Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) has spread the word to more than 14,000 parents and teens over the last few years. In an effort to expand its reach, TMS is now testing a version of the course that is held in conjunction with ride-and-drives at select Bass Pro Shops locations Nationwide.

          TDE’s primary objectives are twofold 1.) Help teens become safer drivers; and 2.) Make them more aware of the dangers of distracted driving. Toyota Driving Expectations is currently planning events for the 2011 calendar year. Go to www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com for more information on upcoming events.

           Off road, what keeps 4Runner on track?

-Hill Start Assist Control (HAC)

This helps prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards as the driver switches from the brake to the accelerator.

-Downhill Assist Control (DAC)

This is designed to help provide a controlled descent on steep inclines.

-Locking Rear Differential

This helps you move at a very controlled pace over precarious obstacles.

           Driving the 4Runner is a power trip. It has a V6 engine that uses dual independant variable value timing with intelligence. It gets and estimated 23 highway mpg.

          The Toyota 4Runner is spacious and comes standard with eight airbags. This vehicle is ready to keep you safe on any adventures you may have.

2011 Toyota 4Runner

Information courtesy of 2010 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Starting at just $16,995, this spacious and quiet car gets an estimated 40 mpg. Cruze sets itself apart from other compacts on safety with 10 standard airbags,  including frontal, front seat side-impact, roof-rail head-curtain, rear-seat side impact, second row side, and front knee air bags.

Cruze is equipped with OnStar® Automatic Crash Response standard for the first six months. Built-in sensors can automatically alert an Advisor, who is immediately connected to your vehicle and can request emergency help be sent to your exact GPS location, even if you’re unable to respond.

Hands-free calling is available with Bluetooth® wireless technology for select phones. An available USB port for your iPod® and XM Radio for three trial months give you plenty of entertainment options. Best of all, treat your senses to the available nine-speaker Pioneer® sound system. There’s just some things that no driver should live without, even in a car this size.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

My wife and I  decided, at the last minute (the best time right?) to make a Labor Day camping trip to Pismo Beach sans reservations, oops!

Here is what we took, err stuffed into the Prius, three boogie boards, two tents, four chairs, a grill, blankets and sleeping bags, an ice chest, cooking utensils, dinnerware for four, food, clothing, a large bottle of bubbles, and a frisbee! Oh yeah, and the four of us!

Each time I closed the rear hatchback I had to make sure that the open door light was off,  it often took a couple attempts.

We made it to Pismo Beach and after feeling like Joseph and Mary on Christmas Eve we finally found a campsite in Oceano (Wonder of Wonders!), setup camp and spent the rest of the day boogie boarding at Grover Beach.

Labor Day was cold and foggy in Oceano so we headed to Avila Beach. Sunny skies prevailed and we spent the day frolicking at the beach.

As the sun started to set we packed up the Prius and headed back to Madera.

The Prius, bursting at the seams, averaged just under 45 MPG for the trip! We did a round trip of 360 miles on just eight gallons of gas!

Madera Auto Center and Chevrolet have teamed up with the Madera Youth Soccer League (MYSL) to help fundraise and provide equipment for all of the children.

Opening day for MYSL was this past weekend on Saturday morning. The firstgames kicked off at 8 a.m. sharp! Madera Auto Center Owners Marty and Lela Mayfohrt, and myself  Social Media Director Stephani Cantu, were out bright and early getting set up for the event. Marty parked a silver 2011 Chevy Malibu, and a red 2011 Chevrolet Traverse to display to eveyone at the event. We got a chance to meet Milton Blanco, a professional soccer player who plays for Fresno Fuego, and has played around the world.

The weather knew it was opening day for soccer because it was freezing the whole time lol. Despite the cold weather, it was a lot of fun watching the kids play soccer. It was so funny watching the really little kids play because everytime one of them would finally get a chance to kick the ball they would get soo excited and start kicking it the wrong way! Of course everytime this happened all of the parents on the sidelines would start yelling “WRONG WAY!”. I’m not going to lie, I joined in with the parents a few times haha.

The season runs about 8 weeks and I’m really looking forward to going out there and taking more pictures of the teams and just enjoying the game.

Madera Auto Center and Chevrolet hope that our new partnership with the MYSL is one that will last for years to come.

View all of the pictures for this even on our Facebook fan page.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=259357&id=236179746884

So where am I heading with all of this? Today I read a bloomberg.com article regarding Toyota’s floor mat alerts being ignored.

 There was a large number of  Toyota owners, estimated at about 15 percent, that were stacking floor mats in their vehicle. These customers were informed about the danger of doing this and six months later the mats were still there. According to a Boston.com’s article ,Toyota isn’t anywhere close to determining what the problem is, or if there is a problem other than pedal entrapment. At this moment Toyota does not want their findings to influence the investigation of the government’s studies.

Boston.com went on to state that The Wall Street Journal reported that the government analyzed many data records and found that in many of the accidents there were no signs of thevehicle brakes being engaged. In the bloomberg.com article Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda stated “Even if the customer makes a mistake, we never want to blame the customer….If they make an error, it should not lead to any fatal accident. That’s our ultimate goal.” The ultimate safety of Toyota Vehicles.

What’s the leasson to this blog? Listen to warning signs and don’t ignore what doesn’t feel right. We want to make sure you’re safe. If you have questions feel free to contact us at 559.674.9000.

The ultimate level of being a Master Diagnostic Technician requires five years of experience and completion of all eight ASE tests (Engine Repair, Automatic Transmission/Transaxle, Manual Drive Train and Axles, Suspension and Steering, Brakes, Electrical, Heating/AC, and Engine Performance). Once these qualifications are met the technician is eligible to take the test to prove competence. The tech has one chance to take this test with an 80% or better; if failed they must wait an additional year to attempt again. This entire process takes anywhere from six to seven years to complete.     

Both Angelo and Francisco passed on their first attempt! This is a great accomplishment that took a lot of hard work and dedication. In addition to this they are also certified smog technicians; something that is very rare for a small dealership.  

So on behalf of Madera Auto Center Congratulations Angelo and Francisco, we are proud of you! We take pride in our employees so that in turn they can best assist you, our customers. 

Angelo Medrano

Francisco VargasAngelo Medrano

But, enough about my adventures with the construction let’s talk about how the company is holding up. At the moment we have all the vehicles placed in random areas throughout the property. I do have to say that it’s interesting how efficiently the construction crew is working while they strategically move vehicles from one side of the building to the other. We are definitely still open for business even though from the street it may look like it’s impossible to get onto the premises.

Once you make it onto the lot you can take advantage of specials like the  free two year maintenance plan from Toyota or a $5,000 rebate on the Chevy Silverado. If you would like to keep up with our paving progress check us out on Facebook and while you’re there print the $15 off coupon for your next service!

We will be providing a vehicle for the Hole in One golf fundraiser which starts at 8AM. From 5PM to 8PM there will be family fun and entertainment followed by fireworks!

This event is an annual celebration that is put on by the City of Madera.  Attendance is expected to be about 5,000 guests.

According to a Madera Tribune article published  in 2008 the reason for creating this event was to support the Valley Air District and encourage residents to not personally use fireworks and contribute to accumulating air pollution.

Thanks to local businesses and generous residents this event continues to be free of charge to the  public. As a local business sponsor we are proud to support this  patriotic celebration and expect a great turn out and fun for all!

Toyota’s 4th of July Sale is offering down payment assistance up to $1000 on the 2010 Corolla and Tacoma and 2011 Camry. This special has never been done for the Tacoma so I suggest that you take advantage of this deal before it ends on the 6th!

Toyota isn’t stopping there they’ve extended the two year free maintenance program! So, with these great corporate deals and our need to sell what’s on the lot there couldn’t be a better time to buy.

If buying a new vehicle isn’t on the agenda we are still offering savings in our service and parts department. If you become a fan of the MAC Facebook page you will receive a $15 off coupon that is good for service, parts, and accessories.

To see what’s on the lot visit us at www.maderaauto.com or come in and see us at 1300 Country Club Dr, Madera 93638. Exit Cleveland Ave off highway 99.