New video on Youtube about Using Your Key Fob to Remotely Start Your Vehicle

Along with my recent post on this blog about using your key fob to start your vehicle, I have added a quick 1 1/2 minute video with much of the same information as in my article.

Please take a look and leave any comments below.

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxV02mscsE

A Big Thank You To All of Our Veterans

I know it is a bit off topic, but I would just like to take a moment and thank all the veterans out there.  Yes, I am a veteran, but I am not looking for any personal thank yous.  I served during peacetime and was nothing more than a glorified desk jockey.  There are so many more people who gave so much more than I did.  Please take a moment out of your busy day to thank a Vet.

Remember, those vets ensured your right to vote which we all had the chance to exercise this past Tuesday.  They ensured the right for people to protest and our freedom of speech.  So many of those rights that we take for granted have come at the sacrifice of many brave men and women.

Please take a moment and honor those veterans with whom you work with every day.

Using Your Remote Start With Your Key Fob: General Motors Vehicles (Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac)

When you get your new vehicle, we (salespeople) go over many features of your new vehicle in short order.  We expect you to retain only a fraction of the information thrown at you in a few short hours.  I would like to take a few minutes and go over the remote start feature in further detail.  Often, I find that this is one feature that is a “must have” for women.   Understanding how to use this feature will ensure that you get the most benefit from this perk. 

Look at your remote (key fob) and locate the circle arrow.  Regardless of which type of remote or fob you have, the remote start feature will be designated by an arrow in the shape of a circle.  If you do not see a circle like this, your vehicle may not have remote start.   If this is a feature you would like to add to your vehicle, please see your local dealership for further details and cost to add this feature.  If you do see the remote start button, we should be good to go.

Push the lock button twice on your remote.   I tell my customers to lock their vehicles BEFORE trying to use the remote start function.  The remote start function will not work if the vehicle is unlocked.   This is a safety feature that is built into General Motors vehicles.

Push and hold the remote start button until the vehicle starts.  You may have to hold this button a few seconds before the vehicle starts.  The vehicle will run for approximately 10 minutes before it shuts off.  This is a built in safety feature to avoid excessive carbon monoxide build up in enclosed spaces.  It is enough time to get the fluids warmed up and the interior cabin warmed.    

You may add another ten minutes of run time to the first cycle by pressing and holding the lock button and the remote start button at the same time.  For example, your car has been running already for 7 minutes and you want to continue warming it a bit more, you may push and hold the lock and remote start button to add another 10 minutes to the 7 it has been running already for a total of 17 minutes.   

If the first cycle runs for 10 minutes and the vehicle shuts off, you can restart the vehicle again for another 10 minute cycle by following the above steps.  Things happen and we don’t always get out of the house in time and this is a nice feature.

The vehicle will start for only two consecutive cycles.  If you try to remotely start the vehicle for a third cycle, this feature will not work.  You must put your key into the ignition and start the vehicle manually to reset the remote start counter. 

You can shut off the vehicle by pressing the remote start button again.  Once you have remotely started your vehicle, you can shut off the vehicle by pressing the remote start button again.  This will shut off the engine and it will count as one of the two cycles allotted between keyed starts. 

For example:  You start your Chevrolet Cruze and you go to get kids ready to leave.  Just as you are ready to walk out the door, your child throws up all over your outfit.  You are unable to go into work, so you push the remote start button again, and your car turns off.  (This counts as one cycle.)  You grab your cell phone and call into work but you get your supervisor’s voicemail.  You call the clinic and schedule an appointment in an hour for your youngster.  You change your clothes to get ready to go to the clinic.  Again, you remotely start your vehicle, but just before you get ready to put your child in his car seat, your supervisor calls and you spend the next 15 minutes on the phone with him.  Your vehicle ran for another 10 minutes, but it shut off. (Counts as a second cycle)   If you were to try to remotely start your car a third time, the remote feature would not work.   You have to put the key into the ignition and start the vehicle manually for the remote start counter to reset.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will be happy to respond.  You can also call me directly at 262-569-4349 or email me at jtepp@ewaldauto.com.

Car Shopping: What Should I Bring With Me?

Often, I hear people say that they hate car shopping.  It’s a process and it takes some time.  You don’t buy a house in a couple of hours.  Buying a car takes time, but you can help the process along by going to your dealership prepared.  By bringing the following documents along, you can help us get you on the road in your new vehicle even quicker.

Your driver’s license:  Sounds like a no brainer, but you must have a valid driver’s license to take a test drive.  Also, your driver’s license is your valid form of identification. 

Trade title:  If you have a trade vehicle, you should bring in its title.  If the vehicle has no lien, then you should have this important paper.  It often gets misplaced, so if you are thinking about car shopping, you should be locating this paper or getting a replacement if you can’t find it.  If there is a still a loan for the vehicle, the bank may have the title in their possession.  In Wisconsin, the titles are now held by the bank until the loan is satisfied.

Starting July 30, 2012, Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) began delivering titles to lien holders consistent with recent statute changes. Any title with a lien (loan) listed on or after July 30, 2012 is sent to the lien holder. Lien holders may receive titles in a paper or electronic format. Owners of vehicles receive a Confirmation of Ownership​ and will receive the actual title when all liens are paid off.

Note that if you already have your title (even if it lists a lien holder), nothing changes. You can keep it. Titles will only be issued to lien holders on or after July 30, 2012.  (reprinted from Wisconsin DMV Website; for more info http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/vehicles/title-plates/lienholder-default.asp )

Proof of insurance: If you are financing your new vehicle, you must provide a copy of your insurance card with full coverage. If you are pondering leasing a vehicle, you may be required to have a little higher level of insurance. Before you begin car shopping, it might be a good idea to contact your insurance agent and increase your levels of coverage if they will not meet your needs.

Proof of income: If you know your credit isn’t the best or you just started a new job within the last year, the financing department may require you to show proof of employment by bringing them your latest pay stubs. You may be asked to provide proof of income for other forms of income, like child support, if it is being used as consideration for a loan.

Proof of residency: If you have recently moved and your current address does not match your driver’s license, you may be asked to provide proof of residency. Usually some sort of utility bill or a recurring bill to your new address will suffice.

All people deciding people present: This may seem like a no brainer, but quite often, people come shopping and not all parties are present. A co-signer may be absent, husband or wife, mother or father. Not having all people available slows down the process considerably.

If our customers come prepared, the process moves along at a much smoother pace. Everyone’s situation is different, but doing a little preparation ahead of time will save you some valuable time.

Women in Cars: At the Dealership

I read this interesting article which I have linked below for your enjoyment. The article is a little old now (Plublished in Forbes in May of 2014) , but it very much as relevance as to sales in the auto industry.   Sarwant Singh makes several relevant points, but on a larger global scale.  But what does this mean for sales at the dealership level?

Quite frankly, it means that women are a force that never should be ignored.  Eighty percent of women have the deciding vote whether a couple purchases a vehicle or not.  In most households, women are the ones who control the family's finances and they are the ones that know whether payments will fit into the family budget.  In addition, more and more women are not married, divorced, or widowed.  Rather than relying solely on men in their families to accompany them to the dealership, they are turning to the web and educating themselves on what they want in a vehicle.  I have seen more and more young ladies out car shopping with their mothers, not with their fathers. Many of the women I have worked with are very practical with their vehicle purchases.  They have searched the internet within the parameters of their needs and within their budgets.  

I recently sold a vehicle to a young lady who just moved back to Wisconsin.  Her mother came shopping with her and after a short interview, I was able to find her the best vehicle to fit in her budget.  Mom is a no nonsense lady and her daughter is cut from the same cloth.  When it came down to the negotiations, both were ready to go in swinging.  It was quite amusing to watch my manager squirm under the unified front of Mom and daughter.  Even my male sales counterparts were enjoying the excitement.  My manager does not to give out anything, but in this case, he got quite the thrashing and the ladies did get a great deal.  

Today, you see many more of the commercials at the national level being directed towards women, but the regional and local levels have some work to do yet.  Many of our dealerships are starting to provide more family friendly services:  areas for children to play, clean restrooms, and refreshments.  I still feel that there could be more done to provide a more inviting atmosphere for women.  If you have any thoughts or comments, please feel free to post them.

In addition, please take a moment and read the article below by Sarwant Singh, published in Forbes in May of 2014.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarwantsingh/2014/05/23/women-in-cars-overtaking-men-on-the-fast-lane/#5e6c60a47b1e

Welcome to Asphalt Diamonds! My new blog for women about all things car related!

Welcome!

I recently started a blog and then I started reading about how blogging SHOULD be done.  I looked back on what I had started and sure enough, I did everything that I shouldn't have done, right on down to the name.  So, I did some more soul searching and decided that this blog would be about women and cars.  I work in a male dominated environment.  Why shouldn't I embrace the fact that I am a woman?  I connect differently with female clients than do my male counterparts.  I even communicate differently with my managers.  They are constantly telling me to get to the point.  They think I am rambling, but honestly, I feel what I am telling them is very useful background information that they should be aware of.

Do I sell exclusively to women?  No.  I have sold cars to men.  I just have a different perspective when I communicate with customers.  I had a young man come in to look at a cheap used Jeep that we had on the lot last summer.  His current vehicle was failing fast and was looking for something to replace it.  When we were on the test drive, we got to talking and I found out he was married and he and his wife recently purchased a home.  In addition, they had been talking about starting a family.  Ding!  To me, the car he was looking at purchasing was not the vehicle of where he wanted his future to go.  When we came back to the dealership, I asked him if he was looking for a car for "now" or for a vehicle for his "future".  I reminded him that he could have two children in the next three years and the vehicle he was looking at wouldn't fit his new lifestyle as a father.  He left the dealership without making a purchase that day, but came back the next day and bought a Chevy Equinox with plenty of room for his current toys, but room in the back seat for car seats as well.  He explained that he talked with his wife and they agreed that the Jeep didn't really fit where they wanted their lifestyle to go.  I followed up with them a few months later and they were still very happy with their purchase.  Yes, I could have sold them the cheap Jeep, but by asking the harder questions, I gained this young man's respect.  I like to think that I helped them by keeping their long-term goals in mind and found the right vehicle that fit their lifestyle now and their lifestyle for the future.

I have lots of stories that I can share, but those can wait for another time.  My point is that being a car salesperson requires you to think as a problem solver.  Sometimes, it's just about replacing a worn out vehicle, but lots of different factors complicate a relatively simple process.  Sometimes it's a credit score, previous credit history, finding the right vehicle to meet all their "needs", downsizing or upsizing based on a family's needs, etc.  Many sales are a combination of all of those factors.  I love my job because I feel like I am helping people make the best possible purchase for their situation. My job satisfaction comes from people beaming from ear to ear.

I will continue to post more information about myself in this blog.  I want this blog to be filled with my personality as well as useful nuggets that women may find useful.  If you have any thoughts or questions, or topics you wish me to speak about, please feel free to email me at jtepp@ewaldauto.com .