Summertime Heat Can Do Real Damage to Your Car

Summer can be a great time! Fun in the sun can include camping, visits to your favorite water parks, relaxation and much more, but there's a downside to all the sun... It can be damaging to your car paint!
Sunlight can cause oxidation which causes fading, and that's bad news, but you're not at a total loss! There are steps the average person can take to PREVENT sun damage to their car.

1) Park in a shaded area: Obviously the easiest way to avoid sun damage is to avoid the sun altogether. Paint is tough, but if you're the typical 9-5 worker, that's 8 hours a day your car can be exposed to sun rays. We suggest seeking out shaded areas for parking, even if it means walking an extra block.
2) Clean off bugs: Insects not only make your car look gross, but the small amount of acid contained in some insects can be enough to penetrate your paint, so be sure to wash your car often... which brings us to our next step...
3) Dry thoroughly: Cleaning your car is great, but you don't want to let water settle. Water can leave behind minerals including salt, which is harmful to the outer coatings protecting your paint, which in the end, can lead to fading.
4) Finally... wax: Wax is the ultimate protector. Waxing fills in small scuffs, and rejuvenates the outer layers of your paint keeping them like new so be sure to wax after washing your car. It's a great way to insure it's dry, and keeps it looking as glossy as the day you bought it.

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Homeless Children's Education Fund School Supply Drive

Support Homeless Children through the CBL Monroeville Mall School Supply Drive. Drop off school supplies between today and July 31st at the Monroeville Mall food court, the Monroeville Area Chamber Of Commerce, or to their office inside of the Monroeville Convention Center. Supplies for children grades k-12 are needed.

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Military Copper Edition Jeep Wrangler

The new Copper Jeep Wrangler design is an excellent addition to what was already a sturdy and hearty car. Now, with the added copper shell, the Wrangler looks even more resilient to road hazards and the great outdoors. What do you think?

The latest update to Kahn’s Military edition Jeep Wrangler totally revamps the car by giving it a unique copper paint job. With this project Kahn has made a car that looks right wherever it goes, be it a luxury hotel in London, or a quarry in South Africa. It can take care of business in both places. The Copper Jeep offers a nice blend of elegance and badassery! 

The upgrades this Wrangler benefits from are far greater than just a paint job. To name a few of the extra goodies on it, we can mention a front grille industrial mesh, brake calipers finished in copper, mud flaps, side wing blades in carbon, xenon crosshair headlamps, door entry sill plates in stainless steel, Kahn enamel wing shields, fuel filler cap (smoked black), privacy glass, heated seats, floor mats, split level targa roof, aluminum machined foot pedals, Kahn enamel tailgate logo and Kahn wheel cover at the back. 

As a unique optional extra, Kahn can make the rear window bulletproof! So if people shoot at you a lot when you are running away, this is the car for you. The interior treatment is naturally bespoke to the customer, but this particular car comes with front and rear seats in quilted black leather with copper stitching and a centre console also in a copper finish.

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The 2014 Jeep Compass/Patriot Captured!

We love it when when these spy pics reach the public because it gives us an initial unaltered look at what we can expect from our favorite Jeep lines. Take this Compass/Patriot shot for example: we love what they've done to it so far!

These days, it’s nearly impossible to travel across Southeastern Michigan without tripping over a Fiat-based Chrysler test mule. Sure enough, we managed to stumble across a very early test mule for what will ultimately replace the Jeep Compass and Patriot CUVs. 

In late 2009, Chrysler disclosed that both the Compass and Patriot – presently built on the late Dodge Caliber’s PM/MK architecture – would be replaced by a single model in 2013, and adopt a new, Fiat-sourced platform. Although the time frame has since been delayed slightly (Chrysler now says both the Compass and Patriot will live on until August 2014), the company is already working on concocting a replacement based upon the C-US Wide (CUSW) platform. It won’t be the first Jeep to use that architecture; that honor goes to the forthcoming Jeep Liberty replacement. 

That platform, which also underpins the 2013 Dodge Dart, is a longer, wider variant of Fiat’s C-EVO platform, which is used in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. As such, it’s not surprising to see this early test mule use a Giulietta body that has obviously been both widened and lengthened to fit. As is always the case with engineering mules like this, expect the finished product to share no sheetmetal with the finished product.

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Jeeps New Blacked Out 'Altitude'

Jeep has come out with a blacked out Altitude (with attitude!) in response to a large consumer push to completely black out their cars. What do you think of the design so far?

Jeeps are fun all-purpose vehicles, not sinister. But Jeep noticed that some buyers were tricking out their vehicles to make them look a little, well, evil, with blacked wheels and other touches. 

That has led to a new Jeep line with the unexpected name of Altitude. "Attitude" would be more appropriate, so Jeep marketing chief came up with a compromise, calling them the "Altitudes with attitude." 

Instead of bouncing over mountaintops, the Altitudes are aimed at tearing around rough asphalt in cities. Jeep is focusing its Altitude marketing efforts in Los Angeles, Miami and Houston.

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It's A Good Time For Jeep

Jeep is coming out with 4 new models by 2014, and an entire new string of cars by 2016. The Jeep Liberty, Patriot, Jeepster, and Wagoneer will soon be unveiled.

We brought you the news earlier this week that the Jeep Grand Cherokee would enter a new generation in 2016 but before the new top of the line Jeep arrives in 2016; the other models currently in the Jeep lineup will be revamped and a pair of new models will be introduced. 

The first revamped model will be the midsized Jeep Liberty, which will be built on a modified version of the Compact US Wide platform (CUSW) that currently underpins the 2013 Dodge Dart. The new Liberty is expected to arrive sometime next year with the option of rear- or all-wheel drive and the buyers’ choice of an inline 4 or V6 engine. This is one vehicle that Chrysler has not been subtle about so it comes as no surprise. 

Next, for 2014 there could be three new Jeeps with one revamped model in the new Patriot and two new models, including the new Jeepster and the new Grand Wagoneer. 

The new Jeep Patriot arriving for 2014 will effectively replace both the current Patriot and the current Jeep Compass as the only compact SUV in the lineup. This new ute will be built in the USA with an inline-4 engine with either front wheel drive or all wheel drive and if we had to guess; we would expect to see a manual and automatic transmission although the automatic could be a new dual clutch unit. There will likely also be an Alfa Romeo model based closely on the next generation Patriot.

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The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee: A Family Car

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee has received another great review, this time as a car for the family. Not only does the Cherokee work well in a city for everyday chores, but it has everything you'll need to take on the open open road.

For families surrounded by concrete jungles rather than natural terrain, the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee can be a lot more SUV than is needed on a day-to-day basis, but its stylish looks and powerful engine will win more than a few families over. 

After its 2011 redesign, the Grand Cherokee seemed to be new in every way: new engine, new looks, new attitude. I was surprised by how upscale it seemed upon saddling in; after all, there's quite a beast -- a 290-horsepower V-6 -- beneath that hood. With its good-looking makeover and impressive performance chops, the Grand Cherokee is sure to appeal to both Mom and Dad. If your family is one that battles snow, sleet and hail, you'll definitely appreciate the various driving modes the Grand Cherokee has to offer, too. On the streets of L.A., I had a different driving experience. With the SUV's large frame and all that power, I felt like that proverbial bull in a china shop. It felt too bloated when I drove down one-way streets or needed to parallel park. I certainly had no problems with acceleration and keeping up with the speed of traffic in the Grand Cherokee, but it was never smooth. It was difficult to find the right balance when moving forward without lurching ahead or stopping abruptly.  

A base Grand Cherokee starts at $28,120 (including a $925 destination charge), but my test car, a Limited 4X4 trim with the optional Preferred Package and Media Center, cost $42,080.

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