Our Expert Automotive Service & Collision Repair Blog

Updates: Changes to Colorado Traction Law for the 2019 Winter Driving Season

In December 2014 a winter storm snarled traffic on I70, causing Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to shut down the highway due to poor visibility and multiple spin outs. Two of our employees coming back from Summit County took 9 hours getting to Denver that night. I remember seeing a news clip during this storm of three people pushing a Honda Civic out of the Loveland parking lot with obvious worn out tires.  I said to myself why are they trying to get that car to the highway, were they planning to push it back to town?  

On Monday, September 12, Uber put 4 driverless Ford Fusion taxis on the road in Pittsburg.  They weren’t totally driverless because they had a back up driver and an engineer in the front seats.  The Fusions were modified with a great deal of hardware on the roof, developed by Uber and consisting of cameras and radar units.  The plan is to provide service to the airport within a few months and to service the whole metro area in a year.

All Wheel Drive (AWD) can be a great asset, especially if you live here in Colorado where the weather can literally change in 5 minutes.  But just because we're (almost) past the winter months, doesn't mean that you can forget about taking care of your AWD. See our tips below on preventing damage to your AWD vehicle.

Many of us will be traveling by car over Thanksgiving and a few simple checks will make your trip safe and predictable. All the items mentioned are part of any good vehicle maintenance plan. 

How often should I have the brakes on my car checked? There are several things that need to be serviced on the brake system of your vehicle. 

My first job after college in 1973 was at Denver's first Saab dealer (Saab Denver).  They sold Saab, Subaru and an electric car, the Vanguard Citicar. Actually "sold" is a misnomer... it sat on the lot the whole time I was employed there.   

We've all heard the buzz term "hybrid vehicle" or "hybrid car" - and many of us are wondering if it's something we should get on board with or not.

By doing some research, analyzing your driving habits and putting pen to paper (or keystrokes to spreadsheet), you can make an informed decision.   

Read below to see how our results stack up!

A car came in recently for minor auto body repair and the customer asked that while it was here they also wanted their cracked windshield replaced.  When our windshield vendor came out to replace the windshield they couldn't replace it because of corrosion (rust).  

I have written frequently about vehicle safety, (March 2010, May 2011 and October 2012).  I believe safety is more important than fuel economy, performance or reliability. In the past my focus was on how well various vehicles protect the occupant in a crash, but now there is evolving a whole new realm of safety features described as automotive accident avoidance.  Rather than protect an occupant in an accident, these systems help prevent an accident from occurring.   

On March 18, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced an agreement with all major auto manufacturers to have automatic braking installed on all new vehicles within 6 years.  Automatic emergency braking (AEB) can cut rear end crashes by as much as 40% according to an IIHS study.