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Buying and leasing can put you behind the wheel of the exact same Kia, but what happens afterward can look completely different. One driver might want to buy a Kia Sportage, make payments toward ownership, and keep it well beyond the end of the loan. Someone else might lease a Kia K4 because they like changing vehicles every few years and want the flexibility to explore something new when the lease ends. The right choice depends on how much you drive, how long you typically keep a vehicle, your budget, and what you want the next few years of ownership to look like. At King Kia in Gaithersburg, we help drivers throughout Rockville, Bethesda, Germantown, Silver Spring, and the surrounding Maryland communities compare both options. You can start by browsing our New Kia Inventory, checking our New Vehicle Specials and current lease offers, or using our Online Payment Calculator to start putting real numbers behind your decision. Buying a Kia Makes Sense When You Want to Keep It Buying is usually the easier option to picture because the end goal is straightforward: ownership. You finance your Kia, make payments according to your loan agreement, and once the vehicle is paid off, it's yours. Ownership also removes the mileage considerations associated with a lease. If your commute changes, you start taking more road trips, or suddenly find yourself driving into D.C. several times a week, you aren't working within a predetermined lease mileage allowance. You also have more freedom to personalize your vehicle and decide when you're ready to sell or trade it. Already own a vehicle? King Kia 's Value Your Trade tool can help you estimate what it could contribute toward your next Kia. If you'd rather sell without buying another vehicle at the same time, explore our We Buy Cars program instead. Leasing a Kia Gives You a Different Kind of Flexibility Keeping the same vehicle for the better part of a decade isn't everyone's goal. Leasing can make sense if you enjoy driving newer vehicles and like the idea of reconsidering your options every few years. Instead of financing a vehicle toward eventual ownership, you're typically paying for its use during a defined lease term, subject to the terms of your agreement. That can be especially interesting as the Kia lineup continues to expand. King Kia offers gas, hybrid, and electric Kia models, giving you several different ways to approach your next vehicle. The Kia that makes sense for your life today may be different from what you'll want a few years from now, and leasing gives you a natural point to reconsider those needs at the end of your term. Our Current Kia Lease Offers are a useful place to compare available opportunities as you decide whether leasing fits your plans. How Much You Drive Matters Take a look at your odometer. If you're regularly putting significant mileage on your vehicle traveling around Gaithersburg and the DMV, taking frequent road trips, or simply don't want to think about annual mileage limits, buying may give you more freedom. Lease agreements generally establish mileage allowances, and exceeding the mileage specified in your agreement can mean additional charges when the vehicle is returned. Drivers with relatively predictable commutes and annual mileage may find those limits easy to plan around. Checking how many miles you've added to your current vehicle over the last year or two can give you a useful real-world number to bring into the decision. Don't Make the Decision on Monthly Payment Alone Your monthly payment matters, but buying and leasing aren't two versions of the same financial arrangement. Loan and lease agreements can differ in their terms, upfront costs, mileage considerations, payment structures, and what happens at the end. Comparing the monthly numbers without considering those differences doesn't give you the whole picture. Use King Kia 's Online Payment Calculator to experiment with potential purchase scenarios based on factors like vehicle price, down payment, interest rate, and loan term. Our Finance Department can then help you compare available financing and leasing options in greater detail. King Kia works with manufacturer programs along with local and national lenders, and we assist customers across a wide range of credit backgrounds. When you're ready to move forward, you can complete our Online Finance Application before your visit. Buying or Leasing Can Start Online Once you have an idea of which direction makes sense, you don't have to wait until you're sitting inside the dealership to start shopping. Our How to Buy Online page can walk you through the digital shopping process, while the King Kia Express Store gives you another convenient way to move your purchase forward from home. Browse available Kia models, compare your options, estimate the value of your current vehicle, and complete more of the shopping process on your own schedule. Start with the part that's more fun: finding the Kia you actually want. Explore our gas, hybrid, and electric models and then decide how you want to put one in your driveway. Buy or Lease Your Next Kia at King Kia in Gaithersburg If you'd like to finish making payments and have a Kia that belongs to you, buying may align naturally with your plans. If you'd rather have a built-in opportunity to reconsider what you drive every few years, leasing may be worth exploring. Your mileage, budget, driving habits, and long-term plans can help narrow down the answer. Our job is to give you the information and available options so you can decide which one makes the most sense for you. Browse the New Kia Inventory, compare our New Vehicle Specials and Current Lease Offers, use Value Your Trade, or visit our Express Store to start exploring from home. You can also visit King Kia at 953 N Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 to compare your options with our finance team. We proudly serve drivers throughout Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda, Germantown, Silver Spring, and the surrounding Maryland communities.

Brake checking is a dangerous driving behavior that can result in serious consequences for both the driver who engages in the behavior and other drivers on the road. If you are tempted to brake check another driver, it is important to consider the potential consequences. One of the primary consequences of brake checking is the risk of causing an accident. A driver who suddenly slams on their brakes can cause the driver behind them to rear-end their vehicle, leading to injuries and property damage. Additionally, brake checking can escalate road rage incidents, leading to more aggressive and dangerous driving behavior. In addition to the physical risks of brake checking, there are also legal consequences. In some states, brake checking can be considered a form of reckless driving and can result in fines, license suspension, and even jail time. If you find yourself in a situation where you are tempted to brake check another driver, there are several steps you can take: Stay calm: When you are driving, it is important to stay calm and avoid getting angry or frustrated with other drivers. Take deep breaths and focus on safe driving practices. Keep a safe distance: When you are driving, it is important to keep a safe distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. This will give you enough time to react if the other driver suddenly slams on their brakes. Avoid confrontation: If another driver is driving aggressively or is making you angry, it is important to avoid confrontation. Move into a different lane or pull over to allow the other driver to pass. Practice defensive driving: Defensive driving is a technique that involves anticipating potential hazards on the road and taking steps to avoid them. This can include leaving extra space between your vehicle and other vehicles and scanning the road for potential hazards.

Well, the new year is here and that means we’re one step closer to the spring season! But, winter’s not over just yet! So, to help you get through the rest of this chilly season, King Kia has compiled a list of our tips for keeping your ride warm this winter! Check those out below and if you feel as though your ride isn’t up to snuff to face the rest of the season, then don’t hesitate to bring it in to see our team of professionals! Schedule your service appointment at the King Kia Service Center in Gaithersburg, MD today! King Kia’s Tips For Keeping Your Ride Warm: Park in the garage When it gets bone-chilling outside, it’s important to keep your ride warm. Parking in your garage or even a covered space will help keep your vehicle a few degrees warmer and will help shield your ride from the elements. Invest in a remote start system Before heading out into the cold, start your vehicle about 10 to 15 minutes before you’re ready to hit the road. This will help get your engine warmed up while you finish getting ready for the day! Check for antifreeze in your radiator Running on just water inside your radiator can cause your engine to freeze which means it could take longer to warm up. If you use antifreeze inside your radiator, your vehicle is likely to warm up faster and defrost your frozen toes! Install a block heater on your engine This is typically the fastest way to heat up a chilled engine and help warm up the cabin of your vehicle. A block heater has been known to work better with engine components and has less wear in the long run. Heated seating Most vehicles now offer heated seats as either a standard or add on option, we encourage you to invest and keep your backside warm on the chilly days you may encounter!

Springtime is right around the corner and that means a lot of rain is destined to head our way. And what happens when it rains a lot? That’s right - things get muddy. And if you’ve ever been struck with no idea what to do, you’re not alone. This week, I am here to help you get out of a muddy situation. So, check out that guide below and stop in to see our team to upgrade your ride to a more capable Kia vehicle! Be prepared for anything and everything. You may never know what will happen out there on the road and while that’s okay, we want to help set you up for success. Keep your vehicle’s tires at the correct PSI and with good tread. Also, if you do not have roadside assistance, it is worth looking into especially if you live in an area where muddy conditions occur frequently. Be sure that your vehicle is always packed with emergency supplies such as blankets, small shovel, tow cables, and other items alike. Rock your vehicle out. This can be a tricky way to free your vehicle and it can also be dangerous for your vehicle, so we only recommend doing this a few times. Keeping your wheels straight, gently step on the gas pedal and begin switching from drive to reverse. This creates a rocking movement and can sometimes free your vehicle from the mud by gaining traction. As we mentioned above, only do this a few times as this action can do damage to your engine or can create a deeper rut for you to sink into. Add traction. Vehicles tend to get stuck when there is little to no traction for the tires to grip onto. Whether this is due to your lack of tread on your tires or because your tread is gummed up with mud - you still need to get some traction in order to get yourself out. Use anything you have or can find, sticks, floor mats, a blanket or a traction aid, and place in front of your tires. This will help your tires grip and make its way out of the mud. Gently press on the gas and if you feel yourself moving forward continue doing what you’re doing. But if your vehicle isn’t budging, this won’t work. Call for help. At this point, you’ve done almost everything you can do by yourself unless you have friends, ask them for a push. But if your vehicle is still stuck in the mud this may be a good time to call roadside assistance, a tow truck or a friend to help tow your truck out of the mud. If you find yourself stuck on a busy roadway, this step might be the first one you should take instead of risking your safety. You are the shot caller - be safe and make the right choice. Choose Your Kia SUV Here!

Summer is here and that means you’ll be using the A/C in your vehicle a lot more. It also means that your coolant is going to be doing double time keeping your engine from overheating. Thankfully, modern vehicles have amazing internal regulators that ensure your engine won’t overheat. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check on your coolant every so often - and you might even need to top it off. Usually if you do need to top off, that is an indication of a larger problem that you should bring in to the shop. Take a look at our tips for checking your coolant and making sure that you’ve got it all good under the hood! Before you reach for the radiator cap, check the coolant reservoir to make sure that the liquid reaches the “Full” line on the side of the reservoir. If it doesn’t reach that far, then open up that lid and pour in a 50/50 mix of water and the coolant your vehicle takes until the level reaches the full line. Some coolants do come premixed, so make sure you read the bottle thoroughly. DO NOT add coolant to a hot engine! You can burn yourself badly or crack your engine block. You can also spray yourself with hot coolant if you open the radiator or coolant cap when your engine is hot due to the pressure and heat buildup. Coolant is usually red, green, blue, or yellow. If you see something weird, like things floating in the coolant or a rustiness or even a sludgy, oily surface, then you should take your vehicle to the shop to check for issues such as internal head gasket leakage. When you’re under the hood, feel your radiator hoses as well. Make sure they are not cracked, squishy, bulging, or leaking. If they are any of these things, replace them ASAP. Get Your Service For Less!

Quick question - how much do you know about your car’s battery? Do you know how to change it? Do you know how long it should last? If you don’t, well… keep reading. We’ve got a guide for changing your battery that might just change your LIFE! Not really, but, hey. It’s a great skill to have that will ensure your car is in great shape for years to come. Nobody likes getting stranded with a dead battery, and being able to change your battery and having the knowledge about how old your battery is can be super valuable. Read on for more! First of all, the location of your battery is going to be in your owner’s manual. If you drive anything other than a regular old gasoline vehicle (i.e. a hybrid) you should 100% be checking your owner’s manual for instructions on how to change the battery. When you’ve located the battery, make sure you know which post is the positive one and which is the negative, and which color the cables are that are attached to them. The positive post will probably have a red plastic cover, a red cable, and a plus sign (+) stamped on the battery next to the positive post. If the cables are not color coded, put some tape on them and label the cables. With a wrench, loosen the nut or bolt that keeps the negative terminal and cable attached to the battery. Remove them from the battery, and then move on to the positive terminal. ALWAYS DO NEGATIVE FIRST! Check your battery to see if it is being held down by clamps or tiedowns or similar and remove them if they are there. Set all of your loose parts aside where they will not be misplaced while you switch out the battery. Now, lift out the battery without jostling it or tipping it. It is heavy, so be careful! Next, it’s time to install the new battery! Place it into the same spot the old battery was in and make sure it is oriented the same exact way the old one was. Take the plastic caps off of the battery posts, and if there are anti-corrosion washers included then slide those on. A good idea is to smear a thin layer of Vaseline onto the posts before attaching the terminals to the battery to prevent corrosion and make sure your vehicle is always getting as much power as it needs. Attach the terminals back on, positive first, and fasten it back down with the clamps/tiedowns that you removed before. Give the battery a little wiggle and make sure it doesn’t move. If it does, tighten the clamps holding it down. And… you’re done! Great job! Make sure you recycle your old battery - a quick Google search will let you know the best place to do that. Save On A New Kia This Month

It’s spring! Do you know how we know that? Besides looking at the calendar, we know because our eyes are itchy, our noses are running, and the air is, frankly, trying to kill us slowly by way of sneezing to death. Thank goodness for allergy meds… and tissues! Anyway, we believe that your vehicle should absolutely be a bastion of safety from allergens, which unfortunately includes a little more than every-so-often cleaning. Check out our tips for making your car as allergen-free as possible and rest assured that there will only be a few more months (well, more than a few, but we’re optimistic) of sneezy weather before we’re back to the season of no outdoor allergies! The first tip is to vacuum your vehicle frequently. This is the best way to get allergens out of the air! Get all the soft surfaces and air vents really good, and then just go over everything else thoroughly while you’re at it. Wipe down all the hard surfaces in your vehicle with a damp microfiber cloth or automotive dusting wipes to get any accumulated dust and pollen outta there. A good idea is to keep a bottle of allergen-reducing spray in the car. Not only will it keep any particles from floating around as much, but it’ll also make your vehicle smell nice and fresh! Finally, you should take a look at your cabin air filter. Your owner’s manual will have instructions on how to access this, and at any rate, we can do it for you! This is important for filtering out dust and pollen that come into your vehicle, and if it hasn’t been changed in a while then it’s probably not doing its best work. Of course, some allergens will always slip through the cracks so keep some tissues handy and some Benadryl in the glove box! Start With A Clean Slate, AKA A New Kia!

Spring cleaning, for a lot of people, means that you turn your house inside out and get rid of a bunch of stuff, clean and dust every surface, break out the vacuum (and almost break the vacuum from the amount of use it gets) and then sit back with all the windows open ready to absorb the spring. Now, does that usually include your garage? I am going to guess that it doesn’t. Your garage is probably just as in need of a good spring cleaning as everything else in your home. Luckily for you, we have a great guide to cleaning out your garage with as little stress as humanly possible. Check it out! The first thing is to have a garage, which hopefully you’ve got if you’re reading this blog. The next thing is to take EVERYTHING out of that garage. Literally everything. Car, junk, trash, stuff you need… get it all outside into the driveway or onto your lawn and leave your garage totally empty. Now, sort everything you’ve just taken out into two piles, one for things that you want to keep and one for things that you’ve been meaning to throw away/forgot about/are just trash. Throw those things away right now. Dispose of chemicals like paint safely, but just get it out of there. With your garage empty, you should give it a nice sweep and vacuum. Really get into the corners and make it sparkle… or get it as close to sparkling as possible. It is a garage, after all. If it’s a nice day, you could even hose down the floor! If you’re feeling super adventurous, consider applying an epoxy garage floor kit. It’s a lot of work and a lot of waiting, but it’s worth it if you’re looking for a full makeover. With the space clean, it’s time to assess your storage solutions. If you don’t have shelves or wall storage, consider getting some! It’s a great space-saving hack to store things vertically. You can even store bikes on wall racks, which saves a TON of space. Finally, get everything back into your garage, organizing as you go. You’ll probably spot some things that you thought you wanted to keep but are really junk that you can just go ahead and throw away. You don’t need that in your life. When everything’s back in place (or has found a new home), park your car back inside! Learn About The King Advantage!

One of the most important things you should be doing for your vehicle, besides of course filling up the tank and making sure everything is in good working order, is checking on your tires once a week or so. Yeah, seriously. All you need is a pair of eyes, a penny, and a tire pressure gauge. Check it out. To check your tire pressure, you’ll need the gauge. If you don’t own one already, you can buy one inexpensively at pretty much any auto parts store. In order to check your pressure, all you need to do is take off the cap from the valve stem, fit the gauge on, and it’ll tell you what your pressure is. How do you know what the pressure should be? There will be a sticker on the inside of your driver’s door jamb, or the information will be in your owner’s manual or on the tires themselves. It’s easy information to find, and you should remember it if you can. You should also be checking the tread of your tires! This is what the penny is for. Stick the penny into the tread with Lincoln’s head pointing to the center of your tire. If you can see the top of his head, you know it’s time to get new tires. Your tires should last you for at least five years, but their life can be shortened by some important, and avoidable, factors: Low tire pressure Overinflated tires Aggressive driving Improper alignment Make sure your tires are always inflated, and have your tires checked and rotated at every oil change. Ask about your alignment at every service and have your vehicle aligned whenever you’re at the shop (if you need it, that is). Taking care of your tires is taking care of your vehicle! Take Advantage Of Our Service Specials!

Your battery is one of the most important components of your vehicle in that without it, your vehicle just wouldn’t work. If your battery’s died on you at all, especially in this cold weather, there could be a problem. Take a look at our list of why your battery might be failing you. Your battery could just be old. If you don’t remember the last time you replaced your battery then it’s probably time to do that. Older batteries can’t hold a charge the way they should. If the connections to your battery are loose or corroded, they won’t work the way they should with your vehicle’s charging system. Look at those connections and clean them off if they’re dirty and make sure they’re good and tight. The charging system itself could also just be either malfunctioning or broken in some way. When you’re under your hood, look at the wiring, belts, and other components of the charging system to make sure everything’s in good order. When you jumpstart your vehicle, bring it right to the shop so we can take a look. The last thing, and a common culprit of dead batteries, is that you could be accidentally leaving lights on or other electrical components could be draining that battery. Make sure any phone charging cables are unplugged when you get out of your vehicle and that your headlights, dome light, map lights, and even your trunk light are off. This is a silent drainer of your battery and if you pay extra attention to your lights, you might just solve your problem. Schedule Your Regular Service Today

Do you have a problem with blind spots in your vehicle? Do you often find yourself being surprised by vehicles seemingly coming out of nowhere? Then you might need to do some adjusting and improving of your mirrors to make sure that those blind spots are totally eliminated. One thing you can do is buy some aftermarket stick-on convex mirrors that are small enough to fit in the outer corners of your wing mirrors. Make sure your mirrors are clean and then stick the new ones on - make sure they are in the outer corners! Ensure they have adhered all the way and you’re all set. The other thing you can do that involves less sticking-on of things is adjust your mirrors in a very specific way: Adjust your rearview mirror to give you a view directly to the rear. Make it so that it best covers your rear window view. Don’t tilt it to get side views - just straight back through your window. Lean your head until it almost touches your driver’s side window. Adjust your left side mirror so you can just barely see the side of your car - no more. Lean your head to the passenger side as far as you can comfortably while still sitting up and adjust the right mirror so you can barely see the right side of your car. You shouldn’t be able to see the side of your car when your head is all the way upright! Test that one out and see how you like it! Check Out This Infotainment While You’re On The Internet

If you are like me and have trouble driving at night, then you don’t need to fear because I am here! With tips! It’s never easy to get in your vehicle and get driving when it’s dark out, especially in the weather we’ve been having, but hopefully, my tips will work for you and help make driving in the dark a little easier! I had a conversation with a friend recently and she asked me if I used “glare reducing” glasses at night. This usually means tinted glasses that say they cut down on the brightness of the lights coming your way. I said no, because even though the glasses might help with headlight brightness, the pigment in them blocks light from reaching your eyes, and when it’s dark out you’ll need all the light you can get so that you can see the road well. That being said, when another vehicle approaches you with those bright lights, an easy tip is to divert your eyes to the white line on the side of the road as they pass. You’ll be able to stay in your lane while avoiding getting the spots in your eyes from bright lights, which can obstruct your vision. The last tip is to just stay in if you feel that driving at night would be unsafe. Try to find someone who can give you a ride if you need one, but if you don’t need to go anywhere then just don’t. Start reading a new book, and be glad you’re safe at home. Stay Safe With A New Kia!