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freeman grapevine, air filter, changing air filter, air filter for efficiency, buick gmc, dallas, fort worth

Change Your Air Filter For More Engine Efficiency

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 freeman grapevine, air filter, changing air filter, air filter for efficiency, buick gmc, dallas, fort worth

An often overlooked, but an extremely important component in keeping your engine running smoothly and efficiently is your air filter.

Here, we see a lot of need for air filter cleaning, or replacement. It can be hard to adhere to a specific time or mileage figure when a cleaning or change needs to occur, because the life of the filter depends on how much dirt and grime it ingests. We have seen filters that last 20,000 or even 30,000 miles on a vehicle that’s driven mostly on expressways but those same filters may last only a month or two in a rural setting where the vehicle is driven frequently on gravel roads. Changing your air filter annually, or every 15,000 miles for preventative maintenance may be a good recommendation for the city driver, but not its country cousin.

Regardless of the mileage or time, a filter should be replaced before it reaches the point where it creates a significant restriction to airflow. Interestingly, a slightly dirty filter actually cleans more efficiently than a brand new filter. That’s because the debris trapped by the filter element helps screen out smaller particles that try to get through. Eventually every filter reaches the point where it causes enough of a pressure drop to restrict airflow. Fuel economy, performance and emissions begin to deteriorate and get progressively worse until the dirty filter is replaced.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0nSeZcdVLM

If you think that your car could be performing better, or you don’t seem to be getting the gas mileage you believe you should, it might be time to change your air filter. Call Freeman Grapevine if you have any questions or need any assistance.

How To Climb A Hill In The Snow

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It doesn’t snow here very often. In fact, this last Christmas was the first white Christmas since 1975 I think. However, here in North Texas, we do get hit with snow from time to time and that snowfall pretty much paralyzes the DFW area. So, do you know how to climb a hill in the snow in your Buick or GMC?

I was talking to a friend who had a real problem getting out of his driveway on Christmas Day due to the snow (ice is a completely different problem). His driveway is a moderate incline which is generally easy to negotiate, however, when you dump a little bit of snow on it, getting out can be a real task.

However, there is a trick from climbing hills in the snow. This trick is primarily for front whee cars as the physics of the vehicle require the tires to pull the car up a hill, and therein lies the trick…turn your front wheel drive Buick or GMC into a rear wheel drive car, truck or SUV by climbing the hill in reverse. Check out the video below so see an example of what I’m talking about.

By going up a snowy hill in reverse, you essentially are moving all of the weight of the car, including the engine, over the front drive tires effectively turning it into a pseudo-rear wheel drive vehicle by going in reverse.

Now, this is just a little tip from Freeman Grapevine. If you can avoid driving in the snow altogether, then that would be ideal. However, if you have to climb a hill in the snow to get to work, or for emergency reasons, try going in reverse. It’s a secret maneuver not many Texans know about.

Learn the Importance of your New Car’s Air Intake System

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The safety, security, and performance of your new Buick, GMC or other brand is crucial if you desire to travel without fault.  In order to ensure that each of these elements are at their highest quality you must ensure that you are constantly maintaining every element of your new car or truck.

The problem is that many people will neglect to follow up on common vehicle problems unless these problems hinder the operation  of their vehicle.  This is the worse thing you can do.  A problem which may seem small right now could erupt into an even larger scale problem that could ultimately cost you a great deal more money than if you would have corrected the issue when it first was revealed.

One problem that many people attempt to avoid dealing with is issues with their vehicles air intake system.  If you remember one thing about this article it should be this:

“The air intake mechanism in your vehicle can’t be ignored!  Ignoring this element could cause additional damage to your vehicle and could also render it useless.”

What Can Happen If I Don’t Repair Or Replace My Damaged Air Intake System?

Deposits can accumulate on air intake valves, fuel injectors, and combustion chambers.  When this happens, your vehicle could lose power and be rendered useless.  You could also experience a misfire, knocking, or a rough idle.   Finally, you may have a very hard time starting your car.

What Do I Do If I Am Experiencing Issues With My Air Intake System?

If you are experiencing issues with your vehicles air intake system you should immediately stop driving the vehicle and immediately correct the issue.  You can attempt to clean the air intake mechanism on your own, or you can take your vehicle to a trained specialist who can repair and clean or replace your vehicles air intake mechanism for you.

The good news is that a new air intake system is inexpensive and can generally be replaced with little effort.  Even if you choose to carry out this task on your own, you will quickly discover that it is a very simplistic process.  Additionally, you will quickly be pleased with the manner in which your vehicle will operate once you have cleaned, repaired, or replaced your damage system.

Here’s a fun little video to show you how easy it is to clean your new car’s air intake system: (Yes, I know the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car.)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDHFm-4QFvs

If you have any more questions about your air intake system, just call or visit Freeman Grapevine. Remember, having a clean and properly functioning air intake system is paramount for your Buick, GMC or any any other brand to function efficiently.

Personal Safety And Awareness Tips For Being In Your Car

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You never know when and where your personal safety might be threatened, or may be the victim of a crime. One prime location is in a parking lot of local stores. Just getting in and out of your vehicle can be dangerous if you aren’t paying attention. It can be just one person who accosts you, or it could be more. Do you know what to do? When you leave a store are you instantly looking for suspicious people. Maybe someone hanging around the lot, or worse, your car? Even before then, did you notice anyone in the store you were just at who may have been following you?

I’m not trying to scare you. Quite the contrary, I want you to start paying attention. This time of year we are all preoccupied by other things…especially if we are shopping for the Holiday season. It’s very easy to ignore everything around you and that includes potential dangers like lurking criminals, or criminals of opportunity.

So what can you do when leaving a store and going back to your Buick, or GMC? Take a look at the video below for some helpful tips.

It is difficult to predict behavior, but easy to PAY ATTENTION to it, especially with all the paths of communication these days. In every case where a crime or theft has been committed, there have been warning signs, clues, and outright threats that go ignored.

If you feel nervous, or threatened alert a security guard, or police officer. Around the holiday season, patrols are usually heightened and there are more officers in and around stores. Remember, the people who are victims of crime are the people who are not alert, or prepared.

Freeman Grapevine wants this to be the best Holiday Season it can be, so take a little extra care this year and use your better judgement when you are carrying armfuls of bags out to your vehicle.

If you have any stories or tips you can share about ways of staying safe this year, please share write them in the comments section below.

Texas Law Allows For Arrest On Minor Traffic Offenses

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This is, in fact, true. A police officer in Texas can arrest you for minor traffic offenses excluding speeding. Sounds strange, huh? When I heard this from a lawyer friend of mine, I was left scratching my head thinking that this couldn’t be true, but I did a little research myself and found that this is true. The case is Atwater vs. Lago Vista, 99-1408. I found an article from ABC news which confirmed that in 1997 Gail Atwater was arrested for not wearing her seat belt:

The officer arrested Gail Atwater, handcuffed her hands behind her back and took her to the city police station. A friend looked after her children and her pickup truck was towed away.

Texas law allows police to make arrests for routine traffic violations, except for speeding..

From my understanding, Atwater sued the city under the pretense that her Constitutional rights, specifically her Fourth Amendment Rights were violated. However:

The high court majority rejected her argument that police should not have arrested her for a crime that would carry no jail time.

“The arrest and booking were inconvenient to Atwater, but not so extraordinary as to violate the Fourth Amendment,” Justice David H. Souter wrote for the majority.

So, for all of you Texas drivers out there, it pays to be nice to the attending officer if you get pulled over for something other than speeding. Don’t have your seat belt on? You can be arrested. Run a stop sign? You can be arrested.

Now, that being said, you probably aren’t going to be held for a minor traffic violation, that is as long as you just follow the rules and don’t make that officer’s job any harder than it already is. Remember, they never really know what type of situation they are going into, even on a routine traffic stop. They have one of the most dangerous jobs you can have, so just go with the flow be nice.

What do you think about this story? Do you agree, or disagree?