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.
The Memorial Day rush has already started. Well, maybe not actually started, but I can guarantee that all of us here at Freeman Grapevine are thinking about what we’ll be doing this weekend. Either going out to spend the weekend on the lakes, headed to friends and family for a great cookout, taking the family out camping or any number of other activities, chances are you are going to be on the road during one of the most dangerous times of the year.
AAA said 37.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more, or about 1 percent more than last year — an estimate derived from a national phone survey of 1,500 adults. More than 80 percent of those travelers will take road trips, while another 10 percent will fly. The remainder will be packed into trains and buses.
Keep in mind that over this three-day weekend, though, an average of 161 people are killed in car accidents in the U.S. per day, 40% due to drunk driving. With that in mind, local law enforcement will certainly be out cracking down.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jvli2H3VSA
All of us at Freeman Grapevine, we want all of our Dallas Fort Worth Buick & GMC customers to stay safe this weekend. There will certainly be more people on the road, including you an your family, so stay aware and don’t drink and drive. Wouldn’t it be great if DFW could have a holiday weekend with no Driving/DWI related injuries? You can make that happen.
Manufacturing one of America’s best selling crossover vehicles with 3rd row seating, the Enclave, can certainly pile on the pressure when it comes to making any changes for the new model year. It’s not simply changing a color here, or a contour there. Nor is it as drastic as laying down a blank sheet of paper and doing a total redesign. Great care has to be taken when making any change. Especially to a vehicle that already has proven it’s worth in the marketplace.
According to Motorauthority.com, addressing most of these issues fell to lead sculptor at GM Nick Barkley, who worked on the original as well as the latest 2013 model. In addition to manipulating full-scale clay models, much of Barkley’s creative work is done in the digital space with three-dimensional modeling programs.
“Buicks have been some of the toughest work I’ve done because they are so sculptural,” said Barkley, a designer at GM for 12 years. “There are so many concave and convex forms. To make an organic, hand-shaped look show through the forms is both difficult and rewarding.”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2E_bePA5Hs
Asked to name the most-challenging element of the Enclave’s design, Barkley immediately pointed to the traditional waterfall grille that went through countless looks before a final form emerged that met both the design team’s standards and manufacturing capabilities. He notes that the production version remains true to the earliest clay mockups.
When it comes to the Buick Enclave, the design of which is never truly completed. The same can be said for every other model in Buick’s line-up as well. There is a yearly ebb and flow of design ideas. Some of which actually make it to the final production version of the vehicle, while most end up on the cutting room floor. That is the constant desire for Buick to be a consistent leader in automotive design and production value. It’s is Buick’s drive for excellence and setting trends that are not easily duplicated, or copied. Hence, this is the reason why vehicles like the Enclave is America’s best selling crossovers.
I invite you to come and see for yourself the truly unique and inspired design work that you get when you purchase a Dallas Fort Worth Buick from Freeman Grapevine.
I think we’ve all firmly come to grips with the advancements of technology. I know Freeman Grapevine has certainly opened our arms to technology. Ever since the release of the personal computer in the early 80’s, they’ve only gotten smaller, faster and more useful. In fact, when I see someone who doesn’t have a smart phone I wonder how they made it this far without one?
For those of us who do have smart phones and are information junkies, like myself, I give you the top 5 automotive apps fore your new, or used Buick, or GMC that no driver should be without.
(source electronics.howstuffworks.com)
iGasUp
For just $2.99, iPhone users can download the iGasUp application and have updated gas station locations and fuel prices at their fingertips. The app gives users the 10 closest gas stations based on the phone’s current location. iGasUp boasts a network of more than 110,000 filling stations across the U.S. Once a driver uses his or her iPhone to pull up the closest 10 gas stations, the information can be sorted by cheapest or closest. The prices are updated frequently and each has a time stamp that indicates the freshness of the price. Users can then plot their course to the filling station of their choice by using the interactive Maps found on the iPhone.
Trapster
Trapster displays your location on a map using the iPhone’s WiFi location capabilities. Reported speed traps, which users enter into the Trapster’s network database, pop up along your route. Trapster’s settings allow users to setup their iPhones to give voice alerts of approaching speed traps and the dynamic radar feature compensates for a driver’s speed and direction in radar to relay accurate warnings. Signal cameras and police traps show up on the display as icons for easy recognition.
With a network of more than 330,000 users worldwide, nearly two-thirds of those being iPhone owners, the Trapster network has reported more than 5 million speed traps worldwide as of November 2011. It seems that Trapster has replaced the CB radio as the best method of radar detection — with the exception of illegal radar detection devices. And it’s free, too.
INRIX Traffic
Here are some of the things that INRIX Traffic can do (even without the $24.99 upgrade):
Incidents: A list of traffic events, updated via the Internet, which may affect the route you plan to take. These include accidents, crowds at major sporting events, convention traffic and other tie-ups reported by members of the INRIX Traffic community.
Comparative Traffic: A map of the local area with traffic density marked out in color-coded lines that tell you which routes have light traffic and which routes are bumper to bumper.
Predictions: A timeline that allows you to project traffic for the 15-minute interval during which you plan to be traveling.
There are several other traffic apps available for the iPhone, but INRIX Traffic has a solid community of users reporting conditions and, if you use the app, you join that community too. If what you see on the road doesn’t agree with what you see on the app, you can report the mistake with the click of a single on-screen button.
GoPoint
The free GoPoint app works with the GoPoint cable (which costs $100, but can be purchased online for less) to plug into your car’s On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port. This is the sort of thing that your local mechanic will do using a piece of equipment that cost thousands of dollars, but your iPhone can do it for the cost of a cable and the time you spend downloading an app. Some people would consider that a bargain.
What sort of information can the GoPoint app extract from the OBD port? Well, if you already know that your car is experiencing some kind of problem — for instance, if the Check Engine light is flashing — the GoPoint app can give you the Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) for it. These are standardized codes and the GoPoint app will define them for you in plain English. Unless you’re a mechanic, you might not be able to deal with the problem itself, but you’ll know what to expect when you take your car into the shop and can verify that your mechanic isn’t just inventing expensive problems that will cost you a fortune to fix.
Oh, yes — once you’ve purchased the GoPoint cable, there are additional apps that work with it, not just from GoPoint but from third-party developers, so that you can do things like monitor your fuel economy in real time.
Parker for iPhone
This app gives you a rooftop view of the local street situation and tells you where the parking places are. With the cooperation of the Departments of Transportation in several major cities, including New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Boston, the San Francisco company Streetline has installed electronic sensors in selected neighborhoods to detect whether parking places are occupied or empty. This data is broadcast to a central location and can be accessed via the Parker app.
Parker for iPhone has a wealth of features, as well as a built-in tutorial to show you what they are and how to use them. They include the ability to choose a city and an area within that city that has parking sensors, a map showing a numeric count of the number of open spaces within a specific area, color coded icons on that map to point you to blocks with the largest number of open spaces, and a special display showing the fee charged by meters or commercial parking garages at the place where you want to park. In some instances, you can even pay for parking directly from the app. And once you’ve started a meter ticking, Parker will not only time it for you and remind you when it’s about to run out, but will use your iPhone’s built-in GPS to predict whether you have enough time to walk back to your car before the meter expires. If you drive much in major metropolitan areas, Parker can make your life easier and save you from a lot of frustration when you need to get out of your car and walk.
We’ve come a long way from the personal computer taking up and entire desk to fitting in the palm of our hands. Sometime I wonder what I’d ever do without my magic little phone.
There are thousands of beneficial apps out there. Can you suggest any others to Freeman Grapevine that would make our customer’s driving lives easier?
What does it mean to be “Professional Grade? Freeman Grapevine knows. It’s not just something GMC says, it’s something they live by. In the video below, GMC designer Jeff Perkins shares how unexpected things like power tools inspire designs that are uniquely GMC. Check out the video and see for yourself!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvgDe1SNLig
I just have to throw this out there. When it comes to attention to detail, driver comfort, power, fuel consumption and looks, you just can’t beat the power of GMC. Swing by and see me at Freeman Grapevine if you really want to experience the ultimate in premium appointments, top of the line components and about 1,000 other things that will make you say, “WOW!”
Kids, Kids, Kids, Freeman Grapevine loves kids. After all, we do sell some of the best family vehicles on the market in Buick and GMC. But, did you know that there are things you can do to child proof your car much in the same way you would your home? If you have kids yourself you probably already know this. However, if you are a new parent, you may have to live and learn before you realize that there are certain things you can do to help make your car a comfortable and safe place to be. I’m hoping to give you a little “heads-up” first.
There are 5 important things you can do to child proof your car.
1. Car seat: this is a no-brainer. It must fit your child and be anchored properly in the vehicle itself. A poorly secured seat can be just as much of a hazard a just plopping your child down and driving off. Read your owner’s manual for proper installation. If you are unsure, swing be Freeman Grapevine and we can put it in for you. Also keep in mind that your child must fit in that seat, so if you are trying to cram your toddler into a newborn sized car seat, you are creating a hazard.time for a bigger seat.
2. Keep them distracted: Having an unruly or overly playful child in the back can be a distraction to you and affect your focus on the road, so distract them back. Most new vehicles have options for entertainment systems, think about getting one in your new car. If you aren’t in the market for a new vehicle, iPods, soft books and soft toys are your best bet. The bottom line here is that if you have to correct any behavior while driving, you are setting yourself up for a potential problem.
3. Limit clutter and remove loose objects: these things become dangerous projectiles if you are ever in a collision with your child in the car. A 1lb toy can emit a lot of velocity and pressure if your car comes to a dead stop. So it stands to reason that a 10lb object can be deadly. If you don’t need it for that trip, just take it out.
4. Communicate: After your child grows past his or her toddler stage, the begin to be more inquisitive and interested in things such as door handles and automatic window buttons. Make it clear to your child, when they are the appropriate age, that while in the car, they need to obey the rules of riding in the car. For starters, tell your child: don’t scream; don’t throw; and don’t unfasten your seat belt. He or she might not always listen, but it’s important to at least try.
5. Obey the Rules of the Road: This one is for you, Mom and Dad. Be a safe driver. Leave a few minutes early so don’t have to rush. Don’t speed up to catch a yellow light. Don’t talk on your cell phone, eat a sandwich while you drive, or blast Bon Jovi on the radio. You have a child in the car and you can greatly improve his or her well being by simply being a safe driver.
If you have any questions or insights on this subject, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or drop me a line at Freeman Grapevine.
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!
One of the coolest memories I have was the day I passed my driver’s test and got my license. It was a big day. It was also a big responsibility. I was in command of large vehicle with a lot of power. I remember how easy it was to get on the gas and almost let it get away for me. In addition to that, the road had to have my utmost, undivided attention. I was constantly being fed information, by signs, signals and situations.
Just take a look at the 121/114 interchange in front of Freeman Grapevine. You can’t drive 20 feet without be fed some kind of information. The video below highlights one of the most focused on portions of your written exam: sings and signals.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua2tkqp4DYQ
Dallas teen drivers, if you happen to be reading this, I’m going to give you a little hint about your exam. Learn your signs and signals. They will be a predominant factor of both your written and practical driving test. So, hit those books kids, because we want you to pass those exams and get your first car at Freeman Grapevine.
Thinking about getting a new GMC? Before you swing by Freeman Grapevine to see what will look good on you, check out GMC’s YouTube page and do a little window shopping first. Curious about a new GMC Sierra, Terrain, Acadia or Yukon, check out their channel first, then swing by Freeman Grapevine and pick one out for yourself.
The great thing about using GMC’s YouTube channel is to get an in depth look all of the great vehicles GMC has to offer. Of course, you are more than welcome to just swing by, and just see them for yourself.
Note: Washington isn't "driving" across the Potomac
So, we had some pretty precarious storms the other day here in the Metroplex. We saw a lot of rain here at Freeman Grapevine, and I know for a fact that there were numerous road closings due to heavy flooding. Yet, for some strange reason, I always see flooded out cars on these same roads.
Here’s the skinny, if you think that a road, feeder, highway or byway is flooded, then don’t try to cross. Don’t tempt fate, because if you do, you could end up like this person.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5nnV2cUXk
Now that was a pretty dumb thing to do. As much as you might like to think you have the ground clearance to pass safely through flooded streets, you probably don’t. The fact of the matter is that you are risking a very, very, hefty repair fee if you try to brave flooded streets. Don’t be that guy! Some of the costs for repairing a flooded engine, at times, costs more than the vehicle is worth.
Here’s a good gauge. If you can’t see the top of the curb, the water is to high. It WILL back up into your exhaust system, and it WILL cost thousands of dollars to repair. You are much better not even attempting to cross a flooded intersection or drive on a flooded street. Remember, your Buick or GMC isn’t a boat. Apparently some people in the Metroplex seem to forget that on a regular basis. Which, quite honestly, is beyond me.
If you’ve attempted and failed your “Great River Crossing”, you can bring your Dallas Buick, or GMC into Freeman Grapevine for repair. Hopefully you won’t attempt to re-enact Washington’s Crossing of the Potomac again.
What does it mean to be “Professional Grade? 
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