Garage Door Opener Aplication for Your iPhone
March 5, 2010
As if the iPhone doesn’t have enough apps, now you can use it to open your garage door? Seems impossible, and without extra software, it is. “My Door Opener” is new software created to be used with the iPhone to open your garage door! With some inexpensive and easy to setup hardware you will be securely opening, closing or monitoring your garage door directly from the palm of your hand.
Features include:
• The “MyDoorOpener” controller is a standalone and free standing application. The application does not require any computer to be turned ON at home for the “MyDoorOpener” iPhone application to be able to control your garage door.
• The “MyDoorOpener” iPhone application works both over GSM and WiFi when you are in proximity/reach of your house’s WiFi access point.
• All exchanges between the “MyDoorOpener” iPhone application and controller are encrypted using a password scheme which changes for every single operation. No two control operations will get encrypted using the same key, preventing signal theft and unauthorized entry.
• If your garage door is equipped with an open/close alarm contact, the “MyDoorOpener” iPhone application can leverage this by offering visual feedback of your door’s current state. If you don’t have such sensor installed, the “MyDoorOpener” iPhone application will still be able to control the door, but will not provide this additional feedback information.
• iPhone app supports operating up to 3 doors in the ‘Elite’ version, and a single door in the regular version.
• More to come, such as garage door watchdog, Twitter & email notifications, and much more.
Instructions and details are at MyDoorOpener.com and with a little bit of building and downloading, you can replace that remote in your car with the iPhone that you’ll already have on you.
“Idiot” Lights on Your Dashboard
March 2, 2010
I came across this article highlighting dashboard lights as ‘Idiot’ lights, and realized how dumb that these dashboard indicators really are. Back in the day, dashboards had analog gauges which told you if something was wrong with your car. Now, all we have is a bunch of different lights that mean absolutely nothing to us. Whenever we see one, we freak out and have to look up what it means in the manual, because it is nearly impossible to memorize every indicator and their meaning. Even though they are less expensive than gauges, they are definitely more confusing to the driver. Here is a brief explanation of some of the “idiot lights” that you may not be familiar with:
Low Oil light indicates the oil has stopped circulating. You should pull over immediately and turn off the engine, check the oil level, and have the vehicle towed to a shop for diagnosis.
Engine Temperature light is often on the dashboard with an engine temperature gauge, if it enters the red zone, your engine is too hot. You should pull over and if steam is coming from under the hood, or antifreeze is leaking, something is not right. Take your car into a shop to be looked at.
Charging System light indicates that your battery is not charged. You should drive it directly to a shop with the limited life that the battery has left. Turn off as many electrical accessories in your car as possible, and don’t turn it off once you get it on.
Low Tire Pressure light tells you when the pressure drops to 25% below the specified cold inflation pressure. If your tire is flat, you’ll have to change it with a spare, or if you think it is safe enough to drive, fill it to its specified pressure.
Brake light warns you when you are driving with your parking brake on OR if the brake fluid level is low. Have your brake system checked for a leak or other problems.
ABS lights warn you that your anti-lock brakes are not working. Have a technician check them.
Check Engine light indicates that the vehicle’s system has detected an issue. You may not notice any difference, but if you ignore it, you may damage your control system. Take the vehicle to a repair shop so they can check everything and pinpoint your problem.
Others Include:
Stability Control light indicates that the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is active. This becomes active when you are driving too fast for the traction, usually happens in extreme weather conditions. It is a warning that you must proceed with caution.
Supplement Restraint System light alerts you when the supplemental restraints have an issue. This includes airbags, seat-belt sensors, and seat sensors.
Maintenance light reminds you to take your car into the shop for its scheduled maintenance.
Washer Level light tells you that you’re low on windshield washer fluid. Get more and read the owner’s manual to find out where it goes.
Make sure you are familiar with these “idiot lights“, so that you can know when there is an actual problem with your car, and that you can fix it before anything drastic happens.
Live United Super Heroes 2009 Community Impact Award!
February 17, 2010
CEO of Hall Automotive, Fred Miller and Beth Nance, Executive Assistant was honored by United Way with the Live United Super Heroes 2009 Community Impact Award.
Because they gave, because they advocated, and because they volunteered; these outstanding volunteers enabled the United Way of South Hampton Roads to strengthen our community in the areas of Education, Income, and Health.
United Way of America, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is a non-profit organization that works with nearly 1,300 local United Way offices throughout the country in a coalition of charitable organizations to pool efforts in fundraising and support. The focus of United Way is identifying and resolving pressing community issues, as well as making measurable changes in the communities through partnerships with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, community development corporations, voluntary and neighborhood associations, the faith community, and others. The issues United Way offices focus on are determined locally because of the diversity of the communities served. However, the main focus areas include Education, Income and Health.
Congratulations Fred Miller and Beth Nance on your devoted support to United Way and Hall Automotive for being a 2009 Campaign Super Hero for United Way of South Hampton Roads!
Welcome Aboard Tina Allison
February 16, 2010
Introducing your new Assistant Service Manager for Hall Acura Virginia Beach, Tina Allison.
Tina Allison has more than 22-years of experience in the automotive industry. She enjoys working on cars, educating the public on car care and safety while building trust and friendships.
“Though petite in size I can be very aggressive and love the challenger of being a woman in a male dominated environment.” Coming from Victory Nissan she has established many awards including the 2005 Bronze Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence, 2008 Platinum Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence and 2009 Silver Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence.
As an expert in the automotive field, she looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you. From all of us at Hall Automotive, we would like to welcome Tina Allison onto our team and are excited to work with such a dedicated car lover. Tina Allison, your new Assistant Service Manager for Hall Acura Virginia Beach.
2010 World Car of the Year finalists announced… is your favorite MileOne Car represented?
February 11, 2010
While we anxiously await the decisions for who will take home the big prizes, we do has the short list of nominees for both accolades. From a field of 59 jurors to 10 possible winners in each category we have the list. The top three finalists will be announced next month at the Geneva Motor Show ahead of the actually award ceremony at April’s New York Auto Show.
Those nominees for 2010 World Car of the Year are…
- Audi Q5
- BMW X1
- Chevrolet Cruze
- Kia Soul
- Mazda3
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
-Buick Regal
- Porsche Panamera
-Toyota Prius
-Volkswagen Polo
Don’t worry if your favorite didn’t make the list. There is always next year!
What Was The Best Super Bowl Car Commercial?
February 9, 2010
Super Bowl XLIV has come and gone, with the New Orleans Saints pulling out a convincing albeit surprising victory over the Indianapolis Colts (An onside kick to start the third quarter?!?!?!). You’re in the minority if that spoiled a surprise, as the Super Bowl is traditionally the most watched televised event of the year. And because of that, commercials that run during the big game are often the most expensive to produce and fun to watch.
For the most part, this year’s crop of commercials lived up to their expensive price tags. The auto industry was in full effect with eight commercials that aired, six of which were by automakers themselves including Audi, Dodge, Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen. The other were two were from Bridgestone and Cars.com.
Now that we’re all back at work nursing hangovers and upset stomachs, it’s time to cast judgment and decide which car commercial aired during Super Bowl XLIV was the best. Follow the jump to view them all and cast your vote.
UPDATE: Want to know what the experts have to say about this year’s batch of Super Bowl car commercials? Check out Julie Roehm’s feature on AOL Autos. It’s got charts and everything!
Continue reading Poll: What was the best Super Bowl car commercial of 2010?
[source: Autoblog.com]
Cancer Survivor Featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition
January 29, 2010
As Flagship sponsors of many American Cancer Society events, MileOne would like to share with you some exciting news…….
A Relay For Life family in Lexington, N.C., will be featured on ABC’s hit series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. The show was responsible for building a new home for the Creasey family in November… 2009. Because of the family’s commitment to Relay, during the home build, the local Relay For Life committee, community members, and Society staff hosted a 24-hour “extreme” Relay For Life event. The Relay event was in honor of Tricia Creasey — mother of three, school teacher, Relay survivorship chair, and team captain. She has been battling cancer since 2006.
Be sure to tune in or set your DVR. And bring tissues!
Top 20 Best-Selling Vehicles of 2009
January 6, 2010
December’s new car sales were the highest of any month in 2009, with many key models picking up significant volume and most automakers posting a sales gain over December 2008, but it wasn’t enough to rescue the entire year.
The Ford F-Series full-size pickup and Toyota Camry midsize sedan were yet again the nation’s favorite vehicle and car, respectively, both December and throughout 2009.
Ford also saw strong success from its redesigned Fusion midsize sedan, which jumped from 17th place in 2008 to a slot on the top-10 best-selling list of 2009, and its Focus compact and Escape midsize weren’t far behind. The Escape was also the best-selling SUV in December, unseating the Honda CR-V that itself had stolen the crown from Ford’s Explorer several years ago.
General Motors, meanwhile, had an excellent month for its Chevrolet Malibu midsize, which beat out the Fusion and Nissan’s Altima in December to be the country’s third-best-selling midsize sedan, behind the Camry and Honda Accord. The Chevrolet Equinox compact/midsize SUV also did well at over 12,000 units — a record for the model — and the compact Chevrolet Cobalt’s sales improved from abysmal to just mediocre. GM did, however, see its best-seller — the Chevrolet Silverado pickup — slide below both the Toyota Camry and Corolla last month even as its own sales jumped significantly month-to-month. (see sales charts below the article)
In other Ford/GM news, the automakers’ ongoing rivalry between the Mustang and Camaro retro muscle cars saw the Ford inch closer to the sales of its rival, narrowing a once-mighty gap to just over 1,000. This Mustang sales increase comes even as Camaro sales stay strong at 7,500 last month and in the same month that Ford announced it would give massive upgrades to next year’s Mustang.
Best-selling cars of 2009
- Ford F-Series- 413,625
- Toyota Camry- 356,824
- Chevrolet Silverado- 316,544
- Toyota Corolla- 296,874
- Honda Accord- 290,056
- Honda Civic- 259,722
- Nissan Altima- 203,568
- Honda CR-V- 191,214
- Ford Fusion- 180,67
- Dodge Ram- 177,268
- Ford Escape- 173,044
- Chevrolet Impala- 165,565
- 1Chevrolet Malibu- 161,568
- Ford Focus- 160,433
- Toyota RAV4- 149,088
- Toyota Prius- 139,682
- Hyundai Sonata- 120,028
- GMC Sierra- 111,842
- Toyota Tacoma- 111,824
- Chevrolet Cobalt- 104,724
[Source: Examiner.com]
“from Autoblog by Jeremy Korzeniewski
The Best Discontinued Vehicles of 2009
December 31, 2009
| As 2009 comes to an end, so do a few of our favorite popular vehicle models. With the economy still in the trough and many consumer segments feeling shy about purchasing new metal, quite a few models will be discontinued. Some will be gone and some will be taking a brief hiatus while new models launch.
Here is the list of the best discontinued cars of 2009… |
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When GM went through its government-organized bankruptcy, the company announced it would shut the brand down along with Hummer, Saturn and Saab. Although many Pontiac followers were excited to hear the new G8 sedan may set the brand in a direction that made sense and live on, the shoes were too big to fill for the new model and in April our fears became a reality. The entire Pontiac lineup when the way of GM’s recycling bin. While rumors continued that the G8 would return as the Chevy Caprice; that never happened. Goodbye, G8. |
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Even one of the most successful car companies has vehicle making this lineup. One we are saying goodbye to will be the Honda S2000, one of the most underrated sports cars ever sold in America. This small roadster is about half the size of a Mazda Miata but has the speed of a BMW Z4 or Porsche Boxster. Honda will be left without a real sports car in 2010 until its planned CR-Z makes its debut in America. Goodbye S2000. |
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Volkswagen fans, the GLI is leaving us temporally. While most will agree the GTI garners more awards, the Jetta GLI high-performance is something some vocal owners swear by. For those owners, don’t get too upset yet. The GLI is taking a brief hiatus for 2010 and is expected to return when the new 2011 Jetta goes on sale. |
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From our German friends at Audi, next on our list is the Audi S8. This super high-performance sedan with its beastly 5.2-liter V-10 puts out 450 horsepower to all four wheels, managed by the vehicle’s six speed transmission. This vhicle is on every $100,000 sports sedan buyer’s list, normally as either number one or two. This loss will launch a new A8 sedan model for 2010. |
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At the New York Auto Show in 2009 the company announced that the Land Rover LR3 would go away in favor of a new model that looked very similar… the LR4. Other than the name and a few other small differences like its direct-injection 5.0-liter V-8 and some styling, the new model is practically the same as the LR3. So, now all your LR3 lovers can upgrade to the LR4 model in 2010. |
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A truly grand old car, the Bentley Arnage was created back when Bentley was joined at the hip with Rolls-Royce in 1998. The final Arnage models, aptly named “final series” consisted of 150 specially badged cars that rolled out of England in 2009. The Arnage is replaced by the new Mulsanne, which goes on sale next year. |
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Another Pontiac we are sad to see go. The Pontiac Vibe was never a car that set the world on fire, but the stories from owners prove that it was a much beloved little crossover. The Vibe will die with the Brand itself officially in 2010. |
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In the value minivan segment, the Hyundai Entourage is ending. The minivan market offers many alternatives for this car like the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Minivan who have a stronger hold on the market. Hyundai’s version of the van was shut down in 2009. |
| Like every New Year, we say goodbye to those things lost we loved, but look forward to what the New Year will bring us. So let’s all bid these cars a farewell, but get vamped up for the newer and better models to come in 2010. | |
Read the refuted store from Hyundai and Toyota.
IIHS 2010 Top Safety Pick list
November 18, 2009
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has introduced its picks for the safest cars for 2010. This study is done every year to determine which vehicles are going to do the best job protecting you and your family. For the first time this year a roof test was added to the criteria since a significant number of deaths due to a car crash are the results of a rollover.
The safety institute employed front, side, rear and now rollover to their crash test for 2010. The IIHS selected 27 cars in five categories for the award, down from the 94 vehicles tested last year thanks to the heightened roof strength standards. Subaru stands out as the only manufacturer to receive a top rating for all four crash tests in every vehicle class it competes. Multiple awards also came from Ford owned, Volvo and German automaker, Volkswagen.
In the roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating for rollover protection, the roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle’s weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is rated poor.
Testers say not to worry if your vehicle has not made the list. Although it is clear, some automakers are doing a better job with safety, all vehicles on the road meet the minimum safety standards. The IIHS says that whenever a new test is introduced, it takes about one year for most to catch up. By 2011 most vehicles will have caught up to the new rollover standard.
It’s worth noting that some of last year’s winners have not been tested for the rollover standard. Most notably, the Acura RL, TL and TSX, Audi A4 and A6, BMW 3-Series, Cadillac CTS, Hyundai Genesis, Saab 9-3, Toyota Avalon and Prius, as well as a wide range of midsize SUVs and small sedans, have yet to be tested.
25 out of the 27 winners can be found at a MileOne dealer near you. Visit MileOne.com for more information. See below for all 27 winners.
Large cars
Buick LaCrosse*
Ford Taurus*
Lincoln MKS
Volvo S80*
Midsize cars
Audi A3*
Chevrolet Malibu (built after October 2009)*
Chrysler Sebring sedan (with optional electronic stability control)*
Dodge Avenger (with optional electronic stability control)*
Mercedes C-Class*
Subaru Legacy*
Subaru Outback*
Volkswagen Jetta sedan*
Volkswagen Passat sedan*
Volvo C30*
Small cars
Honda Civic sedan (except Si) (with optional electronic stability control)*
Kia Soul
Nissan Cube*
Subaru Impreza (except WRX)*
Volkswagen Golf four-door*
