With over 7.3 million sales around the globe over the course of its 30-year existence, the Hyundai Sonata has kept up with the demands of its drivers. While we here at Frank Myers Auto Maxx, your Winston-Salem used car dealership, have sold numerous Sonatas over the years, let’s take a moment to look at the storied history of the vehicle! This way you’ll practically be an expert on it when you’re looking to buy one.

The 1980s

In 1985, the first generation of the Hyundai Sonata debuted. It was one of the first Hyundai models to be designed in full by Hyundai’s in-house design teams and exceeded 1 million sales in Korea. In 1988, the second generation of the Sonata was released and featured a front-wheel drive system and adopted a much more aerodynamic design.

The 1990s

The third generation of the Hyundai Sonata was introduced in 1993 and began a transition into incorporating digital technology in place of its analog abilities. The third generation also included automatic side mirrors and anti-lock brake systems, though in 1998 the fourth generation was introduced and essentially blew the third generation away. The fourth generation was the best-selling model in Korea from February 1999 to August 2000 and came equipped with an in-house developed engine, as well as Hyundai Intelligent Vehicle Electronic Control!

The 2000s

In 2004, the fifth generation of the Hyundai Sonata saw major advancements in safety, giving it a top-ranked safety rating and universal praise from media and customers alike! In 2009, the sixth generation of the Sonata became one of the first Hyundai models to employ the industry-leading Fluidic Sculpture design philosophy and, combined with a new engine, instantly became one of Hyundai’s most recognizable models.

The 2010s

In 2010, between the sixth and seventh generation, Hyundai introduced a hybrid Sonata model. Then in 2014 came the seventh and current generation of the Sonata, or the (used) Hyundai Sonata you’re likely driving around the Winston-Salem area! The seventh generation refined the Fluidic Sculpture design, expanded its powertrain offerings and has been consistently modified in order to offer new hybrid and eco-friendly versions.

Contact us today to set up a test drive in one of our Sonata models!

Knowing when your vehicle needs service is vital to the longevity of its life. Anything from a weird noise coming from under the hood to a small puddle of fluid under your parked vehicle could be a sign that it might be time to visit your Winston-Salem auto repair shop. So what should you be looking out for?

Off To A Slow Start

If your vehicle is starting up slower than normal, this could mean that your battery is dead or it’s on its way out. On that same token, if there’s a squealing noise when you’re starting the car up or when you’re turning on the air conditioning, it could mean that your serpentine belt is going. Your serpentine belt is the belt that powers things like your power steering, water pump or alternator, so make sure you’re in good shape!

Stopping And Leaving Spots

If you’re stepping on your brakes and you hear any kind of whining or grinding coming from your wheels, it could be a sign that your brake pads, rotors or calipers are on their last legs. After you’ve parked and there wasn’t a sound to be heard from the wheels, you can assure everything is fine, right? Not quite- we here at your Winston-Salem vehicle service shop suggest checking for any oil spots under your car or any kind of fluid. This could mean an oil leak, radiator coolant leak or something else, all of which are highly detrimental to the health of your vehicle.

Taps, Knocks And Clatters

If you’re driving along and you hear a tapping noise, or any sort of unwelcome percussion sounds coming from under your hood, it could mean any of the following combustion problems- detonation, pre-ignition or spark knock. While any of these can be extremely harmful to your engine, there’s one worse and that’s knocking or clattering noises. These could mean a bad rod in your engine or that your engine has spun a bearing. None of which are cheap to fix.

If you’re hearing, feeling or generally experiencing any of these issues, contact us here and make an appointment to come get checked out!

Packing your car for a road trip is a lot like playing a game of Tetris- you want to fill all the available space without going overboard and having the whole thing collapse on you. Though unlike Tetris, we here at Frank Myers Auto Maxx have some tips and tricks for you to get through the normally-painstaking activity of getting everything placed right in your vehicle the first time. Ready?

Up Front

You’ve got a driver and a passenger occupying both seats up front, so let’s immediately rule those two spaces out for placement of anything. However, the floor of the passenger’s side is still fair game! Right up against the center console is the perfect place for a bag of snacks, purses and things like tablets like watch movies on. Then you’ve got the center console as well, where you can pack up your chargers, tissues, a small first aid kit and things like that. Right behind the center console between either the passenger’s side seat or the driver’s seat you can even put a small garbage bag to keep all your waste centralized.

In The Back

The backseat area is probably where you’re going to keep most of your stuff for the trip. You’ve got the pockets on the back of both the front seats where you can store magazines, CDs, movies and portable movie players, as well as the floor area for pretty much anything anyone might need during the trip. This can include snack bags again, a cooler for drinks and any toy or activity for the kids, pending they’ve come along for the trip! The backseat area is also ideal for bigger food items, as opposed to the passenger side floor, which might be used for smaller snacks.

Don’t Forget The Trunk

Here’s where you’re packing all the luggage and bigger items that you’re either not going to really need during your trip or things that are just too big to fit anywhere else in your vehicle. If you’re putting something back there that you’ll need during your trip, try to pack it on top of everything else so it’s easily accessible by someone in the back seats depending on the layout of your used vehicle. On the topic of luggage, pack a smaller overnight bag as well if you’re staying at a hotel for a night. This way you’re not unpacking the whole vehicle just to stay overnight somewhere!

If your problem isn’t so much that you’re having trouble packing your vehicle as it is that you’re looking for a great used vehicle, then don’t hesitate to contact us!

Whether you’re towing a relaxing load of summer recreation behind your vehicle or enough materials to construct the better portion of a large shed, the bottom line is that sometimes you need an SUV that’s capable of handling the heavy cargos. So check out our brief, albeit comprehensive, list of older model SUVs that can haul the heavies! Then head over to your favorite Winston-Salem used car dealership to check one out, of course.

2007 Chevrolet Tahoe

You’ve surely seen the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe around, and for a good reason- the SUV is a beast. On just about every trim available, it can handle up to 8,500 pounds worth of towing. That’s roughly the weight of a full-size car or even a boat! No matter whether you’ve chosen the 4.8-liter V8 or the 5.3-liter V8 engine for the Tahoe, you’re still in good shape to do some heavy traveling. Nearly ten years later and the vehicle is still around, just ready and waiting for you to push it to its true potential.

2007 Ford Expedition

All wheel drive, a standard 5.4-liter V8 engine that outputs 300 horsepower and 365 pounds per feet of torque. See where we’re going with this? You should, because it’s towing behind it a whopping 8,500 pounds. The 2007 Ford Expedition might have been the SUV that came between the Explorer and Excursion in terms of size, but clearly size doesn’t matter in this case. In its class, a towing capacity of 8,500 pounds is downright competitive on top of being impressive!

2007 Nissan Armada

The 2007 Nissan Armada is the closest, most legal way you’re going to get to drive a tank on the streets… at least from a used car dealership in Winston-Salem. The Armada packs a standard 5.6-liter V8 engine that has 320 horsepower just ready and raring to go. Couple that with 385 pounds per feet of torque and you’re ready to pull up to 9,000 pounds! Not that you could tow a 62-metric ton tank in the 2007 Nissan Armada, but your options outside that are still pretty limitless.

These are just the tip of the iceberg as far as what we’ve got in store. Contact us for more information!

If you’ve been driving for any length of time, then chances are that you’ve already encountered every motorist’s worst enemy: a renegade pebble spiraling through the air. Nine times out of ten, you might be lucky enough for the debris to glance off without causing any trouble. If you’re not lucky, though, you might hear the telltale click of a fresh chip appearing in your windshield.

At our Winston-Salem auto repair shop, we know that the chip, star, or small crack left by a stray rock can be aggravating. After all, no one looks forward to something marring their beloved vehicle.

The biggest mistake that drivers can make, though, is to decide it’s not that bad. If a crack doesn’t look bad and doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view, many car owners will simply leave it alone. Unfortunately, this decision can set the stage for disaster.

Handling Cracks Early Helps Drivers Enjoy the Ride

Many motorists fail to recognize just how drastically the outside temperature can impact their vehicle’s components. While you’re riding in the air conditioned cabin, your windshield is still exposed to the hot sun. Drastic changes in temperature, like those experiences in summer and winter months, can cause a small crack to begin expanding if it’s not handled quickly.

We recommend visiting our auto repair center in Winston-Salem to take preventative steps before your problem grows. Even if your crack spreads in a direction that keeps it out of your line of sight, it can still pose a threat to your safety.

In a collision, your vehicle has been designed to distribute force and energy around the cabin in a way that keeps occupants safer. The windshield’s structural strength is factored into this design, and a weak point – like that crack you’ve been ignoring – can cause the windshield to handle an increase in pressure in a very different way than intended. The safest option is to ensure your windshield is in good shape to fulfill its role properly.

While we hope you never have to deal with the aftermath of a stray stone chipping away at your day, our team is always here to help you take care of a small chip before it becomes a big problem. For more information, or to schedule a service appointment with our team, be sure to contact Frank Myers Auto Maxx online or to call our team at (866) 242-1277 today!