Category Archives: Uncategorized

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About How Gas Is Made, Dallas

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Well since I did a post on the life-cycle of a drop of fuel yesterday, I figured that we ought to show you exactly how gasoline is made. Did you know that 800,000,000 vehicles crowd our busy road ways? How can you keep that many cars on the road? A healthy supply of crude oil, a fossil fuel that formulates the cornerstone of gasoline. This video is fantastic if you ever wondered where and how gasoline is made…and wouldn’t you know it, it all started here in Texas.

Pretty much everything you wanted to know about gas right? Did you see that lab? It seemingly takes hundreds of people just to produce a single drop of gas for your car…no wonder it’s so expensive.

My Latest Experience With Dallas Fort Worth Driving

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It’s time for me to get up on my soapbox again and remind everyone that driving like an idiot…yes, an idiot…in your Dallas Fort Worth car, really gets my goat. Especially when that driving results in a hit and run which I witnessed. The other night I was driving home in the slow lane, probably going about 70, like everybody else. Traffic was light, but there were several vehicles around me in the various lanes. Suddenly, one of those “people” (you know who you are) in a big pickup truck came up doing at least 90. He tried to thread the needle, you know what I mean. Well, he didn’t “get ‘er done”. He slammed into a pickup truck in the middle lane, just in front of me. Burning rubber smell, sparks flying, both trucks swerving around. Luckily they both held it together. The truck that got hit got in the slow lane to exit, but amazingly enough the perpetrator truck showed no sign of slowing down or exiting. I pulled up next to the hit truck and saw a woman, shaken but OK, so I sped up and got next to the perp. I wrote down his license plate number. Eventually he exited. I got off the next exit and called the Lewisville PD. They thanked me, told me they were already on it and took my info.

The point of this whole thing is, people who weave in and out of traffic in cars, trucks or motorcycles are idiots and potential murderers and if you do it you are a bad person and there are no two ways about it. The highway is not a game. Your personal desire to go fast for whatever reason is a dangerous weakness you should address. You aren’t the only person on the road, and it is your responsibility to keep not just yourself safe, but also everyone else you come in contact with on the road.

This type of driving behavior is unacceptable. This was a case of hit an run, pure and simple. At your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, we take everyone’s safety very seriously. My rant is over, but if you’d like to leave one of your own in the comments section, feel free.

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Crosswalk Pong Keeps Crosswalks Entertaining

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Color your me impressed with German ingenuity for giving you a little entertainment as you sit and wait for your turn to cross at a crosswalk.

Crosswalk Pong. That’s right, Crosswalk Pong. So you get stuck before you get a chance to cross. In Germany, there’s no reason to rush, miss you crossing signal and get plowed over by a European sedan. Now you have a fun reason to wait.

Crosswalk Pong pits you against someone else on the other side of the street in a good old fashioned pong game. As your light counts down, you are visually warned that your game will be coming to an end soon and you can cross the street.

In the meantime, the German Transportation Department put themselves in the walker’s shoes and came up with a pretty fun to kill a few minutes while waiting to cross the street. Check it out.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQqAxB5DjgQ

Have you run into any other fun things like this that local Governments put into place to help keep the citizenry either safe, progressing, or in this case, entertained? If so, tell your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine

The Cell Phone Is Now A Necessity On Dallas Fort Worth Roads

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It wasn’t too long ago that the cell phone was a luxury. It was expensive and the calling plans were too. Eventually the technology of communications has caught up with us. The devices got much better and so did the calling plans. I wonder what Alexander Graham Bell would think of cell phones today.

Once being slightly despised because of your accessibility has now become a communication system that will tell everyone you know where you are. what you are doing and probably the new 300 things you plan to do over the week.

The rub of is that the cell phone has now become a virtual necessity for daily operation. When you think about it. A smart phone running an advanced operating system can generate a lot of information and get out out of a bind in the future.

Let’s pretend you have a flat. You can call some one for help. You can learn how to change it yourself via YouTube. You can send an email to your mechanic and text your friends telling them you’ll be a little late all in a mater of moments. So, here are a few tips to keeping what is now one of the most important tools in your car functional:

  • Keep your cell phone charged at all times.
  • If possible have a back up battery accessible and fully charged as well.
  • Keep your cell phone away from water.
  • Program all of your emergency contacts in your phone
  • Just like a medical ID bracelet, you can also store information on your phone such as allergies, prescriptions and medical conditions.
  • If you have an iPhone, download the Child ID app created by the FBI to help get information out quickly for a missing child.
  • Add ICE, “in case of emergency,” to contacts you would like contacted in an emergency. This is not very reliable as there are many different types of phones out there that people may be unfamiliar with and if your phone is locked then there’s no sense in doing it in the first place.
  • If you phone is equipped with a camera it can be helpful in documenting damages to things like your car or property.
  • If you are lost, most smartphones have a map app that can help you find your way.

I almost hate to admit it. But this is one invention that has both made our lives infinitely more complicated but also seems to be at the center of solving most of our daily problems.

Do you know of something you just can’t live without in regards to your car? If so, tell your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine the one thing you can’t live without in your car?

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC: What Age Is Too Old To Drive

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All of us here at your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine, know that driving is one of the very last freedoms it seems we’ll enjoy as we get older. The thought of losing autonomy by having to relinquish our driver’s licenses can be scary fro some, and down right infuriating for others.

Everyone always talks about what the minimum driving age is, but is there a maximum?  Do you have a parent or know a friend’s parent who is a little older and isn’t the safest driver?

I read an article from AOL Autos, which lists some warning signs of senior drivers.  Take a look:

Warning Signs: 20 Things To Look For In Elderly Drivers

• Decrease in confidence while driving
• Difficulty turning to see when backing up
• Easily distracted while driving
• Other drivers often honk horns
• Hitting curbs
• Scrapes or dents on the car, mailbox or garage
• Increased agitation or irritation when driving
• Failure to notice traffic signs or important activity on the side of the road
• Trouble navigating turns
• Driving at inappropriate speeds
• Uses a “copilot”
• Bad judgment making left turns
• Delayed response to unexpected situations
• Moving into wrong lane or difficulty maintaining lane position
• Confusion at exits
• Ticketed moving violations or warnings
• Getting lost in familiar places
• Car accident
• Failure to stop at stop sign or red light
• Stopping in traffic for no apparent reason

Are there other warning signs you’d recommend looking for?  Have you ever had to tell your parent that it’s not safe for them to drive any more?  Please share here your thought here. Freeman Grapevine is concerned about all drivers across Texas and the US and would like to hear your opinion on this topic.

Dallas Fort Worth GMC: Almost 50 MPG By 2025

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It’s no secret that the Obama administration is in talks about a new requirement that all new cars and light trucks must get up to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025!

Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine agrees that more vehicles could stand getting updated to get better miles per gallon, but the requirement is so high that a lot of ‘automobiles’ will be lost if this ever gets passed without some type of major improvement in fuel consumption technology.

There are only a few vehicles on the road today that barely come close to meeting this miles per gallon amount. And you guessed it, they are hybrids and/or electric vehicles. But most Americans aren’t ready to take that plunge just yet, be it because they are too expensive, the selection of vehicles is too small or people just aren’t ready to give up their gas powered vehicles just yet.

Here’s a small expert from US Today:

The National Automobile Dealers Association, a powerful lobby in Washington, today says:

To reach a 56.2 miles-per-gallon (mpg) standard would mean a tremendous shift in the types of vehicles consumers buy. To meet that goal, 55 percent of market share would be hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, according to the Center for Automotive Research. In 2010, hybrids and plug-ins together accounted for less than 2.5% of U.S. new auto sales. Overly-ambitious standards set 14 years in the future risk severe economic harm if consumer wants and needs are not met.

We are all for bettering the earth and making progress towards new and innovative ways to use fossil fuels more efficiently, however this new possible requirement would also hinder a lot of great vehicles. To generate power you need fuel, so some of the larger GMC trucks that are able to produce such high torque and massive amounts of power might be affected by this stipulation. However, the technology for increasing gas mileage already exists to an extent, but at this time is just too expensive to put into practice.

Since this news is pretty new, reports are saying that the amount of miles per gallon could change once more meetings are held.  Tell Freeman Grapevine what you think about this possible requirement that all new cars must be able to get up to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025?

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC: Do Shock Tactics Work In Teaching Kids To Drive

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For those of you who have you have kids, if they aren’t already, they will be driving before you know it, and hopefully it’s a Freeman Grapevine car. As is usually the case for our new batch of young drivers, they’ll be attending a driver’s education course. Now, driver’s ed has changed drastically in the past 60 years. There has been more of a shift from shock education…remember all of those horrific videos they’d show to kids about the dangers of driving. Check out the one I found from the 50’s below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwbi9UCzmIQ

These days, driver’s education is more real world and scenario driven, as opposed to the shock and awe of past driving classroom videos. Which do you think is a better technique? Do shock tactics really deter kids from making bad decisions behind the wheel? Does focusing on real world scenarios seem to achieve better results, or does it neglect the inherent dangers and responsibilities of driving? Are kids too desensitized with images they see in the media to even take notice?

Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine takes driver’s education seriously and hopes that all new young drivers do the same.

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC: Getting Pulled Over Without Your License

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pulled over without license, Buick Dealer, dallas Buick Dealer, dallas fort worth buick gmc, Dallas GMC Dealer, dallas GMC Truck, dallas new car, dallas Used Car, dallas Used Truck. New Car, DFW Buick, dfw car dealer, dfw gmc, Fort Worth Buick, fort worth gmc, Fort Worth Truck Dealer, Ft. Worth Buick, Ft. Worth car dealer, ft. worth gmc, GMC DealerFirst of all, your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine wants to remind you that it is illegal in almost every state to drive without your license. Of course, we are all human and there are times where we have simply forgotten our license. Either you’ve mistakenly left your wallet, or purse at home or you had taken out your license and forgot to replace it. It happens…even to police officers.

Here’s the deal, and the same holds true in any traffic stop situation: be polite, up front and courteous. If you are all of the above, the attending officer will likely be the same. Be up front about not having your license immediately. Don’t waste the officers time, or he’ll probably end up wasting yours. Plus it is a good display of honest and respect for the Officer.

Let’s say you didn’t leave your license at home but are driving after you’ve had yours suspended. What do you do? Again, be up front. The attending officer is going to find out anyway, so just tell him immediately that you are driving on a suspended license. If you are lucky, you will get out of there with just a citation. Make it difficult for the attending officer and the only way you will be leaving is in the back of his cruiser.

Check out this video for the right way to interact with the police in regards to your missing license.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsZEzCLk9o8&feature=g-vrec

The bottom line is that your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer, Freeman Grapevine suggests that you be up front with the officer that has pulled you over. Chances are if you made a mistake and left it at home, he’ll let you off with a warning. However, if you aren’t up front with him or her, your situation may end up being less than pleasant.

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC: Top Ten Highway Safety Improvements We Take For Granted

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For the past few years (it seems like ages) there has been highway construction in front of your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine, and while it can be a huge nuisance, we also know the work has to be done for safety reasons and driver accommodation.

It’s not just our vehicles that are safer these days.  Highway safety engineers have been working overtime for years to improve both traffic flow and highway safety.  Improving traffic flow contributes to safer roads as well as getting you to your destination more quickly. So, instead of railing against the inconvenience, let’s take a look at some of the highway advancements we take for granted.

Ten Traffic Safety Improvements We All Take for Granted

  1. Divided Highways
  2. Median dividers and barriers engineered to turn vehicle wheels back into the proper lane of traffic.
  3. Improved and increased lighting for roads and highways
  4. Energy absorbing crushable barricades around fixed objects
  5. Small groves or buttons down the side of the highway to alert drivers drifting off the road.
  6. High speed, multi-lane interchanges (instead of intersections or traffic circles)
  7. Improved signage and use of reflective materials.  (If the buttons down the middle of the road in front of you are red reflectors, you are going the wrong way.)
  8. Expanded use of improved guardrails
  9. Brighter LED traffic signals with pedestrian control lights.
  10. Improved reflective paints for highway lanes, crosswalks, and directional arrows.

Before the Interstate Highway program began very few highways were divided.  Roads were one solid strip of asphalt divided only by a line painted down the middle. Learning to pass slower vehicles by moving into and back out of the on-coming lane of traffic was a very important part of driver training.

Short wooden poles, strung together by a single strand of steel cable, were all that separated drivers from the road and a deep ditch or sharp curve.  The guardrails and barriers of today weren’t yet invented.

There was much less street and road lighting and some of the light bulbs were always burned out.  Halogens and LEDs have been a huge improvement.

One of the big killers in the past was drivers dozing off while driving and drifting into on coming traffic or bridge supports. The addition of median dividers, crushable barricades, and road shoulder grooving has significantly reduced head on collisions.

Highway safety engineers will continue to make improvements, but we shouldn’t take all the improvements we have now for granted.  Despite all the traffic, our roads and highways are built to be a lot safer for us than for our parents and grandparents.

Leave Freeman Grapevine a comment below and tell us what you think about the ongoing construction in your area. Is it more of a hindrance than a help?

Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer: Our Memorial Day Tribute

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For those of us here at your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer, Freeman Grapevine, who have, or have had loved ones overseas, this weekend is both special and heartbreaking.

As we wait for our soldiers to make their way back home, we anguish everyday they are gone hoping for their safe return. Most come back to us and that joy is immeasurable. However, some do not, and that pain is equally immeasurable. Memorial Day is a time of remembrance. Don’t lose sight of that this weekend as you spend time with your family and friends. Remember, there are tens of thousands of families across the United States who don’t barbecue, or go to they lake…they sit patiently awaiting for their loved ones to come home.

Freeman Grapevine salutes all of the brave men and women of our Armed Services for their continued defending of Freedom and Democracy. We also thank equally the families of those soldiers for their selflessness in offering their sons and daughters to fight with Honor to defend Truth. We will not forget your sacrifice.