The service department of Checkered Flag Hyundai's new and used car dealership has seen some crazy things. People are very creative in the ways they try to self diagnose and fix their vehicles. Each service technician could tell you a crazy story about an unusual fix. It is with their expertise that they are able to mend the various systems that power each of their incredibly reliable vehicles.
This article should be filed under the "Do not try this at home" category. Beer is bad for cars, but just this once, it worked in Mexico.
WRC driver fills radiator with beer from sponsor Corona
FIA World Rally Championship Mexico - Day Two
By Brandon Turkus
Rallying requires lightning quick reflexes and the ability to turn off one's sense of self-preservation. This much is not in doubt. Anyone that's ever seen a rally car hurtle along a tree-lined spit of dirt road at high speeds could tell you that. What many people don't know is that it also requires a strong mechanical sense. Knowing how to repair one's car when far from the service garages is a must. A strong sense of ingenuity is pretty handy, as well.
It was that sense of ingenuity that came to the aid of Thierry Neuville (shown above during last weekend's Rally Mexico), a WRC driver for the Hyundai Motorsport team, after his i20 suffered a radiator leak during the drive back to service. Neuville and his co-driver, Nicolas Gilsoul, hopped out of the car, assessed the issue and realized they needed to patch the radiator leak and refill the coolant, which they were fresh out of. So, instead, they used beer.
The pair had been awarded a magnum-sized bottle of Corona from the Rally Mexico's corporate sponsor after the final power stage. As Neuville doesn't drink, they tossed the beer in the back of the i20 and set off for the garages. It was a good thing they did, as adding the Mexican lager to the car's system allowed them to limp back to service.
"We were able to fix it quite quickly but to refill the system we made use of everything we had in the car, luckily we got some beer at the end of the Power Stage and we used it," Neuville told the WRC website. "I really tried to stay calm and say to myself we were okay, but when we had more than 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) to go I thought okay, maybe this could be the end. But after we stopped again the temperature came down and then I thought it would be okay."
The pair made it to service and captured Hyundai's first podium in the WRC.
Source: [autoblog]
Only in Mexico could drivers feed their car a Corona and get it to the service it needed. Too bad they didn't have a lime.
The professional service technicians at Checkered Flag Hyundai are more than happy to help you fix your vehicle. For more information about Checkered Flag Hyundai service call (757) 687-3447. For more information about the Hyundai line-up of vehicles, set up your visit today.