Donald Gates purchased his fifth truck this year from Runde Auto Group yesterday and after signing for his new trucks, he took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to be interviewed for the Runde blog! The Central City, IA, resident stopped by Runde PreDriven yesterday and bought three Silverados: two 2013 Chevrolet 2500s and a 2012 Chevrolet 2500. Those were in addition to the two he purchased earlier this year. Donald works for Baker Holdings and has a mini fleet within the company pulling flatbeds all over the country. “In this business, diesels are a must because of the weight you are pulling and you always have a good selection of those,” he said. “I’ve bought all 5 from Runde Auto Group,” Donald said. “I’m very happy with Runde’s. You guys do a [...]

Tressa Miller works in the office of our PreDriven dealership in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. She handles titles, processes deals, and answers the phones. I sat and talked with her for a few minutes today, and here is what she had to say!   Runde Auto Chat: How long have you worked at Runde’s? Tressa Miller: 6 years Runde Auto Chat: What do you like best about your job? Tressa Miller: I don’t know…I like everything about it. There isn’t really a part I don’t like. RAC: Who is your favorite NASCAR driver? TM: Gordon (As I notice the Gordon jacket hanging on the back of her chair) RAC: How many races have you been to? TM: 8, most of them were at Chicago Speedway RAC: Who will you cheer for when Gordon retires? TM: Whoever is racing for Hendrick Motorsports…just that whole team. RAC: What do you want for Christmas this year? TM: I haven’t really [...]

What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “I’m going to lunch”?   If you immediately think of a 4000 mile round trip to a burger joint, then you’re not alone.  Many of us leave the office for our half hour or hour long lunch breaks, which is usually acceptable. I frequently drive 5 blocks home to eat lunch and let my dogs out. An Assistant Editor in Ann Arbor, Michigan had a different idea for his lunch.  Sam Smith’s Thursday started out as a fairly normal day. He was at work, and all of a sudden, he decides he needs a burger. Ok, fine, Ann Arbor probably has about 50 different burger joints to choose from, except he needs a specific burger…from a West Coast ONLY restaurant chain, In-N-Out Burger. From Ann Arbor, the closest location is in Prescott, Arizona, approximately 1900 miles away. He decided to call his buddy from [...]

As much as we hate to admit it, winter is around the corner, which means very cold weather and lots of snow (especially in Runde country). Have you thought about what you need to do to winterize your vehicle? There is a lot more to it than most people think. I have compiled a checklist for you to use. Bad winter road conditions can sneak up on us if we aren’t careful, so start thinking about it early!   To Do List Before Winter Comes!   Make sure your brakes are equalized and not pulling to one side. Flush out your cooling system and put anti-freeze in. Check containers, belts, hoses, pressure caps, and thermostat. Make sure battery connections are clean and tight. Check your engine for faulty wiring, worn out spark plugs, sticking choke or emission control devices. These make it difficult for your vehicle to start. Check the [...]

Many people call us for service work, but don’t really get to know the people actually doing the dirty work. Jeff Mohr is one of the guys in our Hazel Green service department. I took a few minutes of his time…well, actually I wasted it, but he got over it quickly! Runde Auto Chat: Do you have any hobbies or interests? Jeff Mohr: I like to play electric guitar. RAC: Any siblings or significant others? JM: I have two sisters.   RAC: Are you married yet? JM:  I do have a girlfriend.  Her name is Linsey. RAC: Did you grow up around here? JM: Yes, in Dubuque over by Hempstead High School. RAC: What kind of car do you drive?                                          JM: 1991 Jeep Wrangler RAC: What would you do with a million dollars? JM: Take the PreDriven staff on a cruise…(Remember this guys…you may want to redeem at a later date!) RAC: If you were stuck [...]

The new name for the satellite radio feature that most of us have in our cars is now Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  The executives of Sirius and XM radio announced the completion of the company merger on July 29th, 2008. There is much excitement surrounding the company’s future, and both parties are foreseeing great things for them in the future. The merged company is known as Sirius XM Radio, and both brands will continue to operate as they have, as two separate entities. They are in the process of creating some new packages that combine stations from both XM and Sirius. They will offer “Best Of” package that contains premium stations from both providers. Also, the “Mostly Music” and “Sports/News/Talk” packages will combine stations from both as well. Any receivers already in circulation as well as [...]

The Garmin corporation announced recently that it will provide an integrated navigation system for the new 2009 Suzuki SX4 as standard equipment. This marks the first time in America that a vehicle under $16,000 will include GPS navigation as a standard feature. The Garmin portable device with its 4.3 inch touchscreen will be mounted inside the vehicle, but owners will be able to easily remove it and use it whenever they leave their vehicle. With this system, drivers will be able to listen to the radio or CD player, and the audio will automatically cut out when their navigation device gives a voice prompt or when there’s a Bluetooth-enabled incoming phone call. Furthermore, the antenna will be seamlessly integrated into the vehicle’s existing antenna. The 2009 Suzuki SX4 models will start to arrive at Runde [...]

If you reside in the Tri-State Area, you may recall an article on the front page of the Telegraph Herald newspaper on May 19th of 2007. The article was titled “Vehicle won’t be flying off the lot: Auto dealer won’t sell truck until baby robin in a bird nest on a vehicle’s tire leave” … and it started out saying, “A bird family weighing all of a few ounces is holding a 5,000-pound truck hostage outside of East Dubuque. A pair of robins choose an unlikely spot to build their bird nest — on top of the left rear tire of a red truck on the lot at Runde PreDriven Vehicles, a mile east of Dubuque on Highway 35. From the perfectly round nest tucked under the [...]