Category Archives: Tips and HInts

Ft. Worth, help us put an end to Domestic Violence

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL3rfk2iFww

I’m taking a break today from my usual automotive oriented post to write about something that is a very serious issue and a recent cause I took up and wanted to be a part of. The eradication of Domestic Violence in Ft. Worth, through out Texas and ultimately, our nation.

I’ve recently contacted SafeHaven of Tarrant County to see how I could use my resources to help victims of abuse. I understand that those who fail to take action, or offer support when they can are often to blame as well. While this is a very strong and arguable statement, I feel that the spirit of it is true. Failure to help is just that: failure.

Now, you might not be able to contribute money, or have time to volunteer for DV functions, but you can educate yourself. You never know when the knowledge you possess about DV might actually save someone from a life of pain, or even death.

What is Domestic Violence? Under most state laws, domestic violence is defined as any physical abuse, or threat of abuse, between intimately involved partners, roommates, or family members.

Victims of abuse often internalize their feelings of fear and anger at their situation. More often than not, the victim believes they are to blame for their situation. The classic statement here is: “If I didn’t do….then I wouldn’t get hit”, or: “my partner only abuses me when I do something wrong”, or: “I shouldn’t have made my partner angry enough to hit me”. This dialogue doesn’t only come from the victim, but is often mirrored by the abuser who is always there to reinforce the idea that the abuse is the result of a failure on the part of the victim.

What are the warning signs that often accompany domestic violence cases.

  • Injuries and Excuses
  • Absences from work or School
  • Extremes of Self-Esteem
  • Personality Changes
  • Fear of Conflict
  • Passive-Aggressive Behavior
  • Self-Blame
  • Isolation and Control Issues
  • Stress Related Problems

*for an extensive list with explanations, please check Aardvarc.org*

The only thing that stands to change the domestic violence problem in our state, country and abroad is YOU. If you, or someone you know is being abused, get help. Contact SafeHaven of Tarrant County.

Let’s put an end to Domestic Violence, now!

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

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.

 

The Great Texas Debate! Cloth or Leather, Fort Worth?

Cloth vs. Leather

Cloth or Leather? Cloth or Leather? Which is better? What can I afford? These are just a few of the many questions you will ask yourself when deciding on whether you want Cloth or Leather in your new car or truck. No doubt you will discuss this for a while before making a decision.

First thing to think about when deciding is your kids. If you have kids and you let them snack or drink in the car, be prepared for messes. When you have cloth interior in your vehicle it’s difficult to keep it clean with kids in tow. It is cheaper than leather but always think about the kids. Yes, we live in Texas and yes summers can be scorching. Cloth will not bond to your skin when your wearing shorts during those hot summer days or freeze your legs and bum during those chilly Texas months. Are you a smoker? Cloth soaks in odors. Anything and everything you put in your car can be soaked into your cloth. Think about picking kids up from football practice all sweaty and stinky or your dog getting sick in the back seat. That could be quite a mess to clean up. Cloth is more likely to fade and you better watch that cigarette that could burn holes in the cloth that may not present any damage on leather. Cloth is also susceptible to rips and tears over time.

Leather is a must in luxury vehicles and a common standard in most other vehicles. Leather does not hold smells, it’s easy to clean, it has a lovely scent, it doesn’t stain or burn like cloth. However, leather does take a little work to keep looking fresh. You should consider using cleaning lotions regularly on the leather as it will help preserve the leather and keep it looking healthy. Sometimes dirt, grease, and oils from your skin can transfer to the leather making it look dirty. If you regularly clean and use cleaning lotions on your leather you can reduce the dirty look. It’s also very important to have your windows tinted to protect them from those pesky rays from the sun that can dry out and possibly even crack your leather.

Of course ultimately your decision will depend on your lifestyle. If you’re hardly in your car and don’t travel much you may prefer cloth. If you have a few kids and a crazy dog that sheds you may prefer leather cause it’s easier to clean. The decision is yours, but if you still can’t decide, swing by my place, Fort Worth and take a spin and see which one suits you better.

Fort Worth: More Car Theft Figures

Did you know that a car is stolen in Texas every five and a half minutes. More vehicles are stolen between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. than any other time. In 2003, more than 98,000 vehicles were stolen in Texas.In 2005, more than 93,471 vehicles were stolen in Texas.

In 2009, 76,617 vehicles were stolen in Texas, accounting for an economic loss totaling $736,487,759.  285,501 thefts from motor vehicles including motor vehicle parts offenses occurred in Texas, accounting for an economic loss totaling $220,315,208.
The top five stolen vehicles in Texas are: Ford Pickup, Chevy Pickup, Dodge Pickup, Honda Civic, and the Honda Accord.

Cars are getting more secure these days and thus harder to boost which is why we are seeing the numbers of car thefts decreasing. However, vehicle burglaries and break-ins are increasing due the fact that our cars are now filled with expensive GPS systems, iPods, Smart Phones, computers, handbags and a list of other things that are too hard for a criminal to resist when left out in the open.

Remember, take your valuables in with you or totally conceal them. All of us here at Freeman really want to keep you, your vehicle and valuables safe. Victims are usually the people who are not aware or alert…rendering them an easy target.

Be safe!!!

What can a Car Dealer do to feed the Hungry In DFW?

That’s actually a rhetorical question. The one great thing about running a car dealership is there are so many thing that I can do for my community because of my resources and outlets.

The North Texas Food Bank for example is 40% down in food reserves from last year. This is a considerable burden on North Texas Families this holiday season. It is certain difficult to know that so many in my area are in desperate need of food and clothing this year, so difficult that I’ve taken it upon myself to have start a friendly competition with Classic Chevrolet across the street to see who can gain the most fans and donate the most food.

For Every new fan we get I’ll donate $1 to the North Texas Food Bank. If you want too bring by cans of food to Freeman Grapevine, for every 5 cans you will get lottery ticket for a $1,000 Shopping spree. We ant to make it something everyone can be proud of and we know it takes a little effort on your part, so Freeman Grapevine is willing to throw some rewards your way too.

Think about it. All you have to do is fan our facebook page and that is a $1 donated to the NTFB. That $1 can buy 4 meals. Really! Just $1 dollar can feed an entire family! Even if you don’t live in the DFW area, your simple act of kindness can really help Americans who have been the hardest hit by our lowest economic down turn ever.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr07K6ddsu4

I’m not begging for fans, this isn’t a sales pitch…in fact I using my blog to out reach to my readers to help out my community that is in dire need of assistance this holiday. So while you are grocery shopping for that 28 lb turkey with all of the fixins’, remember you probably have a neighbor who is lucky to eat just a peanut butter sandwich…and I’ll tell you what, I’ll bet they are as, if not more appreciative of that meal than a person who’s plate is loaded with food they probably won’t even finish.

If you’d like to fan the page so I can donate in your name, just follow the link and like us www.facebook.com/freemangrapevine

Thank you in advance for your selflessness. This holiday season, the homeless and hungry need you help and I can help you help give. just visit our FB page and like it.

Thank you for your giving from Freeman Grapevine, The North Texas Food Bank and the hungry North Texans.

Ozzie

Children and Hot Cars are a Recipe for Disaster

WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR CHILD IN A HOT CAR???

Here in DFW, you’d think we’d be more aware of the heat, especially during the 100+ degree summers. I’m going to tell you right now, this topic is probably one of the most serious I’ve written about to date. Did you know that in the time it takes to purchase a gallon of milk or loaf of bread, a hot car could turn into a death trap for a small child. Even as summer comes to an end, experts say that within the first 10 minutes, the temperature in an enclosed vehicle will rise an average of 19 degrees. Even when the outside air temperature is only 70 degrees, the interior of a car can reach 120 degrees, and a baby cannot handle the heat.  They have a very immature respiratory system and they don’t have the ability to repel heat.

Consequently, their organs shut down fast. It’s a recipe for disaster. In fact, there is no safe length of time to leave a child alone in a car.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMYn9d9sEHU

The hints from the video for reminding you that your child is in the back seat are good ones. I wonder when the automobile industry will address this by engineering sensors to alert you that your baby may still be in its car seat?

On a side note concerning the car seat, if you are in the DFW area, swing by and we’ll show you how to install and anchor the car seat properly. Improperly secured car seats are also a leading cause of injury among children.

Choose Replacement Lights for your New Car Wisely

We all know that our cars and trucks have become more than just transportation. People who own high-end luxury vehicles and even low-budget cars are inclined to accessorize their new car with the hottest custom lights. The rear lights and headlights have a lot of importance to the look of your new car. You can either go for the simple Euro lights or choose HOT L.E.D. custom tail lights for your car or truck. A set of custom rear lights can aid in the safety of you and your passengers by illuminating brighter than OEM lenses. Also, brighter taillights during the day provide a higher visibility for braking purposes.

You can make choices easily and order a set back lights for your Pontiac, Buick or GMC (there are many more manufacturers on line too). The newest fascination with many car owners is L.E.D. tail lights. LED’s are used as back lights replacing OEM lenses and standard incandescent bulbs. Many late-model high end cars and SUV’s have these LED rear lights from the factory. You too can get them for your car or truck. Custom L.E.D. tail lights are far brighter than OEM lenses with incandescent bulbs. And, you can install these aftermarket tail light lenses in your new car easily to give it a stylish and sporty look. Plus, L.E.D. Tail light lenses consume much less power and will last for many years.

When purchasing Euro style back light lenses or LED back lights for your car, truck or SUV, keep in mind these taillight lenses are complete sets/pairs and contain the entire housing and outer lenses. Most of them are a simple plug-n-play configuration and will require the removal of the entire OEM tail light lenses in replacement of the new aftermarket tail light lenses. The new custom LED tail light lenses will have plugs that simply connect to the existing socket. Many aftermarket LED back lights are a snap to install and often take less than 30 minutes to complete the entire process.

Aftermarket Custom back lights are very popular and being used by many people to modify the whole look of their car or truck. Custom tail light lenses come in many colors to choose from and will dramatically change the look of your RIDE! You can choose from red lenses, chrome housings, smoked lenses and black housings for your new tail light lenses.

Just like the back lights, your headlights too have great importance. As a car or truck owner, you should choose the perfect headlamps for your car. Take a look at the HOT new custom aftermarket angel eye projector headlights.

Many late-model cars, trucks and SUV’s now come with projector headlights with H.I.D. systems. Projector headlights focus the light directly in front of the vehicle to aid in visibility at night. Projector headlights also keep the light away from oncoming traffic to avoid night blindness from other drivers. A new set of stylish angel eye projector headlights will greatly improve the functionality of your RIDE.

Another type of headlights that is available as an economical option to your car or truck is the euro clear headlights. Euro Headlights are a clean, fast replacement to your OEM headlights and have better lightning ability. Many OEM headlight lenses tend to become cloudy over time. Having cloudy headlight lenses will hinder the headlight’s ability to light up the road ahead. Euro clear headlights will use the same bulbs as your OEM headlights but will have a better light emission. This translates into more light on the road. Having dull headlight lenses will make your car or truck look weathered and old. New Euro clear headlights will TIGHTEN the look of your new car.

If you have any questions or want to see what we can do, me a comment or swing by your Dallas Ft. Worth car dealer.

Increasing the Performance of Your New Car

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?

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Get a New Car By Assuming Someone Else’s Lease

If it has been used even for one day, it can be called a used car. When someone leases a new car or vehicle, it is new only on the first day, the moment they drive off of the lot the depreciation begins. Therefore, if you find a vehicle or car for Lease Takeovers, where the lessee has already paid all the upfront fees that are associated with a new lease (anywhere from $1000-$3000), you can just take over the monthly lease payments and get a great deal.

If you are lucky, the person trying to get out of the lease may be willing to give you a few installments and other monitory incentives just to entice you into the Lease Takeover. That is why you should not reject a Lease Takeover and Lease Transfer option or offer. It may be financially beneficial for you to at least analyze some offers and weigh the pros and cons of each offer individually and see if you can get a better deal with a Lease Takeover, rather than opting for a new vehicle Lease. If you opt for a new vehicle Lease in your name and deal with vehicle dealership and the leasing company, you will have to pay the upfront fees, taxes, applicable administrative charges, etc, and after the first day, you will be driving a used car. Remember, a car is new only on the first day.

Now, why someone would be willing to pay you some money or offer some incentive for a new car Lease Takeover? The answer is simple, but there are a thousand different reasons. People may want to get out of their vehicle leases due to marriage, divorce, losing a job, a new job, getting a company car, moving to another country, financial problems, etc. Besides this, the lessee may have to face the payment of thousands of dollars in early lease termination expenses. Therefore it is better for them to entice and offer monitory incentives or a few installments to the person who is interested in the Lease Takeover and Lease Transfer.

Another question and doubt that many new car Lease Takeover prospects have is – What if the vehicle or car you like is from a distant city or not in the same area? The answer is again simple as most new Lease Takeover and Lease Transfer companies have offices in different parts of the country and all of them have websites with online registrations, portfolio of Vehicles, and you can contact them for more information and assistance. Almost all car dealers and leasing companies allow lease transfers across the country.

The bottom line is, if someone else is driving the car of your dreams, it might be  a nightmare for them and could mean huge savings if you can take of their lease.

If you have any questions or comments, you can find me…well here. And of course Here!

How to Find Great New Car Reviews

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.