After a long, hot and dry summer, the DFW finally saw some rain this week! The other day, a friend of mine asked me about wiper blades and how you knew when it was time to replace them. He said he had replaced them at the beginning of the year, but they were streaking and skipping when he used them this week. Did any of your DFW Chevy drivers experience the same thing? I’m willing to bet a lot of you did.
When blades aren’t used for prolonged periods of time, they can begin to deteriorate. The sun’s UV rays also contribute to this, and the ridiculous temperatures we’ve had all summer probably made it worse. Generally, you want to replace your blades once year. But given the weather we’ve had the past few months, I’d recommend taking a walk outside and examining your blades. Look for broken frames, tears, missing pieces and curvature.
If you see any of these things, you may want to replace the blades. If you’re not sure how to do this, you can always swing by and we’ll help you out. In the future, there are a few things you can do to help prolong your blades life. First of all, try and clean your windshield as much as possible. Try cleaning it every time you stop for gas. This will help keep the oil from other cars and random dirt flying in the air from damaging your blades. The second thing you can do is wipe off your blades with a damp paper towel. Try doing this once a month and I guarantee you’ll see a difference.
It’s official! The new 2012 Sonic has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, seeing how this subcompact cruiser is equipped with two more air bags than its competitors and has a vehicle safety cage that is 60 percent high-strength steel.
Photo courtesy of AutoBlog.com
The Sonic also features a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Top Tethers for Children) system, six months of OnStar service including automatic crash response and panic brake assist technology. Did I forget to mention how smart this subcompact is? Should you be involved in an accident, there are sensors that will diagnose the severity of impact and control the deployment of its 10 airbags.
The IIHS only awards Top Safety Picks to the vehicles that perform with the highest level of safety in their class. The ratings are based on how well they protect passengers in front and side crash tests, in rollovers via a roof strength test, and in simulated rear impacts to evaluate seat and head restraints for protection against neck injuries.
You can see how the Sonic reacts in two of these tests below. If you’re looking for a seriously safe subcompact that averages 40 mpg, then feel free to swing by and take a test drive.
Word around the block is that the new Chevrolet Camaro is somewhat of a chick magnet. I am pretty sure that most of you would agree. In fact I think there is probably a huge chunk of guys that have bought the new Chevy Camaro just to attract the attention of the lovely ladies. A friend of mine sent me the link to these new Camaro ads running… I’ll be honest I am not really sure where they have come from. I haven’t seen them on any TV ads so it could just be a digital ad or it could be an amateur’s doing but either way they are really clever and pretty funny.
Take a look and let me know what you think. Does it make you want to go out and buy the 2012 Chevy Camaro?
OnStar never ceases to amaze me. How many of you out there use OnStar on a daily basis? I do. I love it and couldn’t really imagine my Chevy Tahoe without the power of OnStar. OnStar has announced a new test program called Family Link that will make sure that families have an easier way of connecting to each other when they are on the road. Of course all the vehicles must be equipped with OnStar for this to work but let’s think about this for a second. Your child tells you they are going to a friends house…. but you connect with OnStar and find out that they are galavanting around town in their car etc. This is a great way to keep tabs on your kids to make sure that they are safe and secure.
The optional service allows subscribers to log onto the Family Link website to get a map-type view of the exact location of other family vehicles. The system can also send an email or text to notify them of the location of the vehicle they are tracking as well. Subscribers can choose the day and time and how often they receive these alerts.
This service is particularly helpful for parents of teen drivers to keep tabs on the whereabouts of their young driver on the road.
This invitation-only program includes 10,000 active OnStar subscribers and will be used to gauge interest in this type of program in the future. Other considerations for the pilot include speed, boundary, and arrival/departure alerts. Responses for the program will help decide on the launch and pricing in the future. The test will run until the end of 2011.
—Liza Barth
What do you guys think? Think this will be a service that you would be interested in trying? Think that it should be offered. Let me know what you think.
It’s that time of year. Summer is coming to an end and it’s time for your little humans to go back to school. Even though my little humans aren’t riding the bus yet I still worry about them riding the bus someday. There are certain worries that go through a parents mind when your children are getting ready to go back to school. That’s why when I came across this article from Consumer Reports I knew that I needed to share it. I don’t think this is an article that you would typically come across. Sure you may see some of these tips and hints on your local news but this one goes into a little more depth I think. Not to mention that Consumer Reports is very very good at what they do and the stuff that they put out. Now, it is true that the big yellow school bus is one of the safest modes of transportation but I think what worries parents more is the getting on and off of the bus and the walk from the bus stop.
Check out some of these school bus safety tips. We can’t always take our children to school in our new Chevy’s…. Sometimes we need to let them go and see the world!! Or at least we can drop them off at the bus stop right? It’s not always about your kids though…. Parents you need to be careful as well.
Tips for drivers:
When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school. Better yet, walk around your car or out to the sidewalk to check for any children walking in your path before you get in.
Drive slowly and watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks. Also be aware of children playing or waiting around bus stops.
Be alert and aware on the road. While children are typically taught about looking both ways, they could dart into the street without looking if they are late or distracted.
Learn the school bus laws in your state. Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to pickup or drop off children. Drivers need to slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm signal indicate that the bus is stopped, and that children are getting on or off. Cars must stop a safe distance away and not proceed until the red lights stop flashing, the stop sign folds back, and the bus continues on its way.
Tips for children:
Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
When the bus approaches, stand at least 6 feet away from the curb, and line up away from the street.
Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it’s okay before stepping onto the bus.
If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least 10 feet ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver.
Use the handrails to avoid falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing or backpacks don’t get caught in the handrails or doors.
Never walk behind the bus.
If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you.
Hope that these tips will keep you alert, aware and reasonably sane as you send your little humans back to school!
Did you know that Chevrolet is turning 100 years old? For Chevrolet’s birthday they have decided to hold a tournament to decide which bowtie vehicle was and is your all time favorite. The list of contenders is long and let me just say it’s very hard to pick just one. Is is the 2010 Camaro? How about the 1953 Corvette or the 1957 Bel Air? I personally find it hard not to choose the 2009 Corvette ZR1. Apparently it was just as hard for AutoBlog to make their decision. Take a few moments and head over to the Chevrolet site to cast your votes…. Who will be the winner?
You tell me….. Which iconic Chevrolet will get your vote? Which Chevy do you think was mistakenly left out of the race?
By now I imagine that most of you have seen pictures of the soon to be released Chevy Sonic. I have blogged about it several times now over the passed few months. Now, we have learned that there is another new car headed towards the US. It is….. The Spark. Check out this story written by Autoblog and you tell me…. Are you excited to see that General Motors is diving into different automotive areas?
General Motors wants to take on all segments of the automotive industry. With the all-new Sonic making its way to dealerships later this year, GM will have a new player in the B-segment, and now, a tweet from the automaker has confirmed that the Chevrolet Spark minicar is officially arriving Stateside.
The diminutive Spark will allow GM to have a hand in all areas of the automotive cookie jar. As American car buyers begin to embrace smaller, more efficient modes of transportation, the Spark could be arriving at the perfect time. We got our first glimpse of the automaker’s mini at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, and we were intrigued by the idea of a Chevrolet achieving a combined 47 miles per gallon. Now, it seems we’ll get to experience green machine for ourselves on U.S. soil, starting sometime in 2012
Personally I think this is great for Chevrolet and General Motors! Go big or go home… right?
Do you drive however fast or slow that you want to? Or, do you follow the rules of the road? Have you ever wondered how they set speed limits? I know I have. There have been a lot of talks in the news lately about them changing the speed limit on various highways across N. Texas. One highway in particular that is getting a lot of attention is HWY 75. If you’ve ever driven on 75 you probably have thought once or twice that the speed limit is way to low. When you have to drive faster than the speed limit just to keep up with the flow of traffic then something needs to change. Am I correct on that one?
What’s interesting about the local gov’t here in N. Texas is that they actually do speed studies to determine whether or not the speed limit should be changed. Whereas in many parts of the country the local and state governments completely ignore the science that goes behind speed studies and instead focus on the writing of the speeding tickets…. Which…. makes a lot of people mad.
The video below shows us what the Michigan State Police and Michigan Department of Transportation have been up to. Which is, SPEED studies!! I thought it was a pretty interesting video so I wanted to share it with you. What are some of the highways that you travel in your new or used Chevy that you would like the speed limits to change on?
You can’t tell me that you have never been in your car and seen in your rearview mirror a car very quickly approaching you…. Or better yet have you been the one not paying much attention to the traffic stopping ahead of you and you are now forced to slam as hard as you can on you brakes to keep yourself and your Chevy from slamming into the car in front of you. Trucks are big and heavy and take a lot longer than most cars to slow down so if you see the truck behind you coming fast…. It could be a very intense situation! Palms sweating and all. You’ve got to check out this video that shows just exactly how important automatic braking systems are. Makes you love technology!
The ADAC is Germany and Europe’s largest automobile club, and the crash test video shows a large LKV truck smashing into two smaller cars – a Renault Megane and Mitsubishi Lancer Wagon – at about 43 mph. The results aren’t pretty. It straight demolishes the little green Renault, while also totaling the Lancer. This video truly shows the force and danger behind a big truck like the LKV, and it can make even the most ardent Libertarian consider government intervention to make Emergency Brake Assist systems mandatory for large trucks.
Hearing it from me really doesn’t do a justice, so check out this terrifying video for yourself. Skip to about 1:25 to see the action, and watch to the end to see automatic emergency braking systems in action.
Thanks to Brandi Hodge and Automotive.com for contributing.
Ladies, prepare to freak out!! Have you ever set out on a road trip in your new Chevy only to find out that you have a stowaway trying to go on the trip with you? Has it ever been a rat snack?! That is exactly what just happened when Tony and Rachel Fisher of Memphis Tennessee headed out of town on for a little vacation. Just 15 minutes into their trip and a rat snake emerged from their GMC Yukon’s engine compartment. Lucky for them he only hung on for a few miles but not before both parents freaked out.
I can’t even imagine what I would have done but I can tell you right now I know a lot of people that wouldn’t have thought to video record it. Why? Cause they would have already flipped on the windshield wipers and set him on his way before the thought of recording it ever slipped into their minds.
I got to be honest….I might be one of those people. What would you have done in this situation?
Check out the video….. If you have a strong stomach.
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, 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
After a long, hot and dry summer, the DFW finally saw some rain this week! The other day, a friend of mine asked me about wiper blades and how you knew when it was time to replace them. He said he had replaced them at the beginning of the year, but they were streaking and skipping when he used them this week. Did any of your DFW Chevy drivers experience the same thing? I’m willing to bet a lot of you did.
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