Category Archives: Maintenance and Service

Replace the Brake Pads In Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick Or GMC

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What’s the first line of defense in avoiding an accident in your Dallas Fort Worth Buick, or GMC? Your brakes of course. However, they will do little good if they are extremely worn. The good new is that changing your brake pads is a very easy job, even for a novice weekend mechanic. Plus, Freeman Grapevine knows that performing some of your own maintenance will save you some cash, and that’s a good thing.

Did you know that your front brake pads provide up to 70% of vehicle stopping power? that means that your front brake pads wear out twice as fast as rear brake pads. Replacing brake discs can vary depending on the make and model of car or truck, two wheel or four wheel drive. Always replace brake rotors with top quality, or OEM (original equipment manufacturer) brake rotors, some less expensive brake rotors can squeak and not dissipate heat as well because of their inferior metal quality.

Check out the video below, for a very detailed, step by step How-To instruction on changing your brake pads.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uuJsxJ6V8k&feature=related

See! It’s not so hard. In fact you can probably do the whole job yourself in about 2 hours even with minimal experience under the hood of your car. However, if you are a little gun shy about working on your Dallas Fort Worth Buick, or GMC, don’t hesitate to bring it by Freeman Grapevine for an evaluation and repair if needed.

Dallas Fort Worth GM: How To Change Your Front Brake Rotors

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If you are a “Do-It-Yourself-er”, then a lesson on changing your brake pads and rotors is going to be right up your alley. Here at Freeman Grapevine, we have changed out countless numbers a of brake pads and rotors, so if you had that DIY bug at first, but now think the job is a little too big for your skill set, you always have the option of bringing in your Buick, or GMC to Freeman.

Here, take a look and judge for yourself the difficulty level…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcZ-B_v-lB8

Apart from changing your own oil, given the proper tools and lifting apparatus, changing your brake pads and rotors can be done at your leisure at home, however it can be an arduous task for many. There’s never telling when the tool you have just aren’t going to be enough to to the job. Something as minute as a stubborn lug nut or caliper can derail your whole repair project.

Again, if you aren’t 100% confident in your ability to perform this task, all you have to do is bring it by Freeman Grapevine and we’ll take care of getting you back on the road with brakes that you can rely on!

Dallas Buick GMC: Don’t Let Battery Corrosion “Stop” You

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As all of us at Freeman Grapevine know, a lot of dirt and grime can accumulate anywhere on your car.  The easy fix is to wash your car, but you may not be cleaning everything that you need to.  If you pop your hood, you will probably notice a white or green residue on your battery.  While this is very common and it can quite literally suck the life out of your battery. Corrosion makes the connection weaker from your battery to your engine.  While it may look like a hard thing to fix, it is surprisingly easy, and you probably have everything you need to do the job in your house already.

The first thing you want to do is keep mind of your safety.  You will be dealing with corrosive chemicals, so be sure to wear rubber gloves and some sort of protective eye wear.  After you have donned your protective gear, you need a small scraper or hard bristled brush to start taking off the main corrosion. After this is finished, mix one tablespoon of baking soda per pint of water and, using a funnel or turkey baster, apply this mixture to your connections.  The corrosion will start to bubble, and while this is happening, use your brush or scraper to clean the rest of the area.  When you are done, use some clean water to rinse off the battery.  You can use a cleaner such as 409 to clean off any dirt or grease, and then dry your battery with a towel or rag.

Honestly, I heard that Coca-Cola will also dissolve the acid….makes you wonder what you are ingesting though.

Keeping your battery clean will not only add life to your battery, but it will help prevent problems from occurring in your car.  Just give your battery an inspection every month or two, and you’ll be able to keep corrosion at bay.  If you are looking for a new car, with brand new clean batteries, then be sure to come into Freeman Grapevine.

Freeman Grapevine: It’s almost time for some Spring Cleaning

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clean car, dallas Buick Dealer, dallas fort worth used car, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck, dfw driving, GMC Dealer, GMC Truck, new carSo far, North Texas hasn’t really had much of a winter. In fact, it’s been extremely mild compared to last year’s snow day which dropped 15″ of snow at Freeman Grapevine. I guess we should be happy about that though…we’re not used to driving in weather like that. So, as Spring quickly approaches it is time to do a good thorough spring cleaning on your Buick, or GMC. We’re talking inside and out with a good washing and a brand new coat of wax.

If I we you, I’d start on the interior of your Buick, or GMC first. Start by getting rid of all the trash, cleaning of the dash, and getting a heavy duty vacuum to get to all those hard to reach places. Everyone knows that washing your car in the winter cold is the last thing on your mind, so I know some of you out there have a lot of work to do.

The second thing you will want to do give your car a good wash and wax. Did you know that the sun can actually make the paint on your car soften a bit? That will leave your car susceptible to scratches and no one wants scratches on their new or used Buick, or GMC. Make sure that when you are washing and waxing your car you do so in the shade and not a sun drenched area.

Here are some other tips:

  • Use a lamb’s-wool mitt for washing and soft cotton rags or microfiber towels for waxing.
  • Do not use rags for washing; they can trap dirt and scratch the finish. Likewise, synthetic fabrics and brushes can also scratch a car’s finish.
  • Wash and wax in small sections. This saves time and if the wax stays on too long, it can be difficult to remove.
  • Our previous tests have shown that paste waxes are easiest to apply, but contrary to what you might think, they don’t offer as much protection as liquid products. Spray on/wipe off quick shine products are easiest to use, but our tests have shown they don’t provide much protection at all.

For more advice, read washing and waxing tips. [Source: Consumer Reports]

Once you are done with all of that you will be ready to cruise the streets of DFW in your clean car! It’s kind of a “no-brainer”, but if you happen to have any questions, call Freeman Grapevine, and we’ll tell you how we keep our new and used cars spotless.

 

Fort Worth cars interiors are getting a makeover

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No doubt that after years of driving in your car, you may have noticed that your interior doesn’t look at clean and nice as it used to. You knew this was going to happen, you may not have thought about it, but you’ve seen the effects of years of use before. Of course I don’t have to  explain as you already know that this happened from sweat, body oils, dirt, food, and foreign liquids (hello, spilled coffee) seeping into your seats, upholstery, and carpeting.  While regular vacuuming and cleaning can go a long way in stopping this problem but let’s face it, it will still happen eventually.  The major problem is that replacing your car’s interior can become very expensive, so what’s a cheaper way to bring that shine and sleekness back in your car?

Freeman Grapevine found some great advice online that has great tips on some accessories you can buy to make your interior look like new.

For individuals who spend most of their time driving to and from events, it’s no wonder you would prefer your vehicle to be a representation of who you are. Whether it’s driving the kids to soccer practice, commuting to and from the workplace, or simply a run to town, adding these car interior accessories is an inexpensive way to show off your style.

A fun and creative method is seat coverings. Not only do they hide stains, tears, or other damages, but they’re an excellent reason to add a new look. There are many varieties available which makes the possibilities endless. Choose a material and color scheme that works for you and simply apply them to your old seats. Fabrics that are comfortable throughout the year are a great idea. Some are even sold in fade resistant varieties. To prevent conflict, measure your seats ahead of time to figure out which size works best.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXmSmuGODEc

The carpeting inside your vehicle can be costly to replace. Floor mats are inexpensive and easy to install than new carpet. This is ideal for those who are working with a set budget. They are available in different colors and materials and offer protection against muddy shoes.

To prevent clutter and an overall messy vehicle, you must be organized. There are many products available to assist you with this goal. To keep CD’s safe, place them in a CD case that is designed for this purpose. A holder that attaches to your visor is idea for those who need an easy reach. To prevent spills from drinks, purchase a drink holder. These are available if you are lacking one in your car.

So, be sure to check out some of these solutions for ways to make your interior look good as new.  If you are unsure about how to recondition your interior, or would like some further advice, give Freeman Grapevine a call.

Fort Worth & Dallas: FIX YOUR POTHOLES

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Hey, it happens even to the best of us here at Freeman Grapevine. You’re driving along, focusing on the road ahead, and you might not even notice the huge hole in the road…until you drive over it.

Bam, you just hit a pothole. It might have sloshed your coffee, or made your CD player skip. You quietly curse the pothole and you might even shake an angry fist in the rear view mirror, but then you just go about your day. What you might not know is, driving over potholes can cause serious damage to your car.

First off, what exactly is a pothole? Well, as roadways freeze and thaw, some of the water erodes the dirt beneath the surface of the road. Then the asphalt will start to crack and chip away. This leads to small holes in the road, and they will eventually turn into potholes.

How can potholes affect you? Well, you could notice immediate damage via a flat tire or long-term damage could start to affect your alignment and steering. Pothole damage accounts for about 500,000 insurance claims every year, so you should look for any signs of damage as soon as possible.

If you have aluminum rims, they might become bent or warped if you hit too many potholes, and they just can’t withstand the impact that older, steel rims can. If you hit a deep pothole, it could chip away some of the rust proofing on the undercarriage of you car, and you will want to get that repaired as quickly as possible.

The biggest problem will have an effect on your steering and shocks. If you notice that your car starts to pull in one direction or the other when you let go of the steering wheel, your alignment is probably off. If you notice that your drive is becoming a little rougher and you can feel every little bump in the road, those potholes might have messed up your shock springs.

Let me know if you have any funny or nightmarish pothole stories, and I might include them in a future blog post! Of course, if that pothole has left you with any of the issues I mentioned above, then feel free to bring it into Freeman Grapevine so we can take a look.

Fort Worth: Hail Damage can save you on a New Buick or GMC

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Forget flood-damaged cars: In TEXAS, the bad word is always, “Aw, HAIL!”…as in hail damage. Foul weather is just something that we are accustomed to living where we do. Sometimes it’s more bark than bite, but most of the time our severe weather is SEVERE! Hail can be a real problem for car dealers in the area and commuters alike, but it can be an easy way to save some big bucks on a new car.

So, the question is: “Would you consider buying a hail-damaged car for a discount?” Let say, the broken windshields were repaired on all the vehicles, but the dents and dings still remained. Some people will take advantage of the sale to get a rare discount on higher end vehicles and then just pay the deductible on their insurance to get the rest of the car fixed.

So how easy is it to repair hail damage? Check out the video below and find out:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGFk-gJsT8w

So you can see, that if you are in the market for a new car and want to save big bucks, don’t just pray for rain, as backwards as it may sound, pray for a little hail too. The dent’s aren’t that difficult to remove and most dealerships will have already replaced any broken glass during the deluge. There’s nothing wrong with taking advantage of this situation, after all, I’d still need to sell those cars anyway and you can thank Mother Nature for giving you the discount.

If you happened to have a new car already and need to have any dent damage repaired, just give us a call and make an appointment and we’ll get her looking “showroom” beautiful again.

 

Increasing the Performance of Your New Car

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Let’s cut to the chase, for lack of a better description, the performance of a car is always related to the amount of fuel consumed by it. However, a car’s performance can be increased without negatively affecting the gas mileage of a car.

 

I know you were looking for a way to increase your horsepower, torque or something that you read about in a car magazine at the local super market. However, it’s always wise to learn the basics for increasing performance and saving fuel.
Does anyone else have anything that they may want to add?

How to Find Great New Car Reviews

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What is it that makes reviews such a wonderful source of information when researching a new car? The reason is simple. A review is typically given by someone who knows first-hand specifics about the vehicle in question. The trick, though, is not necessarily in finding reviews, since they can be found literally anywhere. What is difficult is finding accurate information from a source that can be trusted.

“I don’t know which car has more horsepower?”

Typically, people do not want to make a high-dollar purchase without having some type of information that they can count on. The next time you are in the market for a new car or truck, take a look at one of these sources, and you can be certain to have a location for reviews that you can trust.

  • Magazines: One of the most trusted and popular sources of information that a driver has at their disposal is that of magazines. Such publications have for years based their entire professional reputations on providing accurate information. Magazines such as Car and Driver and Motor Trend have become well known for providing accurate information on multiple levels, for both the professional and amateur level of knowledge.
  • Internet: Going online is one of the best ways that anyone can use to gather information and reviews about the various vehicles that a person can buy. Visit as many different places, but places that are trustworthy, to gather information that is going to help you in your decisions, there are some things that need to be kept in mind when doing this. You are going to want to limit your searches to sources that have some type of a professional stake in their recommendation, basically places that are staking their professional reputations.
  • Mechanics: I have found that one of the greatest sources for reviews that I can trust is a mechanic. A mechanic is used to delivering professional grade information (since they are a professional) on an amateur’s level. I would strongly suggest that you take advantage of your local mechanic. Typically, the best way to ask a mechanic what they think is just saying something like, “What would you choose?”
  • Government: While I know that it is pretty hard to trust anything that comes from the government these days, there are a couple of governmental sources that I would strongly suggest that you go along with. One is the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Both of these sources sole job is to help maintain safe roadways, so therefore can be trusted to provide fairly accurate information.

Now certainly this isn’t an exhausted list by any means. Checking blogs like this one, forums, consumer oriented publications and other forms of media is just going to make the decision making process that much easier. Here’s a hint: Pay as much attention to the negative reviews as you do the good ones. If you have any questions or comments, you know where to find me.

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I have some exciting things planned for this site, so make sure you check back soon! In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @OzzieDrives and come be a fan of my Facebook page.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueu4ze78TBs