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.

It’s really easy to complain about traffic. It’s really easy to whine about construction. In fact. it seems like Freeman Grapevine is in the epicenter of construction central. One thing that this Dallas Buick GMC store has to try to keep in mind is that, for all of the inconvenience, our “problems” with traffic and construction are actually because improvements are being made. So that got me thinking, What are some of the GOOD things about improving the safety and conditions of our roads.

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.

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.

Let’s say something good about highway and road development! Freeman Grapevine understands the need for constant highway and driving standards, do you?

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.

Source: MSNBC

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.

http://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.

Recently a customer came to your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC Dealer, Freeman Grapevine and asked, “Why is car buying so difficult?”  I understand why she asked that, it can be very challenging, and can be as equally frustrating for both a customer and the dealer, but it doesn’t have to be.  As an insider, let me explain why,

There are three main components to buying a car:  price, trade in and financing.  Let’s review each.

Price

This should be the easiest part of the car buying process.  When a customer researches a car, and inevitably gets quotes from multiple dealerships, they should compare apples to apples.  In other words, you want to make sure you’re comparing the same vehicle with the same equipment and options.  A simple way to do this is to make sure the MSRP’s are the same.

As a salesperson, the hardest question to answer for a customer is “what’s your best price?”  I’ve told my sales people to show customers the invoice when asked that question.  This shows what the dealer paid on that car.  Most good dealerships will gladly show you the invoice so you know where their numbers are coming from.  You should calculate in any rebates, as well as a small profit, which all dealers are entitled to make.  It’s that easy.

Trade-In

If you’re trading in a vehicle, you’ll want top dollar for it.  Determining the trade-in value isn’t an exact science.  The year, make, model, condition and mileage all factor in to the equation.  Most customers research their vehicle’s worth on Kelly Blue Book (kbb.com) or NADA Guides (www.nadaguides.com) to give them a ballpark estimate before bringing it to the dealership.

Financing

The last piece of the puzzle is financing.  A customer’s credit score is the biggest component of this.  Whether you have a good financial history including paying off creditors on time & every month, your monthly income and how many outstanding balances you have, all affect your credit score.  A dealer’s relationship with its lenders is also important.  If they work with several lending institutions that offer a variety of financial programs depending on a person’s credit, can make the difference between going to one dealership or another.

A tip if you’re credit isn’t as great as  you’d like:  the higher down payment, the better.

Of course this is the process in a nutshell, however, it really is this easy. There is no reason buying a car should be stressful, or uncomfortable. In fact, buying a new Buick, or GMC from Freeman Grapevine will be one of your most pleasant car buying experiences ever. Trust me. We know how to take car of our new Buick and new GMC customers.

I’m astonished to hear about accidents that resulted in a fatality simply because one or more of the occupants wasn’t wearing a seat belt. As a Dallas Fort Worth car dealer, I understand that paramount importance of wearing your seat belt. First of all, it’s the law. Second, and I hate to be so blunt here, but you are an idiot if you don’t wear it.

If you ever get into an accident in your Dallas Buick, or GMC without wearing your seat belt, do you know the one decision you are going to regret the most? No. It’s not going to be wishing you left home 10 minutes later; or if you just drove a little slower, or even a little faster you might have been a little more lucky. It’s going to be the 2.5 seconds you didn’t decide to buckle up. Really, this is important and not to be taken flippantly. It should be second nature. Instead of throwing statistics at you, I’m posting a picture I took yesterday near Grapevine, moments after I happened upon a very serious accident.

Everyone involved in this accident appeared to be fine from my vantage point and the demeanor of the emergency personnel confirmed this by their focusing on controlling traffic.

Don’t think wearing a seat belt in your new Buick, or GMC isn’t that important? Watch the video comparison below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7iYZPp2zYY

I guarantee you the two people involved in this accident didn’t leave their houses thinking this was going to happen. The bottom line is that you never know when something like this will happen. However, you do know how one simple act of putting on your seat belt might save your life one day…Freeman Grapevine will be reminding all of you of this periodically. No need to thank us.

This is a very interesting video on “How Your New Car’s Airbag works. The airbag has been something that I think that we have started to take for granted. For example, we know that they inflate at an extreme speed, but did you also know they have to deflate almost just as fast?

This is a very informative video. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEWCFjbqaaE

I know when it comes to understanding the airbag all you probably care about is that it works. However, you really should try to learn everything you can about your vehicle. The more you know, the more you can assist Freeman Grapevine with any issues you may be having with your Dallas Fort Worth Buick, or GMC.

Does anyone have an airbag story they can share for all of us who have been lucky enough not to experience it first hand?

At Freeman Grapevine, we take child safety very seriously. As a Dallas Fort Worth car dealer, it is our responsibility as much as it is yours to provide safer solutions for children while they are in your Dallas Buick, or GMC.

Let me first start by saying that in the late 80’s automakers began installing airbags in cars for safety reasons, and there’s no doubt that over the past 30 years airbags have saved thousands of lives.

However, it is important to note that airbags are designed to protect average-sized adults…not young children.  I know we’ve all heard it, but airbags can pose a serious risk to children who ride in the front seat.

In fact, according to research conducted by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “children exposed to airbags during a crash are twice as likely to suffer a serious injury”.  The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “children under the age of 13 are safest seating in the back seat of a car”.

The following are some safety guidelines for children riding in a car.

• Infants seated in a rear-facing safety seat should never be placed in the front seat of a car that has an airbag – When the airbag engages, the force of the airbag is directed right at the infant’s head as it comes out of the dashboard.
• Children seated in a forward-facing child should not be placed in the front seat of a car that has an airbag. – Again when the airbag engages, the child’s head is in the path of the airbag as it emerges from the dashboard.
• Remember for children 13 and under: The safest place to be in a car is the back seat.
• For children ages 13 and up riding in the front seat remember:
  • All children should wear a lap/shoulder belt.
  • Move the front seat as far back as possible from the dashboard.
  • Make the sure the child doesn’t lean forward.
  • Have the child sit upright against the seat at all times.

Note: Engineers are constantly improving airbags to improve safety.  Known as 2^nd-generation, or de-powered airbags, these airbags are still NOT designed for children.  Children are best protected in the rear seat.

The Children Hospital of Philadelphia has put together a great video on airbags and keeping children safe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sCZoQr4uIw

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here. If you’d like to see your Dallas Fort Worth Buick GMC dealer, Freeman Grapevine, just stop by and we’ll look and some really safe and very kid friendly vehicles for you and your family.

Now the video itself is just over 30 minutes, but let me assure you that the information contained in it is invaluable. It is well worth sitting and watching the whole thing.Why? Because the more you know about your engine and how it works, the better you will be able to diagnose any problems you may be having. That only helps Freeman Grapevine all the more when you bring in your car for service. Pin pointing where the problem is coming from makes us less like Sherlock Holmes and more like Dr. House.

Sit back relax and enjoy the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saPGX-1qC4M

Remember, the more you know about your Dallas Fort Worth Buick or GMC’s engine, the easier it will be to help Freeman Grapevine help you resolve any issues you may think you have.

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.”

http://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.

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?