Vote for “The Sounds of Civic” Today!

On May 16, 2011, Honda kicked off “The Sounds of Civic,” a social media contest that is designed to celebrate the all-new, ninth generation Civic. Facebook fans can submit and vote for original songs inspired by the 2012 Honda Civic. The first round of voting has already finished and the second round ends July 17th so vote for your favorite if you haven’t already!

When the final votes are tallied on July 18, the top eight finalists will each receive $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash Music Stores. The top vote getter among the finalists will be awarded a brand new 2012 Civic and have the opportunity to perform live on a 2011 Honda Civic Tour date in Los Angeles!

Vote for your favorite today by visiting the Sounds of Civic Facebook page.

Summer Service Specials

Summertime, sweet summertime is almost here! The kids are in the last days of school, the weather is warming up, and vacation plans are in the works. Before you head out on your summer road trip, make sure that your vehicle is primed for the adventure.

Honda of El Cerrito is offering several Summer Road Readiness Service Specials to help you get rolling this summer. Make sure your air conditioning is running in peak condition for these hot summer months for only $139.95, a savings of $40! If you have a cracked windshield that’s impairing your vision, come have it repaired for only $39.95, a $15 savings!

Concerned that your tire tread is wearing thin? Come get your car ready to roll with one of our excellent specials on new tires. While you’re at our service center, be sure to take advantage of our free battery test to ensure that it won’t die when you are in the middle of nowhere!

As always, safe travels to you and happy summer!

Our Commitment to Custom Service Will Blow Your Mind!

Honda of El Cerrito has recently hired a new Fixed Operations Manager, Burt Gallegus. Burt has been working in the automotive industry for over 25 years, and his experience will be vital as Honda of El Cerrito takes its great customer service to a whole new level!

First and foremost, we've taken note of our customers' issues reaching their particular adviser on the phone. To ensure that every customer has direct access to their adviser, we've given each of our advisers a cell phone with a specific number. Now, we are instantly available to you, and we look forward to hearing for you.

In addition to this step, we are committed to taking the initiative to find ways to do our work better, smarter, and faster. We'd like to encourage our customers to contact us to discuss your experience at Honda of El Cerrito. Our job doesn't mean much if you're not satisfied. We genuinely desire our customers to know that we value and care about them. That is why we commit ourselves everyday to exceeding your expectations.

We look forward to the valuable changes and improvements that Burt will make here at Honda of El Cerrito. When Burt is not working hard at Honda of El Cerrito, he enjoys spending time with his family and watching movies (his favorite is “Caddyshack”). Burt drives a Dodge Viper and his favorite food is shrimp and crab scampi. Burt and his family still live in his hometown of Hayward, California.

We hope our customers will join us in welcoming Burt to Honda of El Cerrito! We’re glad to have him.

Honda of El Cerrito Celebrates Flag Day

Sandwiched between two well-known American holidays—Memorial Day at the end of May and Independence Day on July 4^th—June 14^th (otherwise known as Flag Day) often passes us by without a second thought. However, Flag Day is an important holiday, a part of America’s historic past that demonstrates the dedication of citizens to our great country.

Today, Flag Day commemorates the day that the Continental Congress first adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official American flag—June 14, 1777. As the story goes, the holiday was first celebrated on June 14, 1885. On this day, Bernard Cigrand, a school teacher in Wisconsin, placed a flag on his desk and asked his students to write essays on the American flag and its significance. Cigrand devoted the rest of his life to bringing about national recognition and the observance of Flag Day.

On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson called for a nation-wide observance of Flay Day—a huge achievement for Cigrand. Years later, President Truman signed a congressional act to officially designate June 14^th as National Flag Day.

This Flag Day, don’t forget to take a moment to honor our flag and all that it stands for. We at Honda of El Cerrito will be doing the same.

5 Things to Remember When Jump Starting Your Car

The moment you realize that your car won’t start can be a stressful time. A million things start racing through your head--the places you need to be, things you need to be doing and, of course, how you have no time for car trouble.

Here are five things to get you out of this mess in a low-stress manner:

1. Always carry jumper cables in your trunk! The thicker the jumper cable—the stronger the connection you can form between two cars. Don’t depend on someone else for jumper cables—have your own. You can buy sturdy ones for around $40. It’s worth the investment.

2.  Find a “Buddy” Car: When jump starting your car, you need to find a car that is bigger than yours, that can park close to yours, and that has enough battery energy to jump-start your car. But don’t be picky if someone is nice enough to stop alongside the road and help you.

3.  Check the battery: Are liquids coming out? Is it cracked? Is there corrosion? And, for that matter, do you know where your battery is?  If the battery is cracked or leaking, STOP and call a tow truck. For corrosion, wipe it away with a cloth rag. If you can’t locate your battery, check your car manual.

4.  Me Plus You, You Minus Me: First—be sure that both cars are turned off, as well as their accessories—radios, lights, and wipers. Then, to connect the cables, first connect the positive cable, often red, to the positive end of the battery in the car with the dead battery, then connect the other end of the positive cable to the positive end of the battery in the buddy car (Me Plus You). Next, connect the negative cable, often black, to the negative post of the battery in the buddy car. Then, connect the second end of the negative cable to shiny, non-painted metal part of the engine on the dead car (You Minus Me). Do not connect the second negative cable directly to the negative end of your dead battery, or it might explode.

5.   Start your engines: Turn your buddy car on! Once you have let the buddy car run for a few minutes, turn the car off, and try your car. If it works, let it run for a few minutes and then disconnect the cables (in the opposite order: so, Me Minus You, You Plus Me). If it doesn’t work, turn the buddy car back on and let it run about 5 more minutes. After a few tries, it’s time to make the call to a local tow truck.