Changing the ways of car safety

So I subscribe to the NY Times online and every now and then there's an article that I come across which I have to share with people. This one seemed particularly suited for you.

As with a lot of companies, sales are down. Ford Motor Company included. So they've decided to try and turn their seat belts into a new marketing tool. Beginning in 2010, it plans to be the first auto company to offer inflatable rear seat belts, a technology aimed at reducing injuries to children and elderly passengers in a crash.
I thought that was quite interesting. Most cars have the side passenger airbags. The idea of turning your seat belt into one just boggles my mind; but in a good way. I think it's pretty clever. Especially if you have kids in the backseat and god-forbid get into an accident.
I like the idea of it, I'm just curious how well they will work. I've heard stories about how airbags went off and totally cut up their face from the force of release. If these inflatable seatbelts do come to fruition as Ford says they will next year with the 2011 Explorer SUV, what are the other risks? Will there be horror stories of seat belts cracking ribs or of internal injuries because of the impact of its release and the force of the car hitting another. I like the idea of it, and I'm looking forward to seeing the end results.

You can read the article here.

Anyways, that was just something on my mind that I wanted to share with you.
What are your thoughts on the airbag seat belts?
 

Tom's In 60 Seconds

Today we filmed our very first 60 second video/commercial. It took about an hour and a half, and the videographer got A LOT of footage - testimonials from a couple customers and an interview with Tom. I should hear back from the video company within 10 days to view the outcome and make any changes if necessary. I have to have faith that this is going to generate us some new business. TurnHere, the video company, is going to host the video for us for a year, put it out in cyber world on all the video searches, and we will be able to put it up on both our Facebook and personal web pages. If all goes well, maybe we'll make a new one next year and just kinda make it a yearly thing. Do something different every year. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. One step at a time.

Thanks to our wonderful customers that came out! It was much appreciated. 

60 Second Video

Well, I found this company, TurnHere, that will make us a 60 second video to promote the shop. It'll get posted on Facebook on our page and I think also all over Yahoo, Google, and YouTube videos. Which would be great exposure for us. If there's anyone who's interested in being in the video next Friday at 10am, please let me know.

So, I sent out my first new montly letter to all you wonderful customers. There has been a decent response from it via Facebook. I'm watching the number of fans we have grow. It's kind of cool. I'm hoping that all these things will help generate some new business as well as bring you all back to us. I know times are tough, and we want to work with you, thus my reasoning for having monthly specials for you to take advantage of. Please let me know if there's something you want to see happen/change/etc and I'll try and make it happen.

I hope you all have had a great month of October so far.

'Til next time,

Deb

A Glossary Of Useful Auto Terms

Have you ever wondered what all those auto parts and repair terms were? Well, I found a very handy glossary that AAA put out. I thought it might be useful for you.

You can find it here. 

It's a PDF of everything. So save it to your computer for future use.  I hope it makes you feel a little more confident when walking into an auto shop with some knowledge of what they might talk to you about. Though, feel free to ask Tom or Mike about any questions if you don't understand something. They are here to help!

Welcome To The World Of Blogging

Hello and Welcome to all of our customers, new and old!

This is Deborah, Tom's daughter, who will be connecting you to all things Tom's Master Mechanics. You probably all miss the warm and friendly newsletters I used to publish. I kind of went MIA to finish school and work on some personal projects. But now I'm back and starting a new venture with the office. Tom's Master Mechanics has now entered into the world of blogging. Yes, that's right. Tom's Master Mechanics is going to have a blog.


We know how hard it's been for everyone with the economy being the way it is. You have probably suffered. We have had our moments. I wanted to start this blog to reach out to our customers (new and old) who do a lot of their stuff online. It seems the world is moving forward with a lot of online activities, so why not have us join in the craze as well.
Frequently I'll be posting different auto related articles, shop information, and specials found only online. So look for those soon!


I started a Facebook page for Tom's Master Mechanics. So if you have Facebook, find us and become a fan! You'll find specials on there too! I'm looking into possibly making an iPhone app for us as well, where you can email us questions, make appointments, etc. The business world is changing and we want to try and keep up!


Please feel free to post questions, comments, concerns, etc. What do you want to see next happen with us? How can we make your experience at our shop better for you?


I'll work on getting out another newsletter, post blogs frequently, maybe even twitter. Who knows. 


I hope 2009 has been good for you so far. Enjoy October! It's my favorite month. I love pumpkins!!



p.s. Mention this blog for $20 off your next service