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All over the country, kids are back at school and parents are busy with this season of change. Organization is key when dealing with this busy season. Fortunately, there are a number of innovative storage tools available to help keep your vehicle organized and tidy. Ensuring that your car is properly equipped with the necessary emergency equipment such as a toolkit and flares is also a necessity this time of year.

Let us help you with this busy season by making sure that your car is ready to tackle the challenges of school and fall sports and activities beginning. The…

Your vehicle's motor oil is a vital component for which a better understanding is necessary. This is because without it or if it has deteriorated, your vehicle will run poorly or not at all. A good knowledge of oil viscosity can help you maintain a vehicle that performs well in all conditions.

Oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle, so you should know about viscosity and its effects. Viscosity measures how well oil flows. Lower viscosity flows faster while higher viscosity flows slower. Since oil naturally gets thick in cold weather, using an oil with a low viscosity during…

When you look at your car, you might notice scratches and chipped paint that might not have been there the day before or that you've been ignoring. Instead of painting the entire car, use a small amount of touch up paint to cover the area to give it a fresh look.

Thoroughly clean your car before applying any kind of paint. Use a color that blends with the color of your car so that it's difficult to tell that touch up paint has been used. You can apply primer to the area you're going to paint if…

Roof racks are helpful tools for storing the luggage that does not fit into your vehicle's trunk or rear cargo area. It is important to know how to use the roof rack safely, so you don't have one of those road trip stories that will live in infamy.

One thing to avoid with a roof rack is improperly tightening it. This causes torque problems and could damage your vehicle. It is also important to avoid overloading the rack. The load should be balanced and within the weight limits of both the rack and your car. The owner's…

Have you had your wheels checked recently? If you have changed your tires or feel your steering vibrating when you drive, you might need an alignment. This is a simple process where your car’s wheels and axles are aligned so that they are all moving in the same direction. It’s a good thing to do to keep your vehicle suspension in line and make sure that your car’s wheels are balanced as well.

The type of alignment you get also depends on the type of drive train that you have as well. If you have a front…

Disc brake systems use brake pads to apply pressure to the rotors so that the car will stop. These brake systems attach to the front two wheels of your car, while the rotor attaches directly to the wheel as well. Brake pads are made of strong materials that won't melt, as they are prone to wear and tear as you brake constantly. With brake pads, you have to be careful and check them regularly, or else you can cause an accident by not braking fast enough.

Brake pads have different sounds depending on what's going on. A squealing…

Tire rotations are one of the less known ways that car owners can save money. This is because it greatly extends the amount of time that your tires will last. That is why our team here at Hyman Bros. Kia in Midlothian wants to ensure that you know all about the basics of tire rotations.

Because tires wear faster in either the front or the back of your vehicle, they should be rotated regularly so that they all last about the same amount of time. You should always reference your owner's manual to see in what way your tires…

The last thing you want to deal with is a dead car battery. Before you panic and ask someone for a jump, you need to test the battery to see if that’s actually the problem. If you hear a clicking when you turn your ignition, it’s not always the fault of the battery.

A digital multimeter can be attached to your battery to tell you everything you need to know. Be sure the vehicle is off. The black lead on the multimeter should touch the negative battery cable and the red lead should touch the positive cable. Set…

The exhaust system of most vehicles consists of the exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, the resonator, and the muffler, where the exhaust fumes are emitted into the atmosphere.

Because exhaust gas, like carbon monoxide, is colorless and odorless, it can't be detected inside the car, which is dangerous for passengers. That's why it's so important to pay attention to the following signals of a leaking exhaust system, and have your car serviced as soon as possible.

The most common sign of a leaking exhaust system are strange sounds. If you hear a hissing or popping noise while the…

Your tires are one of the biggest safety features of your vehicle. Maintaining proper tire pressure and replacing your tires when their tread is worn is essential to maintaining a safe car. Luckily, we here at Hyman Bros. Kia are here to give you the basics.

Tire pressure should be checked any time you plan to drive in excess of one hour. The proper inflation for your specific tires can be found in the owner's manual of your vehicle. Tire tread, on the other hand, is essential to your safety. As your tire tread wears down, there is less…