What is the one thing that connects your vehicle to the road?  by Samantha Gomez, Service Drive Manager Let’s talk about tire basics. Tires are one of the most important safety items on your vehicle. Having the right tires that are in good condition are important for cornering, braking and stability.   Think of it like needing a good pair of shoes. If your shoes are old and worn and have slippery soles you can lose your grip to the ground and slip. If your tires are bald, your vehicle can lose traction that can lead to road hazards or accidents. In addition, our shoes can be designed for specific purposes like boots that are designed specifically for mountaineering or skiing. Tires are designed for this same purpose too.  There are different treads and each one is meant for different road conditions and driving styles. The purpose of tread is to get water out from under the tire so it can contact the road. The four types of tire tread ...

Our goal is simple: To provide the best customer service in the industry. At Hewlett Collision Center, we know that when a fender bender occurs, our customers want their car repaired as quickly and economically as possible.  Our Collision Consultants understand how to minimize your downtime and get your claim and your repairs handled quickly. Certified Volkswagen Collision Repair Facility As a certified collision repair facility for Volkswagen, we have the specialized machinery required to return your vehicle to factory safety specifications. We follow strict mandated repair procedures from the manufacturer and our technicians have access to exclusive  tools and repair information from Volkswagen. Our specialists receive extensive factory training on all VW models. We are dedicated to making the repair process simple for you; we do this by keeping you informed of the repair status from beginning to end and working with the insurance company so that paym...

(Tech Geek Alert… skip to the advice section to save boredom] Car batteries store an amazing amount of potential energy in the form of a chemical reaction set up between the sulfuric acid and the lead plates submerged in that acid bath.   The energy leaves the battery pretty quickly during the starting process because the starter consumes a bunch in a short period of time. When the engine is running, your car’s alternator recharges the battery, but at a much slower rate. Therefore it takes longer to charge than it does to drain a car battery. All batteries have a limited number of times they can be charged. The physical parts and chemicals just wear out over time. Letting a car battery go completely dead dramatically reduces the longevity of the battery; so don’t let this happen if you can avoid it. A fully charged 6 cell lead/acid battery has an open cell voltage of around 13.5-14 volts (these numbers can vary slightly with materials and temperature). A volt is a mea...

Shhh…. It’s a SECRET! Want to know how to cheat a dealer out of more dollars for your trade-in? Wondering what to do with your current car when considering your next one is a common thought process.   The answers to this question are abundant, yet not always clear.   Do I trade it in, sell it to a private party, pass it on to my kid or donate it to my favorite charity?   (Although sometimes those last two may seem the same).   The easiest and simplest way is and has always been to trade it in.   If you have a payoff, that part is taken care of in a timely fashion.   The transfer of title (getting it out of your name) is handled properly and any “known” problems simply go away and become the trading dealer’s issue.   Usually – no questions asked, you wash your hands of it and walk away. The usual, and sometimes no fun - part of trading it in is the common perception that a dealer won’t give you a fair-trade allowance.   You know this...