The Vegas Voice 5-20

America’s Driving Force
By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road
They say not all heroes wear capes. And often,
the last place you look for heroes is where
you’ll find them.
You may recall that in 2008, during the last collapse of the country, it
was the auto manufacturers, most notably General Motors, that stepped
up and helped by offering amazing discounts on vehicles to get the
economy rolling again. This time, GM and the other manufacturers are
going above and beyond to help.
From big donations - Hyundai Headquarters giving a $4 million
grant to support 21 U.S. drive up coronavirus test sites in addition
to 10,000 testing kits; to GM, Ford, and others making face masks or
offering no payments for 120 days, collectively, they are doing what they
can to keep the money moving.
In addition, although dealership showrooms have been closed, the
service areas will remain open to help those who need to go to work
get their vehicle’s serviced and their oil changed. Your car doesn’t care
about a virus and needs regular maintenance no matter what.
Also, many automotive finance companies are offering delayed
payments, and even insurance companies are offering refunds because
we’re not driving. If you need assistance, just call them.
We are all in this together, and you’ll be surprised at their compassion.
The good news is you still can buy a car online, and the dealers will
even deliver to your house. If you’re not in the market for a new car, at
least make an effort to maintain your current car.
While few of us are driving, it’s still important to start your vehicle
and drive it around the block a few times to maintain the battery’s
charge and run the oil through the engine. If you don’t do this for a
month, it will be okay, but if you don’t do it for three months, you might
have some problems down the line.
We tend to take our vehicles and their manufacturers for granted,
but it’s times like these when you realize how much we depend on the
transportation industry as a whole.
BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years.
She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at
bjkdtr@gmail.com
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