Check out this video of the balloon maker creating fun animals and hats for all of the kids at our Halloween event last friday!

RAV4 EV

Maintenance Tip Monday- Drive with care everyday

Drive with care everyday

Being car considerate shouldn’t stop after the break-in. Drive with care every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair.

• Do not race your car’s engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add years of wear to your engine, especially if it’s cold outside.
• Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
• Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.The engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and ultimately damaged components.
• Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the car even while it’s stopped.
• Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it’s very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more frequent repairs.
• Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don’t run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking. And, of course, don’t burn rubber.
• When turning your steering wheel, don’t hold it in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-steering pump.
• Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear — as well as the pollution your car generates — takes place in the first few minutes of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if possible, will keep your engine happier longer.

Courtesy of Reader’s Digest

Thank you for this great review!

"I recently brought my Toyota Prius in for its last covered sevice at 25,000 miles under the Toyota Care policy, and I couldn t be happier with how I was treated. David Carpenter, in the service department, took great care of me and I was treated with prompt and competent service with my vehicle. I am the tyoe of person that is very careful about my automobile inside and out. I must say that the technicians and staff at Valley-Hi are not only very careful and meticulous, but treat my precious vehicle with extreme respect. I will definitely continue to use Valley-Hi for all of my service needs for BOTH of my Toyota vehicles. They are really the best!" - S. K.

Way to go Valley Hi Toyota team! We have another happy customer. Thank you for this great review on Yelp!

"It's unfortunate that this place has such bad reviews. My wife and purchased 2 cars in 2 weeks. 1 from Browning in Norco (2013 Dodge Grand Caravan) and the one from ValleyHi which was a 2012 Toyota Prius. My experience was the total opposite to what I've read from other Yelpers. It could be that I went thru the Internet department and dealt with Russell. Russell was amazing. We negotiated a price well below invoice, got full asking for our Honda (even though it had power steering issues) and left very satisfied. Russell made the deal and handed it off to Antonio who was the nicest guy I think I've ever met. No seriously. They took amazing care of us, our car payment is $40 lower then our used 2010 Honda Civic and were so grateful for all the hard work these 2 guys put in. I really hope if your considering buying a new/used Toyota, you give Russell a call in Internet financing. TRUST ME, he will work harder for you then any one else will." -Joey L.

Thank you for your kind words!

"Toyota takes great care of their cars and their customers!" -You had me at Toyota

"Valley Hi has been a top choice for my whole family over the years. I have bought several cars through them and take my car in for service regularly. I am well pleased with the buying process as well as the high customer service. Well done!" - #1 Toyota Customer

Toyota and Discovery Education Challenge Teachers and Students to Help Teens Stay Safe Behind the Wheel

Toyota and Discovery Education today announced that the Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge and Toyota Teen Driver Educators’ Challenge are now open for entries. These challenges invite teens and their teachers to share their most creative ideas to help promote teen safe driving habits.  Entries for both programs are due by Feb. 14, 2013.

Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death for teens.  In fact, current research shows that 35% of all teen deaths are a result of car crashes -- more than cancer, suicide, heart disease and homicide combined. To address this challenge, Toyota and Discovery Education teamed up in 2010 to create Toyota Teen Driver, a comprehensive program and online destination providing safe-driving tools and resources to educators, students and parents.

 

Safe Driving Programs for Both Teens and Teachers

 

The Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge encourages students to create and develop an original video describing what they can do in their communities to help make their peers and themselves safer drivers. The top ten videos will be chosen by a panel of experts for their originality and compelling content, followed by a public voting period on ToyotaTeenDriver.com to select the winner. The first, second and third place winners will receive $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500 cash prizes, respectively. In addition, Discovery Channel film crews will visit the top three students’ hometowns to hear their stories and capture their visions for safer driving for pieces that will air on ToyotaTeenDriver.com and additional Discovery online properties. The seven runners-up will each receive $1,000.  The Video Challenge is open to students in grades 9-12.

 

Recognizing that educators also play a key role in ensuring teens stay safe on the road, Toyota and Discovery Education have also opened applications for the 2013 Toyota Teen Driver Educators’ Challenge.  For this Challenge, educators are asked to create innovative action plans for keeping students safe on the roads. The grand prize winner will receive a 4 day trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a safe-driving conference and a $10,000 cash prize. In addition, that teacher’s school will be awarded a Virtual Driver Interactive simulator and a safe-driving assembly, led by Toyota Teen Driver experts.  The second place winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a driving simulator and safe-driving assembly for their school.

 

“At Toyota, we are deeply committed to the notion that everyone deserves to be safe,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, Toyota’s group vice president of National Philanthropy and the Toyota USA Foundation.  “We are glad to be working with Discovery Education to bring critical safety information to schools and students across the country.  This is an important commitment for Toyota and a vital part of our efforts to help ensure that drivers and passengers are safe at every phase of life.”

 

In addition to Toyota Teen Driver, Toyota’s work to help keep teens safe on the road includes: Toyota Driving Expectations, a free program for teens and their parents which provides hands-on, real world defensive driving experiences; groundbreaking safety research partnerships with major North American research universities through the company’s $50 million Collaborative Safety Research Center; and national teen safe driving partnerships with DoSomething.org and the National Safety Council.  Toyota also has a national program in place to help ensure safety for child passengers (Buckle Up for Life) as well as a major partnership with AARP to address driver safety for seniors. 

 

“Discovery Education is thrilled to continue our partnership with Toyota to provide teachers, students and their families with creative and engaging resources to keep teens safe behind the wheel,” said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president. “The Educators’ Challenge and Video Challenge, as well as the resources available on ToyotaTeenDriver.com, provide a unique opportunity for teachers and students to connect on and explore issues that transcend into their everyday lives.”

 

Courtesy of Toyota