Whether this is your first ever new car, or you 5th, buying a new car is SUPER exciting! You get to go to Destination Kia and take a test drive in all kinds of new vehicles until you find one that has all of the features you’re looking for and feels right. You’ll know when it feels right. The only tricky thing is what you need to bring with you when you buy the car. My first time buying a car, I was so excited that I totally forgot to bring my checkbook! If you’re trading in your current car there are some additional things you’ll want to bring with you. To make sure you’ve got everything you need and have a stress free and fun car buying experience, here is a list of some of the things you’ll need to bring with you.

• Proof of insurance. Most places will ask for proof of insurance, but if you don’t already have insurance because this is your first car purchase, it’s a good idea to have contacted an insurance company to figure out how much insurance will cost for the vehicle you’re looking at, and have them on standby when you plan to buy the vehicle.

• Talk to your bank or credit union and get pre-approved for the loan you’ll need. You may get something resembling a blank check (up to a certain maximum) that must be signed by you and the dealer. By getting pre-approved, you will know the total loan amount and interest rate you qualify for.

• Your Driver’s License. To be able to test drive the vehicle you’ll need to have your license, but you’ll also need it when you buy the vehicle.

We will provide the DMV with the paperwork they need to get you driving your new car legally. But, if you need to transfer ownership of the vehicle yourself (or if you’d prefer to do it yourself), you should ask our representative for:

• The Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO), if the vehicle is brand new/has never been titled in NY.

• The current title, if the vehicle is used/pre-owned and has been titled before.

• A dealer’s invoice, to function as proof of sale and fees paid.

That’s it! Remember that you need to get insurance for your vehicle as soon as it becomes yours – it’s illegal in New York to have an uninsured vehicle. So stop by Destination Kia today or check out our website to find your brand new car!

Have you ever smelt something and it took you back to a very specific memory or person? Like the smell of a specific perfume reminds you of your grandmother, or perhaps the smell of chlorine smells like a summer spent at camp? Good news, you’re not going crazy! There have been a number of studies done on a person’s sense of smell and how it connects to your memory. It’s real. Some students even use smell to help them remember more information for classes by wearing a certain cologne or perfume, or even chapstick when they study and then wearing that smell during the test to help boost their memory.

So why does this matter to you? How is this relevant? Well, there are a few smells related to your vehicle that you should really be aware of that would even be beneficial to associate with certain vehicular problems to keep yourself safe. So if you smell the following things, it would be best to pull over and get out of your vehicle and have it checked by our extremely knowledgeable techs at Destination Kia.

• Syrupy sweet smell:

  • The most likely cause of that sickly sweet smell is a coolant leak. The smell is usually followed pretty quickly by a lot of smoke coming out of the hood of your vehicle and your engine overheating. Should your engine start to smoke while you are driving, pull over immediately and get a safe distance away from your vehicle and call for your vehicle to be towed as it will not be safe for you to drive it.

• Rotten eggs or a sulfur smell:

  • This smell usually means that there is an issue with your catalytic converter, also known as your “cat”. This gas is toxic and is 100% not safe for you to breath. You will likely need to get your cat replaced, which can be pretty expensive. The good news is that in most newer car that replacement is usually covered under warranty so you can contact us at Destination Kia to check.

• Hot oil:

  • As the smell would suggest you’ve likely got an oil leak. More specifically, oil is probably leaking onto your hot exhaust manifold, which collects the exhaust gases from multiple cylinders into one pipe. This could be because of a leaking crankshaft or a leaky valve cover. Either way, this is something you will want to get checked out!

• Burning carpet:

  • This smell is relatively normal if you just came down a long hill, but if this smell occurs under normal driving circumstances then you may have a dragging brake(your brake isn’t completely disengaging when you let off the brake) or an is an issue with the brake pad. This smell could also happen if you left your emergency brake (handbrake) and can cause damage to your brakes, so checking your E-brake before you start driving is important. If you notice the burning carpet smell, stop by Destination Kia and we’ll check out your brakes and replace the brake pads if need be.

• Burnt rubber:

  • If you notice this smell first check under your hood and make sure all hoses and belts are tight and not resting on the hot engine. If there are, that’s a cheap and relatively easy fix. If it’s not, this smell could also indicate that a belt is loose or is about to break. If this is the case you should get it replaced as soon as you can.

Remember, if you find that your vehicle smells like any of these things, you can stop by Destination Kia and we will be happy to check out your vehicle out. It’s better to be safe than sorry and we just want you and your family to enjoy your vehicle safely!

A lot of time and effort goes into owning a vehicle. Much like a small child, you need to keep it fed to keep it moving, and you are in constant need of changing something. Usually a fluid of some kind. There are so many fluids that keep your car working and running at its peak so it’s understandable that you’d need to change those fluids regularly, but what are those fluids and what do they do? Why are they so important to your vehicle’s performance? Well, in this week’s blog we’re going to discuss exactly that! It’s time we had a slightly better understanding of what’s happening in our cars, so hopefully, this will help!

Engine Oil
Engine oil lubricates the engine and absorbs heat. It is a necessary fluid in your vehicle and fortunately, checking your engine oil is pretty easy. Simply open the hood, remove the oil cap(it should be labeled, and if not consult your Owner’s Manual) to find the dipstick, take the stick out and wipe it off, put it back in and then finally take it out one more time. The stick will show you what your oil level is, and the color of the oil will tell you if it needs to be changed out. Make sure your car is off and has been off for at least 10 minutes before checking your engine oil. Some experts recommend you check your oil every time you fill up with gas, but checking once a month should be fine for newer vehicles.

Transmission Fluid
Your transmission fluid, much like the engine oil, lubricates your vehicle and in this case, keeps your vehicle’s gears moving. Checking your transmission fluid is a lot like checking your engine oil, except you will want your vehicle on when you check your transmission fluid. The fluid should be red, so if you notice that it’s brown and smells vaguely burnt, you should replace the fluid. Your transmission fluid should not get low, so if it does, stop by Destination Kia and we’ll check it out to see what’s going on. Transmission fluid should be checked at each oil change interval and replaced typically every 30,000 miles.

Coolant
Basically, coolant keeps your engine at its optimal temperature. Like transmission fluid, your vehicle’s coolant levels should not get low. If it does, your vehicle is most likely going to overheat, which can really burn a hole into your savings if enough damage is done. The most common reason your coolant level is low is because of a leak. You can usually identify a coolant leak by a very distinct sweet maple syrup smell. You can check your coolant level by checking the overflow reservoir (an opaque white container under the hood) and seeing if the fluid level is at or above the minimum line. If your coolant level is low, be sure to add the same type of coolant already in the vehicle. Check your coolant levels at least every 6 months, once before winter and once again before summer. Your coolant should be replaced every 2 to 3 years.

Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is another one that should never get low. If your brakes don’t feel as responsive or you feel like you need to use more pressure to stop, check your fluid first. Your brake fluid can be checked by looking through the brake fluid reservoir on the driver side of the vehicle and should be a golden color. If the fluid looks brown, you need to change the fluid. Check your brake fluid every time you have your oil changed and look to replace the fluid every 2 years.

Power Steering Fluid
Power steering fluid keeps your steering running smoothly. If you feel or hear a creaking as you steer, your power steering fluid may be running low. You can check the level by opening the hood and checking the reservoir. If you do notice the power steering fluid is low, it’s worth having your vehicle looked at by your friends at Destination Kia. Checking your power steering fluid monthly will help avoid any leak based issues. It’s also important to note that your power steering fluid may never need replacing, but it doesn’t hurt to keep track.

Keeping up with all the various maintenance that your car needs to run efficiently isn’t as hard as you thought! At the very least it’s not quite as daunting a task as raising toddlers. So remember, if you have any questions about your fluid levels, your friends at Destination Kia will be happy to help. Just give us a call or stop by today!

How ya doin’ Capitol District? The temperatures sure have been dropping pretty quickly and at this point, there is no doubt that Fall is in the air. Personally, Fall is my absolute FAVORITE SEASON! I love going apple picking and pumpkin picking, and drinking hot apple cider! Going for long car rides and watching the beauty and majesty of the changing leaves, it’s heaven. Also, the mosquitos have returned to whatever evil place they came from, which is a bonus! With all of the beautiful changes this season brings, perhaps it’s time for a change of your own.

Here at Destination Kia, the prices are dropping like the temperature! We have some pretty excellent new vehicle specials that will have you FALLing in love! You’ll find offers for 0% APR for 60 months, $0 due at signing and super low payments for those who qualify! We also have the new Kia Pull ahead program which will WAIVE up to 3 months of payments and the $400 Disposition Fee if you lease and new Kia now! Those are some pretty awesome deals!

So if you’re a big fan of Fall like I am and are looking for a larger vehicle to fit the perfect pumpkins your family picked, check out the 2017 Kia Niro LX with $0 due at signing, and $259 per month with a 36 month lease, the 2017 Kia Sorento LX for $0 due at signing and $248 per month with a 36 month lease, or maybe even the 2017 Kia Sportage LX All Wheel Drive for $) due at signing and $248 per month for a 36 month lease. Any of these options would be perfect and have PLENTY of room to fit a whole family of pumpkins!

Perhaps you’re a fan of leaf peeping. I too am a fan of peeping some leaves! What better way to enjoy nature’s beauty than behind the wheel in the beautifully crafted seats of the 2017 Kia Forte LX which is $0 due at signing, and the CRAZY low price of $148 per month with a 36 month lease! Or perhaps if you’re looking for a more permanent arrangement, you can now buy the 2017 Kia Forte for $13,888, which would save you $3,572 off the MSRP! And if that wasn’t Kooky enough, you will get 3 years of oil changes with the purchase of any new Kia!

So if you’re getting ready for fall and like the leaves, are looking for a change, stop by Destination Kia! We’ll get you hooked up with a Kooky deal that will make the change of season even more beautiful!

*All specials expire on 9/30/17 see specials page for full details.

When I was little I used to love going for long car rides at night. My mother absolutely loathed having to drive at night, and she had to frequently, but I never understood why. The sky was so beautiful, and the roads were often pretty quiet. It wasn’t until much later in my life that I realized her general disdain for driving in the night had less to do with the night time, and more to do with her vision. I came to the conclusion on my way home from college one weekend that it was really freaking hard to see at night!

How could that be! At the time I was barely 20 years old and thought that frankly, my vision was in it’s prime as years of texting, and spending all day behind a computer screen for classes has certainly damaged my sight by now. Even so, with my vision, the picture of health, 20/20 some may even say, that I struggled to see while driving. The simple truth is that when you’re not nocturnal, friend… and it’s night time, it’s hard to see in the dark, even with headlights. So here are some tips to help you survive your next night drive.

You’re driving down the road in the dark, minding your business, and suddenly a pair of headlights crashes into your vision and you momentarily go blind. Now what?! Well, a simple trick to avoid this jarring experience is to focus your attention on the outside lines on the road, rather than looking directly into the headlights of oncoming traffic. Didn’t your mother teach you not to look into the sun?? Well, add headlights to that list!

Your once crisp headlights are now sporting a mysterious and smokey look. While you’d love to support their latest fashion statement, the foggy lens is making it harder for you to see. Stop by your friends at Destination Kia to have your headlights cleaned or the lights replaced if they are just starting to get dim on you. Those headlights are your last stand against the darkness, and I promise you losing those lights at 65mph on the highway is NOT a fun experience.

Finally, keep your eyes out for other little eyes. Glowing eyes perhaps. Where there are eyes, an actual nocturnal creature is very likely to be. If you don’t want to be startled by a deer or perhaps raccoon sprinting with a reckless abandon across the street into the front bumper of your car, watch for eyes.

Driving at night doesn’t have to be a nerve wracking experience. With these tips, your journey into darkness can be a pleasant one! Take the necessary steps to ensure that your car is working at its best for night driving by getting your headlights aligned, and bulbs replaced! Stopping by Destination Kia will be the highLIGHT of your night time driving!

I once believed that I could do anything I set my mind to… apparently, even when my mind is set, there is a line. Consequently, here I sit, covered in oil, dirt, and moderate amounts of self-loathing. This series of unfortunate events starts, as most do, with a visit with my family. Now, you don’t need much context about my family other than the fact that I was there for 1 week in a 3 bedroom home with 9 family members and ONE bathroom. So, you can imagine how frazzled I was after this experience. Honestly, I’m just amazed that we all made it out of there alive.

After a very long and emotionally draining week of family fun, I packed up my sweet little Kia Forte and made my way home. Now, I feel the need to preface this story with the fact that I have made this trip, conservatively, 11 billion times. I know the route from Connecticut to Albany like the back of my hands. Most of the journey is spent on back roads driving next to various bodies of water, which I find VERY soothing. There isn’t usually any traffic so I was foolish enough to actually start to relax on my way home.

I was so relaxed, in fact, that I allowed my mind to wander slightly. I was emotionally on autopilot so I wasn’t as alert and focused on the road ahead as I perhaps should have been. The next series of events happened so fast that I almost don’t know where to begin. A beaver ran, RAN, across the road (DID YOU KNOW THAT BEAVERS COULD RUN? BECAUSE I DIDN’T!). At which point my Forte’s Forward Collision warning system activated the brakes for me, and I turned the wheel to the right slightly to avoid hitting the little dare devil, and ended up driving across the grass, clipping the side of a shrubbery, and back onto the road. At this point, I have experienced several heart attacks, and have seen both my life and the beaver’s flash before my eyes. Nevertheless, I continued driving a good 20 minutes before I registered a dragging sound coming from the underside of my car.

I am not entirely sure at what point in that 20 minutes I decided that I was a certified mechanic, qualified to identify what was wrong with my car post-Beaver Incident of 2017, but, spoiler alert, I’m 100% not a mechanic. I have a degree in words. I can tell you in beautifully descriptive detail what I saw looking at my traumatized little Kia, but past that I have NO idea what I was looking at, which is very likely why things went so wrong.

Based on my “professional” assessment of my vehicle, I determined that the sound was caused by a rather large stick or possibly tree branch wedged under my car. I did NOT want to have to call to get my car towed. It became apparent that I would go to great lengths to avoid calling for a tow as I scooted myself under my car to remove the stick, relinquishing any dignity I may have had left. The branch was REALLY wedged in there so I had to do some shifting to get a better angle. One final forceful pull, and immediate regret. It seems that the branch caught on one of the plugs under my car and now some kind of NASTY brown(?????) liquid was gushing out of my car. I can comfortably say, as I sit under my car, Wicked Witch of the East style, that I have reached rock bottom.

My only real option was to call for a tow truck. At this point, I am sitting on the side of the road looking like I just escaped prison, and friends, I watched horror, concern, and finally, sadness cross this man’s face in rapid succession. I could actually see all of the questions in his eyes, but he seemed to just let it go and we sat in awkward silence for approximately 45 minutes on our way to Destination Kia to have my poor car fixed up the right way.

What did I learn from this experience? Several things: Don’t try to mess with things under your car if you have no idea what you are doing. Seriously, this is why the good people in the service department at Destination Kia are there. They will handle it, PLEASE don’t try to fix it yourself. Also, Destination Kia has a TON of service specials that you can check out so you can save some money, and I don’t know, not end up dumping ALL of your oil all over yourself. Just saying. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a hot shower and print off that Full Synthetic Oil & Filter Change coupon from Destination Kia’s website so I can drive my car again with what little dignity I have left.

I managed to walk into my coffee table twice, tripped over my cat, AND violently underestimated where the wall was and caught my shoulder while walking around the corner in my hallway. I did this ALL BEFORE 8 AM. I was wearing my glasses and everything, but clearly, I need to get a new prescription. When I got to work, one of my coworkers said that there was a rather large smudge on my glasses. Upon further inspection, I realize the smudge went across both lenses. Once I cleaned off my glasses, I swear it was a whole new world out there, friends. I COULD SEE! …Well, better. I still need those glasses.

Now as I think about my terribly smudged lenses, I started to wonder about my headlights. I’ve noticed lately that they are a bit cloudy, maybe even opaque? I can’t really even remember if my headlights were once brighter or if this is how they have always been so I wondered if I cleaned off my headlights if it would make as much of a difference for my vehicle as cleaning off my glasses did for me.

As it turns out cloudy headlights provide significantly less illumination and cause light to scatter rather than being focused on the road, which also creates glare for oncoming drivers. Most modern headlight lenses are made of clear, and nearly unbreakable, polycarbonate plastic or a similar material. The lenses are treated at the factory with a special coating that protects them from the ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight, vehicle exhaust fumes and other environmental contaminants.

I’ve seen a number of home remedies to clean off your headlights, but honestly, those will only help for a short while and can even damage your headlights, rather than help them. You can find lens treatments that, when applied regularly, can significantly extend the life of the factory protective coating. You can even find such treatments at Destination Kia! Think of it as sunscreen for your headlights.

Auto parts stores sell inexpensive do-it-yourself headlight refinishing kits, just be sure to select one that includes a final protective coating or the lenses will become cloudy again in a matter of months. You can also have headlight restoration done professionally by your friends at Destination Kia!

You wouldn’t want to walk around with smudged glasses all day. Even if you think that you can see through them just fine, you can’t see nearly as well as with clean glasses and are more likely to run into things, miss details, or in my case…step on the cat. In the same way, you wouldn’t want to drive around with headlights that are cloudy. Driving in the dark is hard enough, let’s not make it harder. Take care of your headlights and visit us at Destination Kia today.

I don’t want to be harsh here, so I thought I’d start off in song. Under pressure, dun dun dun duh nuh nuh nuh. Your tires, specifically. As this season seems to be one in which Mother Nature is experiencing some mood swings, the temperatures are all over the place. Do you know what fluctuating temperatures mean for your tires? Under pressure, dun dun dun duh nuh nuh nuh. You guessed it! With each change in temp of 10 degrees or more, you should 100% check out your tire pressure as driving with low tire pressure is just throwing money away. I don’t know about you, but I have bills to pay and throwing money away is NOT in my budget. You know what is in my budget? Taking the steps to keep my tires in tip top shape. Which for a tire should be round.

How, you might ask, does one check the tire pressure? Well, I am elated that you asked. It is actually a pretty simple process. Go to your local shopping center with an auto department, or even an auto shop, and get yourself a tire pressure gauge. I HIGHLY recommend the air pressured one, mostly because I have a pretty serious distrust of electronic measurements of any kind. The battery gets low and all of a sudden the numbers are all over the place and not even close to correct.

Once you have your handy dandy tire pressure gauge, go to the tire in question and remove the air cap. Check said cap for cracks or busted threads inside the cap, if there are cracks, etc you can very likely locate replacement caps at the same establishment that you got the tire pressure gauge from. In the event the caps pass your casual inspection you can proceed to check the tire pressure. On the frame of your car, typically on the inside of your driver’s side door, you will find the optimum air pressure of your tires. Alternately, you can check your owner’s manual to find your recommended tire pressure. This range is typically between 30 and 35 PSI(pounds per square inch). If your air is low based on the recommended tire pressure, you can fill up your tires at most gas stations for FREE or you can get a little portable air pump so that you can adjust your tire pressure as needed.

Now that you have determined that your tire pressure is where it should be you can carry on with your life as planned! How exciting is that! Look at you out here being an adult and taking care of your car all by yourself! It’s some exciting stuff, friend. Keep up the good work and if you aren’t sure how your tires are doing and want to get them checked out by professionals, stop by Destination Kia today! Our Service Department will be more than happy to check out your tires for you!

Camping is in my blood. I feel it deep in my Soul… Literally. Every summer my friends and I get together for a girls camping weekend in Forestport, NY. The 4 of us went to college together and have remained very close since those college years. While we don’t see each other every day, we still work hard to keep in touch as often as possible. The annual camping trip has become something of a staple in our lives. We look forward to it every year and it gives us a chance to really catch up, put our phones down and really take a break from our lives which have become increasingly busy.

When we started this tradition about 5 years ago everyone shared 2 tents, but I have a bad back so sleeping on the ground wasn’t exactly something that worked for me. After a while, I ended up sleeping in my car, which at the time, wasn’t that much of a step up from the ground, but it worked. From there I have developed a better system to actually set up a mini campsite in my car. When I got my Kia Soul last year from Destination Kia, my camping experience improved drastically! It took a few tries and engineering prowess that I acquired from Youtube, but I finally have a quality setup that works for me.

Here is what I did:

• 1 –  board of plywood cut 51″ Wide X 42″ Long – Then cut in half so you end up with two 25.5″ x 42″ boards. (they do this free at most lumberyards / home depo)

• 1 –  30″ Piano Hinge

• Some foam pipe Insulation

• Coleman Single High Quickbed – Full Size (not twin, queen, or king)

• Air pump

When it was all said and done, it cost $90 for everything, including bed and pump. Not bad for a make shift car bed. What you’re going to want to do is take the hinge and attach it to both halves of the plywood so that you have 51” wide x 42” piece that can fold and be stored easily. I then wrapped pipe insulation around the edges of the board and secured it with duct tape to keep the wood from scratching the interior. Make sure the driver and passenger seats are upright and pushed completely forward. This gives you about 5′ 11″ of room with the rear door shut. The sleeping board rests perfectly on the middle arm rest. No need for additional support, and you have a nice little storage space for your bags and things that you may need under the board. I then cover the sleeping board with a cushy comforter to protect the air mattress from the wood. Add the air mattress and blankets and you have a bed fit for a good night’s sleep!

Now that I have this magical camping Kia, I have to say I actually enjoy sleeping in a car more than a tent. For one thing, it keeps you off the ground, and thus away from creatures and moisture. Another thing, it protects you from the wind, rain, and other elements. For example – even better, this past year when it started to rain and hail outside, I ended up with 4 friends squished in a Kia because my sleeping option was safer! Finally, it’s just easier to pull into a parking lot, or off the road and have everything ready to go for spending the night without drawing attention to yourself. So when I go on long road trips, I have a simple and cheap bed option right there in my car!
So there you have it! Now you can camp in your Kia at your leisure! Enjoy!

Uber has finally made it to the Capitol District and I am PSYCHED! Who is with me!? I am someone who has done a lot of traveling and, particularly when I was in D.C., I was so amazed by Uber. Like, it really changed the game for me. You can request someone to arrive by way of an app. That’s awesome! But do you know what is even better about Uber arriving up here? It has opened up a whole other avenue of employment opportunities for people around here to make a little extra cash, or make a lot of money driving around all day. Just as Uber has opened up opportunities for the community, we at Destination Kia want to provide an awesome opportunity to the Uber drivers out there!

Now, at Destination Kia, Uber drivers can save THOUSANDS on a NEW Kia! It’s a crazy concept, right? Well, it’s true! But hurry, because this offer only extends to September 5th! What does this mean, well if you are an Uber driver and are looking for a new, sleek ride, we have a whole selection of options you can choose from including the Kia K900, Cadenza, Optima, Sorento, and Sedona. That’s a pretty wide variety of options so that you can really find the right match to your personality.

Let’s look at the math here for a second. You will save THOUSANDS on a new car, that you may have already needed or even wanted anyway. The vehicles available in the promotion are pretty awesome vehicles too. These are some vehicles I would be super stoked to be driving. To make things better, with your amazing new Kia you’ll be MAKING money with Uber. So, what’s happening here is you are saving money on something that will be making you money! What? Sounds like a win win to me, friends!

Remember, this promotion on extends to September 5th, so stop by Destination Kia today to start your journey with Uber!