Wednesday, September 25, 2013

How to Protect Your Pet While Driving




30,000.  That’s the number of accidents caused by unrestrained pets, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). The Travel Association also states that 29 million Americans traveled with a pet on a trip for longer than 50 miles.  With numbers like these we want to make sure that our pets are protected.  We want to picture our favorite pets alive with enthusiasm while sticking their heads to the window and soaking in the world around them.  Here are several steps to pet safety:  

Restrain your dog – We know dogs want to have their freedom, however it’s so much safer to keep them restrained while in the car.  If your pet is unrestrained it can cause distractions and injury.  Imagine making a sudden stop.  Even at low speeds this can be very dangerous for your pet.  For small and medium sized dogs a crate, or a harness works wonders in the back seat.  Now, if you’re Great Mastiff is riding with you today (some grow up to 7 ft.  in length) we suggest you have a big enough rear area to contain them.  The Front seats can be used to block them in. 

Don’t put your dog on your lap – Having your dog on your lap is like driving while using a Tablet computer.  Huge distraction!! Your reaction time is substantially slowed and if the window is open, an extremely curious dog could run out into traffic. 

Create a ‘pet friendly’ car – some items for a dog car utopia would be: a cushioned pet bed, extendable cargo area, rear ventilation (A/C or fan), rubber floor mats, and a spill-resistant water bowl.  There are several vehicles ideal for dog lovers out there.  A lot of car manufacturers are chasing dog lovers with new technology and innovations. 

Don’t let your dog ride with their head out of the window – I know it’s tempting, but they can be easily injured by debris flying in their eyes. 

Keep proper ID – just in case your dog gets lost while traveling, you want to make sure you have emergency contact info and up to date ID tags. 

Prepare a doggie bag – make sure it contains clean up supplies, towel, feeding watering bowl, food, and toys to keep them well behaved

A pet is a family member, lets keep ours safe by practicing great car etiquette, while making the trip fun and exciting for our canine companions.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

New Technology: “If Cars Could Talk”…Literally




If your car could talk, besides “wash me”, what would it say? Would it ask you to ease on the brakes once in a while?  What about a nice new quart of oil?  Would traffic be smoother if cars could communicate with each other?  The Department of Transportation hopes to answer this question this summer.  In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to have 2,800 cars, trucks, and buses on the streets of Ann Arbor, all fitted with technologies that will alert drivers to road hazards, sudden stops, and blind spots.

“The reason why we are so excited about this is, is that this technology, when fully deployed, can address up to 80 percent of crash scenarios involving not-impaired drivers,” said, NHTSA administrator David Strickland.
Many cars use proximity sensors to alert motorists to nearby hazards, but in this case the augmented vehicles will use traditional GPS and a wireless broadcasting method similar to Wi-Fi to communicate.  The DOT has nicknamed the concept “Connected Vehicle Technology”, allowing cars to communicate directly with each other.

According to ABC News: NHTSA drivers showed reporters how the system could detect an oncoming car around a blind corner. In another scenario the system notified its driver of a car that had suddenly stopped in their lane several vehicles ahead, beyond the motorist’s view.  NHTSA said the proximity sensors in many of today’s vehicles would likely have failed these tests without having direct line-of-sight contact.  NHTSA says Connected Vehicle Technology should also allow commuters and local governments to view traffic information in real time.”

The project will cost about $15 million, with funding split between the federal government and the state of Michigan.  

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Mini Dictionary of Automotive Terms




Are you coming into the dealership soon?  Perfect! We like to keep our clientele in the know.  We provide FULL transparency and great customer service to provide an awesome experience.  In today’s blog, we go over some of the auto terms we use to provide a better understanding of the buying process.  So, without further ado, please soak in the following provided by Bankrate and feel free to ask us questions!

Add-on interest -- Interest that is computed at the beginning of the loan, then added to the principal, so that all must be repaid, even if the loan is paid off early.

Base price -- The cost of a car without options. This price includes standard equipment and the manufacturer's warranty and is printed on the Monroney sticker.

Blue Book -- Formally, it refers to the Kelley Blue Book, an industry guide dealers use to estimate wholesale and retail vehicle pricing. In common parlance, "the blue book price" can actually refer to a price looked up in one of the many guides to pricing. The books now come in a variety of hues, are issued by many organizations, and are commonly available online or in the reference sections of public libraries.

Dealer holdback -- An allowance, usually between 2 percent and 3 percent of manufacturer's suggested retail price, that manufacturers provide to dealers. A holdback allowance may allow the dealer to pay the manufacturer less than the invoice price. A buyer could obtain a car below invoice price and the dealer would still make a profit.

Dealer incentives -- Programs offered by manufacturers to increase the sales of slow-selling models or to reduce excess inventories. Dealers may elect to pass on the savings to the buyer.

Dealer preparation, or dealer prep or preparation charges -- An additional charge that dealers try to impose on buyers. It represents pure profit for the dealers, who have already been paid by the manufacturer for the cost of preparing the car for sale.

Destination charge -- The fee charged for transporting the vehicle to the dealer from the manufacturer or port of entry. This charge is to be passed on to the buyer without any markup.

Extended warranty or Service contract -- A contract that covers certain car repairs or problems after the manufacturer's or dealer's warranty expires. Extended warranties are sold by car manufacturers, dealers and independent companies. With a new car, the extended warranty usually must be purchased by the end of the first year of ownership.

Invoice price -- The manufacturer's initial charge to the dealer. The price may not be the dealer's final cost because dealers receive rebates and other incentives from the manufacturer. The invoice price always includes freight, also known as the destination charge.

Monroney sticker or Dealer sticker price -- The sticker on the car window that shows the base price, the manufacturer's installed options with the manufacturer's suggested retail price, the manufacturer's destination charge, and the car's fuel economy (mileage). This label is required by federal law and it is only removed when the car is sold by the purchaser. Named after A.S. "Mike" Monroney, a longtime Oklahoma congressman who wrote the Automobile Information Disclosure Act.

Prepayment penalty -- A lender's charge to the borrower for paying off the loan before the end of the term.

Rebate -- A manufacturer's reduction on the price of the car as an incentive to buyers. Rebates appeal to people with no credit or less-than-perfect credit who cannot qualify for the lowest-rate loan. A rebate may also appeal to first-time buyers who don't have a lot of cash for a down payment or another car to trade in.