Greetings,
It’s the beginning of a new year for us all. This is an especially big year for Lowell’s, as it marks our 25th anniversary.
Many things have changed over the years. The competition has grown fierce. We now have to compete with the likes of Firestone, Wal-Mart and Sears. There are four dealerships in the Bluegrass area, each one bigger than the next. One of them I visited recently has a waiting room larger than our shop. They even sell hot dogs and popcorn to the people waiting to have their cars fixed.
Our continued progress would not be possible without the loyalty of both our customers and our employees. We are on our second generation of some customers, and also have two second-generation employees, Mike and Brian. I also should include my father who has been with me for 58 years. He helps with our mailings and gets paid in coffee and rides to the YMCA.
Thank
you for your support and faith in us all these years. We will continue with “Quality Service at a Reasonable
Price”, our goal since 1979.
Lowell
In this issue:
A Important Message to Our Customers...
Are You Really Ready for Winter Driving?
Winter Emergency Kit
Read This if Your Car Has an Extended Warranty!!
Readers' Questions & Comments
You Know You're a Redneck Driver If...
Advertisements & Self-Promotion
An Important Message to Our Customers...
Lowell’s can perform all preventive and factory scheduled
maintenance on your Toyota or Lexus, whether it’s brand new, mature, has 5000
or 500,000 miles.
Our extensive inventory of parts and years of Toyota and
Lexus experience will keep your new car warranty (and all extended warranties)
intact, no matter where you bought your car.
To protect your warranty, all required service we perform would be noted in your maintenance book and recorded in our database for permanent record.
Are
You Really Ready for Winter
Driving?
We're right smack in the middle of winter, and for most of us our travel doesn't slow down any just because the temperature drops and the weather is unpredictable. So it's wise to be prepared for the unexpected.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (better known as FEMA) lists the following recommendations for winter travel:
Install good winter tires or all-weather radials with adequate tread.
Keep a windshield scraper and small broom for ice and snow removal.
Maintain at least a half tank of gas during the winter season.
Plan long trips carefully.
Listen to the radio or call the state highway patrol for the latest road conditions.
Try to travel during daylight and, if possible, take at least one other person.
In
addition, have a mechanic (we have the perfect one in mind…guess who? :-) )
check the following items on your car: battery,
antifreeze, wipers and windshield washer fluid, ignition system, thermostat,
lights, exhaust system, heater, brakes, and defroster.
Click here if you'd like to make
an appointment online for us to inspect your Toyota for winter travel.
Finally, see our suggestions below for a winter emergency kit.
Tuck these items in your car so you won't be caught unprepared! Go through and check them once a month to ensure everything works and is in good order. Even if you don't keep all these items on hand, having some of them is better than having none of them:
Read
This if Your Car Has an Extended Warranty!!
Your warranty could be worthless...
If
you have an extended warranty for your car, there's a possibility it may be no
better than the paper on which it's printed.
A
company called National Warranty Insurance Company has recently created a huge
legal and financial mess in the automotive warranty arena.
An extended warranty, or “extended service agreement" (the
official term) is basically an insurance policy for your car.
A group of people pays into a pool, and claims are paid out of the money
collected.
National Warranty handled that pool of money as part of a risk-retention group.
It backed policies for hundreds of thousands of customers.
All was going well for customers with these policies until June 6. On
that date a court in the Cayman Islands declared the company insolvent.
In other words, it was in big money trouble.
National Warranty is now the focus of a major battle in bankruptcy court.
It's hard to predict what will happen in court, but the crisis could hit
soon for some warranty owners.
If you own an extended service agreement that was bought before June 6 and
backed by National Warranty, you can't make a claim. Many companies, such as
Warranty Gold, are telling their customers that there is no money to pay because
it's tied up in the courts.
Of course, it's not that simple.
Some people contend that not all the money went to National Warranty and
that some of it should be available to pay claims.
A class-action lawsuit is pending on behalf of customers who are now
victims.
Besides Warranty Gold, several companies have sold policies backed by National
Warranty.
Many car dealers have also sold them under a variety of names.
Some dealers have stepped up and done the right thing, repairing vehicles
for customers who bought the policies.
Others have not been as helpful.
The first thing you should do if you have an extended service agreement on your
car is to find the contract itself.
Look on it to see if National Warranty was the underwriter.
If it was, contact whoever sold it to you and find out if claims are
being paid.
You may be able to get some or all of your money back.
Your
newsletter is very informative. Thanks.
I
have a suggestion for a future newsletter. I would like to know more about
the Prius. Please discuss how it
works and what sort of maintenance it
requires. Thanks.
M.K., Lexington
Dear M.K.,
Thank you for your kind words. Here at Lowell’s we have serviced several Priuses (we have only had to do routine lube, oil,
and filter services) and found
them easy to work on. We haven’t
heard any complaints from our customers.
In a nutshell, the Prius
uses both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, switching back and forth
between the two to produce the most efficient and ecological ride.
There is a handy screen on the dashboard that shows the driver what the
powertrain is doing at any given time. According
to Toyota, the Prius gets 55 miles per gallon using this gas/electric
combination. Not bad, we say!
Also
(this next part is amazing!), the latest Prius model is equipped with automated
steering to help curbside and back-in parking.
The driver does not have to touch the steering wheel for the car to park
itself. The bad news is, this
feature is not yet available in North America.
The Prius’ maintenance
is pretty straightforward as compared to other Toyotas.
Along with the normal lube, oil, and filter change, coolant flush, etc.,
Toyota recommends replacing the coolant in the inverter (part of the hybrid
system) every 30,000 miles. As an
additional note, the electric motor's sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride battery
has a life expectancy of 150,000 miles
according to Toyota.
The Prius has been well-received in automotive circles. Motor Trend magazine recently named it the 2004 Car of the Year, noting that it is spacious enough to be classified as a midsize sedan.
The new format
works great, and you can archive the newsletters so folks can go back to certain
articles if they like.
L.K.,
Lexington
Dear L.K.,
We're happy to hear you
like the changes. Plans are in the works to have past editions archived
soon. We'll let you know when they're online.
Hi, I enjoyed your newsletter and saw a place in the newsletter to ask questions
without sounding stupid.
So here is my question:
I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla with 40,000 miles. What kind of maintenance
should I have on my wheel-bearings? Should I wait until I hear a noise or
have them regularly greased? If they need to be greased, how many miles on
the Corolla before it is time to grease the bearings?
Thank-you.
G.W., Lexington
Dear G.W.,
We're glad you enjoyed
the newsletter. As for your wheel bearings, they are maintenance free and
don't require anything unless there is a specific problem with them. Let
us know if you have any other questions - we're always glad to help.
Do
you have a question about car
maintenance
We love to hear from all our good friends and customers
who enjoy reading Lowell’s Toyota Times.
If you have a question about anything related to your Toyota or Lexus,
feel free to give us a call at (859) 233-1173, or drop us a line at lowells@iglou.com.
You Know
You're a Redneck Driver If...
There are more than five McDonald's bags currently in the floor of your truck.
You prefer car keys to Q-Tips (this one hits close to home for some of us).
Hitchhikers won't get into your car.
You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it.
Your CB antenna is a danger to low-flying planes.
You have grease under your toenails.
and Lowell's favorite...
You wonder how service stations keep their restrooms so clean.
Awards &
Honors
Better Business Bureau Integrity Award in 1991.
Voted "Best in the Bluegrass" in ACE magazine poll in 1997, 1999, 2001,
2002, and 2003.
Featured on a television special for employing women in a traditionally male
environment.
Featured on Hometown Heroes for work done in the community.
Be sure to check out our "MONTHLY SPECIAL" at www.chooselowells.com.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"Lowell's Toyota Times" is published by Lowell's Bluegrass
Automotive. Opening in 1979, Lowell's is the the only independent repair
shop in the Bluegrass specializing in the maintenance and repair of Toyota and
Lexus vehicles.
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