Spark Art: Beppe Giacobbe | Chevy Spark | Chevrolet

Say ciao to Italian artist Beppe Giacobbe, one of the global artists chosen to create work inspired by the car that's built and loved around the world -- the 2013 Chevy Spark

Our Customers Go Out Of Their Way To Tell Us We're Going Out Of Ours!

"Nick the salesman is very good at his job goes out of his way to show you all the different cars.he answers any questions you have and shows the new updated show room and service depatment.The finance department is great at there job too,they will help you with any questions you have too."

Chevrolet to be first U.S. automaker to integrate Apple's Siri assistant into its Spark and Sonic cars

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Chevrolet will launch Siri, the virtual assistant technology featured in Apple's iPhone, in its cars with the 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sonic models. The feature, dubbed Siri Eyes Free, will allow drivers to make hands-free calls, access their iTunes music library, listen to and compose messages, and check game scores or local weather.

Chevrolet will become the first US carmaker to integrate Apple's Siri virtual assistant technology into its cars with the launch of its 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Sonic models.

Siri is a voice-activated feature on Apple iPhones and iPads that can perform internet searches, answer questions and even receive email and text message dictation. The special in-car version, called Siri Eyes Free, that Chevrolet is to deploy, was unveiled in June at the World Wide Developers Conference and is designed to give drivers access to smartphone features, via a dedicated dashboard-mounted button, without having to take their eyes off the road.

Chevrolet made the announcement Tuesday at the Los Angles International Auto Show where its marketing director for small cars, Cristi Landy, explained the feature would be compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 and would work via the cars' existing Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system. By pushing the steering-wheel-mounted voice activation button, users can make hands-free calls, access their iTunes music library, listen to and compose messages, and even keep up to date with big game scores or the local weather.

"It says a lot about our commitment to small-car customers that Chevrolet has announced that Siri Eyes Free capability will be available in the Spark and Sonic well before the luxury brands," said Cristi Landy, "Safe, easy, reliable and portable connectivity is a top priority for our customers, and Siri complements MyLink's existing capabilities to help deliver an incredible driving experience."

In bringing Siri to its small cars first, Chevrolet is taking the same path as Mercedes-Benz, which became the first car company to integrate the technology into its models when it launched its new A-Class in September.

Providing increasing levels of in-car entertainment and connectivity while reducing distractions is becoming a major challenge for carmakers around the world. As the use of smartphones continues to grow, so do the risks they pose to safe driving. New federal guidelines, published in February by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, seek to limit in-car distractions caused by communications, entertainment, information gathering and navigation devices; and, in particular, any device that requires use of the hands and/or diversion of the eyes from the primary task of driving.

"Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit on America's roadways - that's why I've made it a priority to encourage people to stay focused behind the wheel. These guidelines are a major step forward in identifying real solutions to tackle the issue of distracted driving for drivers of all ages," said LaHood.

Courtesy of NY Daily News

Help Your Odometer Reach 300,000 Miles

Five Maintenance Tips For Getting To 300,000 Miles

1. Keep your battery charged. This is especially important if you don’t drive your car that often. If you plan to let a vehicle sit for more than a couple weeks, you should invest in a “trickle charger,” or battery tender, which plugs into a regular household outlet and keeps your battery fully charged, automatically. I have a battery tender for my lawn tractor battery for winter months, and it guarantees a strong start in the spring.

2. Keep at least half a tank of gas in the car. Plenty of reasons not to let your car run on fumes, but one I had never considered before reading this article is that an empty gas tank is more prone to rust.  The rust can leach into your fuel and clog filters and fuel lines downstream. Rust could also eventually eat through your gas tank leaving a hole.  At today’s gas prices, who can afford for that to happen!

3. Don’t forget the tires. When you fill up your gas tank, or every couple weeks, whichever happens more frequently, be sure to check your tire pressure. If you drive an older vehicle like me you’ll need to pick up a tire gauge. Look at the label inside the door, or in your owner’s manual, to find the correct tire pressure for your specific model. Low tire pressure causes things like uneven wear on your tires and decreased gas mileage.

4. Change the oil. There is some debate in the frugal car owner world on whether or not you should change your oil as often as prescribed by car manufacturers (and those express oil-changing facilities). I’m no expert, but I think you should stay pretty close to the suggested schedule, only deviating a month or two, or a couple hundred miles. Peters agrees with me. Besides, a $30 oil change is much cheaper than a new engine, and if you are ultra frugal, you can even change your own oil!

5. Be kind to your clutch, and your brakes. If you drive a car with a manual transmission you know at some point you will likely have to replace the clutch. But you can extend the life of your clutch, and your brakes, by not riding either one for long periods of time, and by using your accelerator (or not using your accelerator) to coast a bit as traffic ebbs and flows.

Automobiles are becoming more and more expensive these days. In fact, next to buying a home, it is probably the largest single purchase most people will make in a lifetime. Use the steps above to increase the chances your vehicle will last well beyond your car loan, guaranteeing you many years of debt-free driving.

 

Courtesy of Frugal Dad

Mark Is One Happy Volt Owner. Why Not Join Him?

10 Commonly Forgotten Vehicle Maintenance Tips

Vehicle maintenance is something that is often overlooked on most cars and trucks; most people will avoid maintenance and just drive em till they drop or the engine blows. There are a few particulars of maintenance that should never be over looked. This article will outline the most common things as far as maintenance that are a must to keeping your vehicle on the road.

Oil changes

As far as maintenance is concerned oil changes are a must and should be done regularly to keep your engine free of friction causing deposits. Actually changing your oil and not just adding oil is a must. If you are simply adding oil to your engine and not changing it with the filter you are doing your engine a major disservice. When just adding oil when it gets low you are creating silt deposits in the bottom of the pan that over time can cause oiling issues when the pick up tube screen gets clogged; this can lead to low oil pressure and poor oiling to the top end of the motor, ultimately it will cause engine failure. Another oil changing maintenance tip is to never change the type of oil you use; if you use cheap oil than continue to do so. Switching from cheap oil to a full synthetic can lead to gasket and oil sealing problems whereas the cheap oil leaves deposits behind that seal up these tiny crevices; full synthetic has many detergents that will clean these deposits away and cause oil leaks.

Transmission service

The number one cause of automatic transmission failure is the lack of changing the transmission fluid and internal filter at the correct intervals; for automatic transmission maintenance one should always refer to the owner's manual for the correct intervals. If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person automatic transmission service is a breeze. Simply drop the pan, remove the old filter and gasket and replace the transmission fluid (with the vehicle specific fluid, failure to do so can lead to automatic transmission failure).

Manual transmissions and rear ends

These two parts of a vehicle are often overlooked, especially the rear end. You should change these fluids at the regular maintenance intervals to ensure that they last a really long time. Over time low fluid levels can cause a lot of heat and friction that can cause expansion and contraction of the transmission and rear end metal geometry which can cause leaks. So, keeping fresh fluid in there and keeping them full is a must have for manual transmission and rear end maintenance.

Fuel filter

A clogged fuel filter is a sure fire way to fry a fuel pump or starve and engine from fuel and make it run lean. Fuel filter maintenance is very often over looked, failure to change the fuel filter can be very costly if you don't do it at the correct service intervals.

Spark plugs

Spark plugs are a very important part of engine maintenance; if they are not replaced at the recommended times they can create havoc on your engines ignition system. Worn out spark plugs can cause coil pack failure as well as engine misfire problems. An added benefit of changing your spark plugs is that they will provide you with the best fuel economy, making a complete burn of the air fuel mixture. Always use vehicle recommended spark plugs for ignition system maintenance; some cheaper spark plugs will just not work worth a darn and you may end up having to change them frequently.

Timing belt

This may be the most costly part of maintenance, but it is key from preventing your engine from having catastrophic engine damage. You should always change your timing belt as the vehicle manufacturer has scheduled it. Failure to do this maintenance can result in bent valves and damaged piston; essentially complete engine damage.

Balancing and rotating tires

You paid a lot of money for your tires so this type of maintenance is just a cheap portion of service to ensure your investment. The driving wheels on a vehicle will always wear out tires from the ones that simply roll, so rotating your tires and getting them balanced every six months or so is a good way to keep your tires in tip top shape, this will also eliminated annoying shakes in your steering wheel. In addition to this maintenance an alignment is also key, without a proper vehicle alignment after hitting a curb or a big pothole you may very well have changed your vehicles suspension geometry, this will lead to uneven wear on the inside or outside of your tires; so be warned.

Coolant

Coolant is the heart and soul of your engine maintenance program; if you begin to get low on coolant it can cause serious engine damage such as blow head gaskets and leave you stranded, you should check your coolant levels every two to three weeks and have the system flushed once a year. Also adding too much water into the system is a bad idea especially if you live in a climate that has freezing winters. You don't want your engines coolant to freeze and expand which can possible crack the block or make water seals leak.

Battery

Your battery is very important to the maintenance of your vehicles electrical system. A bad or undercharged battery (or jumping off the car too often) can cause damage to the alternator from overworking it and to the starter. Both of which can be costly to repair.

Serpentine belt

This piece of maintenance is fairly inexpensive to replace and can generate quite an annoying sound. Other than that you can be really up the creak if it breaks, because it operates your water pump and sometimes your power steering, alternator, and air conditioning. If your belt breaks either your engine is going to overheat or you will drain your battery; failure to do this maintenance will always leave you stranded.

 

Courtesy of Yahoo

Installation | OnStar RemoteLink | Chevrolet

The OnStar RemoteLink mobile app is the perfect way to communicate with your Chevy vehicle. You can use the app for Remote Start, Horn & Lights, and Lock & Unlock features. Learn how to install the app and get started.