Collision Center – New Location in Albany
Fixing Dings, Dents and Damage in the Capital Region
The Goldstein Auto Group is growing once again! Our body shop is known for its superior collision repair work, so we get calls from many customers and businesses who need repair services. To keep up with demand, we’re expanding our collision repair business into a new state-of-the-art building. Opening Soon on Central Avenue in Albany, our new building will have the latest in vehicle body repair technology along with our great body shop team.
This large area will soon be filled with cars, trucks and SUVs needing body work.
(… courtesy of our Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM blog…)
FCA, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is the company behind your favorite Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles. FCA has recognized elite dealers across the nation, as leaders in the field of Customer Satisfaction. It’s called “The 2017 Customer First Award for Excellence,” and Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM is a recipient for 2017. We couldn’t be more proud!
The FCA Customer First Award for Excellence is presented to Alan Goldstein: Owner & Joe Martell: General Manager by Marlene Dubois: FCA Area Manager, George Neubauer: FCA Dealer Placement and Chelsea Ritz-Kirsch: FCA Head of Customer First.
A Great Award and a Great Lunch
In a special presentation, representatives from FCA congratulated owner Alan Goldstein and General Manager Joe Martell as well as our dedicated staff. There was a luncheon, catered by our neighbors in Latham, The Century House, and we all enjoyed a wonderful meal. Several employees were individually recognized for their years of service.
A catered luncheon for our team, by The Century House. Great food!
Goals We Must Meet to be Elite
There’s certain criteria that we must meet consistently to achieve such recognition.
Facility Certification – Goldstein CDJR provides a clean, comfortable environment for our customers. Our award was earned during the time we were in our previous location. Imagine what we will accomplish in our new building!
Performance Measures – Goldstein CDJR achieved the highest levels of customer-oriented sales and service goals.
Training Certification – The employees at Goldstein CDJR received the highest level of required FCA certified training. This isn’t something you do once – there’s always something new to learn. Our entire staff stays up to date on the latest tech.
Employee Surveys – This is a measurement of how our team performs in a customer-driven culture. Because, if we didn’t work well with our customers, we couldn’t win… or stay in business!
Process Validation – Goldstein CDJR has certified sales and service processes that support excellence in customer handling.
Our sales and service team at Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM gathered for food and the Customer First Award presentation.
We Do Our Best
We’ve set a high standard for ourselves and FCA has recognized our efforts. Therefore, we strive to give our best when you shop at our dealership for a new or used car, truck or SUV.
Excellent Service is a Must
5-Star Service is the goal with every customer who arrives for a simple oil change, or state inspection at our new Express Lane Service. A car repair may not be the best news you’ll hear that day, but we try to make your experience as pleasant as possible. While your vehicle is worked on in our state-of-the-art service bay, we invite you to stay with us. Our waiting area inside our showroom has free popcorn and coffee, plus a big screen TV. Furthermore, Goldstein CDJR has a free shuttle service to take you anywhere in the Capital Region. That’s one of our Exclusives!
Thanks are Necessary
Thank you to FCA for recognizing our efforts at Goldstein CDJR. Plus, many thanks to our customers for your survey responses, and your reviews on Facebook, Google and other sites. We also appreciate your kind words when you visit our store for a job well done. We’ve only set the bar higher for the rest of 2017 and the years to come at Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM.
Pets Find New Homes at Goldstein Auto Group
Every month, some furry friends make their way from a shelter to a showroom. It’s the Pet Adoption Clinics at Goldstein Auto Group!
The Goldstein Auto Group works with the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society throughout the year, to spread the word about animals available for adoption. We also support their over 130 year mission to shelter and assist abused, lost and unwanted animals in our area. They do great work!
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- “Calico” is looking for a new home.
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- A volunteer is holding Mamie. Mamie isn’t grumpy – she just wants to find a new home.
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- Priscilla the Hound likes the attention!
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- Every Adoption Clinic has information and some goodies that benefit the MHHS.
Furry Friends
In March 2017, the Pet Adoption Clinic was at Goldstein Subaru. Our special guests were a hound named Priscilla, and cats named Calico and Mamie. Each cute, cuddly and ready to adopt. The pets during our clinics are ready to take home that day. And during the clinic, you can stop in to get more information about the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society works because of donations and volunteers. There’s a lot of work to be done, and thousands of cats and dogs, bunnies and even rats have made their way to the shelter and found new homes because of their dedication and your dollars.
At Goldstein Auto Group, we’ve made it easy to our customers to donate, by dropping off empty cans and bottles for our “Empties for Animals” program. Every penny from this program goes to the shelter – the shelter that is expanding this year!
They Need Your Help
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is working on a new building that will give the animals more room, more comfort and less stress. It gives the shelter more opportunities to work with the community and provide programs, like dog training. Please read more about the new building here: https://mohawkhumane.org/imagine.html
They welcome your donations, by the nickel as a bottle deposit, or by your dollars. The Goldstein Family enjoys every moment working with this great non-profit. Watch our Facebook pages for upcoming adoption clinics every month at a Goldstein location… except…
The Gala
There won’t be an adoption clinic during April because of the big 10th Annual Gala for Animals! This fun event will take place on April 22nd, 2017. You can find out more and get your tickets here: https://mohawkhumane.org/gala2017.html
Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM will have a new location in 2017, on the other side of Latham from where we are now.
The building has some walls and a roof, and is starting to look like what it looked like in the drawings – so we’re very happy with the progress. Hop over to our Facebook page to see the construction in progress!
As you can see from the banner above, it’s time for the Subaru Share The Love Event! We love these events, because it means that money will be donated to charities that need hard-earned dollars to do their work. One of those charities is especially close to our hearts, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society.
We work with MHHS each month to introduce dogs and cats into new homes across the Capital Region through all our locations. With the Share The Love Event by Subaru, you can choose to donate $250 towards their efforts to find homes for so many furry friends. Please ask your sales consultant at Goldstein Subaru for more information about this wonderful program.
The Goldstein family is a part of our community and we hope you’ll continue to watch this blog and our social media pages for news about our work in the neighborhoods around us. You may spot our vehicles picking up empty bottles here and there as well, as offices make donations to our Empties for Animals program. Do you have piles of empty bottles at your office or home that would be a great donation? Contact us! 518-690-2244.
Black Friday Shopping Tips
Stay Warm!
Obviously there’s more to shopping on Black Friday than staying warm, but it’s a big part. You should also make sure that you’re getting the best deal possible. Hopefully, these tips will help you get the best bang for your buck this shopping season.
- COMPARE! Yes, you want to get a deal. But are you getting a deal on the latest or something leftover? Sometimes that TV or other device is an older model. Compare the deal against the latest tech available.
- LOOK AT MORE THAN THE PRICE! That same gadget may be available at another store. And that store may include some extras, like a memory card, or bonus cash.
- STAY HOME! It’s possible that you can find your best deal on a website. Stick with the websites and businesses you know. Be careful of deals that are “too good.” If an item is out of stock everywhere else, be extra careful when you find a site that claims to have that new toy in stock.
- DON’T SHOP ALONE! Bring a family member, or a friend and share the experience!
- PLAN B! Have a backup plan, because that special item you must have may sell out before you get to it.
- BUDGET! Shop carefully… stick with your budget.
- BUY A CAR! By the time you’re done shopping, you’ll realize you need more storage space in your current vehicle. Stop by one of the Goldstein locations and look at a new or pre-owned car, truck or SUV. Betcha there’s a deal to be made!
HELPFUL WEBSITES:
https://www.theblackfriday.com/
TAKE THE TEST!
You think you have what it takes to spot a bargain? Take this test!
Here’s more helpful tips from CNET.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a safe shopping season!
Big changes at our dealership in Latham
The new Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM store in Latham is under construction!
It’s taken lots of planning, and will take months of hammering, paving, painting and pulverizing, but our new store will be open in 2017 – and we can’t wait!
Our new location will mean we can make our Service Department even better. We’ll be able to work with more customers, have even more inventory and provide even more popcorn in our showroom!
Watch this space and our Facebook page for updates on this and other projects we’ve got here and there around the Capital Region.
The Secret To Enjoying Your Car Buying Experience
Purchasing a car is typically not an experience that most people look forward to. They think they are going to be taken advantage of after much haggling with a sales person. These days though, there is so much information readily available online that the sales people don’t have much of an option other than to be translucent with you so as long as you do thorough research, you should have a quick and easy buying experience.
With it being the end of the year, the 2016 models have been arriving for months now and dealers are trying to make room for them. Their main focus is to sell the 2015 models they have left. If you haven’t seen them already, some brands have even started their 2015 clearance events already! As long as you don’t find the differences between the 2015 model and 2016 model to be too drastic, you can save a significant amount of money by purchasing the 2015. The end of the year is the best time of year to buy a new car.
Research should be done before entering the dealership. Research the car, the options it provides, the options that are important to you, the financing it requires and the value of your trade-in if you have one. Gathering all of this information beforehand will give you a better idea of what you’re comfortable with and what you’re trying to walk away with which will make the process so much easier for you and the sales person.
Before you get to the dealership, decide what your bottom line is going to be. Know to walk away if the price becomes too overwhelming so you don’t get in over your head. If you’re a qualified buyer and you have a fair price in mind, many times the sales person will do whatever they can to get you that price.
Once you get to the dealership, pay more attention to the way the car drives, the way you feel in it and the options it provides. Ignore the prices until you find your perfect car. You’ll be driving it almost every day for the next few years so make sure you’re not settling on a car you don’t really love just because the price was more attractive. You won’t want to drive to work everyday in a car you don’t like.
Before talking price, remember that there are taxes, licenses and extended warranties that are going to add an additional 10-15% of the price to the sale. So know what price you can afford and shoot lower that way you still end up with a comfortable payment.
An informed car buyer is always our best customer, we are not trying to try to pull a fast one on you. The more research you do and the better prepared you are when walking in, the easier the process is going to be for you and it improves the chances of a same day delivery. If you rather come in and speak to a sales person about what you’re interested in without doing the research, we will be more than happy to work with you until we find exactly what it is that makes you happy, it might just take a little more time to accomplish. Regardless, we are always doing whatever we can so that you can enjoy your experience at Goldstein.
Between all the misconceptions about Auto Insurance and the helpful details people don’t know about it, there is much to learn before buying a car or choosing a provider. The type of car you have, the features of the car, the engine of the car are all going to affect your insurance rates but color does not matter. For some reason, people choose to believe that a red car is going to land you with more tickets and in fact raise your insurance rates, it’s not true – the color of your car will not play a role in your payments. People also tend to believe that auto insurance is going to pay for any automotive repairs they have, unfortunately this is not true either. So what is true?
- As long as you don’t have the base liability insurance, your insurance will cover your car even if you were the one that caused the accident. Collision insurance is usually optional but it will cover you if you’re at fault.
- Most people don’t know what ‘totaled’ means. Totaled means your car has been damaged in an accident and it is either beyond repair or the cost of repairing it is greater than what it’s actually worth. Your insurer will give you as much as the car was worth before the accident happened, not the post-crash value.
- Although auto insurance covers a large variety of unplanned costs, it will not cover anything that may have been stolen if your car was broken into. With that being said, if you have homeowners insurance, those items will typically be covered under that policy.
- Bundling your insurance packages and adding anyone in your household who is of driving age will usually lead to lower costs. Although it’s always smart to still shop around and get at least 3 other quotes before committing to one company. For some more useful information, go to http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/cauto.htm
- While the lowest rates play a huge role in which company you end up picking, you should also research to see what their customer service is like. When you are dealing with your insurance after an accident, you will want to speak with someone who is going to handle it the most efficiently.
- If you’re looking to buy a new car, there are several factors that will affect your insurance. The price of the vehicle, how much it typically costs to have repaired, safety records, likelihood of it being stolen, high end cars come with high insurance costs, bigger motors mean more horsepower which will mean bigger rates, sports cars will have higher insurance prices, your age, your driving record and where you live will all affect your insurance quote.
- Where you live will greatly impact your insurance. Those who live in major cities with a significant amount of traffic like New York City or within a one hour radius of it, like Long Island, are going to pay much more for insurance than people who live in Upstate New York and drive through empty back roads.
- The closer you live to work, the lower your insurance costs are going to be. If you drive less than the average amount expected each year, you will qualify for cheaper rates.
- The cleaner your driving record is, the less you will have to pay on insurance. Taking a defensive driving course can decrease your rates up to 10%!
- Paying a higher deductible means more will be covered which will save you much more money in the long run if you end up getting in an accident.
- The better your credit score is, the lower your rates will be.
- The more safety features you add to your car, the better your insurance rates will be.
- Every ten years, the insurance rates should decrease on a vehicle so you’ll want to check to make sure this is happening if your car is over 10 years old.
- Paying in full will save you more money than paying month by month.
- There are a number of discounts that many insurance companies offer but many don’t know about. Here are just a few – teens with good grades, college-age drivers that attend school 100+ miles from home, being over the age of 50-55, being retired, business group members, alumni groups, professional associations, group plans offered through work.
The company that offers the largest discounts may not be the ones offering the best price. Sometimes it’s the companies that offer the least amount of discounts that have the lowest rates because they have it so low already they cannot afford to give away any more savings. It is also good practice to shop around at the end of each year, loyalty does not come with any kind of savings with insurance companies. Do your research, shop around and shop for take advantage of discounts.
Fall Can Make For Dangerous Driving Conditions
Many welcome Fall with it’s pumpkin flavored everything, it’s endless sweaters, it’s cooler temperatures, it’s apple picking and much more. What people don’t realize though is with Fall weather conditions come dangerous fall driving conditions to watch out for. Between the leaves changing colors and the lower temperatures, there is a lot to look out for when driving.
- The first rainfall after a significant period of dry, humid days is going to make for very slippery roads. It mixes with all the dust and oils that have accumulated over time and can leave you slipping and sliding if you’re not careful.
- The leaves are going to start to fall and litter the roadways. Not only can these leaves cover road markings and make them hard to read but they may also cover potholes in the roads that can lead to damage to your vehicle if you drive over them.
- There will be an increase of traffic when school starts back up after summer vacation. Make sure to leave a little earlier to get from point a to point b to avoid stressing over being late or getting frustrated and creating road rage. Remember to always bring your vehicle to a stop when there is a school bus with it’s lights flashing, no matter what lane you are in or what side of the road you are on.
- There are going to be drivers who will be distracted by the changing of the leaves colors. Expect to see some of them slow down or even come to a stop on the side of the road to take pictures.
- The cool fall mornings are going to create fog so it’s best to keep a distance between the cars around you to avoid any accidents. Make sure not to use your high beams for it will only bounce off the fog and make it even harder to see, instead use the low beams.
- Temperatures will drop overnight which is going to cause frost on windshields. It will also make for more slippery bridges and overpasses. Driving before the windshields have been defrosted can be very dangerous.
- The sun is going to be rising setting earlier. It will make for more difficult driving to and from work because the angles are going hit your windshield and/or rearview mirror with such intensity while rising and setting on your way to and from work. Keep a pair of sunglasses in the car.
- Look out for deer! It’s their mating season so they are likely to be out and about much more often. Keep your eyes peeled at night when your driving around areas that may have them.
- Wash the inside and outside of your windshield or the glare from the sun is going to make it even more difficult to see with a dirty windshield instead of a clean, streak-free one.
- Tires are known to lose pressure with the introduction of lower temperatures. Fill up your tires and keep checking them.
While the conditions aren’t quite as bad as they will be in the winter, these conditions still deserve enough attention to make sure everyone is educated on them. It can decrease accidents on the roadways if people know what to look out for and what precautions to take.
