Month: January 2016

Preface: I sell cars and I am not a licensed credit counselor, but I have lots of customers inquiring consistently as to how to increase their credit scores for vehicle loan applications. So, I am writing this article with the intent to introduce customers to an accredited source.

If you haven’t been in need of anything that would require financing in a while and then all of a sudden you find yourself in a position where things are different, you might be surprised to find out that your credit score isn’t exactly what you remember it to be or you might have never had much credit to speak of.

If that’s the case,  many states have their own programs to help you and some don’t, while all over the place there are companies wanting to offer to help you get out of your credit debt for a fee. It’s hard to know which ones to consider.

With that in mind, and not being a credit counselor myself, I have tried to find a resource to aid my customers and I hope that should you or someone you know has a positive experience and this information becomes useful, that you share your feedback with me.

After an initial call to explain why I’d like to partner up, I felt at ease in recommending the National Foundation of Credit Counseling. You can learn more and sign up by going to the NFCC website by clicking here. If you call their number at (800)338-2227, you will be connected to a representative in your area that can help assist in the counseling and get you on the road to renewed credit viability.

One of the age old questions regarding motor oil is “how often should I change it?” Another one that usually follows is “what grade or type of oil would be best to use?”

Over time engine oil darkens and can get sludgy from being cycled through an engine. This sludgy gunk buildup can impede the performance of the engine and that is why we need to change oil periodically.

engine oil viscosity at different stages

Clean, new oil

The container on the left is extremely viscous and the one on the right still pours smoothly

More detailed information about this can be found by clicking here.

There is a push in the automotive industry to move newer model vehicles to a synthetic blended oil that can go longer without needing to be changed. There are several reasons for this such as being better for the environment, but also chiefly because it is less expensive to change the oil when you can prolong the life cycle that it will last.

When I work with any of my customers, this is always a discussion point before I say goodbye to them in their new vehicles because I want to make sure that they get all the value of their purchase and let them know that I care about that and them! I also realize that things I cover can also be forgotten, so I try to readdress things through this blog and my social media outlets.

To see a little bit more about this subject, check out a short video I did by clicking here.

Here’s a quick little PSA for anyone interested in answers to questions about vehicle safety and crash test ratings, car seat safety, whether or not your vehicle is subject to a recall, and several other topics related to safety. Go to SaferCar.gov and browse through the site. It was created by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is a great resource. It offers a lot of self serve answers to your questions with searchable links and easy to use forms that don’t ask for information to spam you by. Here’s my quick take on it: William McCormick for SaferCar.gov PSA