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Holy Smokes! Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick has opened a Thanksgiving Buffet of deals for the month of November. There are several HUGE sales events happening now. Red Tag Event! This annual national Chevy sales promotion offers deals on the purchase or lease of certain Chevy models. Some models offer a Red Tag bonus plus a cash allowance offering the customer additional savings. Dealer discounts plus Red Tags equal exceptional savings! 0.9% APR on Select Buicks: With NO monthly payment for 90 days, your first payment will not be due until 2025. Trade in your ride, skip the payment, and have extra Christmas cash! Custom Accessory Package Giveaway: Don Hewlett Chevrolet and Texas Tough Accessories are excited to announce that customers that purchase a new Silverado 1500 Custom will get to select an accessories package valued at over $1,000 at NO additional charge. Choose from 3 different packages to make your Custom, truly custom! Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick continues to receive new inventory making our selection better than we’ve seen in many months. Obviously with deals like these out there, the best will go first. We’re out to break records for the month of November and with these deals, the timing to get that new Chevrolet Buick you’ve always wanted could not be better. Come test drive your next vehicle today, we look forward to seeing you! John Weldon, General Sales Manager Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Inc.

Chevy is one of the leaders in the all-electric vehicle arena. From electric SUVs to electric trucks, Chevy offers a broad lineup of stylish and practical EVs that can get you where you want to go. Range is always a question when talking about EVs but with Chevy, there is freedom and confidence. An Equinox EV has a range of up to an EPA-estimated 319 miles, a Silverado EV is estimated at 440 miles. The Chevrolet EV lineup is growing. Currently there are three models: the Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado. It’s easy to find an all-electric vehicle with the style, capability, and features you are looking for. Charging your Chevy EV is easy and convenient. In addition to home charging, there are over 214,000 easy-to-use public chargers and 17,800 Superchargers across North America, making it easy to charge while you’re on the go. EVs are more efficient to drive. You’ll never have to spend money on gas again and maintenance costs are typically less. Plus, the electric motor of an EV does not pollute like an internal combustion engine. Do your research and come to Don Hewlett Chevrolet to speak with one of our EV experts. After a test drive, we’re sure you will be convinced that a Blazer, Equinox or Silverado EV is right for you!

By: Mike Hewlett Since regularly being installed in the majority of production vehicles in the U.S., we’ve fielded numerous questions regarding Automatic Stop/Start Vehicle Systems from our guests. Please find below the answers to the most asked questions: What is an Automatic Stop/Start vehicle system? The auto restart (Stop/Start) technology feature that is found on our newer vehicles automatically shuts down the internal combustion engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and then restarts the engine promptly after the gas pedal is pushed. Why do we now have Stop/Start technology in our vehicles? In response to the air pollution reduction guidelines found within the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA), vehicle manufacturers were forced to develop ways to both improve fuel efficiencies for their vehicles as well as reduce tail pipe emissions. Auto Stop/Start vehicle systems are one piece of this complicated emissions puzzle. (Some studies claim up to a 10% increase in fuel efficiencies.) Do these Start/Stop systems use traditional wet cell battery technology? No. Due to increased demands, Stop/Start systems use an Absorbent Glass Matt (AGM) battery. AGM batteries offer near-zero maintenance because of their design. They never need watering, can be positioned on their side, work well in low temperatures, and are vibration resistant. How many AGM batteries does my vehicle have? Most of our newer models (2020+) will still just have one AGM battery. However, this one battery is now responsible for both the initial vehicle start and the Start/Stop functionality. If you have an older vehicle, you may have a dual battery system that was designed to ensure that restarting capability would not be compromised during a stop event. In these dual battery systems, the primary battery is dedicated to the starting function, while a secondary battery manages power demand during stops. Not sure? Please see a friendly Hewlett Service Advisor to identify your vehicle’s specific set up. Why are Start/Stop Batteries more expensive? Start/Stop car batteries are generally more expensive than normal car batteries due to their advanced construction and technology. However, the higher price is offset by their longer lifespan and durability (average AGM battery life = 6 Years). Can I put a traditional wet cell battery in a Stop/Start car? Never install a conventional wet-cell battery in a vehicle with a Start/Stop function that is equipped with an AGM battery as a factory standard. Do you need a special battery charger for a Stop/Start battery? Check what kind of battery your vehicle has: If your car has start/stop technology, you'll have an AGM battery. A conventional charger isn't suitable for these types of batteries, and you'll need a 'smart' charger instead. Can I jump start my AGM battery from a traditional battery vehicle or using a jump box? Yes. Since you’re not trying to ‘charge’ the battery, a temporary ‘jump’ is OK. (Fun fact: most portable jump boxes use an AGM battery as the power source.) Is auto Start/Stop bad for starter motor? The easy answer is, “No.” Starters in vehicles equipped with this new tech are made differently. These starters are optimized to turn the motor more slowly, which increases its longevity. Can’t I just ‘Delete’ the Start/Stop functionality on my vehicle? Dealerships cannot help you modify your vehicle in this way, and with all the integrated technologies running through the various vehicle data computers it’s just not worth the potential damage risk to your vehicle or your wallet. (Any modifications or aftermarket reprogramming that causes damage to your vehicle or its systems will not be covered by any warranty.) GM has provided the means to easily deactivate this feature after vehicle startup, but this action will need to be repeated after each new key cycle. We hope after reading this article you now have a better understanding of the Auto Stop/Start System found in your vehicle. While a lot of us may have a Love/Hate relationship for this tech the potential fuel savings and improved emissions should help to lessen any brief daily inconvenience experienced. Thanks for your business and please call on our amazing team the next time we can provide friendly, professional vehicle support for you, your family or place of business!

A headline like that would imply that someone has a lot of Silverados. Yes, it’s true, someone does have a lot of Silverados and that someone is us. Don Hewlett Chevrolet has nearly 300 Silverados including half ton and heavy-duty models! There are many different powertrains and trim levels available from basic to loaded, 2WD to 4WD and all versions of cab sizes. Even our friend and spokesperson Chet Garner, “The Daytripper”, came in here saying “Wow, we need to change the name of this place to Don Hewlett Silverado…” We’ll see what he does with that. Yes, the vehicle shortage was (and still is) real. But we’ve done our part in turning inventory fast enough to be rewarded additional allocations from General Motors and now they’re here. This is the best Silverado selection we’ve had in years, and we invite you to come see them. Do you want to separate your Silverado from the crowd? Our Accessories Department can do just about anything you can imagine from spray-in bedliners, bumpers, window tint, steps, toolboxes, the list never stops…. If you can dream it up, they can install it. Come see us at Don Hewlett Chevrolet, our inventory selection is so exciting even our own sales staff is having a hard time keeping up with it as it seems that another transport truck is always pulling in with another load.We look forward to seeing you, John Chauvin, General Manager Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Inc.

Texas summers continue long past Labor Day, often lingering into October. Long summers mean hot temperatures and after a while, hot temperatures can wreak havoc on your vehicle’s performance. 1. Check all vehicle fluids. Hot temperatures can cause added strain on your car’s systems so be sure to check the oil, coolant, transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and brake fluid in your car regularly to be sure they are at the proper levels. 2. Check your car’s temperature gauge. If the light comes on, or the thermometer enters the red zone, you should safely pull over. Driving even a short distance with an overheated engine can cause damage, and possibly lead to expensive repairs. If you find yourself in this situation, wait for the engine to cool completely before driving. Do not try and cool the engine with water. A quick change in temperature can cause damage. 3. Do not remove the radiator cap (when the engine is hot). Doing so can cause hot steam and coolant to spray out, possibly causing injury. Wait for the engine to cool completely before adding coolant and water. 4. Check tire pressures. As the temperature fluctuates, so will the air in your tires. This can lead to possible problems if your tires become over or under-inflated. 5. Don’t forget about our complimentary Pit Stop service. We will happily check and top off your car’s under hood fluids and check your tire pressure on the service drive, anytime our service department is open. Just pull up and let one of our attendants know you are here for a FREE Pit Stop. Remember, NEVER leave children or pets alone in a car. A parked vehicle can reach dangerous temperatures in just a few minutes. Pro Tip: Try leaving your wallet or purse in the second row with your child or pet to help you remember to check that back seat! These helpful tips together with regular vehicle maintenance from our Xpress Oil Change Plus vehicle maintenance center should help you avoid untimely heat-related breakdowns. Enjoy the rest of the summer, drive safely, and stay cool! Give us a call at 512-371-6014 when we can next be of service to you, your family or place of business.

What a whirlwind these past couple of years have been. Microchip shortages, global supply chain disturbances, trucking industry hiccups, you name it, we’ve all faced it. The auto industry did not escape either. The car shortage was real, supply and demand drove prices to unheard of values, used vehicles cost more than new ones and the list goes on. Yes, there were multiple obstacles that presented themselves over the past few years and some days it seemed as though we were facing them all at once. I am happy to say that it seems we’ve turned the corner and new car inventory is rolling in DAILY. Yes, Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick has inventory. Not just a few here and there, LOTS of inventory! Our Buick inventory is robust with over 100 in stock and the selection is so good, that in January, Don Hewlett was the largest volume Buick dealer in the entire state of Texas. Chevrolet is the same but different, much different… Don Hewlett now has over 400 new Chevrolet’s either in stock here at the dealership or built and inbound destined for Georgetown, Texas! What you may not know is that our (finally substantial) inventory level is a direct result of you! By purchasing vehicles from us over these past two years, you’ve helped us turn what little inventory GM provided at such a fast rate that GM has awarded us additional allocation. Our plan… keep it rolling! What does this mean to you? The deals are HOT! We at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick are so motivated to keep the sales rate high, that we’re selling vehicles below MSRP and that hasn’t happened in what seems like years. Don’t take my word for it, come see for yourself. The time has never been better. The deals are hot, trade-ins are needed and financing is available for just about every situation. We hope to see you soon!

These days, it’s safe to say buying a new or pre-owned vehicle has become considerably easier with the invention of the Internet. Just like we all do with almost every other product we buy, the Internet seems to be the go-to place to do your research for just about everything, cars included. The great thing about Internet shopping is it never closes. You can shop at night, early morning, Sunday, or any other time you feel the desire. Online car shopping can be fun too, especially since most auto dealers and manufacturers post multiple photos from every angle imaginable. You literally can see yourself sitting in the driver’s seat of that new or pre-owned vehicle right from your computer screen and the images are so good, you can almost get that new car smell, ok, maybe that’s a stretch. Of course, if this is how you’ve selected your next vehicle, the financing part may not be so simple online. We all see billboards up and down the freeways with banks and credit unions advertising a very attractive interest rate. The fine print or disclaimer also says “as low as” in small print which is hard to read going 70 mph. Obviously, that rate is available to some, or they couldn’t advertise it. Let’s face it, just as we’re in the business to buy and sell cars and grocery stores are in the business to buy and sell groceries, banks are no different - they’re in the business to buy and sell money. Financing a vehicle is simple in concept. The difficult part is the question we get asked daily, “what is your interest rate?” It’s difficult for a car dealer to respond to that question initially as we simply do not have enough information in the early stages to give a correct answer. Banks grade customers on several levels. The obvious one is your credit score, but it goes deeper than that. Banks consider how much you’re borrowing in relation to what you’re buying. Some people carry negative equity from their previous vehicle and ask to borrow say, 120% of what they’re buying. Others may borrow 80% or less with a down payment or trade equity. All of which are finance(able), some just require other considerations to be in place. Things like debt-to-income ratio, time on the job, time at residence, etc. can all play a part in answering the question “what is your interest rate?”. The finance team at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick are trained professionals. Their job is to find the best financing package for you and your family. Sometimes that requires getting multiple lenders to compete for your business. Once you’ve agreed to purchase a vehicle, the finance team goes to work. Our lenders (and we have many) may very well be the bank or credit union you use personally. We are what’s called an “indirect lender” for that bank or credit union. Basically, this means we’ll sign you up on their contract and the loan will be yours from them, through us (if that makes sense). One stop shop concept. Yes, we know your time is valuable and we respect that. Our finance team is there for you to help speed the process up. Your only question might be “should I use my personal bank or finance through the dealership?” With us being an indirect lender, chances are pretty good that you’ll save time and money financing through us. We invite you to come see our HUGE selection of vehicles and when you’re ready, our financing packages are very attractive.

Personalization. Think about that for a minute. In today’s highly competitive automotive market, sometimes it may seem like most cars look a lot alike, same for trucks, same for SUV’s. What does one normally do to combat that to make it their own? Accessorize. Yep, just like jewelry, a snazzy belt, a pocket square for your jacket or a Louis Vuitton purse, accessories are a part of our lives. Some people even put them on their pets. Your vehicle is no different.At Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, our accessory department can make your vehicle seem more like… well, yours! Not only do we sell Genuine GM Accessories for all types of cars, trucks and SUV’s, we offer a wide array of other cool stuff that will make your vehicle become whatever you want. If a simple window tint is all you need, our Llumar® window tint comes with a limited lifetime warranty that will block 99% of damaging UV rays and keep you cool while looking good at the same time and we do it in house. You want to beef up your truck? Replacement bumpers and grill guards, winches, side steps (both solid mount and power slide in/out), spray on bedliners, gooseneck hitches, larger tires, leveling kits, lift kits, YOU NAME IT, we can do it. If I were to write about everything we had to offer in our accessories department, no matter what type of vehicle you have, this newsletter would be so long you’d fall asleep reading it.  Not sure what you want? Call (512-681-3194) or come by today. Our accessories professionals are accustomed to offering ideas and suggestions. They know what goes with your vehicle. They know what looks good and they have the knowledge and experience to make your accessory purchase easy, smooth and fun.  Need a great birthday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, or “our first date anniversary” gift idea? Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick’s accessories department can solve those pesky “hard to buy a gift for” people in your life. We look forward to seeing you!John Chauvin – General ManagerDon Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Inc.

1992 was an eventful year in both world and local history. Hurricane Andrew hit Southern Florida causing $35 billion dollars in damage, Bill Clinton was elected our 42nd President and the U.S. men’s basketball team – ‘The Dream Team’ - swept all competitors to take the gold medal in Barcelona. Big things were also happening in downtown Georgetown, Texas as well. Don Hewlett, Sr. took a chance on a skinny local kid who had recently graduated from Wyoming Tech as a transmission specialist. Technicians are always in high demand, and the chance to hire this impressive young man was just too good to pass up. Turns out this was a good decision. Luis Rodriguez’ quiet, analytical approach over the next 30 years has helped him become the ‘go to’ guy in Central Texas for transmission diagnosis and repair. So much so that General Motors asks Luis to look at vehicles that other dealerships can’t seem to fix. Since 1992, Luis’ tremendously consistent work ethic has been a significant contributing factor in the growth and success of the Hewlett brand. Please join us in celebrating and honoring – Luis Rodriguez – for his 30 years of loyal and dedicated service to our customers and this dealership. Luis and his wife of 28 years (Rocío) live in Georgetown and are the proud parents of three grown children: Luis, Lily & David.

At Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick By John Chauvin, General Manager As we enter the 2nd month of 2022 and say goodbye to 2021, we reflect on the changes that occurred in the auto industry as well as for us here at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick. It’s safe to say, 2021 brought more challenges and opportunities than we’ve ever witnessed as an industry. With the micro-chip shortage and supply chain issues causing havoc on the auto industry, we here at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick have embraced those challenges and made the best of it. While we still had inventory shortages, General Motors continued to build vehicles. It was up to us to figure out how to get our “unfair” share of those shipments to keep our volume high and take care of our customer base. Like many of the auto manufacturers, GM went to a turn rate and days-supply algorithm to fairly allocate inventory. Translation, if you had the least amount of inventory and the highest sell rate, you would receive more inventory at a faster pace. How does that help you? We have the mindset at this store and our VW store that every car must go. We are making deals on every vehicle because, frankly, while it does improve our turn rate and shorten our days-supply, it also takes care of our customers because we can get them into the cars, trucks, and SUV’s they want at a faster pace. Of course, while all this has our management team working around the clock to keep tabs on our incoming pipeline of new vehicles, we haven’t forgotten about the pre-owned department. We have an experienced manager who spends every working moment searching for the best vehicles. In fact, we’ve increased our inventory on the pre-owned side. It is so robust, that we jokingly call ourselves “the pre-owned factory” because almost everyone looking for something used, drives away with their dream car. Our goal is to have nearly 300 pre-owned vehicles on our lot, all makes, models and price points. It’s safe to say that the automobile market in 2022 and maybe even 2023 will be similar. So if you’re one of those people that has delayed the purchase or lease of a new vehicle until things get better, I want to tell you that it won’t. From all the calls, meetings, and conferences we attend, I can say with confidence that there will be little to no change in the amount of inventory that dealers have on their lots. So don’t wait, if it’s time to replace your vehicle, visit our website and contact a member of our sales team and let us help get you in that perfect car, truck or SUV. We look forward to assisting you. Happy Motoring, John Chauvin – GM Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick, Inc. Hewlett Volkswagen, L.P.

Shop Foreman for 29+ Years We recently sat down with Chevrolet Shop Foreman - Rob Elliott - who has just begun his 30th year of employment at Don Hewlett Chevrolet Buick. Rob began working for Mr. Don Hewlett in 1992 when the dealership was located on Austin Avenue in downtown Georgetown. During his career, Rob has witnessed and been a big part of the exponential growth of the Hewlett organization. Rob has had a front row seat to the technological advances in the automotive industry and he currently holds numerous ASE certifications. His depth of knowledge and broad skillset have earned him the respect of both his peers and our customers. We are proud to have Rob on the Team. Q:     Where were you born / raised? Rob: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Q:     Tell us about your childhood, what was the best part? Rob: There was always plenty of work to do however, when we had the chance, I loved being out in the woods learning to hunt and fish with my brothers. Q:     Why did you choose vehicle repair as your profession? Rob: Well, I kinda fell into it, really. I was always good with my hands and very curious about how things are made and how they worked. It seemed like the guys I knew who turned wrenches at dealerships were doing pretty good, so it worked out. I do like to sleep indoors and eat regularly! Q:      What has been the biggest change in the car business in the last 29 years? Rob: One word – Computers. The technology revolution has helped make cars safer and smarter, but for us technicians it’s made finding problems a bit more challenging and fixing cars a lot harder. With the ever-increasing amount of technology on today’s vehicles, we must constantly be learning to keep up. Q:     What is your current passion (or favorite hobby) away from work? Rob: I’ve always liked to hunt and fish, but for the past few years I’ve been learning the craft of making custom knives. Q:     What is your definition of success? Rob: Raising my daughter to be a responsible, independent person of faith. For me, being a successful person means that you’re faithful, you do things right and you’re a man of your word. Q:     What is your favorite Don Hewlett memory? Rob: My favorite memory would probably be the time that I dressed up like James Evans, our Service Director (and my direct boss) for the annual Hewlett Halloween costume contest. I was able to create a costume that looked just like him. Everyone seemed to get a kick out of it, and I won first place!