Category Archives: Technology

A being savors the activation of remote start in a wintry clime while a concerned bird flies overhead.

Is remote start bad?

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Posted in FAQs, Technology

Ramifications of Remote Start on the Engine and Environment

Remote start is a trendy amenity among modern drivers. Many individuals get great pleasure from the convenience of the feature, finding it can make a big difference in time and comfort, especially on cold, icy days. Getting into a chilly vehicle is, after all, a grating pain of the sort not often found elsewhere in the modern developed world.

However, some voices of dissent have come to ruin the remote start party by arguing that the feature hurts the vehicle engine and/or the environment. Is there truth to these arguments? Is remote start bad?

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A close up of the Earth

Are electric cars really more energy efficient?

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Posted in FAQs, Technology

Electric Cars: Environmentally Friendly or Unfriendly?

You may have heard conflicting statements tossed around about whether electric cars are more fuel-efficient than conventional cars or not. Adherents like to tout the obvious marketed qualities of these machines: the fact that they don’t burn limited, expensive fossil fuel and emit lung-clenching smog into the atmosphere, burning out the ozone and frying our poor planet.

Critics like to hold the contrarian card and point out that manufacturing demands and the fossil fuels used to produce electricity itself both contribute a fair amount of carbon pollutants of their own to the skies, perhaps even more than that pushed out by a traditional piston-powered car.

So which is it- are electric cars more energy-efficient and better for the environment or not?

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Ford Co-Pilot360 To Be Standard By 2020

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Posted in Ford, Technology, Tips and Tricks

While Honda and Toyota have been offering fairly extensive driver assistance safety features on their vehicles for a few years, other brands are just getting into the game. Nissan is planning to make Nissan Safety Shield a standard feature on most new Nissan vehicles by 2021, while Ford introduced a new suite of safety systems for 2019 that it plans to make standard by 2020. But what features come standard with Ford Co-Pilot360? And what models are currently available with this feature? Read the rest of this entry >>

Customer and salesman in a car

Does Honda or Toyota Offer Better Standard Safety Features?

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Posted in Honda, Technology, Tips and Tricks, Toyota

Many car manufacturers are offering ever better driver assistance features in their new vehicles. This technology can do everything from notify a driver that there is someone in their blind spot while they are driving on the highway, to stopping automatically if a pedestrian is detected in a crosswalk. Even better, more and more of these safety suites are coming standard on new vehicles. In this blog we are going to check out two heavy-hitters in the driver assistance market and pit Honda Sensing vs Toyota Safety Sense. While individual vehicles will offer different sets of features, we can share some general information about these two systems.

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a key and keyfob hanging in front of a car door handle

Ways to stop a car alarm without a keyfob

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Posted in Technology, Tips and Tricks

Many cars come with what are called “nuisance alarms”. As the name implies, these are loud, obnoxious shrieking sounds that are meant to frighten off car thieves (though they are often more useful for scaring car owners and irritating neighbors). The easiest way to shut off your vehicle’s alarm is to hit the lock or alarm button on your keyfob. However, what do you do if your keyfob is broken, low on battery, or you are unfortunate enough to have a car with an alarm but not a keyfob? Here are a few ways to stop a car alarm without a keyfob. Hopefully one will work! Read the rest of this entry >>

car infotainment systems

Tips for finding the right infotainment system

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Posted in Technology, Tips and Tricks

What are the best infotainment systems on used cars?

One of the things that you may be looking for in your next pre-owned vehicle is an advanced technology system. What are the best infotainment systems on used cars? Honestly, the best technology systems are those that work the best for you. But what should you be looking for when you shop? Whether you are moving into a vehicle with a tape deck or the latest streaming radio technology, here are some things to keep in mind on the test drive. Read the rest of this entry >>

young man with a broken car calling someone

What is electronic stability control and how does it prevent accidents?

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Posted in Technology, Used Cars

While many new cars are available with flashy safety features like automatic emergency braking and autonomous cruise control (which will independently adjust your cruise control speed so you don’t ram into a slow car in front of you on the highway) there are some simpler technology options that have made a big difference. One of these is electronic stability control. What is electronic stability control and how does it prevent accidents? Read the rest of this entry >>

2018 Dodge Challenger in Plum Crazy seen from the side and front

How do you break in a new car engine?

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Posted in Technology, Tips and Tricks

Even though the inventory we carry here at Third Coat Auto Group is all used vehicles (the better to offer Austin drivers affordable financing no matter their credit situation) we thought it would be fun to talk about one of the steps of getting a new car. No, not enjoying that new car smell! We wanted to write about how to break-in that new, shiny, and expensive piece of powerful equipment. But how do you break in a new car engine? Whether you have a compact or midsize car perfect for that daily commute, or are raring to get out on the track (or, you know, gun it on one of the 85 mph highways here in Texas) you should take it a little easy while your car is getting used to its job. Read the rest of this entry >>

person unlocking their vehicle with a keyfob

Have a keyfob or push button start? Check out these videos

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Posted in Technology, Tips and Tricks

More and more modern vehicles are coming with cool locking, unlocking, and starting technology. While almost all new models come with keyfobs you can use to lock or unlock your car from across the parking lot, some designs now come with features like push button start, and keyfobs that will automatically unlock your vehicle when you get close to it. But what happens when human error meets advanced auto technology? We found three cool videos that address some common questions. Read the rest of this entry >>