Blog / Milton Ruben Toyota News

Toyota Transformation: Lifting a FJ Cruiser

Has anybody else been battling with this consistent love-hate / why-am-I-wasting-my-time-on-this-trash guilty-pleasure of quizzes on buzzfeed? Between finding out which Disney Prince you're destined to marry and what kind of Vampire would drink your blood rather than your celebrity doppelgänger who makes fun of your street to first pet ratio-ed Rapper Name, there are the classics. Like the personality test. And go figure - according to the author, who I'm sure is a clinical psychologist with all sorts of legitimate certifications, degrees, doctorates, and a highly impressive Rapper Name street cred, I'm Type A Personality - the organized planner. Who shows up on time, is reliable, a leader, generally accomplished, focused, ambitious, and, amidst a myriad of a dozen other annoying little quirks, has a pretty elaborate idea of what the perfect car is. It might be true. We may all be doomed to hours and hours of weathering the elements in search of the perfect vehicle - yes to those tires, no to that body style, etc.
We had customer that needed his FJ Cruiser decked out and ready for some off-road action. When we were done with it, it looked so nice, we decided to modify one of our own. (Photo on left provided by Milton Ruben Photographer Kris Olsen.)
Or we might just shop at Milton Ruben. And we just might take those tires and put them on this body style. Ah, the miracles that can occur at the hands of a certified technician!
Meet Certified Toyota Technician Jimmy Berry, who took on the task of lifting and "shoeing" an FJ Cruiser for our lot.
With great pride in the capabilities of our highly trained team, we present a visual representation of a 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser, transforming to an off-roading beast of a butterfly.   STEP ONE After removing the manufacturer tires that came on the FJ Cruiser from Toyota, Jimmy disassembles steering components to gain access to the shocks. Jimmy must remove the shocks, install a lift kit, and replace the shocks.
Service Director Kevin Woodard dropped in to check on Jimmy's progress. He inspected the installation of the spacers on the lift to ensure that the complicated inner-workings of the FJ's suspension were secure.
Lifting a vehicle is a multi-phased process, beginning with removing the tires and rims, and then taking off the shocks (it looks like a spring), and placing a spacer between the shocks and the suspension to literally "lift" the body of the vehicle up from the tires.
Here, Jerry disassembles the steering component to gain access to remove the shock.
  STEP TWO Put on the tires.
Each of these tires, built on a 18" aluminum rim, weighs roughly 45 pounds. "I'm not going to the gym tonight," Jimmy said while heaving the tire up onto the wheel.
Jerry places lugnuts that will secure the wheel onto the wheel hub. If lugnuts are not properly tightened, the wheel could shake as they rotate, damaging the interior of the wheel well.
Using an impact wrench to tighten lugnuts onto wheel hub, Jimmy is careful to tighten to torque specifications.
  STEP THREE Re-calibrate microchips in each of the tires, as well as on the motherboard in the dashboard of the vehicle so they communicate properly. If this step gets skipped, the computer on the car will always read that the vehicle has improperly inflated tires.
Jimmy uses an Electronic Calibration Tool, to re-calibrate the TPMS - Tire Pressure Monitoring System. The ECT basically activates the sensors in the tire, which will then send a signal to the ECT with the necessary numbers for the tires. Jimmy will take that information and transfer it to the TPMS on the vehicle.
Jimmy ensures that the TPMS has properly re-calibrated the motherboard in the dash of the vehicle. This way, the tire pressure monitoring system will only flash a notification on the dash when the tires are no longer properly inflated.
A dangerous mistake some people may make is to forget the spare. Jimmy was sure to include the spare in his initial calibration, as well as his double check of each tire's pressure.
STEP FOUR Step back and enjoy the view. To keep meeting your mechanic, taking a peek behind the wrench, and stay in the loop on new cars to customize into your very own, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and Pinterest! Photos by Heather Cortright, Milton Ruben Social Media Specialist.
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Putt Away Your Trade Sales Event at Milton Ruben Toyota

You've heard about the Milton Ruben Toyota Putting Competition to prepare for Masters Week in Augusta, GA - now we're raising the stakes!  With our Putt Away Your Trade Sales Event! If you have ever wanted to trade out of your current vehicle but have not been able due to negative equity, poor vehicle condition or high payments, This Friday, Saturday and Monday only, Milton Ruben Toyota can make it happen with the first ever PUTT TO TRADE Sales Event! Take a putt and get up to one thousand dollars above our best trade offer, sink the putt and Milton Ruben will give you an extra thousand dollars for your trade.Miss, and still win up to seven hundred fifty dollars.Every test drive by a licensed driver with trade appraisal qualifies! One putt can help lower your payment or get you out of negative equity! During this special trading event, new 2015 Corolla L, manual 6 speeds at our lowest price ever - $13,129. New 2015 Camry LE’s - only $17,684. This Friday, Saturday and Monday every new Toyota will be on sale at our lowest prices ever and you get to Putt to Trade for an extra thousand dollars!This event is only at Milton Ruben Toyota on Washington Road in Augusta, GA! Find more details at drivebaby.com! Disclaimer: All prices exclude tax,tag, registration and title and includes all dealer fees.Offer expires March 31, 2015.

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Pair It Forward: Soles for Souls Shoe Drive at Milton Ruben!

Last year, we welcomed a lovely young lady named Emma Kate Few to our dealership floor to open another one of our favorite community charity drives - a Soles for Souls shoe drive! Emma Kate, 16, has been a local spokesperson for the National Non-profit organization Soles for Souls for the past 4 years, and we hosted her here for the first time last February.  We are so excited to embark on a new drive with her again this year, collecting shoes for the needy both locally and worldwide!   Soles for Souls was originally a disaster relief aid founded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It has since grown into a global effort to fight poverty and disease in third world countries by providing shoes and establishing micro-enterprise businesses to boost the economy.  But Soles for Souls also serves at home as well, continuing to provide shoes for victims of natural disasters in addition to orphanages and the homeless.  It is a wonderful cause that we are proud to be a part of! We know our customers are ready for some early spring cleaning (or Masters' guest prep!), so we even set a goal of 1,000 pairs of shoes to collect, with the hopes of assisting Soles for Souls in this year's Pair it Forward campaign to reach 1,000,000 shoes!  So let's step up and Pair it Forward, CSRA! What We Will Accept: Shoes, of any variety, size, shape, or condition! Where: All three of our buildings have a box to collect in, as well as our Chrysler Dodg When: Now - March 13th Get Steppin'! We will track our progress as we reach for our 1,000 pairs of shoes goal with this shoe! Stay connected with us on Facebook to stay updated!   To keep up with our progress in the Soles for Souls Shoe Drive, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google! Graphics and post by Milton Ruben Social Media Specialist Heather Cortright.

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15 Things We Love About the New 2015 Toyota Sienna

Everyone has seen the viral advertisements from Toyota about the new 2015 "Swagger Wagon."  We have all laughed at the truth in the ad about parenthood and being "cool" enough to embarrass your kids sufficiently, partying hard until 9pm, and sneaking sips of apple juice from the toddler's sippy cup.  Let's be honest, we love those ads.  It has been connecting parents everywhere to the beautiful chaos that is having kids, commiserating in the joyful, crazy lives we lead day in and day out, so much so that finding the humor in it is just as beautiful as your kid saying "I love you," through choking sobs while you're trying to scrub a mystery substance scented with banana and mud off of their face.  "Messy but great," right? Well, the 2015 Toyota Sienna acknowledges the messiness of parenthood, and offers you a sweet window of hope in the form of a minivan that is anything but a compromise.  Allow us to elaborate in these 15 things we love about the new 2015 Toyota Sienna! Driver Easy Speak The Sienna sees your screaming and raises you a speaker system that will transfer your voice to the rear seat.  By touching a button on the screen of the new dash, you can project your voice through the speaker system to your passengers, helping you maintain control of your adorable hooligans! Smart Key System Who hasn't had that moment of baby on the hip, purse on your shoulder, and key that has sunk to the bottom of the diaper bag in pouring down rain and frigid winds?  You no longer have to dig around in the diaper bag with your one free hand and miraculously juggle child, purse, and bag around to open the door and lock baby into the car seat.  You can just touch the door, and the vehicle will sense the proximity of the key, and unlock for you.  I'm pretty sure a mom of two toddlers thought up this one! Sliding Center Console Speaking of toddlers... as they outgrow those car seats, and their hands are still only so big, spills in the car are an accepted reality of parenthood.  But we can minimize those spills with an extended sliding center console, putting cup holders within reach of those little hands. Dual View Blu Ray No more arguments over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Frozen on the next long holiday drive - you can have both in the 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE Premium with the Dual Screen on the Blu Ray.  It even comes with head phones so you can rock out to Kenny G (just kidding) and don't have to hear Let It Go for the fifty millionth time. Recline and Relax Again, as the kids get older - there are advantages.  Teen driver can help with the road trip while you kick back, prop your tired feet up on the ottoman (yes, ottoman), recline a tad bit, and take a nice snoozer in the 2015 Toyota Sienna Limited.  Toyotas are a long-term investment, so let's think long-term! Easy Access Kids climbing around on your upholstery  in their dirty shoes are a thing of the past - finally!  Second row seating slides all the way forward, with backs of the chairs closing in for easier access to third row seating. Power Lift Gate Another battle of arms full vs. access won!  Your smart key has a button, the lift gate has a button, your driver's seat has a button - there are multiple ways to conquer  the "You forgot to close the trunk!" debacle with the Power Lift Gate! Split N' Stow Seating I remember as a kid, watching Dad haul the seats out of the back of our minivan before a ski trip.  Those things looked heavy, and we always ended up with the seats in our dining room for a few days until Dad regained the strength to reinstall the suckers.  No worries for my generation of parents! Not only do our minivans have a bucket in the rear to store third row seats, but several trim levels even have electronic buttons - no hauling necessary! Convertible Cargo With those seats stowed in their buckets, you can convert 39 cubic feet of storage into up to 150 cubic feet of cargo area. Soft Touch Leather That sticky squeaking is soooo last decade! Our soft touch leather offers the luxury of leather with the comfort of quality fabric. (And I hear it's easy to clean to boot!) Available Dual Moonroof Be it for a little extra light for Abbey to teach Aiden how to read, or to watch the stars as they fall asleep, the dual moonroof is a luxury we love in the new Sienna! Seats Up To 8 With convertible seating and an extra option to insert a center seat on the second row, there's no way you can't take on the U-8 soccer team's spontaneous victory pizza lunch! Toyota Care There is so much that can be said for Toyota Care, that we could go on all day.  But the basics is that Toyota is here to take care of you, with a warranty and service coverage that covers the first two years of your new Sienna! New Wraparound Dash By far our favorite new feature in the new 2015 Toyota Sienna is the dash.  Designed with safety in mind, Toyota created an easy one touch system, and re-organized it to be closer to the driver, easier to reach, and thus easier for you to stay focused on the road. Safety Features With 8 standard airbags (up to 12), a 24/7 emergency response center called Safety Connect, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, standard back up camera, blind spot monitoring, parking assist, and so much more, the 2015 Toyota Sienna is built to get you and your family from Place A to Place B as efficiently and as safely as possible. The 2015 Toyota Sienna "Swagger Wagon" truly is the minivan that doesn't compromise, for those who live lives all about compromise.  Live a little, gain some swagger, and check out the new 2015 Toyota Sienna at https://www.miltonrubentoyota.com.   For more information on the latest vehicles, offers, and events at Milton Ruben Toyota, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Post, Photos, GIFs, and Graphics by Milton Ruben Social Media Specialist Heather Cortright.