Mazda Has Some Fun with an Old 626

OEM's like to have fun, too.  And everyone knows that Mazda knows how to do that (Zoom Zoom!...).  This time, Mazda took the humble 1991 Mazda 626 of Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (even more humble than his loved car), and gave it the restoration it needed.  Now, it looks like it just came off the factory line.

Bentley, the name Alfred's trusty sidekick has taken on, went through a rigorous 275 hour restoration while Morris drove a loaner 2014 Mazda6 (lucky him!).  The effort seems to have been well worth it, with Mazda presenting the car back to him as if it were a brand new model, though some modern touches were added.

Obviously, you might be left scratching your head and wondering why anyone would go through the trouble, especially Mazda itself, to restore something so old and seemingly mundane compared to today's offerings.  Our best guess?  Every now and then you find people who get so attached to their car, no matter how old or how beaten up it may be, and those people will do anything to hold onto that feeling.  We think Mazda gets that, and saw that with Alfred Morris and his '91 626.  

Want to see the restoration unfold?  Autoblog has plenty of pictures detailing the fun project.

Vehcile Maintenance Mistakes

If you happen to have the extra time to perform some routine vehicle maintenance, it's a great way to save some cash and put it toward more important vehicle services.  However, a lot of us are guilty of some common, but not well known, maintenance mistakes.  Here's a few of the more common of these easy-to-make vehicle maintenance mistakes:

- Tire Inflation.  Many times, people take the reading on the tire's sidewall as the recommended air pressure.  Usually, this is the maximum recommended pressure the tire can withstand, and filling to this pressure could result in a tire blowout among other things.  People assume that higher air pressure results in better mileage, performance, etc. but it can actually lead to improperly balanced tread wear as well as a rough ride and decreased mileage.  Decreased performance and shorter tire life are ultimately the results of over-inflating.  Rotating your tires will also help with any asymmetrical tread wear.

- The "tune up."  Vehicles no longer need regular adjustment of parts, such as carburetors, ignition timing, and valve adjustments.  New vehicle computers take care of all these components themselves, leaving only spark plug replacement associated with the "tune up" moniker.

- Higher octane fuel.  It's easy to assume that higher octane fuel, because of its cost and some loose associations to certain types of vehicles, results in better performance and/or efficiency.  The truth is, the octane rating is an indication of the fuel's ability to resist fuel ignition, also called knocking.  New car technology, such as knock sensors, and OEM's have a recommendation for the proper octane fuel to be used, so it's important to follow the suggestion in order to maintain your vehicle's optimum performance.

Check out this article for more maintenance mistakes and how to correct them. If you'd rather have these services done by Parks Mazda, we'd be glad to assist you!

Mazda Celebrates Its History

 

For those of us not living in Hiroshima, Japan (which should be all of us, but if not, greetings, Japan fans!), Google and Mazda have teamed up to offer you a special experience.

You can now "tour" Mazda's museum via Google Maps.  The tour works just like Google Maps normally does when searching locations, only you're doing it...inside (mind-blowing, we know).

The museum itself houses some rare bits of Mazda history tracing all the way back to its humble beginnings and racing roots.  The Mazda story itself is also quite interesting, as is the brand's ideology on how to make better vehicles.

 Once you've finished learning about Mazda's history, we invite you stop into Parks Mazda to see the latest iterations of Mazda technology, like the acclaimed 2014 Mazda6!

Customer Loyalty... Johnson Family Buys 2nd MAZDA3!

Customer loyalty... Every company strives to create it but few succeed in creating it. Apple, Starbucks, Coke and McDonald’s are a few of the very successful companies who have created customer loyalty, and they continue to grow their market share annually. The question that every marketing executive has asked themselves over and over again is “how do I keep my current customers loyal to me and how do I get them back in the door for repeat business?” At Parks Mazda, we recently had a chance to speak to a repeat customer who came back to Parks Mazda to purchase their second MAZDA3 in less than 5 months... We wanted to find out why they came back so we asked them. Julie Johnson said, “The exceptional customer service is why we came back.” We asked Mrs. Johnson what she liked most about her experience with Parks Mazda, and she said, “The people... Everyone was so easy to work with, and they were able to understand our needs and got us into the car that we wanted. It was a very easy buying experience for us.” We asked, “Would you recommend Parks Mazda to your friends and family?”, and she said, “Yes! We would, and we have!”

We hear it all the time; customer service is the key to a successful business. Here, at Parks Mazda, we pride ourselves on delivering a quality product at a fair price with exceptional customer service. Stop by today to start your Zoom-Zoom Experience!

Johnson Family February 2011	Johnson Family July 2011