tires
    • Tire rotations
    • State Emissions
    • Flat Tire repair
  • Waiting Area
    • fruit basket
    • popcorn
    • soda machine
    • coffee and hot cocoa maker
    • TV's
    • Child's play area w/ movies
  • Shuttle Service, so you can drop off your car and get back to work.
Matt, in parts, talked about the importance of not losing your key (in each key is a transponder chip that "talks" to the computer in your car allowing it to start), parts you can buy to protect your car (think trunk tray and floor mats) and why you should buy a Honda battery (not only is it cheaper than the after market replacements, Honda gives you a 100 month warranty).  Matt also mentioned that by clicking on "Parts" on the Honda of Orem web page, you're instantly connected to coupons for parts you may need.

Scott, one of the service managers, talked about the Garff Care program with it's free roadside assistance along the Wastach front, free jump, free gas rescue and free I-locked-my-keys-in-my-car rescue.  He also talked about the Maintenance Minders and how Hondas now average 5000 miles between oil changes. 

Scott also talked about how Honda built their seat belts to be able to keep carseats locked in and how Ken Garff cares for the community with their Keys to Success and Road to Success programs.  Ken Garff also supports military with a discount on service--just show your military ID.  

After all that, they opened it up for a question and answer session with Scott and Ed answering any questions customers had.  Then, finally, the drawing for the TV, with one lucky customer getting to take that TV home. 

Not only does she own a brand-new Honda, she's also got a giant TV!
Meanwhile, beautiful dessert trays had been brought out, and customers selected desserts and asked any further questions of the service team.  One customer had been having trouble syncing her blue tooth with her phone and a service tech headed out the door with her to help her get that connected right then.