Return to 'Giammalvo Quarterly' News Letter 'Page'
A Publication of Sam Giammalvo's Auto Sales & Service
Vol. 7 No.4.........Fall  2001
 
CONTENTS: 
 

Think Your  Car Keys Are Safe Inside Your House? Think Again. 
How To Reduce Rollover Risk.  
My Turn.  
Driving for the Environment's Sake.  
New OBD II Check During Inspection Procedure. 
In Passing. 
 


Our E-mail Address: samgauto@samscars.com 

Our Phone Number Is 508-999-3213 
 

     
    Think Your Car Keys Are Safe Inside Your House?
    Think Again! 
     
 This past June, one of our customer's went through a frightening experience. The customer was awaken suddenly at approximately 1:00 AM by the sound of his vehicle starting. When the customer got out of bed and looked out the window he was astonished to see his Mercury Grand Marquis slowly backing out of the driveway. The customer promptly called 911. The New Bedford Police Department issued a BOL (Be on the lookout) to all police units in the area. Within a half hour, a New Bedford cruiser spotted the customer's vehicle driving in the north end of the city. A pursuit ensued. The suspects jumped out and let the car roll into a wall. The pursuit continued on foot but the suspects got away. Meanwhile, back at home the customer was analyzing what happened. Since it was a warm night our customer had left a 1st floor screen window open. The suspects cut the screen and entered the house at which point the car keys were taken from the kitchen table. The suspects then exited the front door and stole the vehicle. Only the trunk CD changer was stolen from the car. Other than some slight scratches on the front bumper, the car was OK. Most importantly, the customer and his wife were not injured or confronted by the burglars. Hat's off to the NBPD for the quick pursuit and recovery of the customer's vehicle. 
 

 


 How To Reduce Rollover Risk.
 
  (From The National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration) 
 
Since most vehicle rollovers are single-vehicle crashes, they are often preventable. They are unlike non-rollover multiple-vehicle crashes involving frontal, side and rear impacts, where another driver may have been responsible for the crash. To minimize the risk of a rollover crash and serious injury, the driver should: 

   Always Wear Seat Belts.  

Regardless of vehicle choice, the consumer and his or her passengers can dramatically reduce their risk of being killed or seriously injured in a rollover crash by simply using their seat belts. Seat belt use has an even greater effect on reducing the deadliness of rollover crashes than on other crashes because so many victims of rollover crashes die as a  result of being partially or completely thrown from the vehicle. NHTSA estimates that belted occupants are about 75% less likely to be killed in a rollover crash than unbelted occupants. 
 

   Avoid Conditions That Lead To Loss Of Control.  

Common reasons drivers lose control of their vehicles and run off the road include: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving while sleepy or inattentive, or driving too fast for the conditions. 

 
   Avoid Extreme Panic-like Steering.  

 Another condition which may cause a rollover is where a driver over corrects the steering as a panic reaction to an emergency or to something as simple as dropping a wheel off the pavement. Especially at freeway speeds, over correcting or excessive steering may cause the driver to lose control resulting in the vehicle sliding sideways and rolling over. If your vehicle should go off the roadway, gradually reduce the vehicle speed and then  ease the vehicle back onto the roadway when it is safe to do so. 

   Maintain Tires Properly.  

 Since maintaining vehicle control is the most important factor in minimizing the chances of a vehicle rollover, improperly inflated and worn tires can be dangerous. Worn tires may cause the vehicle to slide sideways on wet or slippery pavement, resulting in the vehicle sliding off the road and increasing the risk of rolling over. Improper inflation can accelerate tire wear, and can even lead to catastrophic failures. It is important that consumers maintain tires properly and replace them, when necessary. 

   Load Vehicles Properly.  

 Consult your owner's manual to determine the maximum safe load for your vehicle, and the proper distribution of that load. Pay special attention to the vehicle manufacturer's instructions and weight limits when using any type of roof rack. Any load placed on the roof will be above the center of gravity of the vehicle and will increase the likelihood of rolling over. 

 


 My Turn.
 
Mark GiammalvoI wish to again thank all the wonderful   
customers that have expressed appreciation   
for my recent articles in this newsletter.   
It has proven to be a conduit for me to voice   
and share my personal thoughts on automotive and other issues.  
 

 

 
 
 
 

Like all of you, I to will never forget September 11, 2001. I was walking out into the main driveway when I was told of the first plane crash. Since that time I have been glued to the daily news broadcasts. Almost two weeks have past and I realize that I must begin to work back towards my normal routine. As I write this from inside my home I can see our flag dancing lightly in the evening breeze outside the front window. I have always flown the American flag in the summer months but it sure seems to have a more prominent meaning now. I don't think this country has ever seen a greater display of American flags. One has to wonder what the real reason is for these attacks. Is it the sacred ground we are claimed to have violated? Is it the commands of another world dictator being carried out like history has shown in the past? Could it be that others are envious of what a wonderful and successful country our forefathers have established and of which we now enjoy? After all, freedom is a very powerful thing. I recently was motivated to again read the Declaration of Independence. It has been a while since I read this in school but the first line of the second paragraph is still as powerful as it was over 200 years ago: 
"...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."  When that scroll was unrolled and read to the King you can bet your boots that he was not very happy. Perhaps this notion still upsets some other people throughout the globe. You might say these attacks on our country could be a Penalty of Leadership. Penalty of Leadership, you ask? The Penalty of Leadership is the title of a Cadillac advertisement that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, on January 2, 1915. (For those of you that have ever owned a Cadillac, it has been in the beginning of their owners manuals for years). It is a very powerful writing that was written for Cadillac by Theodore F. MacManus. To me, in some sense, this writing reflects how life can be full of people that want to tear down and beat at the walls of success. The advertisement follows: 
 

Penalty of Leadership. 
 
 "In every field of endeavor, he that is first must perpetually live in the white light of publicity. Whether the leadership be vested in a man or a manufactured product, emulation and envy are ever at work. In art, in literature, in music, in industry, the reward and the punishment are always the same. The reward is widespread recognition; the punishment, fierce denial and detraction. When a man's work becomes a standard for the whole world, it also becomes a target for the shafts of the envious few. If his work be merely mediocre, he will be left severely alone - if he achieve a masterpiece, it will set a million tongues a-wagging. Jealousy does not protrude its forked tongue at the artist who produces a common-place painting. Whatsoever you write, paint, play, sing or build, no one will strive to surpass or to slander you, unless your work be stamped with the seal of genius. Long, long after a great work or a good work as been done, those who are disappointed or envious continue to cry out that it cannot be done. Spiteful little voices in the domain of art were raised against our own Whistler as a mountebank, long after the big world had acclaimed him its greatest artistic genius. Multitudes flocked to Bayreuth to worship at the musical shrine of Wagner, while a little group of those whom he had dethroned and displaced, argued angrily that he was no musician at all. The little world continued to protest that Fulton could never build a steamboat, while the big world flocked to the river banks to see his boat steam by. The leader is assailed because he is a leader, and the effort to equal him is merely added proof of that leadership. Failing to equal or to excel, the follower seeks to depreciate and to destroy ­ but only confirms once more the superiority of that which he strives to supplant. There is nothing new in this. It is as old as the world and as old as the human passions ­ envy, fear, greed, ambition and the desire to surpass. And it all avails nothing. If the leader truly leads, he remains ­ the leader. Master-poet, master-painter, master-workman, each in his turn is assailed and each holds his laurels through the ages. That which is good or great makes itself known, no matter how loud the clamor of denial. That which deserves to live - lives". 
 


Driving for the Environment's Sake.
 
  (Courtesy of ALLDATA) 

What's your reason to conserve gasoline? Is it because scientists speculate global warming is partially due to the burning of fossil fuels? The ever-increasing presence of smog motivates you to operate your vehicle less? 
Or, is it because gas prices have escalated to all-time highs? Whatever the reason, most of us want to do our part to reduce pollution and conserve fuel. Here is a 20-point checklist of environmentally sound, 
fuel-efficient practices that really work: 
        1.      Use the right gasoline and oil. Follow the 
manufacturer's octane and viscosity recommendations. 
        2.      Have all manufacturers' maintenance recommendations performed correctly. Find a shop with an electronic automotive information system to verify accuracy. 
        3.      Have the vehicle aligned regularly. Periodic wheel alignments can help improve fuel economy up to 10 percent, and scuffed off rubber is considered an airborne pollutant. 
        4.      Repair oil leaks as soon as possible. Oil leaking on the ground may be washed into creeks and rivers by rainwater, contaminating the water system. 
        5.      Have your emission control devises checked regularly. 
        6.      Inspect hoses, belts and wiring. 
        7.      Service your engine promptly when warning lights appear. 
        8.      Keep tires inflated to the maximum recommended pressure to improve gas mileage by as much as 6 percent. Low tire pressure prematurely 
wears tires and burns excessive fuel. 
        9.      Clean out that trunk and back cargo area. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. Removing 200 pounds of unnecessary weight shaves one mile per gallon off your fuel mileage. 
        10.     Limit warm-ups to 60 seconds. 
        11.     Minimize idling when possible. Idling for long periods uses more fuel than turning the engine off and then restarting. 
        12.     Car-pool whenever possible or practical. 
        13.     Obey posted speed limits. 
        14.     Use cruise control to maintain a steady speed when possible. 
        15.     Keep windows shut at high speeds. 
        16.     Avoid drive-through lines when possible. 
        17.     Minimize air conditioning use. 
        18.     Don't speed up only to have to brake quickly. 
Accelerating gently and steadily could net you as much as a 20 percent gain in fuel economy compared with what you'd get with an aggressive driving style. 
        19.     Plan and combine your trips. 
        20.     And the obvious; use other means of transportation. 
possible. 


 New OBD II Check During Inspection Procedure.
 
 
First of all, what is OBD?  OBD stands for "on-board diagnostics". Your vehicle has a computer system and approximately nine sensors that monitor and store information about the performance of your vehicles engine and emissions control system. We use OBD information to diagnose problems and repair your vehicle. OBD II is the latest, most sophisticated generation of on-board diagnostic systems. Transparent to you, as you drive your vehicle, the OBD II computer in your car performs many tests on your vehicles electronic sensors, circuits, and subsystems. Any failed tests are logged in the cars computer system.  All cars and light trucks made since 1996 are equipped with OBD II. 

Over the remainder of 2001, inspection stations are gathering information from OBD II systems to see how well on-board computers identify improperly working emissions systems and how OBD II checks can be used to make emission inspections faster and more convenient. After this testing period, Massachusetts plans to switch to OBD II testing for cars and light trucks made since 1996. Tailpipe testing will continue to be used on pre-1996 vehicles that are not equipped with OBD II. As older vehicles retire over the next decade, OBD checks should gradually replace tailpipe testing. 

During an OBD II check, the inspector connects an electronic "lap top" device called a "scan- tool." This scan-tool communicates with your vehicles on-board computer to retrieve information about the operation of your vehicles emission control system. For the remainder of 2001, as long as your car passes the tailpipe test, it will be considered to have passed the states testing requirements. If any problem codes are found in your car's OBD II computer, the inspector will still pass the vehicle but will recommend that you consider bringing your vehicle to a registered repair technician to diagnose and repair the problem. 

Beginning at some point in 2002, 1996 and newer cars will not have to receive a tailpipe test. The OBD II system in each car is considered so accurate that if it senses that your car may be failing emission standards it will store a trouble code or "tests not passed" message in memory. Instead of the tailpipe test, the inspector will hook up the scan- tool to your vehicle. If a problem is found you will receive an emission reject sticker as you would have if your car had failed a tailpipe test. 


In Passing.
 
(Obituaries Courtesy The Standard Times) 
 
 Alfred "Fred" S. Debski, born in New Bedford, he lived in this area all his life. He was a bellhop at various hotels until his retirement in 1986. Mr. Debski loved music and playing the piano. He collected stuffed animals and nautical items. 

Mary C. Medeiros, of Fairhaven, was born in New Bedford, she was a lifelong area resident. Mrs. Medeiros was formerly employed by U.S. Furniture in New Bedford as a sales clerk and later by Regal House Furniture as a sales clerk for some 10 years before retiring in 1998. She also volunteered at the glass museum in New Bedford for many years. She enjoyed the company of all her grandchildren. 
 

 
 
 

We appreciate your business.
Please drive carefully.
 
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Sam Giammalvo's Auto Sales, Inc.
1476 Purchase Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: (508) 999-3213
FAX: (508) 999-1343
e-mail: samgauto@samscars.com
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