Tag Archives: used cars fort worth

Dallas GMC Dealer Explains the Truck Driver’s Blind spot better than anyone

If you’ve ever driven, or even ridden in a car in Dallas or Fort Worth, then there is no doubt you’ve seen the large, commercial trucks that roam our already over crowded highways and byways. Especially right out here in front of Freeman Grapevine on 121 and 114, in fact, you literally see them everywhere, transporting goods to stores and construction sites, but their drivers may not be able to see you.

Now, you get used to dealing with big rigs on the road. The are imposing, they are loud and they always seem to find a way to pin you between the barrier wall and their cargo trailer. I haven’t even mentioned the tsunami that incurs when they hit patch of standing water on the highway. A wall of water is the best way I can describe it. For a seasoned driver, this is tolerable, but for a new driver it’s terrifying.

So, when I found an article about the Street Survival School held at the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, I was eager to find out what skills they were teaching our young drivers. The idea was to set up a demonstration to show teen drivers the limitations with truck drivers’ visibility and teach the young motorists how to safely maneuver around big vehicles. Something we all could have probably benefited from as young drivers.

During this class session, they parked one of their track-maintenance dump trucks, a 10-wheeled monster, in the parking lot, with shiny new cars arrayed around it as if on a freeway. The kids got to climb in the cab to check which cars they could see. The nearest car behind, barely visible by bobbing your head among the various mirrors, was parked about 50 feet behind the dump truck. This gave the young drivers a real feel for the visibility limitations of commercial truck drivers, and it will hopefully encourage them to think about how they position themselves in traffic.

Seeing what it is like for a truck driver provided valuable insight for these kids, no doubt. The adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes really goes a long way when seen from the driver’s seat of a rig. Watch the video below and see for yourself. It might just make you a safer driver, as well.

 

 

Vent Windows Can Be A Costly Window Repair

One would think that some of the smaller components, such as those little vent windows wouldn’t cost too much to replace…that is until you’ve actually broken one. Of course, everyone knows that there are many components of automotive glass on the car that will largely differ in cost. Lots of individuals don’t understand how much the tiny vent window on a new or used car in Dallas may cost to fix.

Here’s a scenario you may have experienced:

You’re running behind for the most important meeting of your life and after switching off your car, you grab the keys and put them on the passenger seat while you collect your notes. After this you hop out of the vehicle and click the lock button on the door prior to shutting it. As you are actually letting go of the door, you remember your keys sitting in the front…but it’s too late. The door slams and is now locked…with your keys inside. Now what? Call a locksmith? Nope, there’s no time. So you choose to break the small vent glass and take care of the cost later…after all, how much can that actually cost?

So your meeting is over and you now need to contact and arrange an autoglass replacement for that small vent window you decided was your key back into your car. Of course, after talking with the autoglass center, you find out that the little vent window you broke is one of the priciest parts of glass on your automobile. D’OH!

What people don’t understand is that the vent window might be small compared to the other glass on the car but it is not often mass produced like the windshield or door window. Quite often, the vent window will need to be special ordered which means the manufacturer will likely need to commit additional time to custom cut this piece of glass. The vent window normally consist of lots of curves which will also increase the time it will take to custom cut the window.

Therefore should you find yourself in a bind and feel you must break a window on your automobile then you should bust the door window rather than that small vent window. The vent window can ultimately cost you 2 or 3 times what it would cost to replace the door window. Sad but true.

Finding it tough to search for a windshield repair service center nearby? Hope is not dimmed yet, whether you are in Fort Worth or Dallas come to your Texas GMC dealer with all your new and used car needs and let us help you today….and that includes choosing another way to retrieve your keys without breaking the bank.

How Often Do You Rotate Your Tires?

I would say that the majority of people know that regular scheduled maintenance is a necessity when it comes to owning a car to keep it running properly. One of the most common maintenance produces is getting oil changed. A no -brainer, right?! Well, you’d think so, but there are a handful out there that just don’t get their oil changed. And then they end up with some major, and sometimes even irreversible damage to their vehicles engine.

But enough about the importance of oil changes. Another important maintenance procedure you need to have done is getting your tires rotated. Now this one I can understand being overlooked….sometimes!  For some reason, people seem to always forget about the tires, which is crazy to me because they are the ones doing the ground work…no pun intended!

Keeping your tires properly maintained not only keeps you safe…very important, but also helps you to get the most wear out them as well.  And if that’s not enough, rotating your tires also helps you get better gas mileage as well  which all adds up to saving money, and, in this economy is a very important thing.

If you find that you have trouble remembering to rotate your tires, I suggest you add it in when you get your oil changed. To get the most of your tires, you want to keep them on a regular rotation so that they wear evenly. But even more frequently, you should at least check the tire pressure. Driving with low tire pressure is unsafe and can make your tires more susceptible to flats and punctures and can even make driving your vehicle challenging.

If you need a service shop, then of course I recommend giving Freeman Grapevine a try and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.  And of course you’re always welcome to come check out our great selection of new and use vehicles too!

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A Refresher in Driving Etiquette Just for You!

So it may have been a few years since you’ve been in drivers ed, or let’s face it, maybe even a few decades! And quite possibly, over the years, you may just have forgotten some things and are now making some uber driving faux pas and you don’t even know it.  Sheesh, and you wonder why you get honked at!

Now let’s get refreshed. Drivers etiquette refreshed that is!

  1. Pedestrians have the right of way. So you may be a few minutes on time and the person who is crossing in the crosswalk, at the pace of a snail it seems, is taking forever. You need to back off and give them their space. No one even really likes having to be in the crosswalk, much less be antagonized in one by you!

  2. Tailgating is not going to get you there any faster. It may actually take you longer because you were following to close that you got yourself in an accident. Rule of thumb is that you need to leave one and a half car lengths between you and the car in front of you.

  3. Not letting other vehicles merge is not very nice and won’t get you on Santa’s good list either. And, it can be extremely dangerous if you’re hogging the right lane when others are trying to merge onto the freeway. Let them in.

  4. Turn up the radio, nah turn it down! Not everyone wants to hear what you’re listening to.

  5. Don’t leave your brights on. This can make it extremely hard for oncoming traffic to see which begs me to ask the question of why would you do this?! Use your brights courteously.

  6. Please use your turn signals. They were invented to give other drivers a little heads up so that they can slow down and not end up connecting with the rear of your car because you had to take a quick turn and they had zero response time.

  7. Driving too slowly is as bad as driving too fast. They both are real dangers.

  8. The parking lot is full, but you just could have had a spot if only this person didn’t double park! Just don’t do it.

  9. Sure traffic light may not seem like they are on your side today, but honking at them is not going to change the computers mind. Try to leave a few minutes early as you never know when the traffic sign gods are not on your side.

  10. After a snow storm it is very important to clear as much snow from your vehicle as possible. Why? Because you have the chance of losing all of that snow to the vehicle behind you and causing a lack of vision and possibly an accident for them.

Be a better driver by immediately following these easy drivers etiquette tips today! And if you have something you’d like to share please stop by Freeman Grapevine or post on our facebook wall!

Hints To Buying a New Car

The excitement of buying a new car usually comes just before you make that decision to get a new car, and just after you’ve left the lot with that new car and sealed the deal.  Who really enjoys the actual process of buying a new car? Not many. However the car buying process shouldn’t be as stressful as it is perceived when you understand the process.

For instance, do your research first, have a few options in mind, procure your loan early so you know what is really in your budget and don’t be scared to shop around. Of course I want you to come and buy from Freeman Grapevine, but for your own satisfaction, see what else is out there.

The advice on this video should help out. Additionally, do some research online before you go, and do some research on the dealership itself too.

So the bottom line is: Be Prepared! Not only do you want to do your research, but you also want to know what your credit report score is before you go. If you walk in to a dealership and they know more about your credit than you do, that’s just bad. Also, when you do check your credit report, you may find an error that will affect whether you can get a car loan or not!

After all is done, then come to Freeman Grapevine. We like our buyers to be educated about the industry, the products and the Dallas car dealers.

But if you aren’t, that’s okay too!

Common Car Problems That You Don’t Need to Kick Up a Stink About!

You know you’ve done it!  An indicator light goes on in the instrument panel or you hear a new, strange noise and of course you’re thinking that something must absolutely be wrong with your car and it needs immediate attention! Well relax, take a deep breath and let’s sort through some of the common car problems that you just don’t need to kick up a stink about!  And of course you can also come chat with us at Freeman Grapevine too!

The check engine light goes on and immediately you panic that just maybe, maybe…your car is going to blow up.  Take a deep breath and calm down. More than likely the check engine light is just signaling to you that you need to take your car in for a scheduled mileage maintenance. Usually the check engine light will show up in two colors, amber for non-emergency maintenance and red for you should probably hurry up and get it checked out sooner rather than later. Double check your vehicles manual to be 100% sure though as not all vehicles are the same.

Click. Click. Click. Ohhh, a new sound just sounded. What to do? Again, no need to panic. A lot of noises you hear are things that don’t need to be fussed about and will actually just sort themselves out. Just like how that rock got stuck between tires treads and is making the clicking sound, it will soon work itself out. Or if it’s really driving you crazy you can very carefully do some detective work and try to figure out which tire it is and get it out yourself.

A locked steering wheel and your key won’t turn. They’re not broken. You just need to put a little muscle into really. Seriously, grab the steering wheel and turn it hard in one direction and turn the key. If it’s still not working try the other direction.  But don’t force the key. You don’t want to break it or the ignition as that will be a very costly fix all for nothing. Once you get the steering wheel in the sweet spot the key should turn just as it normally does.

You think you might have a leak. So you just pulled out from your where your car was currently parked only to notice that there’s liquid there that you swear wasn’t there before. First, it really could have been there before and you just like to freak yourself out. Or maybe there is some liquid, but if it’s not a lot then there’s usually nothing really to worry about. In fact, if you’ve been using your AC a lot lately it could just be built up condensation. If you notice a color to the liquid then you may have a coolant leak. This could potentially be a problem so if you suspect it is check your coolant level, but carefully as the car needs to be completely cooled before doing so.

Hopefully those few common car problems mentioned above will help calm your nerves when you’re driving. But if you suspect a problem, please don’t hesitate to contact our service department so that we can get it fixed for you, just contact Freeman Grapevine today!

New report on distracted driving should scare you!

grapevine cars, gmc fort worth, dealerships dfw, buick dealer, GMC dealer, used cars dfw, used cars fort worthHere’s the rub on distracted driving from Freeman Grapevine. Texting, Facebooking, Tweeting…you can’t do it. Oh sure, you haven’t killed yourself, or anyone else yet…yet. We’ll guess what, you may one day if the latest statistics are accurate.

The Texas Transportation Institute tested 42 people with ages ranging from 16-54 on an actual closed driving course, the first test of its kind. All other test have been simulated tests.

The drivers were tested on a closed course with barrels and were only allowed to drive as fast 30 miles per hour which may seem slow to us, but the even then the drivers showed that distracted driving is much more dangerous than previously thought.

What the researches found is that drivers had half as much time to react as well as maintain a constant speed and stay in their lanes. Normal response time is one to two seconds. Distracted drives took twice the amount of time to respond. These results are worse than previously thought. And even worse, a driver is 11 times more likely to completely miss flashing lights on the course.  If you think about those results in the real world driving that could mean the distracted driver wouldn’t react in time to avoid causing an accident or even worse, hitting a pedestrian.

Check out this video on the research done:

httpv://youtu.be/Af3aeKlHL3s

Bottom line, please don’t drive and text, email, read, Google or anything that can distract you from your number one priority…driving! The United States government suggests that 25% of all fatal crashes are directly related to distracted driving. Which to me means that they could have potentially been prevented if the person that caused the crash would have just put the cell phone down!  Think of it this way, if you text and drive you could potentially be responsible for taking someone’s life.

 

Figure Out Your budget for a New GMC Dallas

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Set a realistic new car budget.

No matter how much you believe your new car budget is, it is still best to figure out a true budget friendly car payment when you are planning to buy a new car. This will enable you to stretch your budget more effectively. Here are the common tips to figure it out.

First Tip: Take Note of the loan’s Length The monthly payment is dependent on the length of the loan. Long term loans are appropriate to those who have a tight budget. The longevity of the period will allow them to raise funds for the payment. The short term loan on the other hand is favorable to those with sufficient money. They are able to pay the loan even in shorter period. Short term loans has lower interests. With long-term loans, however, you’ll encounter higher high interest rates.

Second Tip: Be Sure to Pay a Down Payment No matter how tight your budget is, make sure that you pay the car’s down payment. The down reduces your car’s monthly charge. It also lowers down the interest of the original loan since a large part of this was already paid.

It is also important to pay the necessary down payment because it protects the car from annual depreciation. Most dealers demand a down payment equals to the 20% of the car’s loan value. This rate is also equal to the vehicle’s annual depreciation rate.

Third Tip: Be Aware of the Annual Percentage Rate The Annual Percentage Rate affects your car’s installment payments. Paying the car’s bills with a lower Annual Percentage Rate is beneficial on your part. This could mean that you will be paying the car with lower interest.

Reliable Annual Percentage Rates are obtained from banks. It is helpful if you will conduct good research with several banks. Low APR however are only granted to creditors with good credit records. Those who have bad credit records are left with no choice but to bear the burden of high interest payments.

The three useful tips described above can help you figure out a budget friendly new car payment. It would be better to look for other useful tips to add up to these three. Car payment should as much as possible be budget friendly.

Fort Worth GMC owners, keep your tires in better condition

This might be a No-Brainer for most of you, but I’m constantly surprised by how many cars come into my Texas GMC Dealership that don’t have the correct amount of pressure in their tires. The fact of the matter is that under-inflated  tires can make your car handle poorly and eventually lead to a blowout! Too high of tire pressure means there is less of the tire touching the ground which can cause your traction and stopping distances to decrease. Too low of tire pressure means that more of the tire’s surface area is touches the ground increasing friction between the tire and the road. This can also cause your tires to wear out earlier. [CarsTalk.com]

There is an extremely easy way to avoid the above-mentioned situations. Measure your tire pressure regularly, especially in the summer months. All it takes is $10 and five minutes of your time.

1. Buy a Tire-Pressure Gauge

Never rely on your sight for judging whether or not a tire is low. Always use a tire-pressure gauge. You can pick one up for less than $10 almost anywhere. I found a great deal on a tire gauge, emergency hammer and seat belt cutter all-in-one on Amazon.com for only $15.

2. Find Out What Your Tire Pressure Should Be

If you open your driver-side door, you’ll find a sticker with a bunch of information on it. What you are looking for is the PSI (pounds per square in). This is the maximum amount of air pressure your tires should have.

3. Check the Pressure

Unscrew the cover on your valve stem, and press your pressure gauge firmly onto the valve stem. The end will slide out to show you the PSI of your tires. If you hear air escaping you’re not measuring the PSI correctly and need to push the end of the valve stem back in and try measuring the PSI again.

If you think you may not be doing it incorrectly, or have any questions in general, you can always give us a call or even swing by Freeman Grapevine! keeping your tires at the right pressure will not only prolong the life of your tires, but give you more control over your Fort Worth Buick or GMC.

Your Tires Are Sucking Your Bank Account Dry

Alright, maybe not “dry”, but they could really be affecting your MPG. It’s no secret. The tires you choose to put on your Dallas GMC could be affecting your fuel economy. Larger rims, low pressure tires, it doesn’t matter, if your tires aren’t inflated to the proper PSI, you’re just burning fuel and ruining your tires.

If you choose to spend big bucks on your tires, you should take as good of care of them as your can, right? I ran across a story in Consumer Reports that I thought I should share with you.

Your car’s tires can play an important role in helping you get the best gas mileage and save money at the pump. Checking tire pressure regularly is one step toward optimum fuel economy, but your choice of tires can also help.

Automakers often specify low-rolling-resistance tires as original equipment to enhance vehicle performance in government fuel-economy tests. But replacement tires are not limited by any vehicle manufacturer’s requirements, and attributes such as all-season grip and tread life are big selling points. In the past, consumers often had to weigh a trade-off between low rolling resistance and other performance capabilities, such as wet braking. But in recent years, tire manufacturers have been achieving a better balance of rolling resistance and all-weather grip.

Consumer Reports recently tested a few all-season tire models with low rolling resistance and found that those tires can improve fuel economy by an additional one or two mpg. The reward for replacing a less-optimum tire can be a payback covering most of the cost of the new tires over their lifetime in fuel savings. Moreover, you generally don’t have to pay more to get a tire with better rolling resistance.

Here are some additional tips for getting the most fuel economy from your tires:

  • Keep your tires properly inflated. (A label on the driver’s doorjamb tells you the correct pressures to use.)
  • Check inflation pressure at least monthly; do this when the tires are cool.
  • If you were happy with the tires that came with the car when it was new, consider replacing them with an identical set. Low rolling resistance is a common trait of original-equipment tires.
  • Before buying replacement tires, check Consumer Reports’ Ratings for tires that excel in overall performance and use rolling resistance as tie-breaker

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YneL_hECRo0&feature=player_embedded

If you ever have any questions regarding your tires, or more importantly, “the feel” of your car, call us at Freeman Grapevine, and we’ll be happy to assist you.