Personalized license plates are cool! A lot of people think to themselves that when they get a car they want an awesome license plate that’s personalized. In Texas you can get a license plate that had decals on it for Texas Christian University, University of Texas, Dallas Cowboys, things like I love Texas, I’m a blood donor etc. you can also get your license plates personalized with your choice of numbers and letters like the plate shown above. The question is: what’s the coolest or craziest one you’ve ever seen and more importantly what would you want on yours?
I know that sometimes things can happen. Tires go bald, radios short out, etc. It can be frustrating. Why does your power sunroof start acting funny? How do you fix it? What happened!?! It can be maddening. Well thanks to Online Auto Repair for the tips and hints on how to take care of this problem. Sure you can call your local Fort Worth Chevy dealer for help but some of you are do it yourselfers and there is nothing wrong with that at all!
Many malfunctions in the sunroof system fall into 2 categories that can often be related to each-other. Water leak issues and electrical problems. Sometimes wiring or switch corrosion can be caused by the water leaks.
A power sunroof can slide the roof panel open or closed. You can also tilt the roof panel up in the back to allow fresh air into the passenger compartment. When driving down the road this can also pull a vacuum and remove stale air from the interior cabin.
In most cases power sunroofs are not that much different than electrically operated power window systems found in most automobiles. Many common parts are shared such as system relays, a master control switch and the motor assembly to perform the movement.
Note that most power sunroof systems are protected by a circuit breaker instead of a fuse. This is in case the sunroof begins to bind. It protects the motor by opening the circuit breaker. Often when people have power sunroof problems they will begin to look for the fuse when there is actually none. A circuit breaker will reset automatically when it cools down.
Power sunroof common problems
Often power sunroofs are a popular option that does not get used very often. When this system sits for months or years without being used often components can develop corrosion that may hinder operation when it is finally desired.
Since a sunroof is part of the exterior surface of the vehicle a complete watertight seal is necessary. If this seal fails or the automatic drain becomes clogged with debris and water sits around the components the corrosion mentioned above will be accelerated. For this reason a very common sunroof problem is water sealing and drainage.
Diagnosing power sunroof problems is pretty straightforward. The first thing to check would be the circuit breaker. Next you would want to verify power at the motor connector. In that case you would be working from the load back towards the battery. If there is no power at the motor you can break out a wiring diagram and do some pinpoint checks at the relay and switch.
To read the full article you can see OnlineAutoRepair.com
Have you ever had issues with your power sunroof? How did you fix it?
You want the perfect garage don’t you? It’s the place where you park your baby. It’s the place where you tinker with your toys. It’s your man cave!! Ladies don’t worry it can be your cave too if you love cars like I know most of you do.
Here’s the thing. You want a perfect garage? There are some things that can help you on your way. If you want to see all the tips check out Jalopnik, but I will share with you a few of my favorites. My garage is my secret getaway and it’s the place I park my Chevy. So I am proud of it.
Why You Need It: For those cold winter nights when you’ve almost got that last bolt un-siezed and you’re this close to getting the old part out, keep your feet warm with radiant tile. Heck, why stop in the garage? Get the whole house done while you’re at it!
Why You Need It: Van Sarockin suggests a lift of the hydraulic nature, but really whether it’s hydraulic or electric, having a lift in your garage is a luxury that truly makes it perfect. It’s often the one thing everyone wishes they had in the garage, but few get to the point of actually installing one.
Why You Need It: Need a tool from across the room? Forget to bring the part you needed under the car with you? No problem! With a live-in shop assistant, you can stay working under the car and send your assistant off to grab parts, turn up the stereo, and bandage your hand. Also, they’re good for delivering pizza.
Why You Need It: Snapoversteer says: “There’s something about a garage that makes it perfectly acceptable to drink a beer at 11:00 a.m.” For as long as mankind has toiled away in the garage, there has been beer there to help the process along. And that beer needs to stay cold, yet close at hand. The garage fridge is the perfect solution.
Why You Need It: For when you absolutely need to scribble something down, but don’t want to stop to find a pen and paper, these walls are covered in paint that replicates a dry erase board. Diagram out your whole build, get shopping lists together, and draw on the wall the whole time! It’s all erasable, so when you’re done with that list, get a new one going in its place!
Those were just a few of my favs. What do you have to have in your garage? What’s important to you? If you have any questions or need any help getting your garage together give your Texas Chevy dealer a call. They have some pretty good ideas!
This article was a must share for me. I know most of my readers are Camaro lovers and well who wouldn’t be? This just so happens to be a very good looking modified Camaro. There are tons of pictures of it over on AutomotiveAddicts.com.
Shown is a Chevy Camaro SS that has a set of 22-inch wheels from Vossen, their newest VVS-CV1 Concave Wheels. The new wheels set this Camaro apart from any other.
Just remember when you are ready to test drive a new Camaro head on over to your Fort Worth Chevy dealer and take a ride of a lifetime!
The video is kind of slow at first but gets a little more entertaining around the 2:00 minute mark. It’s a beautiful 2010 Camaro on 22″ tires. Not sure what to think about the hydraulics. I’d have to drive with the hydraulics up cause i’d be afraid of losing the bumper going over a speed bump….What do you guys think?
As I am driving down the street I often look down at my speedometer and notice I am going a little fast. I then wonder to myself what the speed limit is on that road anyway! Well check out the newest technology that GM is working on. Do you think this will be helpful or just another distraction while you are trying to drive? Thanks to USAToday.com for this story. Keep an eye on what’s coming to your local Texas Chevy dealer and in no time you may be able to test this new technology out.
As any traffic cop will tell you, it’s the oldest excuse in the world: “Officer, I didn’t see the sign.” Whether true or not, General Motors has a technology on the horizon that could end the excuse — and save some lives.
GM’s Opel unit, along with BMW, is trying out a system in Europe that can read traffic signs and relay the information directly to drivers in the car. It tells drivers the speed limit on any road, and informs them of other warning signs as well, says Jim Federico, GM’s chief of its midsize cars lineup. He talked about as Drive On was trying out the new 2011 Buick Regal, right. Right now, the car is devoid of techno-gimmicks. The sign reader could supply a bit of gee-whiz technology that could captivate buyers.
The system is still being perfected. It’s having trouble reading digital signs. And the kinks are still being worked out. When drivers bring in their cars for service in Europe, the computerized system can be updated with better sign recognition software. It’s coming to the U.S., but just when hasn’t been determined. But when it does, drivers will have the latest speed-limit displayed right in front of them. No more excuses to the cops.
There are only a few things more irritating than being stuck in a traffic jam. I often see people in the cars next to me screaming, hitting their steering wheel and generally looking extremely irritated. Then I see the people that are relaxed, jamming to the stereo and they look so calm and collected. How do they do this?
Well there are a few things that you can do to remain “calm” during traffic jams. Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist wrote a great blog on how to cope with traffic jams and I thought it has some pretty great tips in it so I thought I’d share. When I am driving to work now or when I am driving home and I get irritated with traffic jams I hope I can remember Eric’s tips.
Get a comfortable car with a good stereo, satellite radio and an automatic transmission.
If you spend most of your time behind the wheel staring at the bumper of the car in front of you, what’s under the hood of your car matters a lot less than how comfortable the seats are, how well insulated the interior is — and what kind of stereo rig you’ve got.
A plush sedan may be just the ticket — not the sporty car you can’t really use anyhow. Horsepower and 0-60 times are much less important in the bump and grind than having lots of leg and elbow room, seats that don’t make your backside go numb and — and most important of all, something to keep your mind off the debacle all around you. XM or Sirius satellite radio and their myriad programming options (or an iPod/MP3 player hook-up you can use to download podcasts and so forth) can help you forget that you haven’t moved more than a couple of yards in the past 15 minutes.
This is also why an automatic is essential for a commuter car. I love stick-shift cars, but in traffic, constantly having to push a clutch in and out gets tiring fast. It’s also much harder on the clutch and related components, which will wear out faster — and thus, cost you money.
Adjust your schedule.
Depending on the type of work you do, you may be able to get your boss to change your work hours slightly, enabling you to avoid the times of day when the roads are at a near-standstill. Instead of coming in at 9 and leaving at 5, see if you can get your boss to let you come in at 8 and split at 4 instead. In some cases, being able to leave at 4 vs. 5 may cut 30 minutes or more off your daily grind.
Another possibility is to work through lunch so you can leave an hour “early.”
Bottom line: Unlike asking for a raise, asking for slightly different work hours doesn’t cost the company anything. That makes it more likely your request will be granted.
Telecommuting and flex time.
The next step is to work on your boss to let you work from a home work station some of the time — or even all of the time.
Computers and the Internet opened this door — and today’s networking capabilities and affordable high-speed access (DSL, Cable) make it easy for many white collar and information workers to do everything they need to do from a remote location, such as a home office. More and more employers are becoming receptive to this arrangement, too — especially if you make a strong pitch based on how it will make you more productive and thus a better employee.
Point out that it doesn’t do the company any good for you to be spending two or more hours per day sitting in traffic; that you’d be much more productive if you were able to log on from home and be available immediately and virtually any time. Point out that you could handle unforeseen situations at odd hours and weekends. Present a “business plan” outlining every aspect of the work-from-home arrangement; suggest a trial period to make sure everyone is comfortable with it. You might even consider sweetening the pot by offering to take a pay cut in return for being able to skip the commute. Keep in mind that if they agree, you will save a great deal of money on gasoline, vehicle upkeep and maintenance — and so on. Taking a five percent pay cut may not actually cost you anything on balance — but it will likely be very appealing to your employer.
Try to be Zen about it.
This too shall pass — and working yourself into a futile rage every morning and every night is about as sensible as Elvis shooting the TV whenever Robert Goulet came on. Banging on the wheel, making faces, muttering hate and death under your breath won’t get you there any faster — just as Elvis blowing away his Zenith didn’t much hurt Robert Goulet.
The best way to cope with traffic today is to make a plan to escape it tomorrow. So long as you know the nightmare is temporary — that in three years, let’s say, you’ll have moved, arranged new work hours — whatever your plan is — you’ll be able to deal, just like a con who knows he’ll be out of the clink in “x” number of days.
When you are ready for a new more comfortable car make sure you check and see what your local Fort Worth Chevy dealer has to offer. There are some amazingly comfortable cars in the Chevy line up. Check out the Traverse or the Malibu just to name a few.
What do you guys think? Think these tips will help you?
Chevrolet has come out with a new application for your iPhone and/or iPad. But what is it and what can you do with it?
Here’s the description of the games from iTunes:
Swing for the fences with Chevy Baseball! Play as either the Camaros or the Silverados in this free, 3-D baseball simulation game that brings the excitement of America’s favorite pastime to the palm of your hand.
Chevy Baseball is packed full of realistic features like the ability to substitute pitchers, individual player stats which affect their abilities in-game, and a Spring Training tutorial mode which teaches newcomers the ropes.
Accelerometer-based aiming controls both batting and pitching while simple tap fielding means beginner players can easily feel like seasoned pros! Two modes of difficulty allow newcomers to jump in and swing for the fences while providing the seasoned pros with more of a challenge.
Not enough time for a full game? You can play a three inning game as well as a nine inning game.
And you don’t have to wait to tell your friends or family about your amazing game, either. Send Postman postcards to all your favorite social networks to brag about your baseball skills! Plus+ integration allows you to track your progress around the world with online leaderboards and unlockable awards.
You can also access the Chevy Dugout to learn more about Chevy vehicles and enter for a chance to win a trip to the 2010 All Star Game!*
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Promotion ends 6/25/10, Apple is not an official sponsor of this contest. – iTunes
I haven’t had the opportunity to check it out just yet but it will be something I will look into. It’s Free so if you try it let me know how it works out for you.
Check out this commercial from 1975 all about Chevy, Baseball, Hot dogs, and apple pie. It’s pretty funny.
There are so many different types and brands of GPS systems out there but the makers of TomTom really out did themselves this time. How genius to have Darth Vader as the voice on your GPS system directing you to your next destination. I think this is awesome! So when you pick up your new or used truck from your Texas Chevy dealer make sure you pick up the navigation system that you either love or the one that doesn’t scare the crud out of you! Ha ha. What do you guys think? Would you like this? Or hate it?
Here’s the story from Consumer Reports:
TomTom portable navigation devices (PNDs) have been known for the ability to customize route guidance with downloadable voices, but this latest addition to the voice catalog takes the concept to a galaxy far, far away. TomTom has introduced the first of four scheduled officially licensed Star Wars voices: Darth Vader.
Available for $12.95, the authentic-sounding voice provides guidance as only a Sith Lord can, complete with references to the Dark Side. To complete the navigator upgrade, there are free Star Wars downloads with start-up screens, sound effects, and car icons.
The next character coming is C-3PO, with Yoda expected to follow in July and Han Solo in August. No word on offering Chewbacca. We imagine that the Yoda voice could be a challenge to interpret, given the big-eared Jedi’s tendency to transpose words.
Check out this hysterical video from TomTom of the recording session with Darth Vader….
Now all they need is to have a voice for Napoleon Dynamite and they will be on a roll. I can just hear it now.
A company called WaterCar builds what they say are the fastest Amphibious vehicles. I came across a video on YouTube of their amphibious vehicle called The Python and once I watched it I was not only laughing hysterically, I was truly amazed. How can this be, how is this even possible??? Well a gentlemen by the name of Dave March who is the founder of WaterCar, Inc. has obviously found a way cause these things are pretty awesome. Maybe I should start tinkering around in the garage and see what I can build!
Watch this video and let me know what you guys think about The Python! Looks like it may have a Corvette rear-end….
Hi, I'm Hagen Durant, General Manager of Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, TX - I am a huge car and truck enthusiast and love talking cars. I'm a cyclist, health nut, father, husband, geek, and drummer. I look forward to giving you great information about cars and trucks, driving tips, maintenance and so much more.
If you have any questions or would like to make suggestions feel free to email them to me at: hagen@classicchevytexas.com
Personalized license plates are cool! A lot of people think to themselves that when they get a car they want an awesome license plate that’s personalized. In Texas you can get a license plate that had decals on it for Texas Christian University, University of Texas, Dallas Cowboys, things like I love Texas, I’m a blood donor etc. you can also get your license plates personalized with your choice of numbers and letters like the plate shown above. The question is: what’s the coolest or craziest one you’ve ever seen and more importantly what would you want on yours?
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