Paintless Dent Repair DIY Style Tips and Tricks

 No matter where you drive, there's always something that can give your car's body a run for its money. So many things to dinge your paint, dent the body panels, crack the plastic bumpers, put a crack in the windshield, you get the idea. The truth of the matter is that nowhere is safe for your poor whip. But, this doesn't mean you should lock your ride in the garage and never bring it out again (unless it's a collectible). Minor dents and scratches are pesky, but they're pretty easy to deal with yourself if you have the know-how. 

Paintless dent repair, one of the most common forms of collision repair, isn't too difficult to pull off on your own. Sure, the job might not be professional, but do you really care as long as it's cheap and the job gets done? Toyota of Orlando is here with some essential tips so you can get started right away. Check it out!

DIY Everything Fam

Orlando paintless dent repair involves a lot more than pulling a dent out. Professional work employs several tools and techniques aimed at restoring the blemish to factory perfection. Doing this DIY style is difficult and more expensive and time-consuming than you're ready for. For our purposes, tools will be used, but they're very unconventional. 

Plunge More Than Toilets

We know, using a toilet plunger to do any automotive repair seems super weird (and kinda gross). But, no one's expecting you to grab your used plunger and get this job done (unless you were trying to be economical. But also gross). For this trick, a plunger for your sink (the rubber cup kind) is the right tool. Apply a fair amount of water to both the dented area and the lip of the plunger. Make sure the lip of the plunger fully encompasses the dent and start pushing and pulling. The dent should pop out and restore the area to better shape. 

Something to remember, only try this trick out when popping out small to medium-sized dents. 

Time to Turn Up the Heat

Obviously, if you're going to try this Orlando paintless dent repair trick out, make sure you're super-duper careful. Boiling water is, obviously, very hot and you could easily wind up burning yourself. 

Start this trick by boiling a small and pourable kettle's worth of water. Once you've hit that nice boiling point, take your water and pour it over the dented area. The plastic or metal piece should loosen up with the application of high heat, making it much more pliable. The next part of this Orlando paintless dent repair trick is all about timing. While the area is still hot, reach around to the back of the dented spot and push it out with your hand. If you don't manage to do this quickly enough, apply more water and try again. 

Time for the Katy Perry Treatment

Hot N Cold is a critically acclaimed song that should have won every grammy (I said what I said), but that's not the point. This next Orlando paintless dent repair trick involves using hot and cold temperatures to take out a dent. 

Start by using a hairdryer or a heat gun. Direct a substantial amount of heat to the dented area until the area is thoroughly heated up. Next, grab a can of compressed air (yes, the thing you annoy your coworkers with) and turn it upside down. Start spraying the can at the dent for ultra-cool ice cannon effects. The heat will expand the area and the cold air from the canned air quickly contracts it. Essentially this is supposed to snap the dent away and reshape the area. Science. 

Need some professional paintless dent repair help? Visit Toyota of Orlando at 3575 Vineland Road today!

Toyota’s 14 Billion Electric Car Battery Level-Up

Toyota has supported electric vehicles since it produced the Prius in 1997. However, throughout the recent years, Orlando Toyota has focused on pushing and perfecting its hybrid cars, leaving its pure electric models to be put on a stall. The automotive industry has taken many steps towards electric vehicles, with advancements and investments in electric car batteries. We can expect the future of the automotive industry to have more electric car representation as the automotive industry pushes towards this change in the game. Toyota even announced its goal is to be carbon neutral by 2050. 

Orlando Toyota had hesitation to fully invest in BEVs since the infrastructure for electric car batteries didn’t make it sustainable. However, with plans to push towards better infrastructure for electric cars, Orlando Toyota has also made a step towards the provision announcing an investment of $14 billion by 2030 in developing batteries and the underlying supply chain. Toyota has a solid plan to speed towards its competition and reach a good place in the race to the best electric cars.

What can we expect from this investment in Electric car battery tech? 

New Orlando electric car solid-state batteries

• These batteries are the next advancement of lithium-ion technology. 

• This technology will be more easily produced. 

• The new battery life will last for a longer time than the batteries available today. So, you can expect lower maintenance for your Toyota car. 

• Their overall charge will last longer in these electric car batteries, which will result in less time spent charging your electric car. 

Toyota’s plan to efficiently integrate and upgrade its Electric Cars

• Toyota will be developing a solid-state battery by securing 200 gigawatt-hours of battery supply from now to 2030. 

• We can expect to roll out 15 dedicated BEVs, 7 of which will include the “Beyond Zero” moniker and around 70 electrified models globally.

• The introduction of the majority of these new electric cars will go to the public by 2025.

• The follow-up of the new solid-state battery technology is looking to be introduced by 2030. 

The production efforts for electric car batteries are only becoming more efficient. We can expect to see this technology in many new upcoming Orlando Toyota models. The production investment estimates a 30% reduction in overall cost through less consumption of costly materials and production structures. 

Orlando Toyota’s fully electric car concept, the bZ4X, is expected to arrive sometime in 2022 

We are unsure whether the earlier iterations of the Orlando bZ4X will include a solid-state lithium-ion battery or if new hybrids will include the updated battery technology. Regardless, Toyota’s plan guarantees a foothold in the movement towards electric vehicles. Remember to follow Toyota of Orlando for updates on the latest electric car news. 

Do you have an electric or hybrid car that you’re looking to get serviced?

Visit Toyota of Orlando Service Center, where our expert technicians will give you the best service, quickly and efficiently. You can schedule an appointment by giving us a call at (407)298-0001. We’re located just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall. 

Decoding A Few New Toyota Driving Phenomenons/Myths

 It seems to be human nature to come up with all manner of mystery surrounding even the most mundane of things. Everything has to have some proverbial Walt Disney frozen head stashed somewhere to be discovered (pretty sure the rule is out on that one, but still). Perhaps it's the thrill of discovery or uncovering the unknown. Kind of like hunting for bigfoot or the loch ness monster, there's just something magical of trying to uncover some great mystery. 

Anyway, this writer digresses. The point of that long-winded intro was to say that even the automotive world has its fair share of myths and phenomena that baffles the best of us. The cool thing about these new Toyota myths though, most of them have been debunked! Toyota of Orlando is here with a few you're probably aware of and how they're not exactly true. Check it out!

Not Bigfoot, But Still Pretty Cool

"Traveling the Speed Limit = Green Light Breeze Through"

This one dates back to the first stoplights. There's the ever-pervasive new Toyota myth that traveling the speed limit or the same speed on roadways will result in hitting every green light on your way to your destination. Unfortunately, this is an oversimplification and can often be explained by simple coincidence. Most traffic lights operate using sensor-based technology rather than timers. Plus, there are too many factors to account for that would render this myth busted. Not every driver starts from the same place so how could the timing be accurate? What if there's a traffic jam along your route? What about small adjustments in speed or changing speed limits? So many holes this myth is starting to look like swiss cheese. 

"Traffic Jams are Always the Result of an Accident"

Again, not true. Traffic jams, as annoying as they are, are often caused by a few vehicles at the head of a larger group slowing down for a variety of reasons. When there's a large number of cars in one given area following each other, a slow down from the ones in front will inevitably cause a slowdown for the vehicles behind it. It creates a gradual ripple effect going back to the end of the jam that results in an even greater slowdown. Plenty of factors can account for Orlando new Toyota traffic jams. Inclement weather, road debris, a slower driver, you name it. 

"Premium Fuel > Regular Gas"

Apart from just being one with the boujiness, premium fuel is largely a mythical construct. It's often marketed as being less combustible and, therefore, less harmful to your engine. In truth, premium fuel is often unnecessary to use in your vehicle. Gas needs to be combined with air and combusted to power your vehicle either way and that process is neither clean nor pretty. Even if you drive a luxury model that "requires" you to use premium fuel, it's not entirely proven to be necessary. Save your money. 

"Tailgate Down = Better Fuel Efficiency"

If you drive a new Toyota pickup truck in Orlando, sorry, but you're not going to get the fuel efficiency numbers of a Corolla or Prius. They've come a long way, but that's just wack to think. Sorry for being harsh (lol). Some truck drivers will leave their tailgates down to create a better aerodynamic airflow pattern and get better mileage as a result. In truth, the entire bed is the issue, not the door that leads into it. Truck beds naturally create a pocket of drag behind the cab that pushes your truck down when driving at high speeds. Putting the bed door down doesn't cause that drag to escape in a stream. It actually doesn't do anything except close the gap between your Orlando new Toyota truck and the car behind you (fender bender incoming). The better route to take is to close off your bed and tailgate with a cover. Or, just don't buy a truck unless you need to transport heavy stuff. That works too. 

Ready to bust some more myths? Keep all your new Toyota needs here with Toyota of Orlando at 3575 Vineland Road. 

Is Auto Service on an EV Less Expensive Than an ICE Vehicle?

 With automotive technology circumnavigating back to electric-focused fueling (cars began as EVs, after all), the road will soon be a mix of ICEs and EVs. If you're at a crossroads with your next car purchase, an EV might be on your list of options. Apart from electricity being a very convenient means of fueling, a cheaper one, and EVs just being overall cool, you might be wondering how much it costs to maintain. 

Auto service can be a big determining factor when it comes to your next chosen vehicle. To help make the process easier, Toyota of Orlando is here to filter through the noise and give you a concrete answer. Check it out right here!

EV or ICE. Which is Cheaper to Maintain?

According to AAA, auto service can be pretty expensive on average. Try about $500 to $600 for a typical day of service if you're not just getting an oil change. Yes, maintaining an ICE is generally expensive. Not to mention the fact that gasoline is constantly fluctuating in price (and is currently very high, we might add). All that might make it obvious that auto service for an Orlando Toyota EV would be cheaper, but it's a bit murkier than that. 

Technically, ICE vehicles are the most common forms of vehicles on the road right now. That means that replacement parts and individuals with knowledge of how to maintain these types of vehicles are in abundance. When things are in abundance, prices go down (tbt to econ). But, the skilled labor it takes to repair ICE vehicles doesn't come cheap. And, on top of that, Orlando Toyota ICE vehicles contain a huge number of moving parts with fluids, hoses, and electrical connections that often need to be serviced to continue operation. 

EVs being both old and new aren't quite backed by the decades of auto service records that Orlando ICE vehicles are. But, early findings are showing great promise when it comes to your service bill. Upfront, EVs are more expensive than the average ICE vehicle. This is because they're not quite mainstream on the market, fewer options are available for drivers, and the technology is still unique in many ways. Plus, EV techs are still needing to be trained to handle vehicles of these designs and parts production still needs to catch up. 

But, while EVs have quite a few factors that make their sticker prices higher on average, maintaining them is actually more affordable than you might think. Over the lifetime of an Orlando Toyota EV, auto service can actually save drivers around $4,600. This is because EVs operate without the need for combustion and other harsh chemical reactions. They also contain far fewer moving parts and have other technological functions to preserve their parts. For example, A/C systems in EVs often go uninterrupted even though they are designed similarly to what's in an ICE vehicle. There's no engine oil and no combustion process that could infect the A/C system so it often need not be maintained. Regenerative braking can also better preserve your brake pads and rotors by differing more stopping force to the electric motors at play. 

Overall, EVs are excellent at saving you money on auto service. Plus, they're emission-free! As Toyota begins its rollout of these vehicles, you might want to consider getting behind the wheel of one. 

Visit Toyota of Orlando at 3575 Vineland Road for all your auto service and shopping needs!

Tire Balancing or Wheel Alignment. How to Tell Which One You Need

 The road is filled with unplanned events and hazards just lying in wait to mess up your day. To all the potholes, curbs, debris, and uneven terrain out there, why are you the way you are? Unfortunately, as much as you try to avoid these things on the road, you'll likely wind up running into them eventually anyway. Your car is built to withstand a fair bit of punishment, but occasionally a bump or impact just sounds too bad to not have caused any damage. 

 In cases like these, it's likely that damage did occur and you'll need to get repairs underway. Typically, the auto service you're looking for in this case is either a rebalancing of your tires or aligning the wheels. But, with these two procedures often being used interchangeably, it helps to know which one is the one you actually need. Toyota of Orlando is here with answers. Check it out!

Balance v Alignment. Which Auto Service is the Right One?

These two auto service jobs are often mistaken or considered the same thing. The thing is, they solve 2 different issues and deal with different components and require different steps to complete. Here's our breakdown of these 2 Orlando procedures: 

Tire Balancing

Orlando balancing auto service works to current the weight distribution of your wheels and tires. Your wheel and tire and placed on a machine that analyzes the revolution pattern at specific RPMs and determines places on the wheel that would benefit from a little added weight. This prevents damage to the suspension, excessive vibration, and normal wear patterns for your tires. Typically, an Orlando auto service tech should perform this every 5,000 - 7,500 miles or every 2 years. Here's how to tell if this is the auto service issue you should check out:

• Uneven tread wear is common with an unbalanced tire. 
• Vibrations in the steering wheel, floorboard, and seat. 
• Strong impacts with potholes and curbs can cause your tire to fall out of balance. It's highly recommended you visually inspect your tire and wheel after something like this happens. 
• Leaving your car parked for extended periods of time can also cause an imbalance to occur by creating flat spots in your tires' tread. 

Wheel Alignment

While an Orlando tire balance involves physically attaching weights to your tires so they spin more effectively, wheel alignments have more to do with the direction your vehicle drives. A perfectly aligned set of wheels should follow a straight path. Here are a few symptoms to look out for: 

• Testing for an Orlando alignment issue is pretty easy. Simply let go of the steering wheel for a brief few moments and see if your car diverts from a straight path. 
• Your ride might also obviously tug to the left or right. This clearly indicates an auto service issue with the alignment. 
• Squealing noises can also indicate improper alignment along with vibrations in the steering wheel or on one side of your ride. 

Need help diagnosing these auto service issues? Visit Toyota of Orlando today at 3575 Vineland Road!