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.
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.
Yesterday was a pretty harrowing day at Freeman Grapevine, as it was for the rest of the Metroplex for that matter. Storms producing at least 3 tornadoes, ripped through the area leaving massive amounts of damage in their wake. Check out the video below:
Those were 50 foot trailers that were being hurled in the air like paper. Imagine if you would have been in your car at that moment, at that spot. It’s sad to say, but your tiny little vehicle has no chance when combating such a violent storm.
As we all know, many of these tornadic disturbances happen suddenly and seemingly, without warning. What would you do if you saw one of these coming your way? Out run it? Park under a bridge? Get out of your car and take shelter under the girders of a bridge? “No” to all of the above. Unfortunately there are just a few things you can do.
Never try to out-drive a tornado in a vehicle. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift a car or truck and toss it through the air.
Get out of your vehicle immediately and seek shelter in a nearby building.
If there is no time to get indoors, or if there is no nearby shelter, get out of the car and lie in a ditch or a low-lying area away from the vehicle. Be aware of the potential for flooding.
The bottom line is that you are at the mercy of the storm. The only precautions you can take are the one’s mentioned above and your best bet is to get indoor immediately. If you know that there is the potential for violent storms, just stay home.
After watching that video and hearing all of the stories for local customers, family and friends, this storm could have been much more deadly. Freeman Grapevine is thankful that, as of now, no one was killed. Remember, storms like these can pop up without warning in North Texas. It’s storm season. Drive safely and err on the side of caution, always.
All of us here at Freeman Grapevine agree on one thing, living in Texas and specifically, the DFW area, we are prone to violent and often times destructive weather. This can happen almost any month during the year, but when Spring rolls around the mixture of cooler rising air colliding with warmer Gulf Coast air is a prime atmosphere for generating torrential downpours and the ever dreaded…TORNADO!
There are a few things to know when stuck out in these conditions. I’ve been caught in 3 tornado conditions when driving and each was more terrifying than the rest. Kind of like this guy. This video was taken the weekend of October 24th, 2010.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5gzVE5wlkA
According to cnn: Authorities in northeast Texas were assessing damage Monday morning after a tornado destroyed homes, knocked train cars off their tracks and injured at least four people.
Five homes in Rice, Texas, were destroyed as 125 mph winds whipped through a seven-mile swath of Navarro County Sunday evening, said Eric Meyers, the county’s emergency management coordinator.
Meyers rode out the tornado inside a vehicle and videotaped the twister as it tore the roof off a school about a block away.
“The sheer power was just amazing,” Meyers said in an interview Monday on CNN’s “American Morning” program.
If you are in your car, find shelter immediately.
Be alert to what is happening outside as well. Here are some of the things that people describe when they tell about a tornado experience:
A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky.
If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign. Hail can be common in some areas, however, and usually has no tornadic activity along with it.
A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after the thunderstorm.
Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
A sound a little like a waterfall or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of both railroad trains and jets.
Debris dropping from the sky.
An obvious “funnel-shaped” cloud that is rotating, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards, even if no funnel cloud is visible.
If you see a tornado and it is not moving to the right or to the left relative to trees or power poles in the distance, it may be moving towards you! Remember that although tornadoes usually move from southwest to northeast, they also move towards the east, the southeast, the north, and even northwest.
Finally, if you are in a car, and you can see a tornado forming or approaching, you should leave the car and take shelter as above. You may think you can escape from the tornado by driving away from it, but you can’t know what you may be driving into! A tornado can blow a car off a road, pick a car up and hurl it, or tumble a car over and over. Many people have been killed in cars while they were trying to outrun the tornado, and although it is sometimes possible to escape, it is generally not a good idea.
An underpass may seem like a safe place, but may not be. While videos show people surviving under an underpass, those tornadoes have been weak. No one knows how survivable an underpass is in a strong or violent tornado. The debris flying under the underpass could be very deadly… head for a ditch.
Also, if you have had any recent hail damage for the recent storms, Freeman Grapevine can take the dings out and get that Buick, or GMC looking good as new.
There is no doubt that texting and driving is dangerous. In fact, I really wish Texas would clamp down on texting and driving by making it illegal. I talked about the dangers of distracted driving on numerous occasions and how texting is by far the worst on list of these distractions. Mainly because it involves all three types of distractions (visual, manual and cognitive). Yet, being almost totally disconnected from your task at hand (driving), it still isn’t enough to keep people from doing it.
So, until it becomes illegal to do so, people are still going to text and drive. What do you do about this? Apparently, if you are an app developer, you create new applications for our phones to help us sideline the texting and driving issue. GeekSugar.com has compiled a list of six apps we can use. Check them out!
DriveSafe.ly (Free)
This BlackBerry app called DriveSafe.ly reads your incoming text messages and emails to you thanks to its text to speech functionality. You can even create customizable auto-responses for your outgoing messages.
On the Move (Free)
This Android app, called On the Move, was developed to deter avid texters from checking their screens while driving. Acting as an auto-reply tool when you receive a message, On the Move tells the texter that you’re driving with a customized alert.
Otter ($4)
Not only does the Android-based Otter send auto replies to texters when you’re on the road, but you can also build custom quick responses, so you don’t waste time fumbling to text back on your small virtual or QWERTY keyboard.
ShoutOut ($1)
Called ShoutOut, this iPhone app dictates your speech to a text message, then sends it along to your chosen recipient. This app comes with a per-text cost though, with 50 voice-to-text messages costing $2, and 250 voice texts setting you back $5.
Type n Walk ($1)
Meant more for walkers than drivers, the Type n Walk app works with other apps and programs on your iPhone to give you a view of where you’re going so you can stare at your phone all the time. This way, you won’t run into telephone poles, mailboxes, and you know, other people.
Sprint’s Drive First App
Available for $2 a month in the third half of 2011, the Sprint Drive First App will lock up your phone while driving and route all calls to voicemail. Additionally, it will block all text message alerts and send an auto response saying the driver is unavailable, but still give you access to three main contacts, three apps, and GPS.
That’s all well and good, but in all honesty I don’t think these apps should cost a dime! In fact, they should be technology that’s included in your phone. Now I know that isn’t realistic, but if apps like these can curb texting and driving accidents, phone manufacturers should seriously consider making them a standard inclusion, or at the very least educate the users on their existence.
Thoughts? Comments? Do you have one of these apps? Do you use it? If you don’t, does paying a fee for the app itself or any additional service deter you from adding it to your phone? Let me know, all of us at Freeman Grapevine are not only looking out for your safety, but also the safety of those you share the road with.
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.
First, let me start by saying, if you know me, you know that I love sports and I LOVE football. So, when I ran across a short, feel-good story on Yahoo about the generosity of Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton. I had to retell it to my readers.
So, who hasn’t dreamed of a spectacular, yet unlikely gift by someone who is in the limelight? Like going to a Van Halen concert and Eddie Van Halen gives you his guitar. Or, going to a Texas Ranger game and Josh Hamilton gives you his glove. That stuff never happens, right? Wrong! Just such a scenario took place! Yahoo reports that Pittsburgh Steelers cafeteria worker Maurice Matthews received the gift of a 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500. The gift was given by Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton to Matthews for $20 on the coach’s last day of work.
Apparently, Horton dropped the news on Matthews by asking the food service employee, who would repeatedly ask to take his Benz for a ride, if he could borrow all the money he had. Since the two were reportedly close, Matthews gave Horton his only $20, which became the asking price for the droptop. Not too shabby, especially considering the book value on the 64,000 mile Benz is somewhere around $18k.
So, just when you think the unlikely would never happen…it does. I thought this was a great story that demonstrated the basic principles of human kindness and wanted to share with everyone. Even though it may not seem like it sometimes, there really are goodhearted people in this world who make differences in the lives of those around them. Be one of those people.
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