Do You Want To End the Lease on an Assigned Vehicle?

It may be possible to end the lease of your vehicle before the end of its life if we can transfer your vehicle to another customer. To discuss this opportunity, we need to hear from you ASAP. We have begun ordering new vehicles early this year so we need to make any lease changes now. If you wish to discuss your vehicle lease, please call Mike  at 319-384-0564.

Out of Town Service Instructions

Some of the vehicles in our fleet are permanently located out-of-town so we wanted to give some basic guidance to follow when a University vehicle is serviced by a third-party vendor. The Fleet Services shop will contact customers when their vehicles are due for service.

When we contact you, we’ll discuss when the service is due and we’ll determine with you a convenient shop where the service can be performed. This may be a dealership or other larger shop. If the vendor recommends additional service, like tire replacement or brake work, contact the Fleet Services Shop for authorization at 319- 335-5105. If the service is being done at a dealership they should check for any pending recalls but it wouldn’t hurt to remind them. If service is completed in Iowa, we need to make sure the vendor removes tax prior to billing. Please call the Shop or Fleet Services office and we will provide payment with our credit card. If the service provider can email or fax an invoice to us that would be preferred, otherwise please obtain copies of all paperwork and email or fax them to Fleet Services.

Will the color of my car effect it’s resale value?

A new study from iseecars.com has revealed some interesting insight into that very question. Resale value is the single biggest factor in how much a new vehicle ‘costs’ over the course of ownership so it makes sense to put some thought into what color choice will hold its value the best. Surprisingly, popular colors like white, black, and silver are right in the middle of the range, while yellow, beige (yes, beige), and orange offer the most value. Check out the full article to understand what factors are driving the differences.

Driverless Cars in Iowa

Driverless cars are coming and Iowa is getting ready for them. In August, the State Transportation Commission approved rules for automated vehicles in Iowa to be voted on by the legislature in October. According to Daniel Yeh with the IA DOT, “We just want to be ready. We don’t know for sure when a manufacturer, when an operator might call up and say ‘Hey we are ready, we think there is a good situation or perhaps a good market we want to tap into.’ So, we really just want to make sure that we’ve thought this through in advance,” he says. Check out the article on driverless cars.  

Automated Drunk-Driving Detection

A new provision included as part of the proposed infrastructure bill paves the way for automated drunk-driving detection systems in cars. Among the systems that have been studied are ones that monitor a driver for signs of distracted, impaired, or fatigued driving. One uses sensors that scan drivers’ eyes for signs of impairment similar to how a police officer would. According to Rep. Debbie Dingell, “The inclusion of my bill in the bipartisan infrastructure package will help incentivize the development and implementation of technology to stop drunk driving once and for all and save lives.” Check out the article from Bloomberg that explains this and other automotive provisions being considered.

Inventory Time!!

For those customers who have vehicles that are permanently assigned, it is a good idea to occasionally check to see if everything that should be in the vehicle is there. Here is a list of things you should have in each of your assigned vehicles:  ice scraper, yellow envelope with a Regents and DOT accident report forms, the vehicle registration, a self-insurance letter from Risk Management (Iowa is a proof of insurance state), a roadside assistance card or letter, an owner’s manual, and a fuel credit card. If your vehicle is missing any of these items, please let us know and we can get you a replacement.