Subaru BRZ Conquers Japan's Greatest Driving Roads - Epic Drives Episode

On this episode of Epic Drives, Associate Online Editor Nate Martinez tours Japan's greatest driving roads in Subaru's new rear-wheel drive BRZ coupe. Along the way, he tears up the Toyo Tires Turnpike, climbs Mount Fuji, dances down the hairpins of the Nihon Romantic Highway and drops the hammer at the tight and twisty Gunma Cycle Sports Center.

Subaru Receives Top Grade from TrueCar.com Amidst Record Sales

Subaru achieved its best-ever May sales in the United States last month, but according to vehicle-pricing site TrueCar.com, the automaker’s impressive performance extended beyond just the units it sold. Surpassing prior leader BMW, Subaru had the highest grade in TrueCar.com’s May 2012 Performance Scorecards, which evaluated each automaker on a variety of factors ranging from pricing and incentives to customer loyalty and market share.

Subaru earned an A+ in its May 2012 Performance Scorecard, while BMW fell into a tie for second with an A grade. Factoring into Subaru’s score were its record-breaking May sales, which were up 48 percent compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, Subaru has moved 136,602 vehicles in the United States, a 22-percent gain compared to the same period in 2011.

 

Redesigned to become lighter, faster and more fuel efficient than previous models, the 2012 Subaru Impreza has been a popular item in showrooms since its debut last fall. Sales of the Impreza were up more than 235 percent in May year-over-year, moving 6,786 units. So far in 2012, Subaru has sold 34,677 units of the compact car, a 170-percent jump compared to the same period last year.

The Subaru Legacy sedan and Outback wagon also continued their strong 2012 sales performances last month, increasing by 23 percent and 9 percent respectively compared to May 2011. With 20,378 units tallied through May, sales of the Legacy are up 14 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, sales of the volume-leading Outback have risen 3 percent in that same period, totaling 44,800 units.

As more buyers turn to Subaru vehicles, the automaker has created a new social guidebook on Facebook that allows owners and Subaru fans to share their favorite places and activities with each other. Called the Subaru Guide to Everything, the site allows users to post their top locations for hiking, camping and biking, as well as recommended dog parks and dining spots. It can be viewed at http://guidetoeverything.subaru.com/facebook.>

“Every Subaru owner has a strong sense of adventure in one way or another, so there will be tons of great locations to be explored on the new guidebook,” added Dunn. “There are already several Massachusetts spots submitted by users that I’m sure our customers would love to check out.”

 

Courtesy of Top Wire News

Thank you to our friends at SEVCA for the kind words. We are proud to support our beautiful community!

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Checking Lights and Direction Indicators

Lights are easier to check on a dull day or when daylight is fading.

SIDELIGHTS Two white at the front; two red at the back. Should be bright and of equal intensity. Look closely at the rear lights to see if there is a dim glow from the brake lights, turn indicators or high-intensity fog lights — this may mean a poor earth to the car body on the nearest sidelight. If the front sidelights are small bulbs set in the headlight reflector these may be dim — these little bulbs tend to overheat and go black inside. Not a MOT fail point as such if they are both equally dim, but it's best to replace them.

HEADLIGHTS Put the headlights on dipped beam. Both should shine with equal brightness — failure to do so means a bad electrical supply or earth at that bulb. The reflection from the lights on a wall or garage door should show the two beams pointing slightly down to the left and level.
There are adjusting screws or knobs behind each headlight, but unless a beam is so far out of line as to cause a hazard, it is probably best to leave adjustment to the MOT tester, who will usually use a beam-setter to set them spot on. Switch to main beam and make the same check —

REAR FOG LIGHT(S) Switch on the high-intensity red rear light(s) — your headlights need to be on dipped beam. If fitted, fog lights must work, so must the interior 'tell-tale' light on the instrument panel.

DIRECTION INDICATORS Turn the ignition on and operate the indicators. Check that there is a flashing 'tell tale' light on the instrument panel. Check that front and rear indicators are flashing.
The flash rate should be between 30 and 90 per minute. If it's just under 30 it may speed up once the engine is running, though not if the flasher unit is an electronic rather than a mechanical unit. Side repeater indicators on the wings must be working if fitted.

HAZARD WARNING LIGHTS With the indicators off, switch on the hazard flashers, checking for the warning light and/or tick inside. Walk round the car to ensure that all four hazards are flashing, and that no other lights are glowing dimly. Switch off hazard flashers.

BRAKE LIGHTS Get a helper to operate the foot brake while you check the brake lights. Again, both brake lights must be equally bright, with nothing else glowing. Switch off the ignition.

LIGHTING REPAIRS If a light isn't working, chances are the bulb is blown. Bulbs are standard items, so replacement is easy. Indicators and rear red hazard lamp bulbs are 21 watt; brake light and rear tail light are usually a 21 and a 5 watt combined into one bulb. This only fits one way round to ensure the brake light is the more powerful. If it doesn't slip in easily, don't force it! Ensure that the offset pins match the slots in the bulb holder.
Front sidelights are either small bulbs set in the headlamp reflector, or larger bulbs (around 5 watts) under separate covers. Headlight bulbs come in various fittings and types, so take the old bulb along when buying a replacement. Access to the bulbs is gained by either unclipping the bulb-holder from the back of the light housing (usually after removing a cover) or by use of a number 2 Pozidriv (cross-head) screwdriver to unscrew the coloured lens from the outside.

If you have a vehicle handbook, it may show the correct procedure for removing and fitting bulbs. Other reasons for a bulb not lighting may be broken or badly corroded wiring. If one lamp lights up another, check for broken or corroded wires or a damaged lamp-holder and replace them. Many rear light units are mounted on a printed circuit board. If the circuit strips corrode, a new unit will probably be needed.
Front sidelights are either small bulbs set in the headlamp reflector, or larger bulbs (around 5 watts) under separate covers. Headlight bulbs come in various fittings and types, so take the old bulb along when buying a replacement. Access to the bulbs is gained by either unclipping the bulb-holder from the back of the light housing (usually after removing a cover) or by use of a number 2 Pozidriv (cross-head) screwdriver to unscrew the coloured lens from the outside.
If you have a vehicle handbook, it may show the correct procedure for removing and fitting bulbs. Other reasons for a bulb not lighting may be broken or badly corroded wiring. If one lamp lights up another, check for broken or corroded wires or a damaged lamp-holder and replace them. Many rear light units are mounted on a printed circuit board. If the circuit strips corrode, a new unit will probably be needed.

LENSES & REFLECTORS Headlamp reflectors must be bright and not obviously misted, tarnished or corroded. The headlamp lens should not have any hole or a crack that could let in water. All plastic lenses covering the other lights should be the correct colour and not excessively faded.

 

Courtesy of 2Pass

The Car Store's Summer Tire Special!

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The Car Store is revved up and ready to go with a one-day tire sale Sunday June 24 and Wednesday July 4! Buy three tires and get the 4th one FREE! A service special designed to keep you on track for those summer destinations. Join us either day for this great special! Upper Valley Radio will be remote-broadcasting right from the showroom floor! Don’t hesitate to make your service appointment by clicking here and have those tires mounted and balanced while you’re here! SUMMER TIRE SPECIAL Buy 3 and get 1 FREE Buy three tires and get the 4th one FREE! Only Sunday June 24 and Wednesday July 4! Valid only at The Car Store. In stock tires only. Light truck and high performance tires excluded. Mount, balance, materials and taxes extra. Must present coupon at time of write-up. Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. No cash value. Not retroactive. See dealership for full details. Valid June 24,2012 and July 4, 2012 only.

Come join the celebration at The Car Store and simply print out this email to take advantage of this great tire offer!

To schedule your service online, simply press the button in this email or contact our Service Department at (888) 696-4126.

Summer Service Hours: Monday – Sunday: 7:30am – 6pm (888) 696-4126

SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA Ramped Up Competition at Inaugural Hoon Kaboom Texas RallyCross Race.

There was certainly no shortage of excitement during race day at round two of the 2012 Global RallyCross in Fort Worth, Texas. While SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA was kept off the podium, they were front and center for much of the drama throughout the day's racing.

 

In the first heat, Sverre Isachsen led the pack off the line and drove his #11 Subaru WRX STI with vigor to secure a spot in the Main event with a second place finish in his heat. SUBARU PUMA RallyCross Team USA's Bucky Lasek finished fourth in the same heat and was seated in one of the two Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ). Dave Mirra in the #40 WRX STI was also placed in an LCQ, where he put up a tough fight and finished in second position, just a few seconds short of advancing to the final.

 

Bucky Lasek provided the greatest spectacle of the heat races, and possibly the event, during the running of the LCQ B. After a tight start, Lasek was chasing Liam Doran whose ailing car was leaking fluids and slowing. After Lasek chased Doran through the chicane,  Doran ducked to the left as though he was pulling off, Lasek went for the pass only to have Doran pull back in during the lead-up to the narrow steel jump. Having braked hard to avoid the car in front him, Lasek felt he had scrubbed too much speed to clear the jump and made the split decision to abort the jump and  drive off the side of it. In an amazing maneuver more suited to a skateboard than his #80 Subaru WRX STI, Lasek rode the water barrier beside the jump on two wheels and stuck the landing!

 

Sverre Isachsen entered the 10-car Main event with the podium in his sights. Starting in the 2^ndrow, the Viking Warrior muscled his way forward through the pack off the start and got alongside  Marcus Gronholm. The two collided when Gronholm tried to duck into the Shortcut through Isachsen. The impact forced Isachsen unwillingly into the Shortcut and the sent him sideways  into the grass, but he stayed on the throttle and continued, losing several positions in the process. Things really got tricky on the next lap when Isachsen was slowed by another competitor as they approached the jump "We were heading towards the big jump, when the car in front of me suddenly braked. I had two choices; I could hit him and crash both cars, or I could brake! I braked and stopped just before the end of the jump as I would not have cleared the gap,” explained Isachsen. The race was red flagged and Global Rallycross Officials would restart the Main but denied Isachsen the opportunity to continue in the event due to stopping on the jump. Isachsen pleaded with the Officials to no avail. Sverre remained confident in his decision and his future campaign in the #11 Subaru WRX STI as he stated, "I don’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to start again. All I did was try to avoid a big crash. But on the positive side the car was awesome today, and I’m really looking forward to the next race which is a part of X Games."

 

X Games 18 kicks off in Los Angeles on June 28 and runs through July 1. Similar to last year, the RallyCross course will run on the streets of downtown L.A. in the vicinity of the Staples Center.  Summer X Games broadcast information can be found here. 

 

Images of the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team can be found here.

 

For additional information about Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team visit: http://www.subaru.com/rally.  Become fan on http://www.facebook.com/subaruofamerica and follow @subaru_usa and @srtusa.  #PUMAGRC

 

 

Courtesy of Subaru

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: What to Do If Your Car Overheats

There are many things that can go wrong when driving, overheating is a big one. Many factors can cause a car to overheat, typically low coolant during warm temperatures, long drives and congested traffic are to blame.

If your car overheats, do not drive more than a quarter mile. Have it towed to avoid further damage to the engine. However, if there is no experienced mechanic or tow truck nearby, follow these simple steps:

• Pull over to a safe location and turn off the engine.
• Do not open the hood until the car has completely cooled or the temperature gauge has moved from hot to cool.
• Check the coolant (also called antifreeze) level in the radiator. Look in the owner’s manual if you are unsure where the coolant reservoir tank is.
• Make sure the radiator cap is cool before opening it. Slowly twist it off with a towel and beware of any hot steam. If needed, fill coolant to the top of the radiator. Put the radiator cap back on.
• Be sure the upper or lower radiator hose and any of the heater hoses have not been blocked, disconnected or burst.
• Restart the engine.
• Carefully monitor the temperature gauge. If you see it crossing the optimal mark, pull over to a safe location and turn the engine off.

While your best bet is to get help from a mechanic, your safest bet is to be prepared. Store these essential items in you car: Coolant, tool kit, working flashlight, non-perishable foods and water.

 

Courtesy of The National Safety Council