Is your car using too much motor oil?

 Motor oil - as you've heard us tell you many, many times before - is the literal lifeblood of your car. It keeps your engine cool and lubricated, which means it keeps you out on the road. If your motor oil gets too dirty or runs too low, things heat up quickly inside the engine. This can lead to serious (and expensive) and even irreparable damage to your car, which means you're going nowhere fast. 

However, if you stick to your routine oil change schedule and let our Orlando Toyota service techs keep an eye on things in between appointments for you, you should be in good shape. On rare occasions, though, you might find that your car is using too much motor oil, which means it's going to run out of oil sooner than anticipated and need an oil change as well as a repair to remedy the overconsumption. Our Toyota of Orlando service techs are here to fill you in on signs your car is using too much oil and what you can do about it. 

Three signs your car is using too much motor oil 

Sign #1: Your oil light comes on. Your oil light coming on signifies that you need an oil change; you know this by now and can pretty much expect it to illuminate every 5,000 - 10,000 miles, depending on what type of motor oil you use in your Orlando Toyota. However, if it comes on sooner than you expect it to, it's worth having our techs take a look to see what triggered it early. 

Sign #2: You pull the dipstick and notice that the oil level is too low. You can check the quality and level of your oil without even visiting Toyota of Orlando - just pull the dipstick out of the engine. The oil on it should be caramel or tan in color and should fall in between the two tic marks. If it's lower than the bottom tic mark but you know it's not time for an oil change, your car could be consuming too much oil and you need to bring it in for auto service or repairs. 

Sign #3: You hear odd noises coming from the engine bay. This is vague, we know - weird noises can signify a number of issues. But if you hear clanking, rattling, or grinding noises in conjunction with other signs like low oil on the dipstick or your oil light on, it's time to schedule auto service at Toyota of Orlando to get to the bottom of things. 

Don't ignore these signs - like we said, it can do major damage to your car. If you notice any of the above, make an appointment to come see us. Further, there are a few Toyotas from back in the day that sometimes get this issue; in particular, if you own a RAV4, Solara, Matrix, or Camry that was manufactured in between 2007-2011.

Visit Toyota of Orlando today for auto service and repairs 

Think your car is using too much motor oil? Come on down and see us - we're conveniently located just off I-4 near the Millenia Mall at 3575 Vineland Road. You can call ahead of time to schedule your auto service at (407) 298-0001! 

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.