Big banks can be a little impersonal… Guest Kyle Moule and Vantage West Credit Union are here to help you as an individual, now and in whatever situation you dream of being. They’re not about profits or stockholders. They’re about you.
If the nicks, chips and scratches on your car are a bit too small for the auto body shop and a bit too much for detailers, you need to talk to Fernando Sanchez. He brings over 30 years of experience to your home, your office, or wherever convenient to get your car looking new again. He can also save you hundreds and improve night driving visibility (and safety) by turning those old yellow headlights crystal clear.
Kyle and Fernando join co-hosts Matt Watson and Ryan Steckelberg.
Also on the show… What do you get when you put over 162,000 car fans in a room larger than the Empire State Building laid on its side? Nothing but good things! It’s the 2019 SEMA Show in Las Vegas and Steve Rozansky was there along with Felecia Rozansky ~ live from the massive Convention Center floor.
Steve and Felecia in Vegas with Factory Motor Parts
Matt kicks it off with Ryan. They introduce Kyle from Vantage West Credit Union. They also introduced Fernando Sanchez of Kolor Pros. Steve and Felecia are once again out of the studio. Last week, Steve and Felecia were out at the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Awards for Ethics, for which they were a finalist! Friendly Auto Centers is just racking up these awards.
Steve joined from the show in Vegas! He was with Tony Picorrelo at the Factory Motor Parts booth, where they were showing new brake pads, a new battery. These parts are from FVP, a high quality product, with a lifetime warranty. The booth is huge, super popular. Steve was on the phone while Felecia shot the video from her phone. How cool!
Factory Motor Parts has been around 75 years and supports great shops like Friendly. Steve said goodbye to Tony and moved on over to Mechanic Advisor. The show is huge, with over 100,000 people there! Greg at Mechanic Advisor had new tools that will revolutionize how auto work is done. It’s a telematics device that plugs into a vehicle and can share with the customer’s app what’s going on. It bridges the communication gap between the client and the shop. It also monitors PID sensors, so if the airbag gets deployed, the app will send notifications. You can know of any accident before the police do. Friendly is going to give away five new “dongles” (connection key) on Monday, to the first five people who show up at the shop. Friendly is the first connected shop in all of Arizona!
Steve threw it back to Matt and Ryan.
Fernando mentioned that he already has one of these in his truck. He loves it, because whenever an issue pops up, he can jump right on it and get it fixed. The diagnostics are great for knowing what’s going on. That info goes right to Steve’s shop, so his guys are ready.
Building Credit for Kids and Young Adults
Kyle with Vantage West Credit Union joins in the conversation. What does it mean to be a local credit union versus a big bank? Steve and Felecia always focus on local businesses, and how much that means. What about Vantage? They were founded in Tucson in 1955 on Davis-Monthan Air Base — shout out to the vets! They became a state charter and serve Arizona. As a member of the credit union, you are an owner! You become a part of the growth of the union. You can profit from growth. What you put into the bank goes into your community and helps it thrive.
They are also big on community service, even more than banking. They are big into literacy programs. They also fund buildings, workers, non-workers, and help keep money flowing into the community. You can talk to Kyle for any of your banking needs. But they are changing how they work. They’re going to a relationship-based system, where you’ll have one person to handle all of your banking needs, rather than going to a teller, then getting passed around.
Matt shared an example of how Kyle came into his office and spent time with his team, talking to them about the advantages of a credit union and how it could help them with personally. Kyle and his team love to help individuals and businesses. He’ll come in and speak about anything from credit, buying a car, loans, etc. It gives Kyle the chance to open accounts and help the business and their employees.
What about young adults, say an 18-year-old? Just go down to the branches (2 in Mesa, 1 in Gilbert, also in Phoenix). Open up the account. You only need $5 membership, which stays in your savings/membership account. You’ll walk out with a debit card ready to go. They even have a free account, with no service fees — no minimum balance, either. There’s no credit check, unless you’re applying for a loan.
Any age restrictions for the kids? Nope. They like to help kids get started young. The kids will even get treats as they come in and make deposits!
Matt shared his experience in college with his first credit card. Like so many, he racked it up (free money!) to $500. With interest and lack of payments, it got to around $1400! How does Kyle and Advantage help avoid that? They educate their customers. They want customers to understand what it is and what it is. When people understand, they do better and protect their credit scores.
Keep Those Car Headlights Clean!
Ryan and Matt welcome Fernando Sanchez with Kolor Pros. Fernando’s works on dents, scratches and dings that are too big for detailers and too small for body shops. He can turn around his work faster than a body shop. He does his painting right on site. He doesn’t do body work, but he can often repair small dents in bumpers. You may avoid having to pay for a replacement.
If you can see the primer below the paint on a scratch, Kolor Pros can take care of that. He’ll sand it town and paint it.
Fernando has been in the business for 30 years, having started in Tucson. He’s a UofA graduate. He moved to Mesa after and now services the entire valley. He does a lot of work for snowbirds, so he gets to work with people from all over the country.
Fernando also helps deglazing and restoring headlights (see video for an example). Replacing those parts can be $200 to $6000 per side from a dealer. He saves you money on that and guarantees it for two years — $95-125 per set. That helps the snowbirds see better!
They also take care of airplane windows. They restore the horizontal lines on a plane’s window, so that the pilot doesn’t have to replace the windows, which are very high cost. It’s an easier way to restore the windows and reduces any down time on the plane.
There’s no job too small. Call Fernando if you have any questions and get peace of mind. Especially with the headlights. People tend to wait too long. Once they get it done, it’s amazing how much more they can see.
Matt points out that clean headlights is part of being safe and reducing risk — and possible claims.
Add Value to Your Car with Clear Headlights
Kyle had a question for Fernando. Can he fix a puncture hold in a bumper? Absolutely. Unless the bumper is partially ripped off, he can fill it and make it look like new.
What about older vehicles? About five years ago, Fernando predicted that insurance companies would start to blame poor headlights for accidents. He was right. When headlights start to glaze over, you can lose up to 30% visibility. Cars and animals can look further away, contributing to an accident. Stay safe!
Cleaned up headlights can also make a car look better and add value. Just imagine the first impression when buying a car, one with clear headlights, one with cloudy lights. Which has more value and will sell for more?
Matt Talks Life Insurance
If you can get it through work, great! Buy more. But, you may not always work there. So, it’s important to think about having your own life insurance policy. Call Matt on this, and he can walk you through it.
There’s a life insurance policy for everybody, no matter age, marital status, etc. Obviously, having kids and a spouse presents difference needs for life insurance. There is a unique solution for every individual.
Can you be too old for life insurance? It can get too expensive over the age of 80. But even up until 79, you can take care of your family. Avoid a GoFundMe ending!
Mortgage Market Update with Ryan
Ryan mentioned the stock market hitting an all-time high. The volatility hurts a bit, but the average 30-year loan is still under 4%. Applications are up at 115% year over year. Still lots of activity. Contact Ryan. He’ll pay for your appraisal!
Shout out to all Veterans! Buy one a meal or a tank of gas.
Wrap Up
Until next week, Drive Friendly Arizona!
