OnStar Family Link Service

Have you every worried about a loved one who is making a long trip or driving in poor weather conditions? Maybe you have a new driver in the family and want to ensure their safety.  Now you can have peace of mind with OnStar Family Link.  This service is an opt-in extension to your monthly OnStar subscription and is made available to you for a nominal fee.  With no limit to the number of vehicles you can add, you will always be able to track your vehicle on the road without bothering the driver.

Upon sign up, you will be given direct access to the location of your vehicle by viewing a map, as well as the ability to schedule email or text message notifications with Family Link’s unique “Vehicle Location Alert”.  You can even personalize the system by setting the day, time and frequency of your alerts.

This year in the United States, OnStar was awarded a 2013 Silver Edison Award for the Family Link service.  Jon Lauckner, GM’s chief technology officer and vice-president of Global Research & Development was quoted as saying “These awards reaffirm our ability to lead in the transformation of the automotive industry with a commitment to innovation that benefits our customers around the globe”.

If you are interested in subscribing to this feature, please sign up at www.onstar.com/familylink and make sure to visit our award winning vehicles equipped with OnStar at www.queenstonchev.com

By: Amy Cochren

GM Canada

Canadianautodealer.ca

HondaLink iOS Update

An update to the iOS app is now available to all Honda Customers using HondaLink.  The affected vehicles include: 2013 Accord Sedan, 2013 Accord Coupe and the 2013 Crosstour.

The update to HondaLink is currently available if you visit the Apple App Store.  This upgrade will provide many improvements such as:

  • Bluetooth and USB dual connectivity issues
  • Apps crashing while music is playing through the “Aha” audio source
  • Improved overall navigation and performance
  • Searching for and adding stations has been simplified
  • App crashing when phone’s OS is set to a language other than English or French
  • Added a “play/pause” button on the station list.

If you are currently using HondaLink, we strongly recommend you complete the upgrade.  Additionally, if you have any questions or would like help completing it, please stop in at Image Honda anytime – we would be happy to help!

Credit: Honda Canada

MUST HAVE MOBILE APPS WHEN YOU’RE ON THE ROAD CONTINUED…

We’re adding some more apps to our list of great smartphone apps for drivers! To see our previous blog click here.

 MyChevrolet

This is a great app for owners of GM vehicles. From MyChevrolet to MyGMC, MyBuick and more – you can get personalized apps for your brand of vehicle. The MyChevrolet app, for example, features the Find My Car feature that lets you mark parking spots on a map so finding your car in a parking lot won’t be a problem. The lights and indicators visual reference guide will tell you what those warning lights on your dashboard mean. There’s also OnStar RemoteLink to give you information on your car’s battery levels and operations. Plus easy access to scheduling service, locating dealers, roadside assistance and more! This app provides you with everything you need to keep your vehicle in check. This app is available on Apple and Android smartphones.

my chevrolet

 HondaLink – For additional info please click here

If you’re a Honda owner, the free HondaLink app is the best one for you. With the Aha system, you can turn your personalized internet content into customized on demand stations that sync to your in-car HondaLink. The internet content you can use with HondaLink includes various news stations, music stations, audio books and podcasts, facebook and twitter posts, restaurant listings and many more.  Change your customized stations whenever you want, and make your drive as convenient and as entertaining as possible with your in car stations. This app is available for Apple and Android smartphones. HondaLink

 Safe Driver

This app is for parents with teens who are new drivers. Or parents who just want to keep an eye on the way their kids are driving. Safe Driver monitors the location and driving of your child. It alerts parents via text or email when their kids exceed a specific speed. This is a great app for making a new driver’s experience safer. This app is available for Apple and Android smartphones. safe driver

 Waze

Waze is a community based traffic and navigation app. You’ll be working with other drivers to make everyone’s commute easier and shorter. By simply driving with your Waze app open you’re contributing to the traffic and road information for your local community. Waze allows you to read and contribute to reporting accidents, hazards, police and anything you see on the road. Waze also works as a navigation system with voice guided navigation. You can share your drive with your friends too, so people know where you’re going and you can meet up with people going to the same destination. This app is available on Apple and Android smartphones.wazeiWrecked

If ever you’ve found yourself in an accident, the free iWrecked app will help you collect yourself when you don’t know what to do next. The app allows you to give a full accident report after you’ve been in a wreck. It generates a detailed, professional PDF accident report complete with images that you take yourself. You can send this report directly from your phone to your insurance company. You can also locate nearby taxi or towing companies to assist you straight from your app and make one button calls to your insurance companies and other emergency contacts. This app is available on Apple and Android smartphones.iWrecked

 

For more great posts and updates subscribe to Hamilton Auto blog or visit us at Image Honda and Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC today!

By: Nerissa Mohamed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Honda – Accord Series Part 2: HondaLink & Aha

Watch part 2 of our 2013 Accord Series presentation, as we take an introductory look at the HondaLink and Aha system. Stay tuned for part 3 of our series, when we take a look at Honda`s Earth Dream Technology.

If you have any additional questions or would like more information on the 2013 Honda Accord, please visit us at www.imagehonda.com or contact us at 1-888-375-5914.

2013 Chevrolet Trax

New to Canada this year is the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Trax. Unavailable in the United States, the Trax is Chevy’s first entry into the small SUV class.  This vehicle has the flexibility of a small car, while offering you the feel and practicality of an SUV.  Marc Comeau, Vice President of Sales, Service & Marketing for Chevrolet Canada, described the Trax as a vehicle “building on Chevrolet’s long tradition of offering dependable and capable SUVs and crossovers.  Trax delivers modern styling, versatility and efficiency, while offering car-like handling and all-wheel drive.”

Operating with the same engine as the Chevrolet Cruze, the Trax drives on a 1.4 litre, turbocharged, 4-cylinder engine with an output of 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque.  The three trim levels available are: the LS, which come with standard front-wheel drive and 6 speed manual transmission; and the LT & LTZ models that come in a 6 speed automatic transmission with an all-wheel drive option.

The innovative Chevrolet MyLink is standard on the 2LT and LTZ models, and is available as an option in the LS model. MyLink is an in-vehicle connectivity system that provides audio streaming for your devices, as well as wireless control of your smartphone.

Catering to passenger comfort, the Trax provides 60/40 fold down seats.  The front passenger seat can also be folded flat providing you with up to 8 seating arrangements.  There are also numerous areas for storage and 6 cup holders made accessible for your passengers on those long car trips.

The Chevrolet Trax is set to arrive at Queenston before the New Year.  If you are interested in this vehicle or any other vehicles in our award winning Chevrolet line-up, please visit us at www.queenstonchev.com

By: Amy Cochren

Credit:

http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/vehicles/chevrolet/trax/feature-2013-Chevrolet-Trax

http://media.gm.ca/media/ca/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/ca/en/2012/Sep/0928_Trax.html

Distracted Driving: How you can prevent it!

We all know that distracted driving is dangerous, but are we aware how dangerous it truly is?  Ontarians have now had a couple years to get used to the “new” law, banning hand held devices while driving, yet we continually see people texting, using their mp3 players, GPS units and the like.  The law, which was put in place on October 26, 2009, makes it illegal for drivers to talk, dial, email or text using hand held devices.  Additionally, it prohibits drivers from viewing display screens that are not related to operation of the vehicle.

Do you know your crash odds?
People texting while driving are 23 times more likely.
People talking on a cell while driving are 4 to 5 times more likely.
People who read while driving are 3 times more likely.
Individuals applying makeup while operating a vehicle are 3 times more likely.
Individuals reaching for a moving object while driving makes you 9 times more likely.
Dialing on a mobile device makes you 3 times more likely.

What is alarming given these statistics is how many people don’t take this offence seriously.  According to a study completed at the University of Utah, distraction caused by cell phones or mobile devices delay someone’s reaction time the same as an individual driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08.  Furthermore, driver distraction is a factor in about 4 million motor vehicle accidents in North America each year.

In recent years we have seen a great improvement with in vehicle technology. Most new vehicles are now equipped with devices such as; Bluetooth, OnStar and HondaLink.  These are all programs that can help drivers embrace the new distracted driving laws. There are also new smartphone applications that have been made available to drivers.  One such app is called “Text Ya Later,” (Android only) which allows you to create a message letting others know that you are driving and will text them later.  This message can be set so that it is automatically delivered when activated.  Another application, more suited to parents, is “Mobile Tattletale”. (For a list of supported devices, click here)  When installed on a mobile device and the driver is moving, Tattletale will generate a warning message to the parent’s phone, giving them the ability to temporarily disable their child’s mobile device until the vehicle has come to a stop.  Keep in mind that while these new technologies are helpful, for your safety and those around you, it is best to keep your eyes on the road and save the distractions for later.

If you are interested in purchasing a new vehicle or would like more information on OnStar or HondaLink, please visit us at www.imagehonda.com and www.queenstonchev.com

By: Amy Cochren

Credit:

CAA http://distracteddriving.caa.ca/education/index.php
MTO http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/distracted-driving/index
Ontario Provincial Police http://www.opp.ca/ecms/index.php?id=545
go.drive www.godrivemag.com
http://mobiletattletale.com/supported-devices

HondaLink – Allowing You to Stay Connected!

You may or may not have heard that Honda has unveiled a new cloud based “in-vehicle connectivity” system called HondaLink.  Set to make its debut this fall, with the release of the all new re-designed 2013 Honda Accord, this system will give drivers access to all their favourite media in a more accessible way.

The HondaLink smart phone application will allow users to put away their mobile devices by pre-programming content on their phone, which is accessible through voice recognition, steering wheel controls and in-dash audio system controls.   This function will provide owners with a more personalized drive and give them a more unique driving experience.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of HondaLink is the “Aha” service, which will allow users to listen to their Facebook and Twitter in an audio newsfeed.  Aha also has access to location-based personalized restaurant listings from Yelp, as well as internet music services such as Slacker; a service that is free and instantly available!  Whether it is having a book read to you while you drive, or listening to the rest of the podcast you didn’t have time to finish before you left work, HondaLink will exceed your greatest expectations.

For more information on HondaLink, please see the video below.  If you are interested in purchasing a vehicle or would like more information on the 2013 Honda Accord please visit us at http://www.imagehonda.com/ or call us at 905-561-4100.

By Amy Cochren