Protecting your car's backseat from the kids: Toyota of Orlando tips

 Are you constantly on the go with little ones in the back seat? If so, you know just how fast your Orlando Toyota can go from spotless to trashed. Sticky fingers, cracker and cookie crumbs, melted crayons, snotty tissues... kids have an inherent ability to quickly destroy their imminent surroundings. And unfortunately, when you're out and about you kind of just have to deal with it until you can get to your next car detailing. However, there are ways to protect your backseat from kids and our Orlando Toyota dealership is here with tips. 

Five tips for protecting your Orlando Toyota from kids

Tip #1: Invest in a trash can - like, a real one. Part of keeping your car clean is having a place to toss granola bar wrappers and dirty baby wipes. Invest in a small, portable trash can (an old plastic cereal container is perfect) that has a lid that closes and stays closed. Keep plastic grocery bags on hand so you can empty it and replace the bag at any time. 

Tip #2: Keep cleaning wipes in the car. You should also keep cleaning wipes and baby wipes stocked in your car. You never know when you'll have a diaper blowout or spilled milk that needs to be cleaned right away. Just be sure that whatever you're cleaning with won't affect your SofTex or leather seats! 

Tip #3: Purchase a small hand vacuum. Crumbs can accumulate quickly and cause major issues with bugs and other pests before you even realize it's happening. Having a small portable vacuum on board will help you zap messes in no time. We even sell them at the Toyota of Orlando parts store! 

Tip #4: Keep everything in the backseat organized. It's annoying to have a million toys, books, and snacks cluttering up the backseat, and it's also dangerous. Everything in your car is a potential projectile in a car accident. Keep toys, books, and other supplies in plastic bins on the floor (with lids) or buy a cheap shoe organizer to hang off the back of the seat. This will also help your kids find things easier without your help when you're on the go. 

Tip #5: Think about all-weather floor mats. Are your kids just wreaking total havoc on your backseat? You may want to bite the bullet and replace your carpet floor mats with all-weather ones. These special rubber mats are designed to repel spills and also hold them in with special grooves and channels. Plus, they're easy to clean - just pull them out and shake or rinse them. 

And don't forget - you may see advice that you can put something under your car seat to prevent damage to your vehicle. This is bad information. Your car seat is designed to be in contact with the back seats of your vehicle and putting anything in between the two can cause it to malfunction and not keep your kids safe in a car accident. 

Shop for supplies at our Toyota Parts Store 

Want more tips or need to start shopping? Visit Toyota of Orlando today! We're open seven days a week at (407) 298-4500 and you can find us at 3575 Vineland Road, just off I-4 across from the Millenia Mall. 

How to deal with another driver tailgating you

Imagine this. You're driving the speed limit, and you check your rearview mirror, and you notice the car behind you is too close. It starts to make you feel uncomfortable, and you're unsure what to do. You might be afraid that if you stop suddenly, the car will crash into you. This is what we call a case of tailgating. This can be very frustrating for any driver, and many car crashes can result from this case of tailgating. 

Our expert techs at Toyota of Orlando Collision center are here to give you the best advice to prevent yourself from a collision and get to your destination peacefully in your Orlando Toyota. 

A good attitude goes a long way.

One thing to do on the road is to have a good attitude and give the person the benefit of the doubt and stay focused. They could be in a rush or are unaware of how close they are to your Orlando Toyota. Whatever the reason for their poor driving, having a good attitude will keep you from getting upset and hindering your driving abilities! 

Drive the speed limit! 

One of the tempting actions to take is to speed up when the person behind you is tailgating your Orlando Toyota! However, the only reason to gradually speed up is if you are under the speed limit. So, if someone is tailgating you, it doesn't mean you should break the law and speed up. This can actually cause way more harm than good. Besides, you don't want a speeding ticket because someone else's poor driving skills pressure you to go faster! 

Be easy on the brakes!

Unfortunately, we don't have much control other than what the car tailgating you will do, so that's why we have to be very careful with driving, including braking. You have to make sure to brake slowly because the person may not realize and could crash into you. If you want to alert the person behind you, you can slowly break, causing your brake lights to turn on to notify the person behind you to keep their distance.

Safely move to another lane!

If nothing works, the best way to get out of this situation is to move a lane if you are in a multi-lane road. In the case that there isn't another lane to move to, find the nearest safe place to stop and wait for the car to drive past you. Then, click on your turning signal to give other vehicles on the road a heads up, check your mirrors, and safely move to the other lane or the nearest safe place!

The moral of the story is not to let someone ruin your day! We love helping our customers, and our priority is your safety over everything. 

Thinking it’s time to take your breaks in for a service?

If you need to get your Orlando Toyota serviced, give us a call or set up an appointment online at (407) 298-0001.  It’s always a pleasure to help, come visit us today at 3575 Vineland Road. Toyota of Orlando is just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall! 

Is it really necessary to fix a scratch in your car paint?

 So you scratched your car. We feel your pain - it's that awful sinking feeling when you realized maybe it's NOT just a little mark that can be wiped off. But it's not the end of the world; trust us - scratches in car paint are extremely common and happen to nearly everyone whether it's their fault or not. 

It is a pain, however, to have to fix them. More often than not it's not possible to get them out of your car paint at home and you have to visit a body shop (like the one here at Toyota of Orlando), which means paying for removal. So... do you really have to spring for it, or can you just leave the scratch in the car paint and pretend like you don't see it every time you get behind the wheel? 

Why do you need to fix scratches in your car paint? 

We weighed in with our body shop experts to find out and got the breakdown. Basically, yes, you do need to fix a scratch in your car paint, even if it's just a scratch. Here's why! 

Reason #1: Rust could form. When you scratch your Orlando Toyota, it can leave the metal underneath exposed. This means the elements can reach it - in particular, moisture. And we all know what happens when water meets metal... rust. And we also all know how much of a hassle (and how much it'll cost) to get rid of rust. Why risk it? Protect your investment - fix the scratch. 

Reason #2: The surrounding paint can wrinkle. Another side effect of scratches on your car is that the edges of the surrounding paint are left exposed. When moisture, sun, and other forms of wear and tear touch the edges, it can make the surrounding paint wrinkle, peel, and start to pull back from the scratch. Why create more damage when you don't have to? 

Reason #3: There may be issues you just don't see. A scratch may seem like just a scratch, but our Toyota of Orlando body shop techs that there could be damage hiding behind it that you don't even realize. Structural damage is always a possibility, as well as damage to technology in the area. It's worth having the experts take a look to see what's going on. 

Reason #4: You want to make money on it. Most people do not keep their car forever. At some point down the road, they're going to want to trade it in or sell it and hop into something new. When that point arrives, you want to get the most bang for your buck, right? Fixing scratches makes your car look better and also gives prospective buyers a vote of confidence. If they see unsightly scratches, they can easily assume that if you can't care for the exterior of your car, you likely can't care for the interior or what's under the hood, either. 

Schedule your car paint repairs at Toyota of Orlando today

Have questions? Call us! We're ready to help you with scratch repair at Toyota of Orlando. Our body shop is open and waiting at (407) 298-6006 and we're conveniently located just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall at 3575 Vineland Road.