Fuel Efficient Autos

The G6 Coupe is one of those Pontiac cars that you just cannot resist. It has a sporty appearance with a sense of practicality built into it. Here are some of the reasons buyers flock to the Pontiac G6 Coupe when they visit their local Pontiac dealer.

• The G6 GXP is one of the most powerful cars on the market today with more than 250 horsepower under the hood.
• The wheels on the GXP version are 18 inches, giving your Pontiac G6 a spectacular appearance that will make people take notice.
• On the highway, the G6 Coupe gets nearly 30 miles to the gallon.
• The OnStar service is one of the most attractive features on the Pontiac G6 Coupe. It offers emergency services, navigation features and diagnostic alerts to keep you on top of what is going on inside your Pontiac cars.
• The Premium Package comes complete with leather front seats, heated seats for the driver and front passenger and interior leather trim is either available in an ebony or a light taupe color.
• The Sun and Sound Plus Package comes with a state-of-the-art entertainment system with a power sunroof and much more.
These are just touching the tip of the iceberg about the Pontiac G6. Visit your local dealer today and see these incredible cars before you make your final purchase.

There was a time when Pontiac cars were the coolest, most powerful cars on the roads. They were the muscle cars that all the “bad guys” wanted when they were in high school. The letter writer – Jeff Slemp – reminisces about those days and is saddened by GM’s announcement to cease producing the Pontiac brand.

In the letter writer’s teen years, the Pontiac Trans Am was a status symbol. The movie “Smokey and the Bandit” had just come out in 1977 and kids all over the United States drooled at the power and style of the black and gold Trans Am featured in the movie.

Slemp saw his first Trans Am in person while at a restaurant in Waynesville, Missouri. It had a shine that he couldn’t believe. According to his description, it “gave the illusion of looking into a bottomless black pool.” He also recalled that every Trans Am he saw in those days was taken care of and always appeared to have a fresh wax job.

The 1970s Pontiac cars defined a generation. “They were an indisputable part of that era even though they were loud, guzzled gas and needed constant maintenance,” recalls Slemp. Today, he still looks nostalgically at pictures of the “Bandit” 1977 Pontiac Trans Am and wishes he could have one of those now.

If you’re a TV buff like me, you’ve seen a number of Pontiac cars on the small screen through the years. Here are a few shows and movies in which you may have seen your favorite Pontiac car.

Smokey and the Bandit – This 1977 movie starring Jackie Gleason as an incompetent sheriff and Burt Reynolds as an outlaw showcased the beauty and power of the Pontiac Trans Am. Reynolds also used a red Trans Am for his antics in the movie “Hooper.”

The Rockford Files – Jim Garner, aka Jim Rockford, used a Pontiac Firebird in this old show to solve crimes.

Knight Rider – If Pontiac could create another car like the original KITT in the 1980s series “Knight Rider,” General Motors may keep it as one of its brands. But David Hasselhoff’s character drove the only talking Pontiac when fighting crimes on this show that enjoys a cult following.

Pontiac cars have also made appearances in other entertainment mediums. The song “GTO” had the nation singing along with the radio whether they were driving a Pontiac brand car or not. The Monkees also drove around in a GTO during their heyday.

The end of production for Pontiac cars may be just around the corner, but they will always have a special place in the heart of pop culture enthusiasts and in movies and TV shows that we all enjoy.

If you have ever wondered who came up with the idea for the airbag in cars, you are not alone. Your GMC-Pontiac-Buick dealers would like to offer this brief history of airbags for those who are curious about this lifesaving device.

• A man by the name of Allen Breed held the patent to “the only crash sensing technology available at the birth of the airbag industry,” according to this article. As a result, Breed created a “sensor and safety system” in 1968. This became the world’s first electromechanical automotive airbag system.
• The idea for the modern day airbag goes back to the early 1950s when a German inventor – Walter Linderer – submitted a patent application for a similar device. His idea, however, utilized compressed air to inflate the airbags. Unfortunately, compressed air could not inflate the bags quick enough to be effective so his idea did not last.
• General Motors tested airbags in 1973 on vehicles that were solely for government use.
• In 1975, GM offered the first driver’s side airbag for the general public.

This is just a brief history of the beginnings of the airbag. Visit your Springfield area Pontiac dealer today to see how far airbags and other safety features have come to protect you and your family in your Pontiac cars.

The OnStar service has come to be one of the most important devices for drivers of Pontiac cars and other GM products. But have you ever wondered about the history of this irreplaceable device? Here are some tidbits of information about how OnStar came to be what it is today.

• General Motors introduced the OnStar system in 1996. At the time, the driver could push a button and activate the cellular technology that connected them with an OnStar advisor.
• The Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) uses the same technology as an airplane’s “black box.” It notifies OnStar immediately in the event of an accident.
• The OnStar system records several pieces of data every five seconds. Some data the system collects include speed, braking actions, seatbelt use and much more. The information is retrievable for 45 days or 250 ignition cycles, whichever comes first.
• When it was first introduced, the OnStar system was only available for the Cadillac Seville, Seville and Eldorado models. However, by 2007, OnStar became a standard feature on all GM models sold in North America.

Now that you know more about the OnStar system, visit your local Pontiac cars dealer and check out the newest features available on the device. Once you have it, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

With warmer weather upon us, washing your Pontiac cars may be one of the things on your mind. After all, you want to have a nice, shiny car for driving around in the warm weather, don’t you? Here are some tips you can use for washing your Pontiac cars and giving it that sparkle that will turn heads.

1. Rinse the car off before washing it with soap. It’s easier for the soapy rags to move around the cars surface if it is wet first.
2. Be sure to get all the soap off after rinsing it the second time. Residual soap will leave streaks that will detract from the sparkle.
3. Wax your Pontiac cars after washing. Wax not only brings out a sparkle in the finish, but it also protects the paint job from small particles and dust.
4. Be sure to remove all the wax when you are finished. Wax can harden and become difficult to remove if left for a period of time.
5. Wash your car about once a month during the warmer months to keep it looking clean and to maintain that shine.

Follow these tips for washing your Pontiac cars and you’ll have a vehicle that you can be proud of!

You probably don’t think much about the radiator in your Pontiac cars until something goes wrong with it. The radiator is a major part of your engine because it plays a major role in keeping it cool and running efficiently.

The radiator is typically made from aluminum and consists of several tubes that pass through the engine. These tubes carry the coolant to the engine and helps keep the parts at the ideal temperature for running your Pontiac cars. The thermostat monitors the temperature and opens up to allow the coolant to flow through the proper parts of the engine.

Some problems that could occur with the radiator include the following:
• Overheating due to a coolant leak
• Overheating due to clogs, blocks or dirt particles that restrict the radiator’s ability to dissipate heat
• Worn hoses and cracked or stretched belts
• Aggressive driving can cause undue wear and tear on the radiator

Keep the radiator in your Pontiac cars maintained by doing regularly scheduled maintenance and keeping the proper amount of coolant in it at all times. It may be one of the more complicated systems in your car, but it’s also one of the easiest to maintain if you are willing to do so.

The fuel pump is one of the most important parts of your Pontiac cars. However, it’s one of the most forgotten parts until it goes bad. A faulty fuel pump can leave you stranded at the most inopportune times and ruin your day.

The fuel pump is the part of the car that takes fuel from the gas tank into the engine. Without it, the engine gets no fuel and, as a result, fails to run properly or even start. On newer Pontiac cars, the fuel pump is fuel-injected, meaning that it is located within the gas tank to help keep it cool. On most older Pontiac cars, the fuel pump is typically located next to the carburetor.

There is not a lot you can do to prevent your fuel pump from failing. It goes through normal wear-and-tear like other car parts. However, funning your car on low fuel will make it work harder and cause it to wear out quicker than normal.

You will know if you have a fuel pump that needs service if your car begins sputtering. Most of the time, it’s too late because it will not be long before it quits completely.

Now that you know more about the fuel pump on your Pontiac cars, you can diagnose the problem if it ever occurs and you can take measures to make it last longer!

Are you one of the people that neglect maintenance procedures on your Pontiac cars? If so, you could be causing more problems than you know. In this blog post, we’re going to review one mechanic’s list of the ten things most drivers neglect about their cars.

• More than 21 percent of drivers surveyed neglected getting their oil changed on a regular basis.
• Nineteen percent of drivers tend to neglect the cooling system as well as the belts and hoses.
• Mechanics noticed about 12 percent of drivers neglect transmission maintenance while more than 10 percent do not get the regularly scheduled maintenance for their vehicles.

Some other areas that drivers tend to neglect until it’s too late include the tires, tune-ups, brakes, timing belts and the actual body of the car.

“What this survey shows is that the least expensive and least time-consuming routine maintenance is being overlooked by today’s car owners,” said Ronald Weiner, the president of ASE.

Don’t let this be you. Do the regularly scheduled maintenance procedures on your Pontiac cars and fix any problems before they become costly. If you do these things, you’ll get many, many years of use out of your Pontiac cars.

People are doing some bad things in recent months simply because they are at the end of their rope. This man in central Pennsylvania visited one of his local gas stations and stole gas six separate times for a total of $214.

Jerome Banks, 42, begged the PA judge to send him to jail for his theft. However, Judge Hiram Carpenter had little sympathy for the man and his plea. Banks told the court that he should start receiving disability payments next year and he would then pay back the money for the gas that he stole, but the judge was not having any of that.

Judge Carpenter refused to accept the guilty plea which would have sent Banks to jail. Instead, he told Banks that he would need to find a way to pay off the debt. After all, sending him to jail would not reimburse the gas station owners for the money he stole and he would have to pay it off after getting out of jail anyways. He gave Banks until May 4 to pay the $214 and he will dismiss the charges if he does so.

Some people may think they can fill up your Pontiac cars at the gas station and take off without paying. But in the age of cameras and other technology that we have, you will get caught. Besides, with the new efficiency standards, your Pontiac cars are more efficient than ever so you should not feel the need to steal any gas at all!