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Tag: East Dubuque

Posts related to East Dubuque

Dale Bird was in our dealership waiting for his vehicle to get finished in service. I stole a few minutes of his time to discuss his experience with Runde’s. Runde Auto Chat: What kind of vehicle are you having serviced? Is it a routine appointment? Dale Bird: It’s a Chevy Impala. It just needed an oil change. RAC: Did you buy the vehicle at Runde Chevrolet? DB: Yes, I bought it new here. RAC: Have you bought any other vehicles from us? DB: Yes, probably about 4 or 5. RAC: What do you appreciate most about Runde’s and how they do business? DB: It’s convenient. I live about 2 miles from here in Dubuque. RAC: Do you have any children or grandchildren? DB: We have 3 boys, and 2 grandchildren: 1 boy and 1 girl. They live in Indianapolis, Indiana. RAC: What kinds of activities are they involved in? DB: Lots of sports, but [...]
Dave Frazier who works in the Chevy Sales department at our store in East Dubuque welcomed the arrival of his 1st son, Jackson Frazier, last month.  Dave says that he is doing well and he’s currently 20″ tall and weighs about 9 pounds.   Runde Auto Chat: What are your son’s hobbies are so far? Dave Frazier:  Jackson enjoys laying around, eating, pooping, and sleeping.    RAC:  I guess it’s getting sort of cold for long walks in the park.  Does he have any hidden talents? DF:  I’m not sure about that, but he sure has a lot of hair. RAC:  What’s his favorite food? DF:  Right now he’s hitting the Similac Formula pretty hard. RAC:  You have a daughter, correct?  How is she reacting to the new baby?
Kurt Larson of Runde Chevrolet works behind-the-scenes in the Runde Auto Group detailing department. He is just starting college, but finds time to come back to Runde’s on breaks. ME: How long have you worked for Runde’s? What is your favorite part of your job? Kurt Larson: I’ve worked for them for about 4 years and I like getting to drive all the different cars. ME: Where do you go to school? Kurt Larson: Augustana College in Rock Island. ME: Do you have a major picked yet? Kurt Larson: Yeah, I’m going into Pre-Dentistry. ME: Do you play any sports at school? Kurt Larson: Only intramurals; Flag Football and basketball. ME: Who do you think will run for president in 2012? Kurt Larson: I think President Obama will probably run again, and maybe Hilary. I don’t know for the Republican side. ME: Do [...]
I talked to Jessica Paulson who is a loyal Runde customer from Belmont, Wisconsin for a few minutes this afternoon while her vehicle was being serviced. She had the day off today, and was happy about the well-deserved break. Runde Auto Chat: What kind of vehicle are you having serviced? Is it a routine appointment? Jessica Paulson: I have a Chevy Tahoe; It just needs an oil change and tire rotation. RAC: Did you buy the Tahoe from us? JP: Yes, we did. RAC: Have you bought other vehicles from us? JP: We recently bought a Chevy Silverado Crew Cab. RAC: What is your favorite thing about Runde’s and how they do business? JP: They take excellent care of their vehicles, [...]
Daniel’s Lounge is located in Kieler next to Midwest Motor Sports in Kieler, Wisconsin. They are famous for their daily specials, and for the racing fans out there, $1.00 beers at Cautions. Today’s special was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a dinner roll. Since I am not a huge fan of roast beef, I had a burger and french fries. They were the really crispy, seasoned fries, which are my favorite. The burger was expertly cooked and still had a lot of the natural juices still inside as I took my first bite.  It was extremely reasonable for the size of it;  Daniel’s definitely doesn’t skimp on the portions. [...]
What is the Dubuque food pack program and how can a local business get involved to help young local students in our community? Sometimes we get so caught up in what is happening with our country in terms of international interaction, we forget all of the obstacles our own people face. There are many less fortunate people in our country, and they tend to get overlooked a lot of the time. For once, they are the focus of a local project here in the Dubuque area. John Deere Dubuque Works funded a food pack program for 250 students in the Dubuque elementary schools. Each school anonymously placed the food packs in their 50 neediest children’s backpacks before they went home on Friday afternoon, so the children have a better chance of eating nutritional food over the weekend.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “I’m going to lunch”?   If you immediately think of a 4000 mile round trip to a burger joint, then you’re not alone.  Many of us leave the office for our half hour or hour long lunch breaks, which is usually acceptable. I frequently drive 5 blocks home to eat lunch and let my dogs out. An Assistant Editor in Ann Arbor, Michigan had a different idea for his lunch.  Sam Smith’s Thursday started out as a fairly normal day. He was at work, and all of a sudden, he decides he needs a burger. Ok, fine, Ann Arbor probably has about 50 different burger joints to choose from, except he needs a specific burger…from a West Coast ONLY restaurant chain, In-N-Out Burger. From Ann Arbor, the closest location is in Prescott, Arizona, approximately 1900 miles away. He decided to call his buddy from [...]
Kelly Francois and her 7-month old son Cole visited Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque today.  Kelly is very familiar to most of us here at Runde’s because she used to work here for nearly 2 years.  She now works at Dubuque Data Services as an administrative assistant and she’s doing very well for herself.  Kelly enjoys stopping by the dealership every once in awhile, but this is one visit that she would have forgone if she’d had her druthers.  You see Kelly’s boyfriend, Mike, was backing up her car and backed over a metal fire pit.   So Kelly came in and had Mike Runde write up a bodyshop estimate for the repairs.  We sat down and chatted with Kelly and Cole while they waited for the write-up. Runde Auto Chat:  What happened to your car? Kelly Francois:  A fire pit jumped up and bit the back bumper of my car. RAC:  What kind of car do you drive? KF:  A [...]
Clarion Wick, a recent customer of Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque, gave me a few minutes of his time while he waited for his truck to be ready to go. I think he must have a thing for red…this is his 3rd red truck in a row. RAC: What did you like most about the process and how business was conducted here at Runde? CW: It was really good. The purchase was quick, and very low pressure. RAC: What kind of vehicle did you buy? Were there any options or features that you were specifically looking for? CW: I bought a Chevy Silverado 1500 Extended Cab; I was especially excited about the Warranty — 5 year/100,000 mile RAC: What purpose is this vehicle going to serve: business/family, etc.? CW: Mostly family RAC: Do you have any children or grandchildren? CW: 5 kids and 3 grandchildren RAC: Where do you live, and what do you do [...]
As much as we hate to admit it, winter is around the corner, which means very cold weather and lots of snow (especially in Runde country). Have you thought about what you need to do to winterize your vehicle? There is a lot more to it than most people think. I have compiled a checklist for you to use. Bad winter road conditions can sneak up on us if we aren’t careful, so start thinking about it early!   To Do List Before Winter Comes!   Make sure your brakes are equalized and not pulling to one side. Flush out your cooling system and put anti-freeze in. Check containers, belts, hoses, pressure caps, and thermostat. Make sure battery connections are clean and tight. Check your engine for faulty wiring, worn out spark plugs, sticking choke or emission control devices. These make it difficult for your vehicle to start. Check the [...]
For anyone who hasn’t taken a close look at the Buick Lucerne, this article is for you.  New technology has been a big part of vehicle purchases in the last decade, and Buick stood up to the challenge when they designed their Lucerne. How many accidents occur due to blind spots or lack of visibility? Drivers are 3 times more likely to have an accident changing lanes than they are if they stay in one lane. The engineers at Buick understood this concept, and added a solution to the Lucerne. The Side Blind Zone Alert system is set up to notify the driver of a vehicle in their blind spot. You are driving down the interstate and want to pass a slow-moving tractor (in our case here in the Midwest), and you put [...]
When customers begin looking for a new car, and a salesman mentions a ‘program car’ or rental, it has traditionally sent a red flag into their minds. But there are a lot of things most people don’t know about program cars. Sure, about 90% of them were rental cars, but rental cars are not beat on like some people stereotypically like to think. The rental companies actually maintain them better than some private owners. They always have their oil changed on time because the rental companies keep track of the odometer readings like clockwork.  Rental vehicles also come from southern states like California, Florida, or Arizona most of the time, so they do not have the hard winters and salty roads wearing on the paint. Did you know when you are considering purchasing a program [...]
Future teen drivers wait in anticipation for the day they turn 16 and can get their driver’s license, while parents grimace at the thought of their children growing up and going off on their own in their first car.  National statistics show demonstrate that teenagers are involved in wrecks 9 times as often than adults. Teens also tend to not wear their seatbelts without parents in the vehicle. American Family Insurance was fully aware of the anxiety caused by teenage drivers, and developed a program called Teen Safe Driver that allows parents some relief. American Family Insurance provides a camera that’s placed by the rearview mirror on the inside of the car. The camera provides two streaming images 1) an image of inside the car and 2) an image of [...]
Most baseball fans know of the movie, “The Field of Dreams.” But for those of us from Iowa, it’s more than just a movie. It’s home, it’s reality, and it lights a fire within us when we think of all the history that was made on that very spot of ground. It’s hard to believe that it was made about 35 years ago.  Parts of the movie were shot in Dubuque and other parts were shot out on the East Coast, but the majority of it was filmed in Dyersville, IA.  Where is Dyersville you ask???  Well it’s about midway between Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque, IL and Runde Ford of Manchester, IA. –about 10 minutes north of US Hwy 20. The field lies on the Lansing family farm.   The corn is still growing, the house still stands in the same place it did 100 years ago. The movie was released in 1989, starring the ‘Tin Cup’ himself, [...]
What is the most scenic view that you’ve experienced in the Dubuque area? Today began as a pretty normal day at work, until my boss sent me to take pictures without telling me what exactly I was trying to find. He drew me a map, and sent me on my way. Most people can agree that when you have no idea what you’re looking for, you tend to be a little leery. I got to my destination, and realized it was an amazing landscape of Dubuque staring me in the face. He told me when I got back that lived in Dubuque for 18 years before he found out about this place and the view, and he knows other people who have lived here their whole lives who have never been to this spot either. It overlooks the Mississippi River, you can see for miles, and it also [...]
We took a moment to sit down and talk with Mary Jane Baxter, a member of our Runde Buick staff. Here is what she had to say about working at Runde. Runde Auto Group: What does your job entail at Runde Auto Group in Cuba City and how long have you been with them? Mary Jane Baxter: I handle financing, accounting, filing, answering phones, and any other day-to-day tasks that need to be done. I have been with Runde for approximately 27 years.  Runde Auto Group: What do you like most about working at Runde? MJB: I enjoy the environment and the people I work with every day. We have a lot of fun and work well together. Runde Auto Group: If you could drive any car for a month, [...]
It’s always nice to talk to our fantastic customers while they’re waiting on their vehicles to get serviced.  I sat and talked with Tony Fritz for a few minutes in our Chevy store, and he had nothing but good things to say about us…(we like hearing that!!) Runde Auto Chat: What kind of vehicle are you having serviced? Is it just a routine service appointment? Tony Fritz: I brought my Chevrolet Impala in for an oil change and tire rotation. RAC: Did you buy your Chevy Impala from Runde’s? TF: Yes RAC: Is there any feature it has that you will look for on your next vehicle purchase? TF: No, it’s a pretty standard package. RAC: Have you bought other vehicles from us? TF: Yes, probably 3 or 4. RAC: What is your favorite thing about Runde and how they do business? TF: They have straight-forward prices and the salesmen don’t pressure you. RAC: Do [...]
The release of the newest member of Chevrolet’s Crossover/SUV family is quickly approaching. The 2009 Traverse, a 7- or 8-passenger crossover vehicle, will become available this fall. This practical and flashy SUV is going to open a lot of eyes when it graces us with it’s presence at Runde Chevrolet near Dubuque. The Traverse has 4 available trim levels, similar to the other Chevrolet models. The LS has the essentials, but cuts costs by leaving off all the extra ‘bells and whistles’ offered for the vehicle. Next come the 1LT and 2LT, offering a few more options than the LS, and last is the LTZ, the ‘Top Dawg’ offering all of the extra options you could think of. The Traverse offers fantastic fuel-efficiency, getting 24 Miles Per Gallon in the Front Wheel Drive version on the highway. The All Wheel Drive version averages an impressive 23 MPG on the open road. The 7-passenger package [...]
The new name for the satellite radio feature that most of us have in our cars is now Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  The executives of Sirius and XM radio announced the completion of the company merger on July 29th, 2008. There is much excitement surrounding the company’s future, and both parties are foreseeing great things for them in the future. The merged company is known as Sirius XM Radio, and both brands will continue to operate as they have, as two separate entities. They are in the process of creating some new packages that combine stations from both XM and Sirius. They will offer “Best Of” package that contains premium stations from both providers. Also, the “Mostly Music” and “Sports/News/Talk” packages will combine stations from both as well. Any receivers already in circulation as well [...]
GM recently joined forces with the United States Postal Service for a collaboration that is sure to benefit all.  GM implemented their “Project Driveway” program a few years ago. The test-drive program allows GM to partner with consumers or companies who agree to driving GM’s fuel cell vehicles in a “lab rat” type of situation. Yesterday, GM announced a newest member of the program, the world’s first and largest market test of fuel cell vehicles. Chevrolet and the United States Postal Service have teamed up for a trial-run of Hydrogen-powered fuel cell Chevy Equinox’s. Two of the USPS locations will be using them. Irvine, CA is the only one released so far, with a second releasing soon. The Equinox fuel cell car will be used 6 days a week on regular delivery routes. This is not [...]
GM recently unveiled the production version of the 2010 Camaro. Many reporters and consumers expressed their amazement of how true the production model is to the concept. They were also amazed to learn about the technology, safety and performance features included in the Camaro, the new definition of the 21st Century Sports Car. Here are some of the 2010 Camaro highlights: Design • Sleek styling with heritage-inspired cues and 10 available exterior colors. • Detailed interior with excellent attention to detail and available ambient LED lighting technology. • RS Appearance Package available on LT and SS, with HID headlamps that include integrated “halo ring” feature, spoiler, specific taillamps and 20-inch wheels. Technology • Bluetooth wireless technology for compatible phones. • Premium Boston Acoustics 9-speaker, 245 watt audio system with [...]
We’ve reached the middle of summer, the time of year people are spending time on the river or in the pool and that means local restaurants are busy too as people don’t want to spend a lot of time inside cooking over a hot stove.  But you have to watch out when you start eating out a lot.  It’s easy to pack on a few extra pounds when you eat out more than you should.  I know a few people at Runde are starting diets or have been on them for a while. Chris Anderson of Runde PreDriven started the Atkins diet a couple weeks ago, and Chris said he feels like it is working for him.  Summer is also a very busy time for people, and eating out can become a habit. What most people don’t realize is that one meal at a chain restaurant can account for a whole day’s calories. They [...]
Chevrolet will release the Silverado Hybrid late in the fall of 2008 (in limited quantities). It has a two-mode engine, allowing for 5 power combinations. The first mode can work in 3 ways: electric, engine power, or a mixture of the two. These are used in low speed, light load conditions for optimal fuel efficiency. The second mode is used for highway speeds, allowing the truck the capacity to run in either a four-cylinder or eight-cylinder modes. They offer the ability to tow or handle rough conditions. This engine allows for 40% more efficient city driving and 25% more efficient highway driving. The truck has all the available options as the other Silverados, but a new fuel efficiency gage is available in the hybrid. It tells you if the truck is operating at the optimum level.     Chevy takes pride in the high-quality, dependable vehicles they produce, and the Silverado Hybrid is no [...]
The Julien Dubuque Bridge had an accidental run in with a freight-hauling barge the other day.  Runaway barges are not usually a common topic in Iowa and Illinois, but last month was a rare occurrence. On June 9th, a tow of 15 barges and a bridge support were traveling downstream when the lead barge hit the Julien Dubuque Bridge and sent the others on their way. The bridge was closed to vehicle traffic for about 18 hours to conduct inspections. Witnesses say the vessels were traveling too fast for the pilot to maneuver them around the bridge. The current in that area of the river is strong, and doesn’t usually have a consistent pattern. Three of them lodged against the bridge, and several others [...]
Lenny was a little hesitant to let me interview him, so I promised to be nice. He works in our reconditioning department at Runde Chevrolet, and he didn’t have a lot to say but he gave us SOME input.   Runde Auto Chat: Everyone knows you as Lenny, but what is your REAL name? Lenny: Jeff Kueter   RAC: How long have you worked here? L: A little over a year   RAC: A lot of people think that you’re the hardest worker here. Is there any truth to that? L: Maybe a little bit.   RAC: Do you follow baseball? L: Yes   RAC: Who’s your favorite team? L: Cubs   RAC: Will you be watching the All Star Game? L: No, I have prior commitments.   RAC: Wife? Kids? L: Yes, and 1   [...]
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