Fleet Services New Facility and Temporary Re-Location

We are pleased to announce that Fleet Services has secured space in the new CAMBUS Maintenance Facility expansion.  Due to the construction, we will be relocating to a temporary facility sometime this summer.  Both the rental fleet and Fleet administration will operate from this temporary location.  The shop will remain in its current location and will operate there through the construction. Rental fleet customers should still be able to park one personal vehicle per reservation.  There is a lot to figure out in the coming months and we will share updates as we are able.

Seating Capacity of the New Suburbans

As sometimes happens, manufacturers change the standard features and options they offer on new vehicles.  A recent example is the change in seating capacity of our Chevrolet Suburbans.  In the past, we have been able to order them with 9-passenger seating but this year we were only able to order them with 8-passenger seating.  Please keep this in mind as you plan your trips.   

Policy Manual Update - Parking State Vehicles at a Private Residence

An update to the Fleet Services section of the University Policy Manual, specifically Section V, Chapter 19.2, letter D, has been implemented. The update clarifies the very narrow circumstances when a university vehicle can be parked at a private residence. Below is the updated policy:

1. Assigned vehicles are not to be parked at a private residence if the employee’s primary work location is in the Iowa City metropolitan area.
2. Assigned vehicles may be parked at a private residence if 1) the employee has job responsibilities that are routinely performed at multiple locations outside of the Iowa City metropolitan area (no primary work location); 2) their residence is also outside of the Iowa City metropolitan area; and 3) the employee has written approval from the employee’s dean or vice president identifying the need for the policy exception. Notice of this approval must be submitted to Fleet Services and renewed every fiscal year.
   1. The vehicle must be parked off-street.
   2. All other Fleet Services and university driving policies apply.

Take a look at the full updated section of the Policy Manual. Let us know if any questions arise from this update

Chrysler Pacifica Oil Pressure Issue

We recently found out about an oil filter quirk on our 2023 and 2024 Pacifica mini vans. Under certain rare circumstances the vans can lose oil pressure due to a piece breaking off the oil filter housing and plugging the filter.  If you are driving a Pacifica and have a low oil pressure warning indicator on the cluster display, you need to pull over and shut the vehicle off immediately, then call the shop (319-335-5105). To minimize the chances of this happening we have been checking and replacing filters on all potentially affected vans. The shop has made great progress on this initiative so far but there are still some vans that have not been checked so we wanted to spread awareness.

New Mid-Size Sedans – Nissan Altimas

With the discontinuation of the Chevy Malibu for the 2025 model year a new sedan is joining the fleet! We recently took delivery of our first 10 Nissan Altimas and more are coming.  They are very similarly sized to the Malibus and with our limited experience drive quite nicely. 

Honest Mike’s Used Cars

Stay tuned for sedans and minivans, new vehicles are arriving so we will have some to sell as soon as we start to complete some of the swaps. Currently listed are a 2017 ¾ ton GMC Sierra 4x4 regular cab with a lift gate with just under 40k miles and a 2015 Chevy Colorado extended cab 4x2 with only 7,852 miles!  Check out our Gov Deals page.

Fleet Factoid

After four decades of being the top selling vehicle in the United States the Ford F150 has been dethroned. According to Jato Dynamics data, the new No 1 bestselling vehicle is the Toyota RAV4! Toyota RAV4 sales rose by 9 percent to 475,193 in 2024 based largely on the popularity of its hybrid powertrain, whereas F-150 sales fell 5 percent in 2024. Check out the full article from Forbes.