The winter months are hard on cars. Cold temperatures, dirt, and road-salt residue can all cause a wide variety of issues ranging from cosmetic to functional. Winterizing your car is a great way to protect it against many of these, provided you go about it the right way.

Why Is Winterizing Your Car Important?

There are several reasons to winterize your car. One is that it can prevent damage that results from cold-weather exposure. Road-salt runoff can cause corrosion in the engine bay, as well as under the chassis-which means that any exposed metal parts are subject to rust and pitting. In addition, if your vehicle isn’t driven as often it can suffer from reduced lubrication which, over time, can cause damage to the engine.

Similarly, low temperatures make for challenging operating conditions. When the temperature drops, the engine could have issues starting up as cold-start conditions limit your car’s ability to vaporize the fuel. On top of this, icy roads and reduced visibility dramatically increase the likelihood of accidents without proper preparation.

How To Winterize Your Car

Winterizing is a general term that describes the process of getting a car ready for the cold, winter months. With that being said, the process isn’t one-size-fits-all. How you go about winterizing your car will depend on the kind of vehicle you drive, how old it is, and where you live. Still, there are a few common practices that have a huge impact on safety and damage reduction during the winter months:

Installing Winter Wipers

Winter wipers are essential for removing the mud and salt from your car’s windshield. They’re usually larger, more durable, and able to remove ice from your windshield in seconds.

Installing Winter Tires

When winter weather hits, it’s sometimes hard to tell if roads have been salted or not. Driving on a bare road is a lot safer than driving a road that has a layer of snow or ice visible on top of it. Installing winter tires keeps you safe by providing better traction on slippery surfaces than all-season tires would provide. In case you’re not convinced, a Canadian study recently found that universal adoption of winter tires reduces winter traffic accidents by 5%.

Getting Your Fluids Checked and Filled

Cold weather makes for challenging conditions under the hood of your car, so it’s important to check and fill your fluids before the winter weather hits. One common winter-time fluid issue is leakage. If you see signs of leakage on the ground underneath your car, that means that your coolant (usually green or orange in color) has frozen solid thanks to temperature deprivation. Similarly, oil can become thicker in cold-weather months lose some of its lubricating ability if not changed beforehand. It’s important to address these issues before they become major problems.

Checking and Replacing Your Battery

Most batteries for cars simply aren’t designed to handle the cold. That means that without pre-winter maintenance, your car could die at the moment when you least expect it.

You can check and replace your battery yourself if you have the tools and knowledge required. Otherwise, take it to your local auto shop and let them do it for you so you don’t damage anything.

Investing In an Emergency Kit

An emergency kit for your car can make all the difference when you get stranded. This should include at least one full-size spare tire, a handful of ice scrapers, fluid containers (including windshield washer fluid), jumper cables, and a flashlight with batteries.

Winterizing Your Car Is Important for Preventing Damage

There are several reasons why it’s important to invest in winterizing your car. Primarily, it helps prevent damage from the cold weather that most drivers deal with during the winter months. By investing in a few supplies and doing regular maintenance, you’re reducing the chances of costly – or downright dangerous – issues popping up.

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Buying a new car can be one of the most notable moments in your life and although the process may seem complex and difficult it is worth the time. To make things simpler, we have prepared a list of 5 easy steps which you need to take to buy your new car without any hassle.

The first step is to figure out what your budget is and how much you can afford to spend on a new car. Unless you are paying for your car in cash, you need to consider multiple factors such as, the down payment amount, monthly payments, credit score, and how much budget you need for tax and registration. To simplify this method, it is advised to get a pre-qualified loan to know how much you can pay and the loan term as well. Here is a link to our pre-qualification form where you can easily find out what you qualify for.

When buying your new vehicle, you need to consider either financing your car through our dealership, a bank, or a credit union. We can offer additional upgrades with our financing, and potentially help you take advantage of special offers and no payment opportunities!

With it being the year 2021 you have new opportunities and technologies available to you. At Cable Dahmer, we will even bring the vehicle to you for an At-Home-Test-Drive. You can buy a vehicle entirely from the comfort of your own home, and then pick it up or have it delivered. It’s never been easier to buy a vehicle!

When looking for a car, make sure you prioritize based on engine configuration, seating capacity, boot space, exterior design, and more. If you are a family man or a woman, it is a good idea to go for an SUV or a sedan that has ample interior space, excellent safety features, a fuel-efficient powertrain, and advanced safety features. If you are single and enjoy cruising, then going for a coupe with a powerful engine may attract you as well.

There are plenty of online resources where you can check the reviews of the car and look up YouTube videos about how the car performs.

Ultimately the best way to find out the perfect car for you and your lifestyle is to come test drive them in person. Nothing compares to sitting in the vehicle and taking it for a spin around Kansas City. Our dealerships offer no pressure test drives so you can try out a few vehicles and get a feel for what’s the best fit for you.

After test-driving, you will feel confident about which vehicle you should buy! When you buy with Cable Dahmer you get peace of mind with every purchase! Our 5-year powertrain warranty adds an extra layer of protection to your new vehicle purchases & peace of mind to your used vehicles purchases. Congratulations on your new purchase and we hope you enjoy it for the years to come!

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Buying or leasing, it’s an age-old debate and is probably one of the most controversial topics frequently discussed in automotive and financial circles. “You Need To Buy! It’s the only sensible choice” or “Only Idiots would buy a vehicle, leasing it is the way to go!” are probably phrases you’ve heard in your life. It’s unfortunate that people are so polarized over leasing or buying a vehicle when the truth is a little more complex than that.

For some people, leasing or buying is strictly a matter of money. For others, it’s more about their connection to their vehicle. Either way, you will be in this vehicle for potentially years, so it’s essential to take some time to make sure you pick the option that is right for you.

Buying vs. Leasing a Car

Leasing a vehicle is essentially renting it from a dealer for a predetermined amount of time. Then, when your lease period ends, you have the option of returning or purchasing your trusty vehicle. (For a predetermined amount, of course!)

Buying a vehicle means that you skip the rental period and hop straight into ownership and all of the expenses that go along with that.

Leases generally have a determined number of miles you can drive annually. Most leases come with a 10,000-mile yearly allowance. The monthly payment will go up slightly if you end up driving more than your yearly allotment. If you drive more than the mileage limit in the contract, you’ll owe cash for every extra mile when your lease ends. However, the monthly payments for a lease are usually lower than it would be for you to get a purchase loan on it. You aren’t building any equity in the vehicle, though, which is why generally, the rule of thumb is to buy a cheap car and lease an expensive one. The depreciation that would hit an expensive vehicle could overcome any equity you might have otherwise built if you purchased it.

Plus, you can buy the vehicle at the end of your lease for the pre-arranged price. This is determined by Residual Value and is essentially how much the vehicle is worth at the end of your lease agreement with depreciation taken into account.

When you lease a vehicle, you might have to put some money down. The more you put down, the cheaper your monthly lease payment will be. Keep your eyes open, though, because often, manufacturers will discount leases to try to move unsold inventory. You might be able to get a great deal with an incentive that makes leasing a no-brainer!

If you are interested in learning more about our current leases, click here to see what is currently available for our dealership! It may not make financial sense to put a lot of cash down on a vehicle that you will hand back to the dealer. But, on the other hand, if you’re pretty sure you’re going to keep the vehicle when the lease expires, it will save you money at that point. Leasing also gives you the opportunity to spring for a more luxurious car than you would otherwise be able to afford! The payments on leases are usually considerably less expensive than purchasing.

The biggest disadvantage to leasing vs. buying is that you don’t acquire any equity in the vehicle. It’s much like renting an apartment. You make the monthly payments but have no claims to ownership. This can hurt future vehicle purchases because you won’t have a trade-in to reduce the cost of the next one. For lots of people, there isn’t any feeling in the world like cruising off the lot with that new car smell. If that sounds like you, leasing could very well be the way to go.

Another big advantage to leasing is that you often get a warranty that lasts the entire length of your lease. Meaning most of your repairs should be covered, thereby largely reducing the risks of significant vehicle repairs.

There are also tax considerations. Are you using your vehicle for business purposes? Leasing will often give you more tax write-offs than a loan would. That’s because you are allowed to deduct both the depreciation and financing costs for each monthly payment. However, remember that leasing luxury automobiles generally limit how much you are allowed to write off.

There are many benefits and drawbacks to both leasing a vehicle and buying a vehicle. However, you need to let your lifestyle determine which is the best choice for you. Obviously, the issue is a bit more complicated than a blanket ‘Do’ or ‘Don’t’ for your situation. Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t stress about it, our friendly staff of vehicle sales specialists is waiting by to help you talk through the decision. They can give you real numbers on leasing vs. buying and help you through every step of the way. From finding the perfect vehicle to financing your way off the lot with it.

Feel free to reach out to us at any time, or start by shopping our inventory below!

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 Winter can feel like it’s longer than just a season, some love to watch snowflakes lazily drift down from the sky and land on the Kansas City landscape. Others, when they see snow they see hazardous roads and bitterly cold days. At some point, we all need a bit of a pick-me-up to help us finish winter strong. At Cable Dahmer of Kansas City, we thought of some easy winter date ideas around the Kansas City metro area that will help cure your winter blues!

Mavs Game

Kansas City is home to many professional sports teams. One of them is the Kansas City Mavericks, Kansas City’s local hockey team. The Mav’s games are played exclusively at Cable Dahmer Arena and are some of the best sporting experiences we have ever had. There is never a dull moment during a Mav’s game. From the fast-paced game and the typical (but entertaining) hockey fights that break out, to the excellent crowd participation and games, you will stay entertained the whole time! Going to a Mav’s game will be one of the best sporting experiences you’ve had in a while. Go Mavs!

Brunch at Union Station.

Union Station is host to a plethora of businesses that could keep you busy all day! A favorite at Union Station is Harvey’s. Enjoy a casual dining experience that is located right in the heart of Union Station, Grad Hall. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and the perfect view of Union Station! Our breakfast suggestion is their iconic Thick Sliced French Toast, on Farm to Market challah. For lunch we suggest, Mr.B’s Fried Chicken, the perfectly fried chicken will melt in your mouth and leave you in food heaven. After your meal, enjoy your time exploring Union Station at one of their free or paid exhibits. Happy Exploring!

Axe Throwing

Looking for stress relief or something different to do for a date night? We have a suggestion for you, Axe Throwing! We love this unique activity at Blade and Timber, it’s a great way to destress after a long week or something out of the ordinary to try. There are two Blade and Timber locations in the Kansas City Metro area. One of the locations is in Leawood, Kansas. The other location is in the Power and Light District, in Kansas City, MO. We love that both of the locations have a variety of dining options nearby to help keep the date night! 

Chicken N Pickle

For this activity, we recommend bringing some friends along! Chicken N Pickle is a unique dining and entertainment experience. The entertainment complex started in North Kansas City and is now rapidly expanding in the Midwest. Enjoy the large indoor/outdoor entertainment complex that hosts eight pickleball courts (four inside and four outside), a variety of yard games, and a delicious restaurant where you can relax and enjoy the company of your friends. You can reserve a court to ensure that you will be able to play or go for the dining experience. Chicken N Pickle will easily become your new favorite go-to hangout spot with your friends!

Up-Down Kansas City Arcade Bar

 The Up-Down isn’t your regular bar. It’s packed with 50+ arcade games, pinball machines, four skeeball alleys, and much more! Up-Down is located right in the heart of the Kansas City Crossroads district, home to some of the best artists and makers in the city. The Up-Down is a laid back bar experience that will surely bring back nostalgic memories. They have all childhood arcade games and classics like Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros. This is a great place to go for a fairly inexpensive date night, girl’s night out, or a unique place to go with a group of friends!

 We hope you enjoy these Kansas City winter date night ideas! If you have any suggestions, let us know in the comments!

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