It’s every driver’s worst nightmare. You’re driving down the street, enjoying your day, when all of a sudden a light on your dashboard catches your eye. You look down and see – the dreaded “Check Engine” signal.

When this light flickers on, it means the onboard computer system in your vehicle has self-diagnosed a problem. The causes for this alert varies from a momentary hiccup that has little or no noticeable effect on engine performance or driving safety, to a failure of a major electronic component. Unfortunately, the only way to tell what has triggered this alarm is to run a diagnostic scan on your vehicle to determine the culprit.

The onboard diagnostic system in your vehicle is very complex. To accurately access and diagnose this system special tools are used to troubleshoot your vehicle. At Toyota of Tampa Bay, our highly trained staff will access your vehicle’s computer system and put your vehicle into a special diagnostic mode to display the “fault codes.” These are numeric codes that are generated and stored in your vehicle’s computer system when a problem is detected. By retrieving the fault codes, the service technicians at Toyota of Tampa Bay can isolate the failed component and begin repairing or replacing it.

Intermittent problems are often more difficult, and may take a significant amount of time to diagnose. In these situations, it is critical to make note of the conditions that caused the light to turn on. Were you driving at a certain speed? Were you accelerating or slowing down, or were you shifting gears?

If your check engine light has illuminated recently, feel free to bring your vehicle to Toyota of Tampa Bay for a complete diagnosis and inspection.

The government has released its listing of the best and worst fuel efficient vehicles, and once again the Prius takes the top honors. Not surprising, nine of the top ten vehicles in the 2010 fuel economy rankings are hybrid models, a trend expected to continue as Americans further embrace hybrid technologies.

The 2010 Toyota Prius claims the highest rung on the fuel efficiency ladder with a fuel economy of 51 city and 48 highway miles per gallon. The popularity of the Toyota Prius is easy to see with a total of 2 million, and counting, Toyota Prius’ sold worldwide. Since its release in June of this year, the third generation has proven not only to be the most fuel efficient vehicle on the road, but also a curb-hugging, fun to drive vehicle.

To test-drive the 2010 Toyota Prius, visit Toyota of Tampa Bay today. Plus, for a limited time, take advantage of incredible lease prices and low finance rates on many of Toyota’s most popular models.

No one, including Toyota of Tampa Bay owner Larry Morgan, could have predicted a simple invitation to serve on the Morton Plant Mease Health Care Inc. finance committee would result in a $5 million donation and a dedicated health care philanthropist. That’s exactly what happened, however, when Mr. Morgan accepted that invitation.

In 1990, Mr. Morgan moved to the Clearwater area from Virginia and started his retail tire distribution business, Tires Plus. After working seven days a week and growing the business to 600 nationwide stores, Mr. Morgan sold the company and retired. Spending the first three days of his retirement playing golf, Mr. Morgan quickly found he had more to give.

Wanting to become more involved with the local community, and give back some of the good fortune he had received, Mr. Morgan accepted an invitation to become involved with the local hospital system. Shortly after, he attended 21 meetings in a 30 day period in his first year of involvement. The enthusiasm and commitment of the hospital staff left Mr. Morgan so inspired, he became further involved with the hospitals governance.

When he controlled the reigns in his previous business, Mr. Morgan provided health care for 7,500 families. Now on the other side of the health care spectrum, Mr. Morgan was able to see how all the pieces must come together to make the health care system complete. Mr. Morgan’s ever growing passion for the health care industry eventually lead to the $5 million donation from the Morgan family that was used to help fund the construction of the $52 million Morgan Heart Hospital, located at the Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater.

Today Mr. Morgan splits his time between the six automotive dealership he owns with his son Brett Morgan, and serving as chairman of the four-hospital health system.

The Morgan Auto Group, owners of Honda of Ocala, Toyota of Tampa Bay, BMW of Sarasota, Sarasota Lamborghini, Wade Raulerson Honda and Wade Raulerson Buick Pontiac GMC want you to be the first to know about the new and exciting addition to the family: MINI of Wesley Chapel.  

Scheduled to open in Spring 2011, MINI of Wesley Chapel will be conveniently located on SR 56 less than a mile from I-75, near Tampa Bay, Brandon, New Tampa, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Zephyrhills.  

The MINI of Wesley Chapel dealership will include many state-of-the-art “green” design elements to use the least amount of energy possible. Stay tuned for more details, as we will provide further updates throughout this exciting process.

If you missed out on the government Cash for Clunkers rebate program a few months ago, you can still receive a tax deduction, by buying a new vehicle, before the end of the year. While this tax deduction won’t exceed the rebates offered during the Cash for Clunkers program, you’ll still have a chance to receive a large sum of your purchase back.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, passed last February, allows all new car buyers to deduct the sales tax and other fees charged from the purchase of their vehicle after February 17th and before January 1st. The tax deduction can be added to the standard deduction, making it available even if you itemize your return. Plus, there is no limit to the number of vehicles you can claim under this deduction, as long as you purchase each vehicle before this deduction expires. There are some restrictions to this special tax deduction, so be sure to consult with a tax professional if you have any questions.

If you’re considering buying a new car this year, don’t miss this opportunity to increase your tax refund. Combined with low interest rates, high factory incentives and record trade-in prices, now is the perfect time to trade up to a new vehicle.