Peruzzi Toyota Product Blog

You’ve heard of firsthand and secondhand smoke, but did you know you could be creating an entirely new health hazard when you smoke in your certified used cars?

Researchers have recently discovered a hazard known as third-hand smoke. Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult types of cigarette smoke to get rid of. It’s the “invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing…that lingers long after smoke has cleared from a room.” What’s even worse than the odor is that this residue typically includes a variety of carcinogens, radioactive materials and heavy metals that can harm children. If you simply cannot quit smoking in your certified used cars, here are some tips for getting rid of third-hand smoke to create a safer environment for you and your children:

1. Stop smoking! Okay, this one is obvious. But it’s the most effective method for getting rid of the odor.
2. Leave a window down. Creating a way for the smoke to escape the car can help reduce the amount of residue.
3. Get an air purifier. They make air purifiers that plug into your cigarette lighter that will help reduce the amount of smoke that stays in the car when you’re smoking.

If you simply can’t get the smell out of your certified used car, visit your local Toyota certified dealer and get another certified vehicle. Just start over and try to kick the habit!

If you ever have the choice between traveling by certified cars or plane, I would always choose the certified used cars. I’ve just heard too many horror stories about flights getting canceled and people staying overnight at the airport. As a public service, though, here are some of your rights if this happens to you.

• Most tickets have a list of your rights in case of disrupted flights. For the most part, in the case of weather delays, you can either wait for the next available seat on your airline, get a refund for the unused portion of the ticket or re-ticket your entire trip.
• Most airline contracts offer you nothing in the case of a weather disruption and the federal government does not require them to offer you much, either. If they offer a meal voucher, a transfer to another airline or something else, that is usually done as a means of goodwill on their part.

These are just two of your rights as an airline traveler. However, when you drive your certified used cars to your destination, you can enjoy the sightseeing and have more control over your own trip. Visit a Toyota certified dealer today and get a quality vehicle before your next road trip.

Have you been wanting to sell your car so you can start looking for the certified pre-owned cars of your dreams? If so, selling your car can be a tricky process. You want to make sure you get as much money for it as you can but you also want to be sure you’re not charging too much for it so that nobody wants to buy it. Here are a few tips to remember when selling your car so you can start shopping through certified pre-owned cars now.

Know the value of your car. Realistically evaluate your car’s value with Kelley Blue Book or other resources. Make the sale price of your used car at or near the recommended resale value so you have some room to negotiate with potential buyers.

Sell it instead of trading it in. You can get more for your car to put towards the certified pre-owned cars that you are considering by doing a private sale. You will usually get less money for it if you trade it in.

Have the required paperwork. You’ll be able to get more money for your car if you have any repair records, registration documents and other important paperwork ready for potential buyers to look at. This way, they know the sale is legitimate.

Once you get your car sold, visit your local Toyota certified dealer and see the certified pre-owned cars they have available.

Keeping your certified used cars in good condition is ideal if you want them to last for many years. But did you know maintaining your certified used cars is also beneficial for the environment? It’s true. Following are some of the maintenance procedures you can do to make sure your certified used cars are running smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

Change the air filter. The air filter on your certified used cars is an important part. It might not seem like it when you see it, but it can affect your gas mileage by up to 10 percent. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving, your air filter clogs faster and should be changed more often. Otherwise, check your car’s owner’s manual for recommended intervals.

Keep the cooling system cool. You can do this by doing a “flush and fill” according to manufacturer specifications. This is usually an inexpensive procedure that can keep your car running cool and efficiently. The hotter the engine gets, the harder it has to work, making it less efficient with fuel. Also, make sure there is always an ample amount of coolant in the reservoir so your engine doesn’t overheat.

Change your spark plugs. Bad spark plugs can make your certified used cars misfire and use more fuel. In fact, misfiring spark plugs can negatively affect your fuel economy by about 30 percent. Follow the guidelines in your owner’s manual for recommended intervals to change spark plugs.

Follow these simple guidelines for your Toyota certified vehicles and you’ll get years of enjoyment out of it!

A recent article on the Market Watch website discusses how certified used cars are the “bright side” of the current financial crisis. More car buyers are looking for certified used cars instead of new cars because they are less expensive and easier to finance, according to Cars.com.

Mitch Golub, the president of Cars.com, had this to say about the website’s impact on car buyers: “Not only do manufacturer-sponsored certified programs on Cars.com drive certified buyers to local dealerships, but they also generate more overall traffic – new, used and certified.” Many car buyers use this website to search for certified used cars that meet their needs and then they go to their local dealer to find those cars or something comparable.

But manufacturers of these certified used car programs are also pushing their products more aggressively. There is simply too much competition to sit back and not advertise the praises of CPO auto programs and their benefits to consumers.

Since everybody else is realizing how great certified used cars are, why not join the club and visit your local certified Toyota dealer today? You are sure to find something within your price range that meets your needs and expectations.

Even with certified used cars, things can happen. The main difference with owning certified used cars and normal used cars is that the former has a warranty that probably covers the problem. However, there are many car ailments that drivers tend to ignore until it gets bigger and becomes even more of a problem. Following are four car problems that you should never ignore.

Oil Levels
Once your oil goes dry, you’re in trouble. Even if you drive just a few miles without oil, your engine will seize up and stop working (I learned this one the hard way). Many times, it’s less expensive to just junk the car and get another one. Also, this is often due to driver error and warranties won’t cover this, so be sure to keep an eye on those levels.

Wrong Gas
Have you ever nearly put diesel fuel in your car instead of the regular fuel? It’s an honest mistake, but it can also cause your car to stop working in less than a couple miles.

Leak in the Fuel Line
You’ll notice this problem if you ever see a puddle of fuel sitting underneath your parked car. In addition to wasting costly fuel, this is also a fire hazard that could burn your car or, even worse, cause injury or fatality.

Timing Belt
Your timing belt keeps your head gasket valves opening and closing in sequence. The belt should be changed every 70,000 miles or so for optimum performance. If this piece goes, you could damage your head gasket and entire engine beyond repair.

Stop by your local Toyota certified dealer for more information about keeping your certified used cars running safely and efficiently.

Used cars can be a great investment if you know how to fix something if it goes wrong. If you’re not mechanically-inclined, though, certified used cars are probably better for you. Following are some fun facts about regular used cars that may give you an idea about why they often cause problems.

• The average used car has three or more owners throughout its lifetime.
• Texas has more used cars than any other state.
• 75 percent of automobile transactions involve a used car.
• Airbags have surpassed radios as the most commonly stolen thing from used cars.
• About 25 percent of the airbags in used cars that have been deployed were not re-installed correctly.
• There were about 200,000 flood-damaged vehicles from Hurricane Katrina that were resold to consumers without their knowledge.
• The average odometer fraud incidence involves a rollback of about 15,000 miles. Consumers lose more than $4 billion each year as a result of this crime.
• Nearly half of the listed used vehicles on the market at any given time are cars from the model years 2007 and 2008.
• About half of the used cars on the current market have A/C.

With some of these scary facts, is it any wonder why so many people turn to their local Toyota certified car dealer so they don’t have to deal with these problems?