Each year, it’s estimated that there are 300,000 driving incidents related to drinking and driving on the road. The mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MAAD) is to help put a stop to drunk driving, support the victims associated with driving under the influence, and prevent underage drinking. Since their founding in 1980, deaths related to drunk driving have declined roughly 50% as a direct result of their influence. 

For the month of May, Maritime Chevy is excited to be partnering with MAAD, Connecticut in order to raise funds in support of their cause. We take pride in the promotion of safe driving, both in reference to vehicle safety features and the safety of their drivers and passengers. For every vehicle purchased this month, we will be donating a portion of proceeds to MAAD, CT. We will also be allowing our customers to round-up their totals in our Service Department, should you wish to contribute as well. 

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a vital part of our community, having saved more than 370,000 lives and helped nearly 900,000 victims since their inception. Their plan to eliminate drunk driving includes prevention by high visibility law enforcement and ignition interlock devices. As technology advances, the hope is that newer autonomous vehicles and drunk driving prevention technology will become more prevalent and vital in the fight against driving under the influence. 

Want to learn more about MAAD and the ways you can be involved? Click here.

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Did you know? National Skilled Trades Day falls on the first Wednesday in May every year. While this holiday is a relatively new celebration, having been given its start in 2019, all of us here at Maritime Chevy are proud to acknowledge our amazing Service Technicians. In fact, we believe our skilled technicians deserve recognition all year-round – as does General Motors and the Chevy brand. 

With the recent shortage of qualified technicians, GM implemented its Technician Excellence Program at the beginning of 2022 with the desire to recognize and support our Service Technicians all year long. This program is to help support our current and future technicians by offering a mix of virtual and hands-on training that will achieve different levels of certification and quarterly rewards. During the program’s first quarter of implementation, roughly 70% of all GM technicians were enrolled with more than 9,000 technicians having qualified for a reward within their certification brackets. 

In addition to supporting our current technicians, GM is also committed to building the future back up to its full potential. With a new “Bring Us Your Talent’ marketing campaign, GM hopes to inspire future skilled technicians to take advantage of what can be a very lucrative and rewarding career path. To learn more about the program and current GM benefits, click here. 

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Start planning now for an enjoyable summer!

Spring is here, and while it’s warm, it’s not yet sweltering. That means it’s a good time to have your car’s air conditioning system thoroughly inspected and serviced, before it’s desperately needed. Most cars, especially if they’re about five years old or newer, will greet the heat with a reliable blast of cold air, but what should you do if yours blows warm air, or no air at all?

If your air conditioner isn’t working at all, the fix will require some detective work. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of a low refrigerant charge or a switch or sensor needing replacement. Air conditioning systems are pressurized, and there are sensors to detect when things are out of whack. If something’s not right, the AC will protect itself and its expensive components by refusing to engage. Warm air from the vents when you’re asking for cold means it is time to have your dealer’s service department diagnose the trouble.

Your dealer’s service department has technicians who are most familiar with your vehicle and its systems, plus the information, tools and support of the manufacturer. They’ll know common trouble areas, if any, and, more important, the best way to fix them.

The first thing your technician will check for is leaks. If there’s not enough refrigerant, it had to go somewhere. Sometimes an initial inspection will turn up a big leak, like a perforated hose or pipe, but other times it can be harder to track down. Tricky leaks may require a recharge of the system and the addition of a dye that shows up under a black light.

If there are no obviously compromised components, a check of the operating pressures is in order. There’s a special set of gauges technicians will hook up to the high- and low-pressure portions of the system. This will tell them the amount of charge in the system and whether pressures change properly while the air conditioning is running. Because refrigerant molecules are very small, some does escape past the seals in the system, so a low refrigerant condition could just be due to the age of the car. In that case, a simple topping-off will get you comfortable again.

Even if your AC isn’t completely inoperable, a low refrigerant condition will deteriorate performance. Contrary to what you might think, if there’s not enough refrigerant in the system, the AC will actually cool too much, which will cause some parts of the system to freeze, triggering a sensor to shut the AC down until it thaws.

Larger system faults involving critical components, like a compressor with bad seals or failing bearings, or an evaporator core that’s leaking, require more involved repairs. The compressor is under the hood, driven by the engine. It is subjected to a lot of heat and mechanical stress. The evaporator is usually inside the cabin, inside the dashboard. It absorbs the heat from the interior air, and is kind of like a specialized radiator, made up of small tubing and fins. Parts like these can be labor-intensive to remove and replace.

To open the AC system, a technician will first connect a machine that removes any refrigerant from the system so none escapes to the atmosphere when the system is disassembled. Once the system is repaired, a vacuum pump will be used to make sure there’s no moisture within the plumbing and there are no leaking seals. If the system holds a vacuum, it is then re-charged with the correct amount of refrigerant, and your cool will be restored.

It’s only going to get hotter as the summer wears on, so have your air conditioning system tested, and repaired if needed, while you can still comfortably cruise with the windows down.

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Plus, our Play It Forward Golf Equipment Drive!Maritime Chevy is proud to be co-hosting the Anna & Raven Maritime Chevy Open, benefitting The Center for Family Justice! Join us on Friday, July 15 for a day filled with camaraderie, raffles, good food, and most importantly – golf. The tournament will be held at the Fairchild Wheeler Golf Course‘s Black Course in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A perfect location for a local tournament, this course features 2x 18-hole Courses, a variety for the pro and amateur with picturesque views, and new Locker Rooms.This tournament will be held in support of The Center for Family Justice – a local organization that provides confidential services in relation to domestic violence. Their services are completely free of charge, and includes care coordination for all victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking and child abuse in six Fairfield County towns: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull.Don’t forget to also participate in our Play It Forward Golf Equipment Drive!To help support First Tee – Connecticut and their mission of empowering local youth through the game of golf, we’re currently collecting donations of golf equipment here at Maritime Chevy. If you have some equipment you’d like to donate, simply stop by our Sales Department and we’ll take care of the rest! Items we are able to accept are men’s clubs, women’s clubs, junior clubs, golf bags with legs, and colored golf balls. We ask that all donations be in good/fair condition and no more than 10 years old. We’ll be collecting donations until the spring – keep an eye out for any more updates!

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For the last 25 years, the Tahoe has been the success story in the world of Police Pursuit Vehicles. After listening to the needs of the modern-day police force, Chevrolet has introduced the first-ever 2023 Silverado Police Pursuit Vehicle – a crew-cab, short-bed, four-wheel truck made for high speeds and rough terrain. With optimal storage and energy efficiency, impeccable safety options, and upfitting capability, it’s no wonder that this launch is highly anticipated. Like the beloved Tahoe PPV, the Silverado will include a 335-horsepower 5.3L engine, standard 10-speed automatic transmission and six-piston Brembo brake front calipers with 16-inch rotors for increased brake durability. Of course, the Silverado PPV wouldn’t be complete without a variety of specialty equipment options to upfit your vehicle. Such options include a Surveillance mode circuit to easily install lighting control, five switches for simple control linking, an option to customize the cockpit of your vehicle by removing the front center seat, and LED or halogen spot lamps. Each vehicle can be easily tailored to exactly what your department needs before you even have it upfitted. It also wouldn’t be a Chevrolet without impeccable safety features. The Chevrolet Safety Assist package will equip your Silverado PPV with Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Alert, Following Distance Indicator, and Automatic Emergency Braking and Front Pedestrian Braking. IntelliBeam headlamps have the ability to automatically operate high beams at speeds above 12 mph until the system detects an approaching vehicle’s headlamps or a preceding vehicle’s tail lamps. With even more features available, we’ll keep you safe no matter the situation. Click here to learn more about the 2023 Silverado Police Pursuit Vehicle and its amazing features and storage capabilities.

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It may not feel like it today, but the winter driving season is coming to a close. There are some easy things you can do to prepare your vehicle for your spring travels.The first thing to do is make sure factory-specified maintenance is up to date. Look at your mileage, then check the recommended service schedule in your owner’s manual. You may be due for service or an oil and filter change. Any problems you’re currently encountering – hard starting, rough running, stalling, unevenly worn tires, for example – are reasons to take your vehicle in, as well. A lit “check engine” light is another sure motivator to head for our service department.Even if you’re not suffering from any gremlins at the moment, nobody wants problems to pop up unexpectedly. Here are a few items to take care of as the winter breaks.• Flush and refill the cooling system –

Cooling system health is often neglected, and system failures can cost big money and require major engine repairs. Keeping tabs on the coolant level, its condition and concentration (the level of freeze protection it will offer) is crucial to the longevity and proper performance of your engine. As always, follow your vehicle’s maintenance schedule and have the system serviced at the recommended intervals.• Check the tires –

If you run dedicated winter tires, early spring is a great time to change back to your three-season tires. If you run the same tires and wheels year-round, check their condition now, and don’t forget the spare. Obvious damage, including cuts in the tread or bulges in the sidewalls, need immediate attention. Also check the tread for even wear and safe tread-depth. Make sure they’re aired up to the proper pressure listed in your owner’s manual.• Check and adjust belts and hoses –

Most modern vehicles use a single “serpentine” belt to drive the charging system, power steering, air conditioning, and water pump. It’s all that stands between getting there and going nowhere. If you see cracks in the serpentine belt, get it replaced. Hoses don’t move much, but they can chafe against other underhood parts, and years of heating and cooling will cause them to break down. Like belts, hoses typically work right up until they don’t. Common signs of old hoses are bulging around fittings and obvious fatigue. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, our technicians at the dealership will be able to help.•

Fix your air conditioner –

While its primary function is to create a comfortable atmosphere inside the car, it’s a safety issue, too. The air conditioner is engaged when you de-fog your windshield, since it effectively removes humidity from the cabin air. The temperature swings and rainy weather of springtime are prime window-fogging weather, and you’re at greater risk for an accident if your windows are fogged and impairing your visibility. Make sure the system is fully charged and have it inspected for leaks.• Make sure all the lights work –

Being seen is as important as being able to see. It’s as easy as walking around the vehicle with the lights on and making sure the blinkers work. Have a helper step on the brake pedal so you can check the brake lights. If you aren’t sure how to replace any bulbs that have burned out, take your vehicle to our service department for assistance.• Change the oil –

Winter weather can be hard on engine oil. Temperatures are low, which means it takes the engine longer to warm up and that can lead to extra condensation and acid buildup in the oil. Get that old stuff out of there and start the spring with fresh protection.• Replace your wiper blades

– Winter does a number on windshield wipers. Being able to see is worth the small amount of money a good set of wiper blades costs.Following these basic steps will help ensure a trouble-free driving season ahead, without any nasty surprises. Check with our service department to see if there are any specials or coupons that may apply to a comprehensive spring service. We know your vehicle best, too, so be sure to ask for recommendations to keep your car in tip-top condition for the warmer season.

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Chevrolet is excited to partner with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2022 season! This team, co-owned by Jesse Iwuiji and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, will be driving the No. 34 Empowering People More Camaro SS.“There couldn’t be a more authentic manufacturer partnership for me than one with Chevrolet,” said Iwuji. “When I decided to pursue a professional racing career, I started getting seat time in my Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06, which I still own today. The story of going from the Navy to NASCAR and having my Corvette play a key part in that journey makes this partnership not only authentic, but inspirational for any person out there looking to accomplish big goals and dreams. This journey gives people hope and shows how much life truly rewards those who stay strong enough, long enough.”Iwuji, a current Navy Reserve Officer after serving seven years of active duty, paired with Smith in 2021 to start Jesse Iwuji Motorsports. Together with Chevrolet’s engineering support and guidance, the Iwuji team will run the full season, which started at the Daytona International Speedway on February 19th. Chevrolet previously took home their 23rd win during the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer’s Championship in 2021 – which is more wins than any other manufacturer. The Camaro SS became the Chevy flagship vehicle in the series in 2013, making last year’s win the model’s seventh win. Team Chevy drivers also won a total of 15 out of the 33 races in 2021.Don’t forget to keep an eye out for this amazing team during the 2022 season!

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Chevrolet is heading towards an all-electric future – are you? The Chevy Blazer has been around since 1969 and started out as a short, wheelbase truck that had four engine options and three transmission options. After outselling its rivals, the second generation Blazer introduced in 1973, was perfect for winter driving with its capable 4×4 design and upgraded options. In 2005, the Blazer was removed from the Chevy lineup and replaced with the TrailBlazer – the high-end variant of the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. In 2019, the Blazer came back with vengeance, leading the way in style, space, and powertrain. Click here for a deep-dive into what makes the newest generation of Blazer the best one yet. This month, Chevy decided to carry on the Blazer legacy even further by previewing the All-Electric Blazer SS – our new midsize SUV set to join our EV lineup along-side the Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, and Silverado EV. With GM’s Ultium battery and Ultifi technologies to power most of the Chevy EV vehicles, this model is set to turn heads and lead the way. We want you in the passenger seat with us for all the innovations, announcements, and reveals as Chevy releases some of the most exciting and advanced vehicles in Chevrolet history. Follow us on Facebook for all EV updates!

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Did you know? Women have been involved in the innovation of the automotive industry since the very beginning. While cars and automobiles have been seen as more of a male dominated field, many of the gadgets and technologies found in your car were first invented by women. In honor of Women’s History Month, dive into the background behind just a few of the leading ladies behind the wheel.First up is Bertha Benz

, wife of engineer Karl Benz who became the second half of the Mercedes-Benz family. Two years after the introduction of the Benz-Patent Motorwagen, the world’s very first automobile, Bertha Benz took her family on the first-ever road trip. Along the ride, Benz not only stirred up publicity with her family in the new vehicle, but she was able to troubleshoot along the way. After the wooden brakes failed, Benz covered them with what she called brake linings – soon to become the very first brake pads we know today. It might seem simple, but just imagine how expensive repairs would be now without them. Mary Anderson

, born in 1866, was the first to invent the windshield wiper. While traveling in New York, Anderson noticed that the driver on her trolley ride would leave the front windows open during snow or rain in order to see properly. Of course, this meant freezing the entire cabin or soaking the driver in rainwater. Anderson’s manual windshield wiper was a rubber blade operated by a crank easily reachable by the driver. Today, the windshield wiper has become so standard that it’s easy to think it wasn’t always there. Florence Lawrence

is most known for her acting career. While she might have been famous on stage, she was also famous for her automotive innovations. Lawrence loved her car, viewing it as a piece of herself and maintaining its upkeep on her own. She soon began to customize her vehicle, as most people tend to do, leading to the very first turn signals. While these weren’t the blinking lights we know today, they were just as easy to control. Her signals were flags that would flare out of the car’s bumper at the push of a button, signaling which way she intended to turn. Lawrence then added her very own brake signal – a sign that would pop up when the brake was pressed that simply said ‘STOP’. Lawrence was never able to patent these ideas, but they became the most necessary functions in traffic safety that we know today. Want to learn more? Click here to see what other automotive innovations were founded by women.

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Maritime Chevy is proud to be sponsoring the annual Fairfield Firefighter’s Classic Golf Tournament! Join us on Monday, May 9th for a day filled with contests, camaraderie, and most importantly – golf. The tournament will be held at the 18-hole golf course at Oak Hills Park in Norwalk, Connecticut. A perfect location for a local tournament, this course features 6,407 yards of various landscaping filled with naturally designed holes and challenging shots for golfers of any skill. In fact, Oak Hills Park Golf Course is renowned for being the best Fairfield County Public Golf Course.

Enjoy classic contests and events such as: Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, Hole in One, and Anything But a Putter. There will also be refreshments, dinner & cash bar, 50/50 prizes & raffles, and much more. Spots for this tournament are limited, so don’t forget to snag yours before they’re gone! Click here to learn more and get started on your registration. The deadline for registration is April 11th.

This tournament will be held in support of The Fairfield Firefighters Charitable Foundation – a group of local firefighters, first responders, and other volunteers dedicated to raising awareness & donations to various local and national charities. While awareness and fundraising are the main goals, the Foundation finds their most joy in simply uplifting our community. Click here to learn more about their mission and other local events!

Don’t forget to also participate in our Play It Forward Golf Equipment Drive!

To help support First Tee – Connecticut and their mission of empowering local youth through the game of golf, we are currently collecting donations of golf equipment here at Maritime Chevy. If you have some equipment you’d like to donate, simply stop by our Sales Department and we’ll take care of the rest! Items we are able to accept are men’s clubs, women’s clubs, junior clubs, golf bags with legs, and colored golf balls. We ask that all donations be in good/fair condition and no more than 10 years old. We’ll be collecting donations until the spring – keep an eye out for any more updates!

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