Getting good car repair work done on your car is something that everyone wants and something that everyone deserves … regardless of who they are or what kind of vehicle they drive.  You might not know exactly what a mechanic means by a certain part of your car needing repair, how do you know he’s telling the truth and not just after easy money from customer with little mechanic knowledge? This video points out some good points to apply when you go in for service. Here at Runde’s we don’t hassle or beg you out of your money when you’re here for car repair.  We are here to make you happy and make your car or truck well again. Having four different service departments in four locations pretty much guarantees that a tech will be able to handle your problem no matter how big, small or complicated.     But don’t take [...]

Let’s face it the new Camaro Transformers Special Edition is going to be a hot, hot car that will be in high demand when it hits dealer lots … if you have seen the movie Transformers, you have admired the Chevy Camaro in it known as Bumblebee. Maybe you’ve seen the new Camaro in person, and although all of them are structured like the one in the movie, none of them quite look the same as that sleek yellow and black striped one from the movie, right? Well, now you can make Bumblebee yours as GM officially announced the 2010 Camaro Transformers Special Edition package. The $995 package includes the following: Autobot insignia fender badges and wheel caps An embroidered Autobot insignia on the center console Gloss-black rally stripes with Transformers logos [...]

Ford made a dream come true for some legally blind people as they were give the chance to be driving again thanks to a large open area and modern technology. You are the next big street racer. You get thrilled by the speed and feel of it all – going high speeds, feeling and hearing the motor sing to you as you treat it with all the gasoline your foot can put down. One day you wake up, and you can’t see anything. The doctors all tell you that you are blind from what appears to be some head trauma you experienced the other night. You lose your licence and can no longer drive. Suddenly, your world turns upside down, the things that you loved so dearly are [...]

Have you ever tried jump starting a vehicle?  If not, then keep reading to find out how to do it.  The video below will give you a walk through on how to safely and successfully jump start a car or truck. You’re ready to go home from your best friend’s bridal shower in a city 200 miles away from you. It’s about 8pm and you figure that you should make it home before midnight.  You think, “Wow, I had tons of fun and it was great to see Callie again!”  You hop in the car and turn the key to your ignition. “rrrrrurrrr  rrrruuuurr??? putt putt fizzle butt”  You find your car is just not cooperating with you as it will not turn over. “Fantastic,”  you think to yourself,   “It’s only me and [...]

Who doesn’t have a soft spot for powerhouse cars or sports cars as they’re commonly referred to.  We all caught a laugh or two watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno through the years. Most of us know that he has his own shop and is a vehicle enthusiast. Less of us know that he loves Corvette’s and that the lucky guy has the first ever made ZR1 Corvette. Out of all of the foreign and powerhouse cars Jay has, he always seems to praise Chevy and keeps commenting on how reliable and great they are. This guy really knows his stuff about the automotive industry, I was really impressed to hear him list off horse powers, features and specifics of different vehicles on the spot.     There you have it, from the man behind the laughs that knows his stuff: Corvette seems to be the way to go, and if you’d like [...]

Is the new Cash for Clunkers program right for you?  Well please read ahead to find out the specifics of the current program offered by the US government to help jump start the economy.   Still rolling down the road in your beat up 1987 Cadillac DeVille Fleetwood Brougham rear-wheel-drive with 277,000 miles?  Well, now might be the opportune time to trade in that beauty for a brand new vehicle as the “Cash for Clunkers” program has been approved and will be giving you top dollar for your old gas-guzzling machine. It’s kind of like getting 500 bucks for the suit that you wore to your high school homecoming dance back in 1987 — you know — the one with the elbow patches that smells like moth balls. In short, this program will offer you either $3,500 or $4,500 credit off of a new vehicle when you trade in a vehicle that meet requirements. The trade-in vehicle: 1. Must be either a car, light truck, [...]

In for service recently was Jane Wardenburg, from Williamsburg, IA. Sitting outside with her great dane attracted pretty much everyone’s attention. Kids in the showroom were asking her if they could ride her horse. The two of them were nice enough to chat with me for a little bit while she get her vehicle repaired. Hello Jane, what is being serviced on your vehicle? The drivers door lock was acting up.  So they are replacing that for me. What kind of vehicle do you have? We have a Chevrolet Suburban. We got it here in September. What service person is helping you? I believe his name is Ron. He has been really great. Everyone here is very good. We bought the Suburban from your salesman, Rob Sheehan, and he was great as well. How would [...]

The Chevy Volt Hybrid car is something different and new, naturally you probably have some questions about the vehicle and how it all works. Well, to your luck, the Chief Engineer behind the Chevy Volt – Andrew Farah, answered several great questions about the Volt in the following Q&A. 4:02 [Comment From Scott ] How was the drive and how does it compare to other hybrids such as the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius? 4:04 Andrew Farah:  Clearly I enjoyed the significantly longer EV distance that is available with the Volt.   I had to drive quite some distance before the engine came on, even though I didn’t start with a full charge.   By comparison, our chassis is much more sporty than either of [...]

Kim Murdoch stopped by Runde Auto Group of Manchester today to pick up her new (FREE) set of golf clubs that she recently won.  Who, what, why and how might be going through your head right now after reading the heading… well let me fill you in: Who: Kim Murdoch. What: Runde’s is giving her a set of Taylormade Burner golf clubs (3 and 5). Why: Because she is awesome at golf and scored a hole in one at the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing. How: With skill and grace. What does she have to say about all of this? Well, just read below and find out! Congratulations Kim! Must feel pretty good to own some shiny new golf clubs, huh? Oh yes! What is golf to you? A hobby, another sport, a stick and a ball, or a passion? I’d say it’s another hobby as well [...]

Go ahead, take all the road trips you want this summer, Suzuki’s got you covered.  You can either buy a new fuel efficient Suzuki SX4 or you can take part in Suzuki’s new promotion.  So listen closely if you’re tired of paying too much for gas in the Dubuque area. Suzuki wants you to enjoy your summer by supplying you with FREE gas for the Summer when you purchase any Suzuki SX4 model. Qualified buyers will receive a pre-paid gas card from Suzuki, valued at $270 or $290 depending on which model you buy. In addition to the gas promotion you can get $2,000 customer cash if you buy a Suzuki SX4 with a manual transmission or $1,000 customer cash if you buy the automatic. This promotion launched on July 1st and will run until August 31. Check out the Suzuki SX4 in action here: If you are interested in taking advantage of the great [...]

The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program is off and running and a lot of people are taking advantage of it.  And who wouldn’t take advantage of it.  Normally if people trade in a “junker” old car or a “rust bucket” they’ll get something like $500 to $2000 on trade.  But with the new Car Allowance Rebate System program, they’re now getting either $3500 or $4500 on those same vehicles.  Now that’s a great deal! So if you’re still rolling down the road in your beat up 1987 Cadillac DeVille Fleetwood Brougham rear-wheel-drive with 277,000 miles, now might be the opportune time to trade in that beauty for a brand new vehicle as the “Cash for Clunkers” program has been approved and will be giving you top dollar for your old gas-guzzling machine. It’s kind of like getting 500 bucks for the suit that you wore to your high school homecoming dance back in 1987 [...]

Ford Syncing is definitely a new thing.  With all of the technology that has been heaped on our generation over the past few years, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all of the awesome new “stuff”.  He’s that guy. The one that nearly avoids getting into an accident because he’s on his cell phone. In honesty, YOU are probably that guy or girl sometimes yourself — I know I am occasionally. Safety is very important while driving.  I’m quite confident that using a cell phone and texting while driving won’t exactly put a smile on your parents’ faces. It’s a good thing that now you can do those distracting activities you find yourself doing, time and time again, without putting your, or any other, life at danger thanks to Ford Syncing. Released in over twelve of the 2008 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, the Ford Sync lets those who opt for the system to wirelessly [...]

Ok, who’s excited about the 2010 Ford Mustang?  I know I am for one and I’m sure other ‘Stang fans out there are eagerly awaiting the arrival of this car.  Arnold Schwarzenegger kept on building his guns of steel year after year. After building and fine tuning his body through years of practice, he became known as one of the best body builders known. I want all of you to meet the new Arnold in town… the 2010 Mustang. Initially, people were concerned that the new 2010 Mustang would not boast a better engine than the currently used 4.6-liter V8.  Well, to everyone’s pleasant surprise, the 2010 Mustang will be packing an all-new 32-valve, 5.0-liter V8 code-named “Coyote.” According to Ford Australia’s product development director, Russell Christophers, Ford [...]

Annoying warranty calls?  Who’s a fan of them?  Anyone?  Why am I hearing nothing but crickets right now?  Consider the situation below … You are expecting an important call today. While waiting in line at the grocery store you just wonder when that call is going to come. Going out to your car with your hands, arms, neck, and mouth holding what seems to be 25 bags of groceries and a gallon of milk you finally hear your phone ring. Seeing that your vehicle is still a ways away, you decide that the call might be too important to miss and start to panic. You quickly start putting all the groceries on the cement while trying to get your hand free to take the call which is inconveniently in your least accessible pocket. Huffing and puffing, you finally get the phone and are excited to hear the important information you have been waiting for all [...]

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone.  Everyone is excited for the holiday and to add to that excitement is a very sharp looking 2010 black Chevy Camaro coupe.  Mayonaise, Mayo Clinic, OJ Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies, or a cute child uttering “may-oh” instead of “mail” may all share part of its name, but since when can you party with sandwich spread? That’s right folks, it’s 5th of May. May 5th is the celebration of the Mexican army defeating the larger French army on May 5, 1862 where 4,000 Mexican soldiers  fought against 8,000 French soldiers. Overcoming odds, the Mexican army defended its territory when the French tried to invade the Mexican city “Puebla”.  The holiday is celebrated across Mexico and America as people celebrate their independence and freedom. So go out and celebrate – maybe you can enjoy some Pico De Gallo on your Cinco De Mayo.  Head to Los Aztecas for their burrito [...]

The 5th annual Vincentric Best Value in America™ awards were recently held and General Motors proved to be to be the star of the show as ten of its vehicles earned Vincentric’s top honors. “Vincentric provides data, knowledge, and insight to the automotive industry by identifying and applying the many aspects of automotive value. Using VinbaseTM, its comprehensive, proprietary cost-of-ownership database, the company measures and analyzes the overall cost of owning and operating vehicles and its impact on the value provided to buyers. Vincentric data is used by organizations such as Cars.com, Chevrolet, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Volkswagen, Ford Motor Co., Business Fleet Magazine, Audi of America and Fleet-Central.com as a means of providing automotive insight to their clientele. Vincentric, LLC, is a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.” The table below shows some vehicles we carry that received awards:   Vincentric Names Models with Best Value   [...]

Who likes to be pushed around and forced into something they don’t like or want? You could try to convince me that Coke is better than Pepsi and yellow is a better color than blue – but I’m not going to believe it, no matter how convincing you are. I know what I like a little better than anyone else knows my preferences. So trying to tell me that right is left and Girl Scout cookies don’t taste awesome with a cool glass of milk is not going to get you anywhere. A dealership should know the same thing – that they cannot force you into buying something you don’t want or need. The video below shows a common stereotype of salesmen:   Unlike the salesman in this video, at Runde Auto Group we believe that our customers are informed enough to be able to decide for themselves what they want (with the possible [...]

Recently Ford had quality studies performed by the 3rd party RDA Group that confirmed what we’ve always known … that Ford builds top-notch vehicles.  According to the results, Ford is even with Toyota in initial quality tests and they passed up Honda by a significant leap. The results show that in the first quarter of 2009, problems-per-vehicle dropped by 5% to compete head-to-head with Toyota and beating Honda. The latest GQRS survey measured 2009 model year vehicle initial quality in the number of “things gone wrong,” and customer satisfaction within the first three months of ownership. The following is a list of vehicles that were used in the tests and what was tested for each vehicle. • Ford Mustang- initial quality/customer satisfaction for sports cars • Ford Taurus [...]

Last week Justin Hanger of Runde Auto Group obtained the status of “Eagle Scout” which is the highest rank a Boy Scout can obtain. To get the Eagle Scout status, you must go through the different preceding ranks of the Scouts, first. There are eight ranks in the Scouts with the eighth being the Eagle Scout. Justin has been working for Runde’s since he was eight or nine-years old. He would, and still does, come in after hours to help his family clean the offices in the Runde Chevrolet building.  Justin says that it usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes to clean up the building during the weekdays and it takes a bit longer on the weekends, lasting up to an hour and a [...]

VIN Cloning is when the vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned vehicle is taken to forge documents for a similar, stolen vehicle. It is a serious problem lately as there has been about $100 million worth of VIN cloning cases that have occurred in the U.S. since 2001.  CARFAX, a vehicle history information business, estimates that more than 225,000 of the 1.5 million vehicles stolen each year have VINs from legally owned vehicles. The wind is blowing your hair around as you drive down by the river breathing in the fresh air. You can’t believe the incredible deal that you got on your new luxury vehicle – “that was a steal!” you think to yourself as you continue to enjoy the drive. Later that night you are happy with the way things are going until you get a knock on the door – it’s the police. They say that your car is a stolen [...]

Saint Patricks day is today.  A day of celebration and green… a whole lot of green. Even Chicago dyes it’s river green with over 40lbs of food dye today!  But have you ever wondered what the holiday is actually all about? It’s not just an excuse to go out to the “pubs” and toast the great Saint until you are passed out on the floor. No, in-fact, St. Patrick’s day has more to it than you probably know. Isn’t it great that the Irish have a great Irish person to celebrate?  Huh, what’s that? St. Patrick isn’t Irish? Are you nuts!? Actually, St. Patrick was born in Britain during the 5th century. Not as Patrick, mind you, but as Maewyn Succat. He was kidnapped by Irish marauders at the [...]

Well, future owners of the 2010 Chevy Camaro have one thing less to worry about as official reports from the EPA rate the Camaro at 18 City/29 Hwy MPG. No one likes to fill up with gas often. Taking huge beasts or power house vehicles on the road that get 12-16MPG can be a downer and luckily Camaro buyers/owners won’t have to deal with lousy performance at the pumps. Add great fuel economy to an estimated 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds and you have a car that is not only fast and powerful but an all-in-one package. Below is a fuel economy comparison chart of other muscle cars out there:   2010 Chevy Camaro 2010 Ford Mustang 2010 Dodge Challenger V6        18 city/29 hwy 16 city/24 hwy 17 city/25 hwy V8        16 city/25 hwy 17 city/23 hwy 13 [...]

What is Ford MyKey?  Well the following article will try to answer that question as clearly and concisely as possible.  As our society continues to grow, it seems like safety is a number one concern. From safety on the Internet to safety in your vehicle, there are safety upgrades integrated in almost all facets of life. Ford takes no exception to this rule as seen by the announcement of optional safety features available on the upcoming 2010 Ford Focus. Options like the teen-monitoring Ford MyKey system (see video below for more info) and Ford’s automated parking system will be available as options  in the Escape, as well as the Escape Hybrid that go on sale this summer. Ford is aiming to spread these features across the board of their available models. While other vehicles, such [...]

Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque recently had the opportunity to make a road trip to the 2009 Chicago Auto Show. We managed to pull up our jaws and glance at our cameras every once in awhile to snap some photos for you. We hope you enjoy viewing a few of the amazing vehicles that were there!   Chevy ran an impressive show with an array of cars including the all- electrical Chevy Volt (left) and the new Equinox (right)    

It’s highly likely that when you get into your car each day and start it up, you don’t give a though to the car’s airbags.  It’s just one of those things that everyone takes for granted during a normal routine day.   Let’s say it’s a beautiful day out as you get out of work and start driving home on a Friday evening. You enjoy the familiar scenes and look forward to getting home and relaxing with the family. Crossing the same intersection you always pass through, you notice a weird noise and look left – it’s a truck – the driver cannot stop and is going to hit you. Preparing for the impact, you wonder how and when the [...]