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If you want to improve your fuel economy while driving, one of the first things you need to do is ensure that your tires are properly inflated. Tires that don't have enough air in them won't make smooth contact with the road, which means that you're going to use more fuel to navigate curves and turns.

Another tip would be to drive as efficiently as possible. This means that you should avoid speeding while on the road. Maintain your car as well so that it's in the best shape mechanically. When everything works as it should…

If you had a flat tire, would you know how to replace it with the spare tire? If no, then this information is for you! Kia of Laurel is committed to keeping everyone in our town informed with as much information as possible to stay safe.

First, you should know that replacing a flat tire is relatively easy. Before raising the vehicle, by using the jack supplied from the manufacturer, you need to loosen the lug nuts. There are five lug nuts. Using the lug nut wrench, loosen, and then remove them one by one. Then, remove the flat tire…

Tire and wheel cleaning is an important task that car owners should take seriously. Dirt, grime and brake dust can all build up on your wheels, degrading their performance as well as being unsightly. However, before you start scrubbing away, pay attention to the material that you are cleaning and the specialty detergents available.

Wheels made from roughcast aluminum and chrome are able to tolerate strong detergents. However, painted, coated, or anodized wheels require a more gentle soap.  

Have you ever seen a mouse or rat in your garage? You might think that it's not that big of a deal as long as they stay out of the house, but rodents can cause a lot of damage if they get under the roof of your car. Rodents love the shelter and ample chewing material that's near your engine, but they can do serious damage to your wiring. Here are a few ways that you can discourage or even eliminate the pests.

Put peanut butter in humane traps around your garage. Mice and rats love peanut butter…

At Kia of Laurel, we want you to be safe when driving on winter roads. If you are ever stranded, having an emergency kit could be the thing that saves your life. It is important that you have a blanket or some other means of staying warm while stuck in winter weather.

If you do have to run the vehicle, be sure to keep the window open a crack to avoid carbon monoxide buildup. It is also important to have a flashlight, water and nonperishable food available.  

When you're driving and you have to take a sharp turn, your car may not respond the way you think it will. In some cases, if you put too much pressure in either direction, you will oversteer, causing your vehicle to steer off sharply. This is problematic whenever you are driving because it means that you are likely steering into the wrong lane to avoid something.

When you understeer, it's the lack of response from your steering wheel that causes you to take a turn too wide. In this case, you'll end up going off the road…

What makes some car engines purr like a kitten, other vehicles roar like a lion, and still others sound like a sack of alarm clocks in a cement mixer? It’s the exhaust system, specifically, the muffler.

How a muffler controls engine noise

An engine creates pulses of alternating high and low pressure when an exhaust valve opens and a blast of vapor enters the exhaust system at high pressure.  

Keeping your car maintained is the best way to extend its life. At Kia of Laurel, our team always tries to keep our consumers informed about ways they can keep their vehicles in tiptop condition. The timing belt is an important component that helps your engine function properly, but what does it do?

Your vehicle's timing belt turns the camshaft and crankshaft simultaneously so that each cylinder will fire at the same time, and it controls the pistons and valves inside the engine cylinders.  

When you bring in your vehicle for an oil change at Kia of Laurel, our service technician recommends a motor oil with a certain viscosity. Viscosity is the measurement of how much that particular motor oil can resist flow. The more viscous an oil is, the slower it will move.

Picture orange juice being poured out of a bottle, which is low viscosity, versus maple syrup, which has high viscosity. The numbers and letters you see on motor oil containers, such as 10W-30, indicate its specific viscosity rating.  

A common misconception among vehicle owners is that their "donut" tire is a replacement tire. Donut tires are temporary tires intended to get you to the mechanic for a proper replacement tire. It's not safe to drive for long on a donut tire.

Donut tires, the nickname for compact temporary tires, have a speed limitation for safety reasons. They hinder traction control, speedometer operation, and ABS. You need to be careful and highly alert while driving with the donut tire. And you should only use the compact temporary tire to get to the dealership without having to tow the…