How To Winterize Your Car

A few weeks ago Jon Peters, our Uftring Auto Group Director of Fixed Operations, was interviewed on Good Company. His topic? Preparing your car for the winter. Well, the winter is definitely upon us now! If you haven't done so already, now is the time to get your car up to the winter code. You can watch the full interview by playing the video below.



Here are some quick tips from the topics Jon covered:

1. Oil - the lifeblood of the engine, you'll need the right thickness in the winter
2. Wipers - you'll want to change these annually
3. Battery - Have your battery checked. This is typically free of cost.
4. Belts and Hoses - Have these checked. They carry the coolant, which keeps your engine cool and your heat hot!
5. Tires - tread depth and proper inflation are crucial. You lose 1 pound of pressure for every -10 degree drop in temperature.
6. 4 Wheel Drive - If you have this on your vehicle, test it out now to make sure it works when you really need it.
7. Antifreeze - A 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze is the way to go.
8. Emergency Kit - in case something goes awry on the road it's a great idea to carry an emergency kit.

Watch the video for more tips and details on these topics. You can always visit an Uftring service center for any battery or equipment checks, oil changes, tires or other parts that you need. Please prepare your car and drive safely this winter!

State Farm Tournament of Champions

Uftring Auto Group is proud to announce that it is a sponsor of the 5th Annual State Farm Tournament of Champions. The Tournament of Champions is a four day high school basketball tournament showcasing the top teams and players from across the nation.

This year the top ranked high school team, Findlay Prep Pilots from Las Vegas, and the number one rated player in the country, Anthony Davis from Chicago Perspectives, will be competing with many other talented individuals and teams. All of this great basketball action will be happening right here in central Illinois in the beautiful town of Washington, just outside of Peoria. This is a great opportunity to see future Division 1 college athletes and even future NBA stars in action. It's something that we here at Uftring Auto Group are glad to be involved with.

The State Farm Tournament of Champions will be held from Tuesday, November 23 through Saturday, November 27 at the Washington Community High School. Please visit www.sftofc.org for more details and ticket information. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Chevy Cruze Launch In Peoria

On Saturday, Uftring Chevy Saab and Jim McComb Chevrolet each held a Chevy Cruze launch event to celebrate the arrival of this brand new car. The weather was beautiful and scores of people came out to see this great vehicle from Chevrolet. Participants enjoyed free food, drinks, conversation with others, classic cars and of course the Chevy Cruze.

A look inside the 2011 Chevy Cruze

Everyone seemed to be impressed with the Cruze. Check out the Uftring Chevy Facebook fan page to view many more pictures from their event. Visit the Jim McComb Chevrolet Facebook fan page to see a video about the Chevy Cruze with General Manager Jeff Loucks. Fan us while you're there to stay up to date on the latest news, deals, specials and more!

The 2011 Chevy Cruze is red hot

If you'd like to test drive the new Cruze, we can understand. We'd love to show you the Cruze and let you experience it firsthand. It's a sweet car with good lucks and tons of safety features. Not only that, it also gets great gas mileage and comes with some nice equipment including navigation, a nine speaker stereo system, USB inputs for your iPod and much more. Let us know what you think about the Cruze on our Facebook fan pages or on our blog. Thanks!

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Reveal Event

On September 22, Central Illinois Jeep enthusiasts  were treated to an exclusive look at the long-anticipated 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee  and 2011 Jeep Wrangler  at Uftring Chrysler Dodge Jeep in North Pekin. After months of buildup, numerous new Jeeps were on display from 6pm to 8pm both inside and outside the dealership. General Sales Manager Steve Porter and Sales Manager Don Twidell went to extra lengths to secure multiple models of both the new Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, including a sharp black 2011 4-door Wrangler  that was parked right in the middle of the showroom floor. The reveal was part of Jeep's national "Celebration" event, aimed at drawing attention to the franchise's top two models for many years running. When an iconic vehicle like the Grand Cherokee receives a complete redesign, it's not small news. This 2011 has been rebuilt from the ground up and has been receiving rave reviews from both our staff and our customers.


 The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee  boasts a brand new Pentastar V6 3.6-liter V6 engine that puts out 290 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque, plenty of power for your Peoria and Pekin area travels. The Grand Cherokee earns 23 miles per gallon on the highway with the Pentastar engine. A 360 horsepower Hemi V-8 Engine will also available if you really desire some extra hauling capabilities.  

A 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee sits perched outside Uftring Pekin

This vehicle is loaded with the latest technology and it comes standard on every model. FloTV, satellite TV, satellite radio, and even an internet router for access to the world wide web on the go. The Jeep Grand Cherokee also has keyless entry, trailer sway control, stability control with anti-roll, power driver's seat, fog lamps, power adjusted heated mirrors, active head restraints, a leather wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, and hill start assist. The interior contains 17 percent more cargo space, and that's with the spare tire resting snugly on the inside. The rear seats enjoy 4 more inches of legroom than in the previous Grand Cherokee, so your kids and friends won't mind riding in the back on extended excursions outside of Peoria.

Attendees enjoy new and used vehicles in the Uftring Pekin showroom

The 2011 Jeep Wrangler, while not wrapped in wholesale changes, is different nonetheless. Changes include larger rear windows for increased visibility, a totally redesigned instrument panel and conveniences like steering wheel stereo control, bluetooth connectivity, USB input and additional sound-deadening material for a quieter cabin. There are also a few new paint colors to choose from, including Bright White, Cosmos Blue, Deep Cherry Red, Detonator Yellow and Sahara Tan.

It was a beautiful day to see some new Jeeps!

At Uftring Chrysler Dodge Jeep in North Pekin, we like Jeeps as much as our customers. Our Reveal and Customer Orientation event was a chance for us to spend quality time getting to know our customers and hopefully providing them with information about their favorite Jeep vehicles. Attendees enjoyed catered food, refreshments, giveaways and raffle tickets and as many new details about the new Jeeps as we could possibly provide. Our team is currently undergoing product training on these new vehicles and there's no doubt about it - we're just as excited about them as everyone else. Stop by Uftring Chrysler Dodge Jeep in North Pekin today to test drive the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2011 Jeep Wrangler. We'll see you soon.

11th Annual River City Mustang And All Ford Car Show

It was time to take a look back this past weekend during the 11th Annual River City Mustang and All Ford Car Show held at the Uftring Automall. Despite storms early in the morning and overcast skies through the afternoon, hundreds still made their way to see the new, the old and the "I can't believe that still runs" Ford cars on display.

Mustangs show off their goods

 There were 120 cars present, a great turnout especially given the weather. Participants enjoyed seeing a ton of classic and new Mustangs nearly every era. In addition to the deluge of Mustangs, other unique automobiles from Ford's storied past made an appearance, such as the Cobra Mark III, Thunderbird, Country Sedan, Model T, Mercury Cyclone and even a first generation Econoline complete with motorcycle in the back, among others. If you were a Ford lover there surely wasn't a better place to be on Sunday.

Crowds enjoy the great Fords on display. Note the Econoline on the right - sweet!

Car lovers enjoyed delicious grilled food and classic hit music played in the background while families walked about the event. Kids danced in jubilation and rode around on their scooters. It was a great atmosphere and the crowd enjoyed examining and talking about the cars with one another. It's the community that makes these events so worthwhile.

This owner had a great Mustang and a great mustache - a potent combo.

The River Valley Drifters were present and raising money for the Children's Hospital by selling raffle tickets to win a Mustang. Tickets are still able to be purchased through the Children's Hospital of Illinois website and the drawing will be held in December.

One of the Cobras at the show.

Thanks go out to the owners who brought in their cars, everyone who stopped by to see the fantastic cars and to all of the volunteers who helped make the show possible! We can't wait for next year.

Children were so happy to be in front of this Ford Taurus that they spontaneously broke out in dance. Or it was Simon & Garfunkel.

If you are interested, you can see more pictures of the 11th Annual River City Mustang and All Ford Car Show on the Uftring Automall Facebook page. Don't forget to become our fan while you're there!