Monthly Archives: March 2012

Mariners Top The A’s, And More Exciting MLB Things To Come

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Mariners Top The A's, And More Exciting MLB Things To Come

The Major League Baseball season is almost here! Pitchers and catchers: reported. Spring training: sprung. And the first MLB game has now been fully scored: the Mariners won a close one in Japan! Ichiro went 4 for 5 in his native country, King Felix made his fifth career Opening Day start (giving up only one run), and Dustin Ackley hit a home run in the 11th to give the victory to the Mariners! What a game! But that’s just a taste of things to come.

With the official MLB opening day almost here, we at the Carbone Blog thought we’d give our readers a little taste of things to come at Carbone.

The Carbone Auto Group is made up of rabid baseball fans, so we wanted to do something special for this year’s MLB opening day festivities. So starting on opening day (April 5th), if you come into any of our Carbone locations for a test drive, you can mention you’re there for the Opening Day promotion. Then, just fill out your name, number, and the car of your interest, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free gas card.

Once entered, you could hit a single ($25 gas card), a double ($50 gas card), triple ($100 gas card), or a home run ($200 gas card)! We’re only giving out thirty entries, and every entry is guaranteed to at least hit a bloop between short and centerfield (ie, everyone will win at least a $25 gas card)!

So even though Major League Baseball has already started, you still have some time. Come in on Opening Day — again, April 5th — and take a test drive. Mention you’re there for the Opening Day promotion, and you might just hit a home run!

Plus, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to stay up to date on any new promotions we’ll be running. Who knows? If the Opening Day promo goes well, we end up offering a grand slam of a promo again soon.

Jazzmatazz

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Jazzmatazz (not the Guru album)

Jazz, spring night, chocolate, and wine; the makings of a perfect evening. And such a good, needed cause to support! According to Sitrin,

“Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems in the United States, and the nation’s leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15. More than 46 million Americans live with some form of arthritis. In addition, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects more than eight million young adults and 300,000 children.”

Jazzmatazz is an evening of fine wine and music in support of the Arthritis Specialists and the Sitrin Health Care Center. The evening features world-renowned wines, gourmet food, live jazz, silent auction, gift baskets and an incredible jewelry raffle. Jazzmatazz proceeds are used to develop local programs for adults and children with arthritis and arthritis-related conditions.

Join the Carbone Auto Group in beating the more than $27,000 raised for Camp Scholarships, research, aquatic therapy classes and more in 2011. Help raise funds for local arthritis programs, and jazz up your evening for a great cause. Visit the Sitrin website for tickets and more information.

Mark your Calendars!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Hart’s Hill Inn
Whitesboro, New York
7:30pm to 10 pm

Spring Cleaning

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Need to clean your car for spring?

The sun is shining, the grass is green, the pine and the maples sway! Ok, so if you live in New York, the 80 degree weather in March has been a fantastic treat. It is a safe guess that the harsh salt and snow have taken their toll on your ride making it look old, ugly and in need of a new life.  It is time to visit the car wash. But will it clean all of that nasty salt and grim off your car? Not Likely!

For the most effective clean gather these ingredients:

  • 3 to 6 2-liter bottles of Pepsi,
  • a green scrubby thingy,
  • a bottle of heavy duty dish detergent, a jar of wax,
  • a tooth brush (preferably your brother’s or sister’s)
  • and a multitude of towels.

Although I have seen these items in grampa’s car cleaning arsenal, you will likely need a professional paint job if you really use any of that stuff on modern car paint! Don’t have time for a full weekend long clean out? Just a few proper tools: A sponge, a lamb’s wool soft sponge, a 5 gallon bucket, gentle car wash, soft drying towel, spray on wax, window cleaner, and tire shine.

  1. Pre-Wash; Blast off cakes of salt and grim with a high pressure rinse.  Pay special attention to wheel wells and buggy areas.
  2. Using the car wash diluted in water and the lambs wool sponge, wash the top, rinse, and the wash a small area at a time rinsing before the soap begins to dry as you move around your car.  Be sure to get all of the nooks and crannies. The headlights, crevices, under the wheels and the door jambs.
  3. Be sure to use a different sponge to clean the wheel wells, wheels, painted areas and windows.  Rough sand or grime will ruin your paint job.
  4. Dry the car carefully with the soft towel
  5. Clean the windows
  6. Follow the directions on the wax spray
  7. Use the tire shine as directed

A couple of hours and your poor grimy car is happy and shiny! Or, schedule a professional cleaning and go from gunk and grime to a shine like new and skip the messy elbow grease. It’s never been such a day! In Upstate New York I say!

If you do go the professional route, we have another tip to help you save money: For the next two weeks — until March 25 — show a current student ID to get an oil change for just $19.99. We’ll help you save on your car service, so you can spend on your other expenses. Hurry in with your college ID, and save right away. The deal excludes all Diesel engine vehicles, BMWs, and synthetic oil. Everything else is fair game, so hurry up and get on your way to a hard-earned vacation.

Three Upcoming Charity Events To Look Out For!

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March is starting to wind down, but there are still a bunch of great charity events coming up for us. Carbone loves getting involved in the community — we’ve been doing it for decades and decades — and it would be great if some of our readers would join us in supporting these great causes!

Jazzmatazz — March 30th
Sitrin Health Care Center and Arthritis Specialists are hosting a wine tasting event to support the development of arthritis programs for children and adults throughout the community. From the website,

This year marks the 10th anniversary for Jazzmatazz – the wine-tasting event of the year! Mark your calendars, and get your tickets for this year’s event, which will be held on Friday, March 30, 2012, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Hart’s Hill Inn, Whitesboro.

 

CNY Veterans Comedy Show — March 30th and 31st
Check out the CNY Veteran’s Comedy Show (website) over at CNY Veteran’s Outreach Center (726 Washington St., Utica NY 13502). Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. All proceeds will go to support the Outreach Center, and it’s sure to be funny. If you hit the website, you can see some videos of the performers. They’ll be Mike Bova (as MC), Terry McNeely, George Gallo,  and RC Smith.

Heart and Soul Benefit — March 31st
This will be a great evening get together to benefit cardiology services at the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. From the website,

Celebrate early spring with a hot event that will warm you up and raise money for cardiology. On March 31, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) will present Heart and Soul, a fundraiser for the hospital’s cardiology services. The event, to be held at the Equinox Resort in Manchester, will feature fine wines, outstanding hors d’oeuvres and light dinner fare, and dancing to the sound of one of Bennington’s best bands, The Prescription. Tickets for the event and the select wine tasting are $100 or $75 for the event only.

For all of our readers in the Bennington, VT area, this looks like a must-attend event. And for our readers in New York, please try to check out the Jazzmatazz and the CNY Veteran’s Comedy Show!

Spring Break Travel Tips From The State Department

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US State Department Logo

We probably all have a rough idea from films and TV of what the State Department does: spying, political intrigue, counter-terrorism. That might be true, but I do know the State Department does a lot more mundane stuff, too. Like offering travel tips for Spring Break.

Their advice is broken down into two simple components: be smart and be safe. Well, that’s easier said than done. For smarts, they advice you avoid drugs and alcohol — always solid advice. And if you’re traveling far from home, they also suggest you check out their Students Abroad page.

As far as safety goes, you can sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which is supposed to keep friends and family updated as to your whereabouts as you travel. You can also be contacted in the case of a family emergency if you sign up for the STEP program.

I have some advice, too, that falls into the Smart and Safe rubric:

Bring extra cash with you. No, not for buying souvenirs, extra food, or drink. If you can afford it, you should bring an extra hundred or two dollars (in cash) so you could book an emergency bus or train. Or pay for a tow or repair, if you’re driving. Or anything else that might come up. Not everyone takes credit cards, especially if you’re in a rural or foreign area. So having some extra cash for emergencies only is always a good idea.

Tell family or friends exactly where you’re going. This overlaps a bit with the State Department’s advice. But you don’t have to sign up for a federal program to do this. Tell your parent’s where you’re going! You don’t have to keep any secrets. Tell your friends. Post on Facebook. Do something. In case you get lost, or something happens, it could be decisive for other people to know where you are.

If you’re driving, get your car serviced or checked out. The only thing worse than getting to the beach too late to grab a good spot is not getting there at all because your car broke down. Before you take off on vacation, you’ll want to make sure your car is up to snuff. That means checking your tire pressure, wiper fluid, oil — all that. You might think you can’t afford to get your car serviced, but can you afford to break down in the middle of nowhere? I didn’t think so.

With that in mind, here’s a special offer: Carbone wants to help you get to Spring Break. For the next two weeks — until March 25 — show a current student ID to get an oil change for just $19.99. We’ll help you save on your car service, so you can spend on your other expenses. Hurry in with your college ID, and save right away. The deal excludes all Diesel engine vehicles, BMWs, and synthetic oil. Everything else is fair game, so hurry up and get on your way to a hard-earned vacation.

Spring Break: To Buy Or Not To Buy

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retail therapy for spring break

Spring Break is really a moving target depending on your age. If you are 8 years old, Spring Break is every day as soon as the weather warms.  If you are 18 and lucky, it is a week in the sand and sun acting angelically and not using mom and dad’s emergency use only credit card. Sometime after your 20s, Spring Break is a week to use the tax return and have a little retail therapy!

Of course there is an exact list of what to buy and what not to buy! First, the list of Don’t Buys  (aka, the future regretful spending spree).

  1. The usual. Toilet paper or any groceries in general. The Spring Break Shopping List doesn’t take place those types of stores that sell such everyday necessities!
  2. Fast food. Summer is coming soon after Spring Break. Can you Say REGRET?!
  3. Ugly clothes. I won’t mention any names, but if they have to do with pants that look like someone painted a jungle party on your legs… RUN THE OTHER DIRECTION! Screaming is ok at this point. People will understand!

What you Should Buy for Spring Break:

  1. Cute clothes. Loose, light weight, flowy dresses with little sweaters for us and nice pants with comfy, casual and not ripped polo shirts for the rest of you.
  2. Hat. With an optional scarf to tie it on for us and no hat or a baseball cap for the rest of you.
  3. A car. Pick one that shows off the above mentioned for us and a new lawn mower for you… Heehee! Terrible aren’t I?!

PS. Honey, that car should be a two seater (three’s a crowd!), room for a shopping bag, golf bag, tennis racket and my hat. Must have cup holders for a staycation caramel latte treat. Best if there is a button that opens the top and neatly stores it in the trunk, in less than 30 seconds, spring break is short; don’t waste time! Safety is key! Roll cage, airbags, anti-lock brakes and all that jazz. Jazz! That reminds me; satellite radio is a plus. Make mine black! Black goes with all hats and is a great back ground for new cute clothes.

But hey, if you’re not in the position to buy a new car — like if you’re one of the above-mentioned 18 year olds — then why not treat your car like it’s new? Get an oil change. Here’s a special offer: Carbone wants to help you get to Spring Break. For the next two weeks — until March 25 — show a current student ID to get an oil change for just $19.99. We’ll help you save on your car service, so you can spend on your other expenses. Hurry in with your college ID, and save right away. The deal excludes all Diesel engine vehicles, BMWs, and synthetic oil. Everything else is fair game, so hurry up and get on your way to a hard-earned vacation.

Take Your Spring Break Travel Into Your Own Hands

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Don't get stranded on Spring Break

Spring break is coming up — or it may already be upon you — but think twice before you hop on a flight for your dream destination. A story just came across my radar that might give you pause (and cause to drive).

A little airline based out of Myrtle Beach, a popular spring break destination, abruptly ceased operations this past Monday. They’re not going to resume flights until tomorrow, which seems like a pretty minor thing — unless you were booked for a hotel until, say, Monday morning and had to be home by Monday afternoon. You’d have no place to stay and miss any plans you had made.

Small charter lines like Direct Air don’t have to conform to consumer protection rules like the large airlines, and thus travelers counting on Direct Air were stranded. Not only that, but the airline did not offer refunds, either. Costumers who had purchased tickets were told to contact their credit card companies for a refund (likely in the form of a chargeback, a loss for the credit card companies).

This is one minor event, but it happens more often than you’d think. Often, travelers get bumped off full flights, or flights are dreadfully slow forcing them to miss connections.

One of the only consistent ways of traveling is to do it yourself, ie, drive. Of course, we have an interest in getting you driving, but it’s also a good way to get where you’re going on your own terms.

And here’s a special offer: Carbone wants to help you get to Spring Break. For the next two weeks — until March 25 — show a current student ID to get an oil change for just $19.99. We’ll help you save on your car service, so you can spend on your other expenses. Hurry in with your college ID, and save right away. The deal excludes all Diesel engine vehicles, BMWs, and synthetic oil. Everything else is fair game, so hurry up and get on your way to a hard-earned vacation.

The Quest For A Sexy Truck: 2012 Chevy Silverado

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Chevy Silverado 2012 Super Bowl Ad

Marketers, copywriters, and the press are be bent on getting us to think more highly of our cars, sure. Since the Super Bowl it has really hit home that we call automobiles cute, hot and even sexy… It is all over the place; magazines, newspapers, internet, television, everywhere!  Puppies are cute and cars with the windows up in the middle of the summer are hot, but sexy?  ‘Sexy’ cannot relate to moving metal!  Driving several ‘sexy’ vehicles will not prove anything. I am sure about that!  But, who am I to pass up driving a new vehicle?!  

Moving Metal # 1: The 2012 Chevy Silverado

The press release starts with “Brains and Brawn.”  That’s sexy….if it weren’t metal and rubber!  The 2012 Chevy Silverado features a slightly new nose design with a chrome mesh grill. Attractive, not really sexy in my book. . . This truck is solid and has a well-built body. Nothing is better than being held in strong arms of a power heated and cooled driver seat and dual zone automatic climate control. The strength of the Vortec 5.3L V8 engine and 6-Speed automatic transmission will get you where you need to go.

The Trailer Sway Control, Hill Start Assist, and the StabiliTrak control system are the steady, muscular legs of the Silverado 1500. Working together, these systems augment the performance under a variety of unstable conditions. Hmmm. . . Strong and steady, yes! But sexy? I don’t know.

The Chevy Silverado has intelligent, easy to use techy-like features. There is an audio system with USB port, convenient steering wheel controls and the new navigation radio that delivers on connectivity. Don’t forget the exclusive OnStar and SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The Chevy Silverado offers a restructured screen, integrated hard drive (no more disc updates needed) and an optional dealer-installed Wi-Fi system. If you are lost there is no pulling out maps or pulling over to ask someone. Just ask OnStar!

Should conditions exist where the ABS brakes, traction control and stability control are not be enough, the dual front impact airbags, dual front side impact airbags, overhead airbag, immobilizer and occupant sensing airbags are there to protect and hold you in safely.  This knight in shining armor has Automatic Crash Response and will activate OnStar at the sign of moderate to severe impact.

With heated, power-adjustable, manual-folding outside mirrors, chrome caps, 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels, body side moldings with chrome accents and chrome door handles the well-dressed 2012 Chevy Silverado is hot! It is available in four new exterior colors; Mocha Steel Metallic, Carbon Flash Metallic, Graystone and the sizzling Silver Ice Metallic. Two new interiors allow you to choose from a dark and light titanium combination, which compliments nearly all bling or wrap yourself in the soft, new dark and light cashmere combination. And, for those of you who like the rugged type, don’t miss out on the Z71 off-road appearance package available on the LT and LTZ models. The Z71 includes Rancho front and rear shocks, 18-inch aluminum wheels with on/off-road tires, body colored front end appearance, fog lamps, Z71 graphics and more. OKAY! OKAY! Strength, durability, comfort, intelligence, well dressed and protective: that is sexy!

And, as my dreamy Silver Ice Metallic Silverado 1500 drove away, I thought, hmmm, nice tailgate!

Westport Innovations & Ford Motor Company

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Westport WiNG Power System for Ford

Westport Innovations is the trailblazing leader in compressed natural gas technology. They are now combining the power of natural gas with the power and efficiency of Ford trucks with their Westport WiNG Power System. Westport Innovations introduced this technology in September 2011 with distribution beginning the second quarter of 2012. The second quarter is now just around the corner! Westport is known for their highly advanced and cost-effective natural gas technology while Ford, their biggest partner for this endeavor, is known for having possibly the best overall selling truck since the inception of the automobile.

We have seen how Ford CEO Mulally rallied his team and drove Ford to safety from the economic pits this country has been living in. Now, their collaboration with Westport will speed them ahead, 600 miles ahead of competition. The natural gas engine is tested to take the Ford F Series 600 miles on a single tank, nearly double the distance of a gasoline powered truck. And the cost; natural gas is around $2.09 per gallon while diesel and gasoline are at $3.42 and $3.46 respectively. The “Average US Fuel Prices” graph provided by Westport at  shows clearly the rise and fall of gas and diesel prices over the past decade compared with the pricing of natural gas.

Since 2001, natural gas has gone from $.89 to $2.09 while gasoline has gone from $1.52 to $3.46 in same time period. The Westport WiNG Power System is designed to meet both EPA and CARB standards and to fit Ford F Series 4X2 or 4X4 Regular Cab, SuperCab or Crew Cab. Because natural gas stations are not as common (yet!) the trucks are fitted to run with both factory installed gas tanks and Westport installed natural gas tanks.

Westport uses steel fuel lines and injector rails on their well warrantied installations. They are offering a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on the tank, cover, fuel filter, pressure regulator, injectors, rails, lines, wiring harness and gauge. There is a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty on their Alternative Fuel Control Module. Westport Innovations will not be sending kits to dealers for dealer installment. They will “custom build each fuel system to exact factory specifications and install them in F-Series trucks with the same level of integrity found in the manufacturer’s assembly processes. It is a system that is complete and fully tuned” according to their website. The development of the Westport WiNG Power System and subsequent technology means lower shipping costs for construction, shipping and other fleet lines.  That in turn means lower prices for goods.

Where can that lead?

Improved shipping, improved commerce and another reason to make goods in the United States and bring jobs home!  Check out Mad Money’s Jim Cramer discussion with Westport Innovation’s CEO David Demers at  for a great wrap up.

Thoughts on The Heart Run and Walk by Vic Gazilli

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I would like to take this opportunity to share my tremendous experience participating in this year’s Heart Run and Walk held in Utica, New York on Saturday March 3, 2012. I have seen this event on TV over the years but I did not realize how many people were involved and how great the impact of this event is. So many participants have heartwarming stories and have experienced many real lifesaving events.

Seeing the 9,000 to 10,000 runners and walkers at the starting line gave me goose bumps.

We were fortunate to raise over 1 million dollars for this great cause due to the great community we live in and the volunteers who dedicate their time and effort. We have many sponsors and donations from everyone I am fortunate to work with and one of the greatest sponsors was the Carbone Auto Group. Alex Carbone, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the UticaChapter of the American Heart Association is very passionate about America’s Greatest Heart Run and Walkand his enthusiasm is very contagious.

I would like to welcome everyone to participate next year and have the great sensation that I experienced. I have always been a contributor in the past for this event, but this was my first time as participant and it will not be my last. I will never forget this experience. Thanks again to all involved and good luck next year.