Friday Festivities

Alright it's that time again. TGIF! It's time to see what we can get into this weekend.

I'll start off with the release of what is to be expected as this summer's blockbuster movie, Ironman 2, with Robert Downey Jr. returning in the role of Tony Stark. IM2 will see the introduction of War Machine (Don Cheadle) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the villian Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). Viewing it in all its 3D glory on IMAX is highly recommended.

In music:

8th Annual PANorama Caribbean Music Festival - 24th Street Stage
Porgy & Bess - CNU's Ferguson Center for the Arts (NN)

Other festivities:
4th Annual AT&T Spring Town Point Wine Festival - Town Point Park

And, of course, don't forget all the special mothers out there! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9th, 2010.

May everyone have a great weekend :)

Summer Tire Maintenance

Welcome to Wired Wednesday! Try saying that five times fast!

In this edition we're going to talk Summer Tire Maintenance. With Mother's Day this Sunday and Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, family trips are expected. It is incredibly important to make sure your tires are prepared to endure a long summer of extended family getaways!

Let's face it. Hot temperatures, heavy loads, road hazards, etc can and will stress your tires! We need to make sure we are checking tire pressure and tire tread wear before every trip, especially lengthy ones.

Tire Pressure:

1. Make sure to check tire pressure for all FIVE of your tires. What's that you say? You only have four? Believe it or not, there's another tire your missing ... your SPARE! Make sure it's taken care of too. You never know when you'll need it.

2. Use your manufacturer's Recommended Tire Pressure (found in your Owner's Manual, Glove Compartment, or Side Door) as the guideline for your tire pressure rather than the Maximum Tire Pressure on the tire. Make sure to compensate for Heavy Loads if necessary.

3. Remember that tire pressure increases as the outside air temperature rises! Hello, high school physics. Nice to know you can put that knowledge to good use huh? Check pressure regularly as you may lose considerable amounts on those really hot summer days.

4. Remember FRICTION! Friction causes heat and heat causes increased tire pressure! Tire pressure should always be checked for accuracy BEFORE driving.

Tire Tread:

1. Minimum acceptable tread depth is 3/32 inch or approximately from the tip of the penny to the top of President Abe's head. Anything less than this doesn't even pass State Inspection standards.

2. Look for uneven wear. If the tires are more worn on one side than the other you may need a wheel alignment.

3. Check for lumps. This may be a sign of needed wheel balancing.

Tires are an extremely important aspect of your vehicle and should be checked regularly so you can enjoy your summer safely! Happy travels :)

Around View Monitor (AVM) Feature

For today's Technology Tuesday, we'll explore Infiniti's Around View Monitor system features on the EX and FX models.

Many people assume that the AVM feature is merely a rear-view camera option; however, it is much more than that. It uses four exterior cameras on every side of the vehicle which allows for a virtual 360-degree view.

This perspective allows for a bird's-eye view which is displayed on the in-dash monitor. Should you be getting too close to an object, a warning will show on the monitor. In addition, an audible warning sound will also go off.

Just think of all the ways this feature can assist you daily!

Tight parking spaces seen at the mall, in parking garages, or even parallel parking become a breeze!

You can read more about the AVM feature and all of Infiniti's progressive techonology on their website at: http://www.infinitiusa.com/technology.html.

Be sure to watch the instructional video to see how it works!

Infiniti 2011 M in Consumer Reports Blog!

In this weeks Media Monday post we find that our brand new 2011 Infiniti M is featured in a blog by Consumer Reports.

In it they highlight several features of the 2011 M37 sedan such as:

**Compliments to the exterior and interior design of the sedan
**Extended list of electronic features
**Technology Package Safety Features - Lane Departure Prevention and Blind Spot Prevention
**Improved fuel economy with the with the new 7-speed Automatic Transmission

You can access Consumer Reports blog on the 2011 Infiniti M via this link:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/05/just-in-2011-infiniti-m37.html

Stay tuned to here results of Consumer Report's full test on the new 2011 M sedan ...

Friday Festivities

All sorts of exciting events happening this weekend as we come to the end of April and welcome May.

For the music lovers:

**Angels & Airwaves will be rockin' it at the NorVa tonight, 4/30/2010 @ 8pm.

**Saliva w/ Sekshun 8 & Since October rockin' it at the NorVa 5/1/2010 @ 8pm.

**An Evening with Pam Tillis tonight, 4/30/2010 at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts @ 8pm.

** Fight Leukemia Benefit at the Taphouse tonight, 4/30/2010 @ 9pm.


For the movie lovers, now showing this weekend:

**Furry Vengance starring Brendan Fraiser, rated PG13

**A Nightmare on Elm Street starring Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach, The Watchmen) as Freddy Kreuger, rated R


Other local events:

**Virginia International Tattoo - Scope Arena - 4/30/2010 to 5/2/2010

**UniverSoul Circus - Military Circle Mall - 4/27/2010 to 5/2/2010

**AKC All-Breed Dog Show - Chesapeake City Park (Jubilee Site) - 5/1/2010 to 5/2/2010

**Mo'Nique Spread The Love Comedy Tour - Constant Convocation Center - 5/1/2010

**Special Olympics Bowl-a-Thon - Pinboy's - 5/1/2010

**Town Center Arts & Wine Festival - Town Center, Va Beach - 5/1/2010

Enjoy your weekend :)

Total Ownership Thursday - Peninsula Valet Service

Here at Charles Barker Infiniti, we understand how vital maintenance is to the life of your vehicle. We also understand how much of a hassle it can be when you have to navigate your way "across the water" to get your vehicle in for service. Luckily, Charles Barker Infiniti owners have the exclusive benefit of our Peninsula Service Valet!

Here's how the program works:

1. You call our Service Dept. at 757-437-4014 and ask for Peninsula Service Valet.
2. Our very own (and very special) Service Valet, Mr. Sears, will contact you to set up a time to pick up your vehicle.
3. Mr. Sears will pick up your vehicle at the designated time and, pending availability, will deliver your own Service Loaner Vehicle to use while your vehicle is being serviced.
4. Once your vehicle's service has been completed, our Service Dept. will call you to arrange payment.
5. Mr. Sears delivers your vehicle back to you and secures our loaner vehicle to bring back to us.

It's just that simple!

**Valid for routine services and/or scheduled maintenances only**

EXCLUSIVELY for those who own/lease an Infiniti vehicle purchased from Charles Barker Infiniti.

Wired Wednesday - Attention Convertible Owners!

As summer is fast approaching we thought it wise to address our convertible owners for this week's edition of Wired Wednesday.

Infiniti's hardtop convertible folds into three seperate pieces all resting comfortably and securely on top of each other in the trunk of the car. It is important to remember that, in order to properly store the hardop, the trunk area must be free of obstacles.

To protect the integrity of the convertible's hardtop and your peace of mind, we want to remind convertible owners that the hardtop can ONLY be opened when the trunk area is EMPTY and the seperator partition is in the upright position and secured in its holders.

To open/close the hardtop, the vehicle must be on a level surface and not in motion! Please be sure to have the vehicle in the PARK position (A/T) or NEUTRAL position (M/T) before attempting to operate the hardtop. Please be sure to keep the open/close button FULLY DEPRESSED during the ENTIRE CYCLE until the display on the dashboard says the operation has finished.

Please note:

1. If you release the switch and press it again while the top is being opened, the top will slightly move to the closing direction and then start moving to the opening direction again.
2. When the hardtop operating switch is depressed (open/close), the driver's side and passenger's side windows will automatically fully open. The windows DO NOT automatically rise when after the open/close hardtop operation is completed. Pulling up and holding both front power window switches will raise both the front and rear windows.

For your convenience you can also OPEN the hardtop by using the Driver Door Handle Request Switch. Press and hold driver side door request switch until the hardtop is open completely. This operation cannot close the hardtop.

Note: Requires the Intelligent Key to be on "your person", within the operating range for the lock/unlock operation tofunction.

**For more details, please consult your Quick Reference Guide for your convertible or your Owner's Manual.**

We hope these tips will bring peace of mind to all our present and future Infiniti convertible owners and allow you to enjoy your convertibles all summer long!