I’ll admit it. I messed up. I was stubborn and ended up making a foolish road trip error. This all happened a few years ago. My family and I went to Boston for the 4th of July. The trip there was absolutely lovely. We weren’t in any kind of rush, so we were able to really take our time getting there, enjoying the ride with the family in our Kia Sorento, which was great for a nice leisurely drive. Lots of space for all of our things and plenty of leg room for the adults and kiddos. Mind you, that was a few years ago! Imagine how awesome the 2018 Sorento must be. Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.

We didn’t really hit all that much traffic and everything went smoothly. This is not an easy task when you have a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old. One false move and the perfect homeostasis in the car we had achieved could be COMPLETELY ruined. We almost gave our youngest the wrong snack, but we narrowly avoided an incident because, fortunately, this isn’t our first time at the rodeo and had duplicate snacks for both kids. The weekend was wonderful, only having a few minor incidents that honestly can’t be avoided when small children are involved. The trip home, however, was an entirely different matter.

My husband suggested we leave a bit earlier and perhaps avoid I-90. Being the stubborn woman that I am, thought “no no, we’ll be fine.” We don’t have to leave so early. Taking back roads would take longer than I-90 would. Surely I-90 can’t be that bad. Looking back now, I can laugh, but as I was driving through it I kinda wanted to cry. Because we were starting the trek home after an already long day, by the time we got to the car to head home, the little ones were cranky. The 1st hour was non-stop fighting. The 4-year-old kept poking the 7-year-old. “Mommy he stole my pillow.” “Mommy he got Cheetos all over my leg.” I had perhaps 1 unfrayed nerve left by this point, so you can imagine my emotional state when we happened upon every single traffic incident on I-90.

As we sat for our 2nd consecutive hour in bumper to bumper traffic, having moved about 4 square feet, it happened. “Mommy, I have to go potty.” No. No no. No nooooo. Not 5 minutes later the 4-year-old also needed a potty. Let me break down the situation for you. We were in the left middle lane of 4 lane bumper traffic. Both small children need a bathroom that simply does not exist and I’m just sitting here accepting my fate and trying to figure out how to best limit the pee smell for the remainder of our journey. Even the strawberry field air freshener wasn’t going to make this situation better.

Without missing a beat, my husband simply leaned around into the back seat, held out an empty Gatorade bottle and told them to do what he needed to do. This idea had never even occurred to me. Frankly, it blew my mind a little bit. How could I have missed the most obvious solution?! Well long story short, the kids settled back down and we made it home 5 1/2 HOURS of travel time, but we made it. What we learned from this experience is that 1.) leave early when you need to drive home on a major holiday. 2.) Avoid main roads when traveling home on a major holiday. 3.) Never underestimate the value of an empty Gatorade bottle.

You’re on your way home from work, you’ve rewarded yourself for a hard day with a delicious cupcake from Coccadotts, everything is going swell. Then you see it… the sinister orange-red glow of the check engine light. MISERY! DESPAIR! SUFFERING!!! THE UNADULTERATED HORROR!!!! *Starts ugly crying*

Hold up!

There are NUMEROUS reasons your check engine light may have come on, but the good news is that there’s typically no need to panic. So let’s wipe those tears away and take a few deep, cleansing breaths. Good good. MUCH better. Now that we have all taken a collective chill pill, we can go over why there is no need to panic.

1. It might be your gas cap

DID YOU KNOW that a loose, cracked, or faulty gas cap can cause fuel to evaporate, which could totally result in your check engine light coming on? I feel ya. This would be a silly reason to get all worked up. It feels oddly similar to when you are desperately looking for your glasses, but it turns out that they are on your face. *Face Palm* So as a first order of business before you panic, check the gas cap. If this was indeed the issue, your check engine light should go off within 10 or 20 miles once you’re back on the road.

2. A certified mechanic should be able to diagnose the problem easily

No need to sit and wonder what is wrong with your vehicle. You can stop by Destination Kia, where one of our certified mechanics can help sort out what’s caused the light to go on and what can be done. These folks are the SUPERHEROES of automotives. But like…no capes, because that would be SUUUUCH a hazard.

3. It’s typically not an urgent situation

While you 100% should not just ignore your check engine light, there is no need to freak the second that light comes on. You will have plenty of time to drive yourself safely to Destination Kia where we can get you situated. You can let out that breath you’ve been holding. It’s all good. We’ve got this!

4. There are numerous reasons the light may come on

Other than the quick fix of the gas cap, the other potential issues would be a little bit more challenging to diagnose yourself. Some causes include, but are not limited to damaged vacuum hose or ignition coil(s), a failing catalytic converter, or even worn out spark plugs. I’m gonna be real, I knew maybe 4 of those words. Which is why I trust all of my diagnostics to the certified mechanics at Destination Kia. They’ll tell you what’s up and have you back on the road in no time.

So if your check engine light has been a source of distress in the past now you know that it’s not something to be ignored, it definitely doesn’t mean that the end is near. It’s ok to keep going, just make sure you have it checked out as soon as you can.

Modern technology has made so many advances, especially over the past few years. With so many of these awe-inspiring technologies, it is starting to feel like the future we all imagined. Kia has definitely been stepping up its game so let’s take this time to go over some of the awesome features you’ll find in your new Kia vehicles.

An option that makes life infinitely easier is the UVO eService. It’s a subscription-free information system for your Kia. This service comes with a variety of features including Parking Minder, Maintenance & Diagnostics, Emergency Assistance, and a bunch of convenience features.

Parking Minder – Some of us have a bit of trouble locating where our car is parked in a parking lot. Honestly, I try to remember, find some kind on landmark only to get horribly lost and having to use my car alarm to find my car. With Kia Parking Minder you won’t have to search to find your Kia. The Parking Minder feature saves the location of your Kia and, with the assistance of the GPS guidance on your compatible smartphone, helps guide you back to it.*

Maintenance & Diagnostics – Regular maintenance is just a part of having a car, so being able to stay up to date on what maintenance your car needs is as simple as touching a button. For example, with your compatible smartphone and the eServices mobile app, you can program UVO eServices to run regular diagnostic checks and then schedule a service appointment if necessary.* Keeping your car running smoothly is just that easy.

Emergency Assistance – Things happen, and more often than not those things happen when you are least prepared to handle them. With 911 Connect – Help is on the way when and wherever you need it. “In the event, the airbag deploys, 911 Connect can initiate a call to 911 Emergency Services. It can even transmit your vehicle’s location to 911 Emergency Services in some situations.*”

My POIs – I am the kind of person who LOVES to try new things, so a helpful feature in my Kia is My POIs (points of interest) where you can preset your own places you’d like to visit, find places you’d like to visit on Google Maps™ via the free UVO eServices app, and then send them to your UVO eServices system for future routing.* You use your car to get to the new destinations, but now your car can guide you there!

Voice Commands – When you’re driving, focusing on the road should be your main priority, and on occasion, you’ll want to do something that would ordinarily require you to take your eyes off the road to accomplish. In an effort to minimize the occasions in which your eyes are not on the road you will have the ability to use Voice Commands in you Kia. Hands-free calling, turning on the radio. Press the “talk” button on your steering wheel and a wide range of voice commands are available through UVO.

Rear-Camera Display – When you engage the reverse gear in your Kia, the Rear-Camera Display appears on the UVO screen, displaying a wide field of vision at the rear of your Kia.

Additional safety features that are helpful for all the parents out there include Geo Fence, Curfew Limit, and Speed Alert. Having a new teen driver in the house can be a bit scary for parents, so having these safety features that allows you a bit of control over the situation can be comforting. Geo Fence allows you to set a predetermined area in which your Kia needs to stay. It will alert you when your car goes outside of those parameters. The Curfew Limit and Speed Alert, as their names suggest, will alert you when your Kia is driven past a set time and a set speed. Your teen is gaining their independence, but you’re still their parents and just want them to stay safe, and now keeping your teen safe in a Kia is easier than ever.

Any time you drive, you need to be focused on a multitude of things, in addition to being constantly vigilant of everything happening around you. You are only one person, and can only do so much, so Kia is making life just a little bit easier, and safer too. To see any of these awesome features for yourself, stop by Destination Kia today and take a test drive in any one of our new vehicles!