Ram boosts Heavy Duty truck claims for 2015 [w/video] | All Star Dodge

The heavy-duty truck segment boasts some of the tightest competition of any automotive niche in the US. Being able to tout just one best-in-class figure can be a marketing advantage over competitors, and Ram Trucks is adding one more accolade to its tally with a powertrain update for the 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups. Ram now claims best-in-class ratings for torque, towing and payload, depending on configuration.

The major change comes for the 3500 HD with a boost in torque for its Cummins 6.7-liter, inline-six diesel engine. It now produces a meaty 865 pound-feet of twist, a boost of 15 lb-ft, which is the best figure in its segment, according to the company. To eek out the extra power, the mill has more aggressive fuel delivery, and the turbo has been re-calibrated. Of course, more grunt would be meaningless if drivers couldn't do anything with it, and the tweaks help allow payload to grow to 7,390 pounds, up from a rating of 7,320 pounds last year. The max towing rating remains unchanged at 30,000 pounds, though.

The rest of the powertrain lineup carries over from last year. The base HD mill is the gasoline-fed 5.7-liter V8 with 383 hp and 400 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic. The next step up is a 6.4-liter V8 with 410 hp and 429 lb-ft. There are also three trims of the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel starting with 350 hp and 660 lb-ft with a six-speed manual gearbox. If buyers opt for a the 68RFE six-speed auto, they get 370 hp and 800 lb-ft. Finally, there's the updated, top-rung version with 385 hp and 865 lb-ft with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.

Ram Truck Announces Partnership with Texas Rangers | All Star Dodge

Ram Truck announced that it would partner with the Texas Rangers law enforcement organization at the State Fair of Texas September 25. Accompanying the announcement was a $100,000 donation to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

 “Texas Rangers are icons,” said Ram Truck Brand President and CEO Bob Hegbloom. “They are heroes. They are recognized around the world as one of the foremost law-enforcement agencies.” Hegbloom said he was proud that Ram is associated with the Texas Rangers and the museum.

The Hall of Fame and Museum is the official historical center for the Rangers and is preparing for the Texas Ranger bicentennial in 2023. Tracing their roots back to 1823, today’s elite Rangers work with the Texas Department of Public Safety, taking a lead role in criminal investigation of public corruption, border security, and unsolved and serial crime, among others.

The Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1964, and it celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 27. The museum has expanded to include a library, educational center, and the agency’s headquarters.

“Texas is truck country -- Ram Truck country -- and today’s announcement allows Ram in partnership with The Chrysler Foundation to assist the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in making a positive contribution to preserving Texas Ranger heritage and helping foster its future,” Hegbloom said.

Source: Ram Truck; http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/ram-truck-announces-partnership-with-texas-rangers/ar-BB6PU3M; Photos: © Provided by TruckTrend

Knowing How to React is Essential | All Star Dodge Chrysler Jeep

Scenes like this are all too common on American highways. Accident prevention is important — but knowing how to react is also essential.

Each year, thousands of people are involved in traffic accidents during the holiday weekends. If you are one of these unfortunate people, will you know what to do in the aftermath of a collision? How you react can prevent further injuries, reduce costs and accelerate the clean-up and repair process. If you are involved in a traffic collision, try to remain calm, and follow these steps: 

Action Plan to Deal with Accidents:

1. Keep an Emergency Kit in Your Glove Compartment. Drivers should carry a cell phone, as well as pen and paper for taking notes, a disposable camera to take photos of the vehicles at the scene, and a card with information about medical allergies or conditions that may require special attention if there are serious injuries. Also, keep a list of contact numbers for law enforcement agencies handy. Drivers can keep this free fill-in-the-blanks accident information form in their glove compartment. A set of cones, warning triangles or emergency flares should be kept in the trunk.

2. Keep Safety First. Drivers involved in minor accidents with no serious injuries should move cars to the side of the road and out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leaving cars parked in the middle of the road or busy intersection can result in additional accidents and injuries. If a car cannot be moved, drivers and passengers should remain in the cars with seatbelts fastened for everyone's safety until help arrives. Make sure to turn on hazard lights and set out cones, flares or warning triangles if possible.

3. Exchange Information. After the accident, exchange the following information: name, address, phone number, insurance company, policy number, driver license number and license plate number for the driver and the owner of each vehicle. If the driver's name is different from the name of the insured, establish what the relationship is and take down the name and address for each individual. Also make a written description of each car, including year, make, model and color — and the exact location of the collision and how it happened. Finally, be polite but don't tell the other drivers or the police that the accident was your fault, even if you think it was.

4. Photograph and Document the Accident. Use your camera to document the damage to all the vehicles. Keep in mind that you want your photos to show the overall context of the accident so that you can make your case to a claims adjuster. If there were witnesses, try to get their contact information; they may be able to help you if the other drivers dispute your version of what happened.

5. File An Accident Report. Although law enforcement officers in many locations may not respond to accidents unless there are injuries, drivers should file a state vehicle accident report, which is available at police stations and often on the Department of Motor Vehicles Web site as a downloadable file. A police report often helps insurance companies speed up the claims process.
Texas law requires that a Crash Report, Form CR-2, be filed when an accident occurs that results in injury or death, or when damage to property or vehicles is more than $1,000. If law enforcement does not come to the accident scene or complete a report.

6. Know What Your Insurance Covers. The whole insurance process will be easier following your accident if you know the details of your coverage. For example, don't wait until after an accident to find out that your policy doesn't automatically cover costs for towing or a replacement rental car. Generally, for only a dollar or two extra each month, you can add coverage for rental car reimbursement, which provides a rental car for little or no money while your car is in the repair shop or if it is stolen. Check your policy for specifics.

The final question in dealing with an accident is usually who will pay for the damages? If the accident was minor, you and the other drivers may decide to handle the damages yourselves without the involvement of an insurance company. But this isn't always the best idea, for several reasons.

While the other driver may agree to pay for the damage to your car on the day of the accident, he may see the repair bills and decide it's too high. At this point, time has passed and your insurance company will have more difficulty piecing together the evidence if you file a claim.

Also, keep in mind that you have no way of knowing whether another driver will change his mind and report the accident to his insurance company. He may even claim injuries that weren't apparent at the scene of the accident. This means that your insurance company may end up paying him a hefty settlement, or worse yet, you could be dragged into a lawsuit. So make sure that your company has your version of what happened and check your policy — if the damages paid out by your insurance company are below a certain amount, the accident may not be considered chargeable. And you will avoid the penalty of a premium hike.

Auto accidents take a tremendous toll on everyone involved, both financially and emotionally. If you're one of the lucky ones who have thus far avoided a serious accident, hopefully the tips on prevention will help keep it that way. The chances are high, though, that at some point you will be involved in a minor accident. Just keep your head and make safety your primary concern. You'll have plenty of time to deal with the consequences later.

Source: http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/what-to-do-after-a-car-accident.html,
http://www.dmv.org/tx-texas/accident-guide/

The Original Scat Pack Auto Show Debut | All Star Dodge

Old-school enthusiasts first fell in love with the original and iconic Dodge Scat Pack vehicles at auto shows across the country during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, a new generation of car lovers is being initiated to the reborn Dodge Scat Pack at events such as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Mich., open to the public January 18 – 26.

The Dodge brand display at Detroit’s COBO Center will host a special 2014 Dodge Challenger — a member of the revived “hive,” which also includes a 2014 Dodge Charger and 2014 Dodge Dart, all modified with new Scat Package Performance Upgrade kits that will soon be available for Dodge owners who want to flex a little muscle. The COBO venue is fitting: It was at just such events as the 1968 Detroit Auto Show at COBO that the famed inaugural Dodge Scat Pack vehicles — the Dodge Charger R/T, Dodge Coronet R/T, Dodge Dart GTS and Super Bee — first wowed crowds.

Those original Dodge Scat Pack vehicles traveled the circuit from 1968 to 1971, hitting auto shows not only in Detroit but also other major cities, like Chicago, New York and L.A., as well as many state fairs. Collectors would likely give their right arms for one stunning vehicle that traveled the circuit: a 1968 Coronet R/T convertible, yellow with a blacked-out hood — the original Super Bee car.

“The crowds were so excited,” recalled Andy Agosta, a retired Dodge marketing executive who worked for the brand during the Dodge Scat Pack’s birth. “We displayed Scat Pack vehicles in all the hot colors — HEMI®Orange, Top Banana, Go Mango and Plum Crazy. All the cars had the Bumble Bee stripes. The displays were a big hit and played an important role in the popularity and reputation of the Dodge Scat Pack program.”

Another highlight of early Dodge Scat Pack auto show displays was the presence of the Dodge Safety Sheriff, Joe Higgins, who advised Dodge owners in TV and print ads, “Ya’ll drive careful now, hear?”

“We featured the safety sheriff at the 1969 Chicago Auto Show, with cutouts of his face that fans could wear,” remembered Agosta. “Joe signed so many autographs his hand went numb.”

Dodge spokesmodels also traveled the auto show circuit, answering questions about the Dodge Scat Pack vehicles while garbed in the latest fashions — adorned prominently with the Dodge Scat Pack logo, of course. Marketing materials such as “Run with the Dodge Scat Pack” bumper stickers were produced, rapidly becoming mementos much sought after by clamoring show attendees.

One exceedingly rare marketing knickknack was the Dodge Scat Pack Mini-Tickler, a unique piece of costume jewelry that was produced in numbers of fewer than 1,000 and distributed to Dodge spokesmodels and female members of the Dodge Scat Pack club (“For all the scat kittens who swing with the Scat Packers …” began the oh-so-1960s marketing copy).  An original piece was recently valued at $800.

The modern-day Dodge Scat Pack is getting much the same treatment as its acclaimed predecessors. Dodge spokesmodels, outfitted in retro attire — emblazoned with the Scat Pack logo, and specially reproduced versions of the Mini-Tickler — will be a fixture at auto shows throughout 2014, providing information about the new Dodge Scat Package vehicles and performance upgrade kits on display.

The reincarnated Dodge Scat Pack vehicles and display will be coming soon to an auto show near you — ready to quicken the pulse of fans of the original lineup and to fuel the passion of a new generation of enthusiasts.

For more information on the Dodge Scat Pack, visit www.scatpackforums.com.

Add 707-Horsepower To Your Smart Phone with the HEMI® SRT Hellcat Engine Ringtone | All Star Dodge

Combining Dodge’s passion for performance with a driver-focused interior, the 2015 Dodge Challenger with the HEMI® SRT Hellcat engine offers an aggressive and supercharged driving experience.   Now, you can bring that hair-raising purr into the palm of your hands with the HEMI® SRT Hellcat engine ringtone, available on driveSRT.com for free download.   This ringtone is the perfect way for Dodge enthusiasts to keep the Dodge spirit with them, even away from the road. Just be careful in meetings. It’s hard to put 707-horsepower on silent.