Carl Hoyt from Bettendorf Iowa recently bought a 2012 Ford F-150 Platinum replacing his old truck.  He uses his trucks mostly for his business as he hauls boats to customers and dealers over the country.  Being a salesman for a good portion of his life, Carl knows what makes a good experience in the industry and thought he had exactly that when dealing with Runde Auto Group. He was kind enough to share that experience with us: Where are you from Carl? I’m from Eldridge which is a couple miles due north of Bettendorf Iowa. Have you lived there all your life? No, I lived in Chicago a long time ago, actually. What led you into Runde’s? My son and one of my mechanics bought their vehicles from you guys. I usually [...]

1. Check your Lights before driving at night. Darkness is definitely not your friend – despite everything we’ve heard from Simon and Garfunkel. It’s very important to make sure that the headlight bulbs you are using to tear through that darkness is effective. Check all of your lights for clarity and proper functionality – head, tail, braking, turn, fog… the whole nine yards.  Slap on those hazards, get out and see if all your lights are flashing correctly. If you are without friend/human companion you can check to make sure your brake lights are working by backing up towards a reflective surface (building, window, etc.) and see if you can see your brake lights in the reflection. You may also consider getting your headlights properly aimed. Poorly aligned headlights can blind other drivers and limit your road visibility.  If you’ve had any damage to the front of your vehicle from a previous car accident, it [...]

Ah, Thanksgiving – it’s probably the best time of the year with the possible exception of all the holiday traffic out and about. Distributing great food, great company, and great feelings all around America. Every Hero, however, must have a villain and this one is a frightening foe called Mr. Nasty Holiday Traffic. Parents tremble and teens are instilled with fear when facing this foul beast, but there are some things you can do to help fight Mr. Traffic & his henchmen. The Preliminaries – These are the basic weapons you’ll need to fight holiday traffic Check and adjust your mirrors and tires. Buckle Up – Make sure everyone else does too! Make sure your good on gas and fluids. Have both Emergency & First-aid kits in the car. With our basic weapons checked and ready, we must take down the Henchmen that try to get in our way in our fight to defeat Mr. Traffic. [...]

Curious as to what ever happened to the Chevy Volt battery pack that’s supposed to be replaced every 10 years? Let me ask you another question… Ever get upset when the lights go out due to a power outage? How’s this for two birds with one stone – the extracted Volt batteries can be used to power the lights in your house when there is a power outage! Sounds pretty crazy – a battery powering the lights in an entire house!? But according to Chevrolet, who teamed up with Duke Energy, packaging five Volt lithium-ion batteries into a single unit could give approximately two hours of electricity to 3-5 average U.S. homes.  The power from the unit outputs 25 kilowatt-hours of power and 50 kilowatt-hours of energy. “This is an industry first to be able to do secondary automotive batteries in a grid-based application,” said Pablo Valencia, GM’s senior manager of battery life-cycle management. “In [...]

Mary Leibfried had a great experience at Runde’s recently. After she bought her used Jeep Wrangler from her salesman, Aaron Young, she posted this great review of her experience at Runde Auto Group of Manchester. How would you rate your experience on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst? 10 What did you think of your salesman? Aaron Young is the most knowledgeable person I have met when it comes to Jeeps. He was able to help me to understand the differences between the Jeep options, and help me get just the Jeep I was looking for. Where are you from and have you always lived in that area? I have lived in Dubuque, IA for 22 years. Married? Kids? [...]

2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4WD 4dr Auto Premium (no longer available) Market Price $24,284 Mileage: 7 miles Exterior: Deep Sea Blue Metallic Interior: Other Cloth Transmission: Automatic Engine: 2.4L DOHC 16-valve I4 engine VIN: JS3TD0D29C4100089 (no longer available) Stock #: C4100089 (no longer available) Runde Auto Group 866-735-5200 2012 Suzuki Grand Vitara Included Standard Equipment Interior AC AM/FM Auxiliary Pwr Outlet CD Player Child Safety Locks Climate Control Cruise Daytime Running Lights Dual Heated Exterior Mirrors Heated Exterior Driver Mirror Navigation Power Locks Power Mirrors Power Steering Power Windows Steering Radio Ctrls Tilt Tint Safety Anti-Lock Brakes Drivers Front Airbag Dual Front Airbags [...]

The 2013 Traverse has landed at Runde’s! If you haven’t read up on what’s different, here’s the scoop: The Traverse is offered in three different trims: LS, LT and LTZ. All trims have the option to be front-, or all-wheel drive. On the exterior, the Traverse has substantially changed from 2012. It features a new center grille, hood, bumper, fog lights, fenders, tail lamps and bumper. Another thing to note is that ALL Traverse trims now come standard with a backup camera. Inside is a new center console design along with a new 6.5-inch touch-screen features Chevy’s new MyLink multimedia system. All trims come with a new front-center airbag.  The LT and LTZ trims have wood accents which previous model year Traverse’s didn’t offer. Under the hood you’ll find a 288-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 [...]

Consumer Reports released their list of top American Vehicles in terms of reliability. Runde Auto Group is proud to offer 8 out of 10 vehicles on the list. The list shows the vehicle with the most reliability out of all other cars in its segment. The Consumer Reports Reliability Ratings are determined from a large-scale survey of over 1.2 million vehicle owners asking detailed questions. The results show how well vehicles have held up and the odds that an owner could be inconvenienced by problems and repairs.   Small cars: Chevrolet Sonic Fuel-efficient hatchbacks: Chevrolet Volt Upscale cars: Chrysler 300 Sporty cars: Ford Mustang Large SUVs: Chevrolet Traverse Midsized SUVs: Chevrolet Equinox  & GMC Terrain Luxury SUVs: Buick Enclave Full-sized pickups: Chevrolet Avalanche If you are interested in testing out any of these vehicles don’t hesitate to come [...]

Gary Bonnet just bought a 2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 from our Chevrolet salesman, Mark Fleege.  He chimed in with a quick review about his fantastic service at Runde Auto Group! How would you rate your experience on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst? 10 out of 10 What did you think of your salesman? The same.  10 out of 10 Where are you from and have you always lived in that area? I’m from East Dubuque, Il. Yes, I’ve always lived there. Married? Kids? Pets? I am married, and my kids are all grown. What are your past times / hobbies? I like football. What is your favorite restaurant in the area?  Without a doubt … Fried Green Tomatoes in Galena, IL. Do you (and/or your family) have a favorite vacation spot or have a place you’d like to go? [...]

We were very fortunate to welcome back a familiar Runde customer today.  Victoria Thiede-Knipper and David Knipper purchased a Chrysler Town & Country van from Runde Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep about 3 years ago and they’ve been very satisfied with the van since that time.  So when they recently found themselves in need of a new truck, they contacted Runde’s in Manchester again.  Runde Auto Group takes pride in its repeat business as it’s quite common for a satisfied Runde customer to return to purchase a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th vehicle from Runde’s.  The Knipper familey was put in touch with Sean Dailey in the Ford Sales Department and Sean was able provide them with a quick and easy transaction as he helped them find their new F-150 crew cab truck.   In Victoria’s [...]

Samantha Heilig from DeWitt Iowa walked out of Runde’s with her new ’09 Ford Taurus X.  She was all smiles and in good spirits as she went home to show off her new ride to her loving family.   Samantha was kind enough to share her experience with anyone who would like to know what a kind of sales experience they can expect to get at Runde Auto Group in Manchester. How would you rate your experience on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst? I’d give it a nine. What did you think of your salesman? He was very nice and did not pressure [...]

Lots of cool stuff was shown at the SEMA show this year in Las Vegas including the Chevy Sonic Dusk which will be released in 2014. The Dusk is “designed to bring a higher degree of sophistication and refinement to the subcompact segment” according to Chevrolet. In the Dark about the what you’ll be getting in the Dusk? Rear spoiler, 18-inch aluminum wheels in pearl nickel finish, exclusive Ashen Grey coloring with trim finished with a matte appearance. The Interior will feature Jet Black leather-trimmed seats with tan inserts, and MyLink infotainment system. The Dusk will be powered by an Ecotec 1.4L turbocharged engine, rated at 138 horsepower and 148 lb.-ft. of torque with a six-speed transmission. Production models offer a six-speed manual or automatic. Prices aren’t released yet, but are projected to be somewhere between the Sonic LTZ ($18,640) Sonic RS ($20,995). Look for it to show up on the Runde Chevrolet lot come [...]

Straight A’s are something to strive towards. Well, the 2013 Dodge Dart will make all sorts of people proud with its perfect record in safety. 5-star overall Safety Rating (Highest possible grade) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 5 Star Ratings overall frontal and combined side-impact crash tests. 60+ available safety features including 10 air bags standard – unheard of in its segment. 68% high-strength-steel ratios the most technologically advanced car in its class Available class-exclusive features including dual temperature control and a 7-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) premium cluster display. Clearly the cream of the crop in its segment, the Dart offers you a choice when it comes to what performance you want: 2.0L 16-valve Tigershark four-cylinder engine 1.4L 16-valve intercooled Turbo engine with MultiAir 16-valve 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir [...]

Dan Schmitt is a very close friend of Runde’s. He is not only the dad of our Platteville dealership manager, Eric Schmitt, but has also been buying vehicles from us for many years. He is one of the staples that keeps Runde’s afloat, and for that, we are truly grateful. Recently purchasing a Buick Enclave, Dan decided that he wanted to share his experience this time. Here’s what he had to say: How would you rate your experience at Runde’s on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best and 1 being the absolute worst? 10 What did you think of your salesman? My salesman is my son Eric Schmitt, and I rate him as awesome. Where are you from and have you always lived in that area? I currently live in Fairfield Glade, TN, but prior to retiring lived in Dubuque, Waterloo and Davenport. Married?  Kids?  Pets? [...]

For anyone who watches NFL football on a regular basis, you’re probably familiar with the the in-state rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals.  It’s always a pretty fierce head to head match up both on the field and off.  Cleveland fans take their football very seriously … to the extent that a portion of the seating in the stadium is commonly referred to as the Dawg Pound.  According to Wikipedia: “The Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium.  It is known for its extremely zealous fan base.”  Fans in that section used to shower the visiting teams with milk bone biscuits (and they would always double up on their supply of dog biscuit projectiles whenever the Bengals came to town) until the NFL banned the bringing of dog food to NFL games.  Needless to say it’s still filled to capacity every game with many overly-passionate Browns fans, [...]

Myron and Kristi Phelps from Elkader Iowa are wonderful customers of Runde’s. They came in the other day to buy a Ford Taurus at our Manchester store. They were ecstatic  about the whole experience and were more than happy to share the process they went through with anyone who might be considering Runde’s. Where are you guys from? We’re from Elkader Iowa which is about 30 minutes away from your Manchester store. What brought you into Runde’s today? We were over at Fairway Food store getting groceries and saw your ad in the Eastern Iowa Shopper. Our Aunt bought a Focus awhile back from you guys and we’ve been going to Runde’s since then. What made you come in the first place? We needed a new car so we drove through the lot and it was nice because no one was out trying to push us into buying a vehicle right away. [...]

Maybe you’ve seen one or two driving around and wondered, but never really pursued, in your thoughts as to what the Chevy Volt would offer a driver. Let me put your mind at ease – the Volt offers the whole package my friends. It is the best of all worlds combined into one. It’s easy to oversee some of it’s very impressive features when the main thing that sticks out is the 98 MPG tag, but here are some things that might be unknown to first time lookers that make this vehicle superb: 1.It’s Unexpected. If you’ve never driven one before you probably had the same bias that I had in mind: It’s an electric and it’s going to be clunky/slow/unresponsive. It’s hard not to think that way after driving a Prius or Smart Car. [...]

Dodge and Ram are now two completely separate entities.  Although it has been announced for awhile now, it might be confusing for some as to why there is no longer a “Dodge” behind the word “Ram” when looking at a “Ram” truck. If you were to go to www.dodge.com, you would not see any of the trucks on there. Instead, go to www.ramtrucks.com and you will be presented with the whole lineup of trucks, but no Dodges. Sure enough, what used to be one is now two as “Dodge Ram” is now separated into two entirely different makes. The split was actually announced on October 9th, 2009 When Chrysler Group LLC stated that all the “Dodge” vehicles, (starting with the 2011 model lineup) would be split into the two categories. Now, instead [...]

The 2013 Buick Encore has officially been priced! Starting at $24,950 (base MSRP in 2013) you can take home the new SUV packed with 18″ wheels, full color 7 inch screen, active noise cancellation and a rear-view camera, all included on the base model! Buick announced three other packages in addition to the base model, they are as follows: Going up a level to the Convenience Package that costs $25,760, will score you dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming rear view mirror, remote start, 120-volt outlet & fog lights. Next Level up is the Leather Group at $27,460. It features heated seats & steering wheel, power passenger seat, bovine-sourced upholstery and driver’s seat memory. The last model in the lineup is the Premium Group @ $28,940. This group combines the leather and convenience packages and adds collision alert, rain-sensing wipers, cargo net & mat, lane departure warning, park assist and Bose Stereo. Optional features across all the [...]

Kimberly Morning is from Cedar Rapids and has a uniqueness about her that makes it nearly impossible to lose interest in what she is talking about. We more than welcomed her pleasant nature at Runde’s and hooked her up with a truck that she loves. She is now a safer, happier person and wanted to tell everyone about her experience at Runde’s! Kimberly, how’s it going? Hi, it’s going good! Where are you from? Cedar Rapids. How did you find out about Runde’s? My friend Kenny who lives in Winthrop, IA saw one of your ads in the paper and told me to check you guys out. Wow, well tell him thanks on our behalf! What vehicle did you end up going with? The 2008 Dodge Ram Laramie. Is the truck for yourself or more for business use? Yep, it’s just for me. Will you do a lot of transporting with [...]

The iPhone 5 has a new operating system (iOS 6) and will be implementing a new “Maps” application which will rival the current gold standard in mobile navigation, Google Maps, which is offered on Android Devices. Before iOS 6, previous generations of iPhones that used iOS5 used a version of Google Maps that didn’t support turn-by-turn navigation. To say the least, the Iphone 4/4’s iOS5’s navigation was underwhelming in the mobile navigation department when compared to the GPS-like functionality of the Droid’s beautiful turn-by-turn navigation. I’ve had a Droid for over 3 years now. While it’s had it’s ups and downs, the one thing that I’ve always loved is the navigation. Enough so that I refused (given several opportunities mind you) to “upgrade” to an iPhone. My loyalty is now being tested as Apple officially announced the iPhone 5 with the new iOS 6 platform. I’m sure many of you are like I was – [...]

OWI Laws are there for a reason and it’s good to be familiar with them.  Of course the safest path is always not to drive if you’ve been drinking.  With taxis and uber drivers, there are so many affordable options available now where there should never be a reason for people to even consider driving while under the influence.  We just got done talking about being careful on the roads during the holidays and the importance of not drinking and driving. What if, somehow, our words of guidance aren’t followed and someone found themselves looking into the rear-view to find the notorious flashing lights while being a bit tipsy? You’re punishment will not be the same from state-to-state. Check out the following consequences for DUI/OWI offenses in the Tri-State area (Iowa, Illinois & Wisconsin). Share this information with everyone you know. Hopefully the more people aware of the dangers, as well as consequences, of [...]

If you noticed fireworks lighting up the western skies this past Friday, what you were probably witnessing was part of the festivities for the Annual Peosta Parade and Fun Day.   The sixth annual Peosta Days event was held in conjunction with the Annual Fireman’s Auction and the extravaganza promised something for kids of all ages. Friday’s events included the brilliant fireworks, skydivers, good food & drinks and live music featuring the band Hard Salami. On Saturday, the Peosta Days Parade took place and Doug Weig and his wife Angela were able to get some great shots of the Runde Chevrolet truck they drove in the parade.  It started at Mi-T-M and it ended up at the Peosta Rec Center. Doug said that it was a good time for everyone.   But the most intriguing event was one that I had never heard of … Cow Pie Bingo.  Doug said that he wanted to play, but it [...]

Bob and Tina Rementer from South Beloit, Illinois absolutely loved their first truck purchase from Runde Auto Group and they really liked their salesman!  Like the relationship they have for each other, the Rementer’s now have a strong and trusting relationship with Runde’s! Are you guys from the area? No, we’re from South Beloit, IL About 2 hours away. What brought you to Runde’s? I was working in town in Dubuque at the waste water plant and I asked some of the local guys where they went to get trucks. They all said “well, Runde’s”. I’ve been looking for a used truck for a while now but when I came here I was amazed by the selection. I was used to dealers in South Beloit having like 6 vehicles so I was blown away. Did you look online at the Runde website first? I didn’t… I came here and looked around the [...]

With Labor Day coming up soon, we have to keep in mind to drive safe and keep others safe when we’re travelling.  There’s no need to take risks.  On my drive back from Chicago, IL to Dubuque, IA yesterday (3 hour drive), I counted well over 10 vehicles pulled over for reasons seemingly not accident related. You betcha I was watching my speed, distance away from vehicles and reading, word for word, all of the traffic signs as if I’ve never seen them before. There’s nothing worse or more embarrassing than those red and blue lights flashing behind you. The (seemingly hours of) minutes waiting in your vehicle for the police officer to write you an unwanted ticket proves (in perfect consistency) to destroy your day and put a hurt on your finances. It’s of no coincidence that I’m seeing law enforcement step up their appearances near a holiday. This is the time of year [...]