Heiser Chevrolet February Newsletter

Repairing an American Icon:  Corvette Museum repairs and salvage could take 2-3 months

It seems the whole country now knows what happened at the famous Corvette Museum.  Hearts were crushed when a sinkhole opened beneath the museum's Skydome display area on February 12.  In seconds, eight classic and irreplaceable Corvettes dropped 40 feet into the ground.

Twice a day, surveyors are measuring to make sure no more vehicles fall. Contractor Scott, Murphy & Daniel of Bowling Green, Kentucky set a timetable for making repairs while tourists continue to visit.  The museum remains open for regular hours with the damaged area off-limits to the public.

Reinforcement of the building and figuring out how to remove the cars will require surgical precision. The eight cars rest in the sinkhole in three layers.  While the top cars might be easiest to remove, further challenges come with the second layer and beyond.  One cannot see the bottom cars beneath the dirt. Building contractors will have to do some stabilization of the soil in the banks around those cars before they can go back down. Then they will try to vacuum the dirt from around the cars before they extract them from the earth.

Overall the Corvette Museum was lucky the sinkhole occurred within the structure and not underneath the structure, so it is still intact and in good condition.  Tests show another collapse is unlikely.  Thank goodness!

General Motors said last week it will restore the damaged cars:

To help the National Corvette Museum recover from the massive sink hole, Chevrolet will be overseeing restoration of the Corvettes damaged. The process will be managed by General Motors Design in Warren, Michigan.

When the cars are recovered, they will be shipped to the Mechanical Assembly facility, a small specialty shop within GM Design, where the best restoration approach will be determined. Mechanical Assembly has been part of GM Design since the 1930s.  Today it maintains and restores many of the vehicles in the GM Heritage Collection and GM’s historic concept cars.

You can help the Corvette Museum:

The National Corvette Museum is independently owned, and supported solely by charitable donations from enthusiasts. It is currently accepting donations on its website to assist in refurbishing the facility. Donations are tax-deductible. To make a donation, please CLICK HERE.

See the sink hole as it happens

Impala and Traverse Among KBB.com 12 Best Family Cars of 2014

In a quest to find the vehicles best suited for families, Kelley Blue Book editors collaborated with real families to test an array of vehicles including everything from sedans to minivans.

Two Chevrolets made their way into KBB.com’s 12 Best Family Cars of 2014 recommended list, the Chevrolet Impala four-door sedan and the Traverse midsize SUV. 

The Chevrolet Impala and Traverse are designed precisely to offer a wide suite of useful family-friendly features. Nominees were chosen for excellence in safety, comfort, driving performance, room for child seats, cargo space and rear-seat entertainment.

The KBB.com expert editors started with 21 vehicles top-ranked in their Expert Ratings in various categories and enlisted the help of several families.  KBB.com editors then recorded the results and feedback to select the winners.

To learn more about the award winning 2014 Chevrolet Impala and Traverse please visit Heiser Chevrolet at 10200 West Arthur Avenue in West Allis or contact the dealership at (414) 327-2300.

Cruze Owners Warmed Up In January’s Polar Vortex Thanks to the Remote Link App

The Polar Vortex over Southeastern Wisconsin sent temperatures plummeting during most of January. Heiser Chevrolet Cruze owners with OnStar’s RemoteLink Mobile application avoided some of the chill because they could check their car’s status and warm the interior from any distance.

RemoteLink set single-day and single-hour request records last month. January 7 saw upwards of 200,000 requests sent through the mobile application across all General Motors’ brands, setting the one-day record. Later in the month, when the frigid air returned, the single-hour record was set on January 28 with more than 20,000 requests. Chevrolet Cruze owners used the app more than any owners of any other GM vehicle did.

For all of January, Chevrolet owners made 2,909,674 requests through the app. Of that total traffic, 1,603,107, or about 55 percent, of requests were for remote start.   The vehicle stays locked after a remote start, so it is secure, even when in a public space. A key in the ignition turn is required for the vehicle to move.

Existing RemoteLink users were just part of the record month. Historically, most customers download the RemoteLink app to their smartphones in January. This January saw more downloads than any previous January on record.

Chevrolet, paired with the RemoteLink app available through OnStar, offers one of the most winter-weather ready lineups of any manufacturer. Remote start is available on most Chevrolets with automatic transmissions and is a part of the free RemoteLink Key Fob service for 2014 and newer model year vehicles. On-demand vehicle diagnostic information and the ability to send directions from your phone to your vehicle requires an active OnStar subscription.  To learn more about the 2014 Chevrolet line-up & RemoteLink app  features please visit Heiser Chevrolet at 10200 West Arthur Avenue in West Allis or contact the dealership at (414) 327-2300.

Heiser Chevrolet Reviews The 2014 Chevrolet Traverse

Large crossover SUVs have become the vehicle of choice for many large families. And it's easy to see why, as they offer plenty of room for passengers and their belongings, as well as the availability of all-wheel drive, a confidence-builder in foul weather conditions. The 2014 Chevrolet Traverse stands as a sensible crossover choice for Southeastern Wisconsin families. 

Among the Traverse's many attributes is its spacious interior, seating up to eight passengers. Or, with the second- and third-row seats flipped down, it can provide a cavernous 116 cubic feet of cargo capacity. The cabin is attractive, too, benefiting from last year's refresh that brought more harmonious styling along with a standard rearview camera and Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment interface. With its handsome styling, enormous cabin and impressive day-to-day functionality, the 2014 Chevrolet Traverse more than holds its own in the current population of family-friendly crossovers.

Powertrains and Fuel Economy:

Powering most 2014 Chevrolet Traverse models is a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 281 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque.  The LTZ trim features twin exhaust outlets that increase output to 288 hp and 270 lb-ft.  A six-speed automatic is the only available transmission, but buyers can choose front-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Overall, the 2014 Chevrolet Traverse delivers a smooth, confident and quiet highway ride.  Driven around turns, this big crossover SUV feels more secure and planted than you would expect, and it maneuvers well in tight parking lots.  To sum it up:  the remarkably satisfying Traverse is well suited to transporting people and cargo in abundance and comfort.

To learn more about the 2014 Traverse please visit Heiser Chevrolet at 10200 West Arthur Avenue in West Allis or contact the dealership at (414) 327-2300.