Be sure to check out the January newsletter below!

Recycle Man is back! Save up to 75% off Dealer Prices. Mention Recycle Man and save an additional 10% off parts!

Congratulations to Daniel and Staci Crecelius who are expecting their first child in the Fall of 2010, congratulations to both of you and you’ll make GREAT parents.

Gregory Neil at Ransom Motors has a new granddaughter, Gracie Nicole Philips born in December. Congratulations to both parents and grandparents!

Get well wishes and a speedy recovery to Herman Buckingham of the Delivery Department following his surgery and can’t wait to see you back in your truck.

Mari Austin, our switchboard operator, has completed her Bachelors degree in Psychology and is starting on her Masters this year. Along with working a full time and a part time job Mari was able to complete her goal – WAY TO GO!!!

Condolences go out to Jason Huston of Brandywine Auto Parts on his Dad’s passing.

HELP THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS, AND HERE’S HOW:

January’s earthquake in Haiti was the most devastating on record and thousands have lost their lives. It will take months if not years to rebuild what was destroyed in minutes and the aid will be needed while the rebuilding takes place. To anyone wishing to aid with the earthquake victims in Haiti, there are several ways to help:

Log on to www.redcross.org to donate to the victims; this financial aid will be dispensed by the American Red Cross.

AmeriCares (www.americares.org) has pledges $5 million worth of aid and you can help by calling 800-486-4357.

Childcare Worldwide has staff in place to distribute food, clothing blankets and medical supplies. Call 800 553-2328.

CARE (www.care.org/HaitiEarthquake) is also soliciting for donations for the Haiti disaster.

There are others. You can check your local news websites or just go on line and enter Haiti donation. Before making your donations make sure you check out the organization/website to insure that your donation is being used as you would like it to be. Beware of scammers!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the following employees for their many years of dedicated service!

Anyone want to guess who the guy is in the tux? Why, it’s our own
NEAL SULLIVAN!!! We think he still looks the same but a bit more gray.

Looking good, Neal!

It is a misconception that you never need change your Automatic Transmission fluid; however that couldn’t be further from the truth! Many vehicle manufactures will advertise that their transmissions can go for 100,000 miles before servicing. I have found that by the time you think about servicing your transmission, it has ready failed due to a lack of maintenance. That can be very costly to your wallet. Needing to repair or replace a transmission can cost in the thousands of dollars. In order to minimize future expenses, you should service your automatic transmission every 30,000 miles or 3 years.

Many of our employees are required to be outside and recently the weather has been wickedly cold and well below normal temperatures. For anyone who has to be outside for any period of time, here are some hints on how to prevent hypothermia:

Step 1
Wear a hat or cover up your head. This is the single most important factor in dressing to avoid hypothermia. The head releases a greater amount of heat than any other part of your body, meaning it should be kept warm. Nothing can stop the head from releasing body heat completely, but a hat will at least reduce the amount of heat released.

Step 2
Keep your clothes dry. It’s always a good idea to remove any wet clothing and replace it with dry, warm clothes. Pack a couple of extra pairs of socks that you can quickly change into should your shoes and socks become wet.

Step 3
Choose special clothing that wicks moisture from the body if you are planning on exercising or spending a long time in cold weather. You can find this clothing at most sporting goods and athletic stores.

Step 4
Choose a windbreaker or other overcoat that can block the wind. Wind can cause you to chill and lose body heat, which may lead to hypothermia.

Step 5
Dress in layers. Several warm layers will not only create insulation for you to stay warm, but will also allow you to remove a layer if you heat up. Silk, nylon and wool are generally believed to provide warmth faster than cotton.

Step 6
Pack you gloves if you plan on being in cold temperatures for long periods of time. Adequate hand coverage can help you avoid hypothermia.

Dress warm and be safe!
Judy McFaden, Safety Director

Congratulations to the following on their years of service!

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:

Both Christmas and New Years fall on Friday this year - in order for employees to spend time with family and friends, we will be closing at noon on Thursday December 24th and will be closed on Friday, December 25th and Saturday, December 26th. We will be open regular hours on Thursday, December 31st, New Years’ Eve, closed on Friday January 1st, New Years’ Day and will reopen on Saturday, January 2nd.

Brandywine New Parts is getting a face lift!

In order to serve our customers even better, Brandywine New Parts is expanding! We’ve moved inventory and now cut away a wall and will be moving inventory in soon. Keep checking back with us to see our finished product!!

Congratulations to Jodie Johnson and Lisa on the birth of their son Jacob Michael who was born on November 18, 2009- Jacob weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. Jacob really is the miracle child, born after a lengthy attempt to have a baby, and he looks just like his Mom and Dad, a perfect combination!

Also congratulations to Kim and Brian Hawkinson, daughter and son-in-law to Judy McFaden on the birth of their little girl Peyton Skye who was born on November 9th weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces. She’s a beaut!

We’d like to share in our condolences to Mark Dolesh on the death of his grandmother so tragically a few weeks ago. Grandparents are so special and she will be missed by the Brandywine community

Welcome back to Joel Marquis of our Installation Shop I who came through surgery just fine. We missed you and glad you’re back!

BACK IN TIME…….

Who is this handsome devil???? And what’s up with the shirt with the feet????

Never underestimate the damage that cold, winter weather can do to your vehicle. Everything from tires and brakes to fluids and oils are affected by the change in temperatures. Always make sure you have the correct type of motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, and differential grease recommended by the manufacture for proper performance and to insure long life of those components. It is always a good idea to start a cold vehicle and let it warm up to a minimum operating temperature before you leave the driveway. Operating a vehicle when it is just started for the first time (after sitting all night) is doing harm and shorten the life of the internal components of your engine, transmission, and other driveline components.

Make sure you check the pressures in your tires at least twice through out the winter months. The cold temperatures will make the pressure decrease which will result in poor handling and increase the potential for losing control of your vehicle on cold, slippery roads. Furthermore, it’s always a good idea to check to tire pressure in your spare tire. The pressure could be too low when the time comes that you may need it.

Tech Tips
By Will Kivett
G.M. Brandywine Installation Division

With Thanksgiving over and the Christmas season now officially in full swing, people begin decorating trees and setting candles in their windows. While traditions are important to families, the Fire Department notes that safety is essential to ensuring that the holidays are enjoyable.

TREES

With live trees, make sure they’re fresh - dry, dead trees are more flammable. Check for resin on the trunk of the tree and when bounced on the ground, no more than a few needles should fall. The needles should also be flexible in your fingers and hard to pull off the tree.

No matter what tree you get, make sure you set it up away from fireplaces and radiators.

LIGHTS

Make sure you use only lights tested for safety by a recognized testing lab and check each set for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections.

Don’t use more than three sets of lights per extension cord.

Never use electric lights on a metallic tree, it can become charged with electricity from faulty lights and can electrocute anyone who touches the tree.

Fasten outdoor lights securely and use only insulated staples to hold strings in place, or run them through hooks rather than nails and tacks.

Turn off lights when you go to bed or leave the house.

For extra protection, plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters. These devices can be purchased and permanently installed by an electrician.

DECORATIONS

Use only flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. That means tinsel or plastic icicles made of plastic and non-leaded metals.

Don’t use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens and use only non-flammable holders, and place candles where they won’t be knocked down.

If you have small children, watch for sharp or breakable decorations and keep trimmings with small, removable parts out of reach. Also avoid trimmings that look like candy or food.

FIREPLACES

Do not burn wrapping paper in the fireplace. It can cause a flash fire when it ignites suddenly and will burn intensely.

Hello my name is Abdul,

Let me start by saying thank you, my wife and i were struggling for a few months due to the economy and then her transmission went out on her car which is a 2003 g35 coupe we started looking around and they were very expensive so we started car pooling to work, then one day one of my friends said why don’t you check out Brandywine I was like whats that he told me, at first my impression was like they are very unprofessional, cheaters, and probably trying to sell things that dont have all the parts to them so i said let me give it a shot. When I called from the time the receptionist answered the phone which i didn’t get her name was very polite and then she transferred me to a gentleman named (will walker) believe me i had alot of questions but not once did he try to rush me off the phone ,i also told him my mechanic was on vacation so i would need the transmission after ten days he said no problem he would hold it for me down deep inside something told me that the transmission wouldn’t be there after ten days what company would hold something that long without pay, guess what he impressed me again today is 11/05/2009 and my wife is driving her car again thanks to Brandywine professional team who made it happen i will tell everyone i know on how great service you will walker gave my family thank you again