The cold weather can be hard on vehicles, especially when it lasts as long as it does here in West Michigan. With chilly temps and unpredictable weather for a few more months, it’s critical to know how to properly care for your vehicle before one of the usual winter mishaps occurs. Remember that typical setbacks in warmer weather could be detrimental to both your safety and the vehicle’s function in the frigid temps and winter weather. With safety and longevity in mind, below are a list of winter tips to keep your Ford or Mazda operating smoothly!

Schedule a Service Check

If you haven’t already done so, make sure you’re up to date on your vehicle’s regular service checks. Keeping the car at a healthy baseline is the best place to start! Borgman Service Center will ensure the basics are operating smoothly, and let you know if there are any concerns to look out for. 

Keep an Eye on your Battery

Sometimes a battery that’s getting old will run perfectly fine in the warmer weather, but the moment the cold hits—it takes a dive. A Borgman Service Specialist can tell you about your battery’s life during a checkup, but for optimum problem solving during unexpected battery failures, keep jumper cables or a power pack starter in your vehicle.  

Tire Check

If you don’t have winter tires or AWD, consider snagging a season-specific set to make sure you get in and out of wintery driveways and parking lots easily. If you’re good with what you have, ensure you’re monitoring tire pressure as the temperatures drop. For every 10 degrees in temperature outside, your tires may lose a pound of pressure. Keep an eye on them and keep them filled! 

Wiper Quality

It seems obvious, but often drivers don’t notice the shabby performance of vehicle wipers until the need is dire. Sleet, snow, rain, ice, and even leaf piles can funk with wiper performance – both immediately and over time. Try to clean the windshield as thoroughly as possible each time you drive to eliminate obstacles, but most importantly, ensure your blades are good to go during whatever weather may fall. To prevent wiper damage, lift them off the windshield if snow or ice is expected to keep the elements away! 

Fill De-icing Fluid

Since it’s winter in Michigan and the snow and ice is relentless once it starts, keep your wiper fluid filled up and possibly on hand at the house so you don’t run out. De-icing fluid is the best way to keep your windshield clear from ice and snow. Remember to never use hot water to clear ice or snow off of your windshield, as you’re risking a crack in the glass due to rapid surface temperature changes, which will lend you a far worse situation than you had before. 

Check Antifreeze 

A Borgman Service tuneup includes fluid checks, and your engine coolant should last you at least 5 years. If you haven’t been keeping up with normal service intervals, or you think it’s been over 5 years or 100,000 miles since your last flush, have us check out your coolant quality and level to ensure your engine runs smooth during the seasonal temperature shifts. 

Reduce Salt Exposure

Salt and grime can cause rush and damage to the exterior of a vehicle. The best ways to protect your car from road salt is to: 1) wash your vehicle as often and quickly as possible in the case of acid rain or heavy salt treatment, 2) rinse the underside of your vehicle to rid salt buildup during the winter, 3) repair paint chips or scratches to prevent corrosion, and 4) protect and condition the vehicle’s finish with a paint sealant or undercoat treatment. We partner with Great Lakes Chemical Auto Appearance Specialists, who offer a variety of details that can help you combat corrosion, including rim protection, bedliner spraying, electronic modules, and rustproofing — all which help reduce the impact of recurring salt exposure in the winter months. 

If you still haven’t completed a basic service check or have questions or concerns about any of the tips listed above, trust the experts at the Borgman Service Center. We’ll make sure the work—both maintenance and prevention—are done right to keep you safe and moving efficiently during the winter months. Check out our Service Specials and Schedule Your Appointment online today. If you have any questions, our friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to help! Contact Us and come see why we’re the Best in the West.

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Borgman Ford in West Michigan proudly stands with Ford on their quest towards a more sustainable future and reducing their carbon footprint. Being headquartered in Michigan themselves, we applaud their efforts for being good stewards of our environment and actively finding ways to help keep Michigan beautiful for generations to come. Most recently, Ford joined forces with McDonald’s to produce a bio-plastic for vehicle parts made from coffee beans, making up important parts like headlight housings.

When we think of eco-friendlier vehicles, our attention tends to shift toward the vehicle’s fuel economy and emissions. While Ford has made great strides in those areas and it’s certainly an important piece of the puzzle, Ford also makes it clear that the materials and processes that go into producing a vehicle are equally important. In this latest article from the Official Ford Media Center, you can read more about this new coffee-based plastic, how McDonald’s is making it possible, and watch a fun video. Check it out below!

Double Shot Of Sustainability: Ford And Mcdonald’s Collaborate To Convert Coffee Bean Skin Into Car Parts

Ford Motor Company and McDonald’s USA will soon be giving vehicles a caffeine boost by using part of a familiar staple in the morning routine, coffee beans, in vehicle parts such as headlamp housing.

Every year, millions of pounds of coffee chaff – the dried skin of the bean – naturally comes off during the roasting process. Together, Ford and McDonald’s can provide an innovative new home to a significant portion of that material. The companies found that chaff can be converted into a durable material to reinforce certain vehicle parts. By heating the chaff to high temperatures under low oxygen, mixing it with plastic and other additives and turning it into pellets, the material can be formed into various shapes.

The chaff composite meets the quality specifications for parts like headlamp housings and other interior and under hood components. The resulting components will be about 20 percent lighter and require up to 25 percent less energy during the molding process. Heat properties of the chaff component are significantly better than the currently used material, according to Ford. This is the first time Ford has used coffee bean skins to convert into select vehicle parts.

“McDonald’s commitment to innovation was impressive to us and matched our own forward-thinking vision and action for sustainability,” said Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader, sustainability and emerging materials research team. “This has been a priority for Ford for over 20 years, and this is an example of jump starting the closed-loop economy, where different industries work together and exchange materials that otherwise would be side or waste products.”

You can read the full story by visiting Media.Ford.com.

Shop New Ford Vehicles with Sustainable Plastics at Borgman Ford in Grand Rapids, MI

If you’re looking for a Ford Vehicle this holiday season and want to support an automaker with a strong commitment towards sustainability, visit Borgman Ford in Grand Rapids today! We’ve been helping auto shoppers in West Michigan find the Ford of their dreams since 1960, and it would be our pleasure to help you find yours.

While we have plenty of fuel-efficient vehicles to choose from including Ford Electric Hybrids, every New Ford Vehicle on our lot has an assortment of materials made from unexpected sources like soybeans, recycled water bottles, and more. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, but will never pressure you into a sale. Take a look at our vast inventory online, check out our Manager Specials, and schedule your test drive today. Come see why we’re the Best in the West!

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Huge Holiday Savings of up to $15,000 Off MSRP on 2019 Ford F-150 Trucks

The holidays are here! If you’re looking for a Built Ford Tough truck to conquer Michigan’s winter weather, or put a new set of keys beneath the tree, stop by the Borgman Ford showroom in Grand Rapids today! We have the largest selection of Ford F-150 Trucks in West Michigan with the lowest prices of the year during our Year-End Countdown, so hurry in and test drive your favorite today.

During our Year-End Countdown, you can save up to $15,000 or more off MSRP depending on the truck you choose. With over sixty 2019 Ford F-150s on the lot, there’s sure to be one that fits your needs, tastes, and budget. You have plenty of options when shopping: two seats or up to six with the Super Crew, towing packages, 4X4 axles, and bigger engines, or appearance, convenience, and comfort features like navigation, heated seats, 20″ Wheels, leather, and more. We also stock hard to find packages and editions of the 2019 Ford F-150 including the Great Lakes Edition and Pure Michigan Editions, each with supple, custom leather and embroidery. Whether you’re hauling snowmobiles, tools and equipment for work, or just like the ride-height and comfort of a pickup, we have a truck that fits the bill at a price you’ll love.

Hurry in, because with these prices, our stock of Ford Trucks won’t last long and all offers expire December 31st! Take a look at our expansive 2019 Ford F-150 Inventory online and schedule your test drive today! Our staff is here to help you find the truck of your dreams, ensuring all your questions are answered and that you’re paired with a Ford F-150 that’s best suited to your adventures. However, we will never pressure you into a sale and make the extra effort to make sure you understand everything before signing. For the biggest savings on specific inventory, remember to check out our Manager Specials too! Come to see why Borgman is the Best in the West!

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While the West Michigan winter weather is undoubtedly beautiful to look at it, the cold weather adds challenges to a morning commute. Features of New Ford Vehicles such as heated windshield wipers, steering wheels, and seats certainly make travel more comfortable, there is nothing like climbing into a vehicle that’s already warmed up and ready to go in the morning.

With the holidays coming up and the weather getting frightful, adding remote start to someone’s vehicle makes a perfect gift for someone (or yourself!) Better yet, the experts at the Borgman Service Center in Grand Rapids will ensure that the installation is done correctly and in a timely manner so you can get right to enjoying your warm car during the frigid West Michigan mornings!

Added Comfort and Safety in the Cold Weather

It’s a good idea to warm your car up a few minutes before driving in the winter both for comfort and mechanical reasons. If you don’t have a heated garage, getting out to run the vehicle adds another task to what’s surely a busy morning. Remote start lets you do this with the push of a button without leaving your home.

Apart from the comfort of driving a warmed vehicle, pre-warming with remote start also adds the benefit of safety to your morning drive. If you’ve ever driven with the vents still blasting cold air while trying to manually clear the windshield of fog or frost, you know how nerve-wracking and unsafe it is. Remote start gives the climate control a chance to warm up while you’re still inside sipping coffee, and many newer Ford vehicles even have programmable climate control settings for when the vehicle is started.

Better yet, that pile of snow will be easier to remove from the warmer hood and windows when it is time to leave!

Your Engine Will Also Love Remote Start

Back in the days of the carburetor, warming up a cold vehicle was mandatory before you start driving. Thankfully modern vehicles with their complex engine management systems can get going after almost immediately, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for them. 

Running the engine at idle for five to ten minutes helps it last much longer in multiple ways. First, it warms the engine block itself, making fuel more combustible and motor oil thinner. As the motor oil warms, it has an easier time getting into all of the places it needs to go to keep everything lubricated. Second, under the hood is a complex network of rubber tubes and seals that are brittle and prone to cracking in the cold. As warm coolant moves through some of these, the rubber becomes more flexible and therefore, able to expand and contract as the engine is put under varying amounts of load – meaning accelerating or going up hills. 

Remote Start Can Help During The Summer Too

We know it’s an odd time of year to be thinking about this, but remote start helps cool down a hot car in the summer months too! With programmable climate control, you can get the air conditioning going before it’s time to leave the beach or the unshaded parking lot at your work. It’s a feature that can be used in any season, not just during the winter months!

Add Remote Start to Your Vehicle at the Borgman Service Center in Grand Rapids Today

If you’re considering adding remote start to your vehicle, or are thinking of giving it as a gift, trust the experts at the Borgman Service Center. We’ll make sure the work is done right the first time and that every cold West Michigan morning is paired with a warm vehicle ready for the day.

Check out our Service Specials and Schedule Your Appointment online today. If you have any questions, our friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to help so please feel free to Contact Us. Come see why we’re the Best in the West!

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Borgman Ford is beyond excited to share the news about Ford’s upcoming all-electric SUV. On November 17th, 2019 Ford unveiled the new, Mustang-Inspired SUV, the Mustang Mach-E via livestream, with reservations opening right after! Learn more here: https://www.ford.com/suvs/mach-e/2021/ If you can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one and ditch gas stations for good, visit us to and reserve yours. The Borgman Ford team will be happy to help West Michiganders customize their all-electric Ford SUV and be among the very first to drive one when they arrive later next year. 

With Ford and electric vehicle fans alike eagerly awaiting more details about this new ground-breaking SUV, the livestream answered a number of questions circulating around the web. Watch a recording of the Livecast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0F9Uktpgtk. 

If you’re curious about what it’d be like to own and drive an all-electric vehicle, we tackled some common misconceptions and highlighted key benefits of making the switch on our new page: Why Buy an Electric Vehicle. If you’d like to do some further research, we’ve created dedicated pages for available or upcoming Ford Hybrid & Plug-In Electric Vehicles. 

Check out our Think Electric page to learn more and visit Borgman Ford today for a test drive or with any questions. Our highly-knowledgeable and friendly staff are here to help you. Come see why we’re the Best in the West!

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Borgman Ford Commercial is pleased to share with businesses and fleet managers in West Michigan that the Ford’s Super Duty chassis was named by Worktruck as their 2019 Commercial Truck of the Year! Worktruck is an online publication and dedicated resource for vocational truck fleets, providing helpful advice and insight for people who rely on commercial vehicles for their business. 

Worktruck selected the Ford F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab for a reason: it’s high-strength, military grade, aluminum-alloy body that’s lighter than steel yet incredibly strong. These changes sacrifice zero capability as Ford contributed over 12 million miles of testing the rugged hauling and towing capability before launching the 2019 Chassis Cab. With a 12,750-lb maximum payload, the Super Duty delivers the best-in-class. 

Beneath the hood of the Ford Super Duty Chassis Cab, your choice of a 6.2L Flex-Fuel V8 or a 6.8L Triton V10 gas engine will deliver the everyday toughness you dream of in a Ford, and the heavy-duty Power Stroke Turbo Diesel V8 engine can handle everything else you didn’t think was possible. These are paired with the highly capable TorqShift 6-Speed Automatic Transmission, complete with heavy-duty gears capable of handling the steep demands of these powerful engines. The truck may also be equipped with features like live drive power takeoff for accessories and SelectShift for locking out overdrive and eliminating “gear hunting.”

In addition, the Ford Super Duty Chassis Cab comes available with optional factory-installed upfitter switches and resources, to save you money and time while having your truck customized for the job. 

To explore the full power and capability of the 2019 Ford F-Series Super Duty Chassis Cab, visit the Borgman Commercial Vehicle Center in Grand Rapids today! Our highly-knowledgeable and friendly staff would be delighted to show you all of the features and rugged construction during a demo, but will not pressure you into any kind of commitment until you’ve made a decision. Our experts can also help you navigate all of the financing options exclusively for businesses including Ford Commercial Lines of Credit and Ford CommerciaLease programs. Take a look at our Online Inventory today, Contact Us with any questions, and come see why we’re the Best in the West!

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Borgman and Love INC Team Up This Season to Help West Michiganders In Need

Borgman Ford strongly believes that being a part of a community means giving back to those within it who need a helping hand. That’s why we’ve teamed-up with Love INC in Grandville this year: to make sure everyone will have enough to eat during the coming Thanksgiving holiday.

For every vehicle sold during the month of November, we will donate a turkey to a family who needs one. If you’ve been thinking about shopping for a New or Used Vehicle before the snow flies or know someone who does, keep Borgman in mind! Not only will you get a Fair Trade Deal at along with our unparalleled customer service, you’ll also be helping a feed a family in need. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us or send us an email – our staff will be more than willing to help. We hope to see you soon, and happy thanksgiving!

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Love INC provides seven area churches with food for families in the Hudsonville, Jenison and Grandville community. As a Christian movement of churches working together, Love INC transforms the lives of those in need by ministering the love of Christ through providing basic necessities such as non-perishable food and personal care items. Read more about them and their mission by visiting LoveInTheNameOfChrist.org.

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The winter weather is right around the corner for West Michigan, so if you’ve been thinking about getting a set of winter tires for your vehicle (or better yet, gifting someone a set for the holidays,) visit the Borgman Service Center today! Our trained experts will be more than happy to explain the benefits of using winter tires and matching them with high-quality rims that match the aesthetic of your vehicle. 

However, we also believe that knowledge is power when it comes to the care of your vehicle. For our latest Borgman How-To, we’ve put together a Winter Tire Shopping Guide to help demystify some tire terminology, explain what all those letters, numbers, and symbols mean, and give you a better sense of what kind of tire best suits your needs. 

Why Buy Winter Tires for West Michigan?

Last year we wrote an article that takes an in-depth look at what makes winter tires so effective. The combination of rubber that stays soft in sub-freezing temperatures, specialized tread pattern, and shape all play a role, but the overall cost savings and benefit of extra safety are undeniable. 

How Do I Choose Which Type of Winter Tire To Get?

Typically, if you have a larger vehicle and do most of your driving on country roads, we’d recommend a non-studded winter tire. These don’t have metal studs in them (which are illegal in Michigan) but have big treads that act like cleats and really grab into densely-packed snow. However, driving on cleared pavement with these will wear them down faster. 

For the typical driver in the Greater Grand Rapids Area, Borgman will recommend Performance Winter Tires. These look like regular tires, but the tread pattern has been specifically-designed to pack snow onto the tire and use it for extra grip. If this sounds strange, think of it like rolling a snowman – snow sticks to snow pretty well, especially if it’s slightly wet. 

What Do All of Those Symbols and Numbers Mean In The Specs?

When shopping for winter tires, you might notice a symbol of a mountain and a snowflake pop up in the literature or on the tires themselves. This means that the tire has passed a traction test, but doesn’t mean that it’s a winter tire. You may also see an “M+S” next to it, meaning that it has been formulated for moderate snowy conditions. 

The numbers and letters separated by slashes on the sidewall of the tire tell you what roles it’s for and which size rim it needs. If this looks confusing, don’t worry. The staff at Borgman will be more than happy to help you. For the curious, they note the following in this order:

• Tire Type: Usually this will read “P” for passenger vehicles, but some pickups and larger SUVs will have “LT” for light truck.
• Tire Width: This is the measurement if the tire width in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall.
• Ratio: This is the height of the tire, measured as a percentage of the tire width.
• Construction: This refers to how the layers of rubber make up the tire. “R” will mean radially and is the most common.
• Diameter: This is the full measurement of the “donut hole” part of the tire.

Which Brand of Winter Tire Should I Go With?

Borgman Service inventories a wide selection of quality winter tires from trusted name brands. This includes affordable options all the way up to more premium offerings. For the budget-conscious, our affordable winter tires will still outperform all-season tires in snow and offer a lower barrier to entry. The more money you’re willing to spend, you can expect even better performance and in a wider range of conditions. The bottom line is to look at what’s available within your price range and choose which ones fit the needs of your commute the best. This includes how often your street gets plowed, how many hills you drive up and down, and so on.

Name brands will research and develop their own proprietary rubber compounds and tread patterns, each with their own merits. The best thing you can do while choosing is to sit down and look carefully at each of them and decide which tire best-addresses the road conditions you dislike driving in the most. If you’re short on time, or aren’t sure what you’re looking at, the tire experts at Borgman can match you with a “good, better, best” selection for you to choose from.

The Borgman Service team will also educate you about how best to care for your tires, including the best storage environment, why dedicating a set of rims to them yields the best longevity, and how to tell when it’s time to swap them with your warm weather tires. 

If you’re thinking about equipping your vehicle with winter tires, beat the rush and Schedule Your Appointment with the Borgman Service Center today! Be sure to check our latest Service Specials too, and feel free to Reach Out To Us with any questions. Come see why we’re the the Best in the West!

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The fall and winter seasons are rolling in as fast as the fog that looms your cold mornings and evenings in Michigan. The thick clouds of atmospheric moisture can restrict visibility significantly, lending to hazardous driving conditions if extra precautions aren’t taken. Weather.com reports fog-related accidents contributing to over 32,000 crashes, 500 deaths, and 11,500 injuries annually! At Borgman, we’re focused on family and safety. Read our tips below to ensure safe driving for everyone when the fog rolls in.  

Ensure your headlights are working well.  

Using your headlights properly is key. We suggest ditching the high-beams and sticking to the low-beams for better visibility. If you think your low-beams aren’t bright enough, roll into Borgman for a headlight replacement and upgrade for optimal safety.  

Use your windshield wipers and defrost. 

Moisture alone can create a major glare off of your windshield, and combine that with ice and you have almost no visibility between the fog and your windshield. Clearing off the glass is essential to increasing your safety. Not sure if your wipers are fit for the fall and winter? Take advantage of our current Borgman service special on performance wipers! 

Leave extra cushion in front of you, and don’t feel pressured to go faster if there’s a car behind you. 

Remember to put as much as your safety in your own hands as possible. That means taking extra precautions while driving, regardless of other people on the road. Fog significantly debilitates a driver’s ability to perceive distance, so the slower you go and the more space you leave in front of you to increase space for a slower reaction time, the better.  

Don’t use cruise control, and make sure you brake gently.  

Cruise control doesn’t allow you to have full control over your surrounding speed and may cause you to sneak up on objects that were unseen only a few feet before. On the same note as the previous tip, you want as much space as possible in front of and behind you without increasing speed. Avoid collisions in front of you by staying in control of your vehicle’s speed, and be kind to those behind you by braking slowly!  

Use the road lines as a guide.  

Look for solid lines on the right side of the road as a guideline for your driving. Don’t use the lights of any other vehicles in front of you, as that could lend to multiple accidents. Stay in control of your vehicle, drive slow, and pull over off of the road completely (and put your hazard lights on!) if you’re feeling uncomfortable.    

If you haven’t had a tune up this year, bring your vehicle into Borgman Ford for a brake, tire, headlight, and wiper check—all components that are critical to your safety during the foggy commutes ahead. Our highly qualified technicians are here to provide exceptional service in a timely manner. We are dedicated to keeping our customers safe and maintaining top tier customer service, for both new and pre-owned car buyers! Contact our Service Center  to schedule your appointment!

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At Borgman Ford, we value the importance of sports as well as the fans that support them! Ford’s Hall of Fans provides fan with exclusive rewards and even access to some of the biggest events in the sports world! This month, Ford is giving fans a chance to win a NEW 2019 Ford F-150 + a VIP trip to Las Vegas to watch the PBR World Finals! All you have to do is visit here and fill out a simple survey. Afterwards, tell us why you deserve to be in Ford’s Hall of Fans!

No purchase necessary. Must be legal U.S. Resident 21 or older. Promotion consists of sweepstakes and contest. Sweepstakes ends 10/27/19; contest ends 10/06/19. Sweepstakes winner and contest finalists must attend world finals, 11/06/19. For prize, entry and eligibility details, see official rules for the sweepstakes and official rules for the contest. Sponsor: Ford Motor Company. Not sponsored by PBR. © 2019 Ford Motor Company. 

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