Congratulations to all new drivers! With your freshly-printed license, you’re ready to zip off to all of the destinations that are now within your reach! But we at Alta Mere hope you’ll take a moment to consider what could make your first few trips safer. Mile for mile, new drivers are three times more likely to get into a wreck than experienced drivers. We want you to be safe, so consider outfitting your car with one or more of these accessories to help you curb hazardous behavior and get where you need to be with your car in one piece! Back-up Camera. It can be hard to get used to the size of your vehicle, and if you struggle to back up in the direction you want or to see everything behind you, a back-up camera could help! It allows you to see everything the body of your car bl ... read more

Keep Your Home Cool with Window Film. If you’re anything like us, the intense heat of the long summer is starting to wear you down. You might want to crank the air conditioning as high as it can go, but that would hit your wallet and the environment hard. Luckily, SmartView Window Solutions has the solution to this conflict – with window film, you can finally have the cool home or office you want, without the high energy bills that send your monthly budget out the window! Experts recommend that window film be applied to exterior windows to save money on energy. According to the United States Department of Energy, window film can reduce energy use by as much as 30 to 50 percent. Window film is much cheaper than replacing your windows or window frames, and it can make an incredible difference in the amount of energy you use cooling and heating your hom ... read more

Tips and Tools for a Safe and Pleasant Summer Vacation Car Trip. Summer is the time of the year that many families plan their vacations, often involving long car trips to the beach, mountains or national attractions. This may include several hours together in the car, which can be a great bonding experience or a situation that can lead to boredom and fights. Professionals with Alta Mere The Automotive Outfitters can provide you with some of the top driver safety products and auto accessories to make that long summer trip a safe and enjoyable one. Here are some of their top suggestions: Be Safe on the Road – Alta Mere offers a complete selection of driver safety products such as text/cell phone blocking, Bluetooth systems, blind spot indicators and collision avoidance cameras. These will help prevent distractions and keep your eyes on the road while making ... read more

July is National Ultraviolet Safety Awareness Month Enjoying the warm weather and sun is one of the best parts of the summer, but it has its own dangers. July is National Ultraviolet Safety Awareness Month, and Alta Mere has some tools to keep you and your family safe this summer. Ultraviolet (UV) light is responsible for much of the cases of skin cancer in the United States due to prolonged exposure to sunlight. According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, 85 percent of melanomas and 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancer cases are associated with exposure to UV radiation. You can even be exposed to UV rays through the windows of your car or home. In addition to wearing sunscreen every day, you can protect your skin by using window film to shield you from UV rays. In addition to reducing glar ... read more

Father’s Day is coming up! For fathers—and father figures—the world over, the day is a way to celebrate the bond they have with their families and to reflect on all the memories they’ve made. If thinking about what your dad means to you brings a warm smile to your face, then why not return the favor this year by getting him a gift worthy of being such a great dad? This year, we at Alta Mere challenge you to go the extra mile for your dad, and get him a gift he’ll fall in love with. Here are some gift ideas of things dad might appreciate more than a necktie! 1. Paint protection film. Your dad put a lot of money into his car, so something that preserves its cosmetic appeal might be just what he wants! A paint protection film clings to the car, and it takes all of the damage his paint job would suffer if it were unprotected. Nothing hurts worse than the first scratch on a ne ... read more

We’re Celebrating National Window Film Day April 30 is National Window Film Day. We’re pretty excited because one of our signature services is customized automotive window tinting installation. In fact, we can offer different tinting options to suit your preferences and custom cut the window film to fit the size and shape of any vehicle window. Even our President Peter Baldine is excited. In his words: “National Window Film Day is a perfect time to educate the public on the many benefits of window tinting for our cars, homes or offices. Our professionals at Alta Mere and SmartView can install window tint to fit any customer’s needs while keeping people cooler, protecting against UV rays and saving money in the long run.” Not sure what the benefits of custom window tinting are? Read on to find out. Heat reduction. Window tint can block up to 80 percent of the sun’s heat ... read more

Why You Need Window Film Before Summer Now that spring, (and April showers!), are officially here, we’re starting to look forward to summer. But with all the wonderful activities the season and fun in the sun bring, there are a few downsides, too. Mainly, there are all those harmful UV rays. That’s where window film comes in to protect you, your vehicle and your home. How can window tinting do all that? How window film protects your car: Reduce the heat in your vehicle. We all know the struggle of trying to cool down your car on a blazing hot summer day. When you can’t get your car cool, you’re in for an uncomfortable ride. Window tint has been proven to greatly reduce interior surface temperatures to keep you cool and comfortable. Protects interior components. Window tint reduces UV rays that can fade and crack leather seats and d ... read more

“Puffing” Cars vs. Remote Starters – Alta Mere’s Remote Car Starters Provide Vehicle Safety During chilly winter months, it is common for car owners to warm their vehicles while leaving their keys in the ignition and returning inside for several minutes. However, this practice which is commonly known as “puffing”, has led to a dramatic increase in auto theft. A study released last year by the National Insurance Crime Bureau showed a total of 126,603 cars were reported stolen with the keys in vehicle from 2012 to 2014. As a result, many states such as Texas, Maryland, Ohio, Colorado, West Virginia, Wisconsin and South Carolina have made it illegal to leave a car unattended with the key in the ignition. Officials in these states have seen this occurrence lead to an increase in auto theft that can also result in high-speed chases and get-away cars for burglaries. In an attempt to ... read more

We’ve seen a rise in the overall automotive aftermarket industry in recent years. But an interesting trend within the automotive accessories market is the rise of customers purchasing 12-volt products for their vehicles. Concerned parents, especially, are leading the charge in purchasing products, such as backup safety cameras and remote starters. Backup safety cameras and other safety products for vehicles have seen a steady rise in recent years. As costs for these accessories have fallen, customers are finding their benefits even more attractive. These cameras help drivers reduce their blind spots while backing up by an average of 90 percent. This, in turn, helps customers avoid collisions in parking lots, driveways and on the road every day. For working parents especially, the ability to have an extra set of eyes for safe ... read more

The business of automotive sales and automotive repairs is often seasonal, revolving around major holidays and sales. But what about the aftermarket auto industry? Has it been growing in the past few years, and where will it be going in the future? We’re here to answer the question. Has the automotive aftermarket industry grown? The short answer is yes. But there’s more to it than that. In 2014, the industry grew 2.5 percent, which was just another year of sustained growth since the economy began to recover after the recent recession. As consumers hold on to cars for longer, it has created a sweet spot for services, repairs and aftermarket accessories to keep those cars running well and looking good for a long time. Will the aftermarket industry continue to grow? According to the 2014 Join Channel Forecast Model, the automotive afte ... read more