Category Archives: Maintenance and Service

Noisy Front End, You May Need A Wheel Hub Replacement

Maintenance and Service, , , , ,

If you have a noisy front end suspension, shaking steering wheel or hear a low growling noise you may need to have your hub bearing assembly examined and replaced. Let me say right off the bat, that this is not something you should ignore, or let go. We want you to know that if you do, it can cause further damage and a possible catastrophic failure of your steering system.

Before assuming that you have a hub bearing assembly problem, you’ll first want to verify the source of the noise. Often noise can be caused by newly paved or uneven roads, tire pattern or uneven tire wear caused by other suspension issues. This makes diagnosing a faulty hub bearing assembly tough sometimes.

What exactly is a hub bearing assemble? It’s basically bearing mounted inside the hub which is attached to the axle and keeps the wheels spinning smoothly.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpdghLj6AhE

A worn, or faulty hub bearing assembly is nothing to take lightly, as it could result in the loss of steering, a total separation of the wheel which will result in an accident. If you are hearing any noise coming from your front end and you aren’t sure what it is, we suggest that you bring it in to us, Freeman Grapevine, for further diagnosis and inspection.

Dallas Buick and GMC Owners: Freeman Grapevine Has The Cure For Your Foggy Headlights

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We see a lot of foggy headlights come through the Freeman Grapevine Service Department to be restored. Hazy, or foggy headlights are fairly common place, especially in constantly changing and extreme weather conditions of the DFW Metroplex. Keep in mind, that cleaning foggy headlights might not be a problem that you have to deal with right now with your new Buick or GMC, but it might pop up somewhere down the road. Most modern new car headlights are made out of plastic, and as the years pass, light causes them to oxidize and it forms a yellowish tint over the lenses. This wasn’t really a problem back before the 1980s when most headlight covers were made of glass. That’s right all you youngsters, at one time headlights were glass and almost as easy to change as light bulb…but I digress.

Modern car manufacturers put a coating on the headlights to help keep the oxidizing at bay, but given enough time, those headlights are still going to fog up. This can have a severe impact on your night time driving visibility. Light rays can be cut and diffused by an oxidized headlight lens to the point of being dangerous.

The good news is, if you notice your headlight lenses are starting to turn yellow, you don’t have to throw them out and get new ones (which a lot of people do, unfortunately). It’s extremely expensive to buy replacement lenses. You can save yourself some money and make your headlights good as new by fixing it yourself or bringing your car into Freeman Grapvine, and we can clean them to look like the day your bought your Buick or GMC.

I found this do it yourself from Auto Amateur Bob that explains the process perfectly:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPb0DqTlG4o

Again, If you’d rather a professional take a look at your hazy, foggy or oxidized headlight lenses, just swing by Freeman Grapevine. We’ll be able to clean them in a flash and it’s just one less thing you’ll have to worry about.


How To Check Your Radiator For Leaks

Maintenance and Service, , ,

Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine wants to remind you that it’s a good thing to check your radiator periodically for leaks. A large leak is obviously easy to spot, as you will see green anti-freeze collecting under your vehicle. However, not all leaks are as easy to determine. For example, the walls of your radiator are fairly thin and can develop cracks from the pressure that build up during normal driving. These tiny fissures may be leaking fluid at a slow pace and it might be difficult to tell if there is even a leak at all. Check out the video below to see how you can help diagnose a radiator leak your car.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzWvRA3-jV0&NR=1

Was this helpful? Even though your car may be new, I wanted to stress the importance of keeping that new car in perfect working condition. If you think you may have a leak in your radiator, bring your car into Freeman Grapevine ASAP before it gets worse. A leaking radiator can turn into a catastrophic breakdown. Fix it before it does.

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC, Diagnosing A Broken Tie Rod

Maintenance and Service, , , ,

Think you feel a clunk or shake in the steering wheel? You might have a bent tie rod! Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer wants you to know that if you feel any type of tie rod issues, you should probably bring in your Dallas Buick, or GMC ASAP. Leaving any problem unattended to is only going  to exacerbate any problem you ma be experiencing with noise or poor performance.

Here’s a great video from 1A-auto.com that will help you diagnose a broken tie rod

If you’ve already don the diagnosis or think that your Fort Worth Buick or GMC may be suffering from the issue, bring it by your Metroplex Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine.

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer: How Long Has Your Check Engine Light Been On

Maintenance and Service, ,

Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer, Freeman Grapevine wants to know, when was the last time you actually looked at the instrument cluster in your car? It’s really easy to neglect keeping yourself informed about your vehicle, even though gauges and lights are giving you constant information. I know people who insist that their “Check Engine” light doesn’t really mean much and they’ve been driving with it on for “over a year”. Really? That’s not terribly smart. Make sure you read your new car manual too find out and take a look at something other than your speedometer from time to time.

Here’s a good (yet fuzzy) video I found that illustrates this well. WATCH IT! IT COULD SAVE YOU MONEY!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEs702FK8Kc

IF you have any questions feel free to ask your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer, Freeman Grapevine we know how to “Turn the Light off” in your new car.

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

Just for Fun, Maintenance and Service, , , , , , , , , , ,

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

Just for Fun, Maintenance and Service, , , , , , , , , , ,

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.