Auto Warranty News

Every year there are more than 10,000 vehicle accidents in the nation and approximately 450 people die as a result of the collision. Many of these accidents can be avoided by having routine maintenance performed on your car.

The vehicle is by far the most popular means of transportation in the U.S. In fact, 91% of adults in our country own, or have owned a car.

Before you hit the road again, check the following parts of your car to make sure that they are operating properly.

First, take a look at your tires. Many people neglect to check their tires and end up with blowouts. Make sure that your air levels are good. You can reference your owner’s manual to find out what the right level should be. Also, you want to make sure that there aren’t any leaks, low treads, or worn spots.

Next, change your windshield wipers about twice in a year. Your windshield is actually one of the most important parts of your car because if you can’t see the road well you are in trouble.

Brakes should be monitored to make sure they are working correctly. If your brake pedal is moving all the way down to the floor when you step on it, have your brakes looked at by a professional. More recent cars have a warning system to let you know if your brakes aren’t operating correctly.

Maintenance can save you from a dangerous accident. To save your wallet, make sure you have a good auto warranty that will keep you from paying unnecessary repair costs. You don’t want to find yourself unprepared.

The downturn of the U.S. economy has drivers steering toward purchasing used cars instead of new ones.

A recent survey examining 40 car retailers indicated used car sales have increased.  In fact, of the dealerships, 28 percent said that they had sold more used vehicles than expected.

Also, 82 percent of the dealerships indicated that their used car inventory is just enough.  This is up 64 percent from last year at the same time.

In addition, 15 percent of the dealerships claimed that they didn’t have enough inventories, which was higher than the 6 percent in the previous survey.

Used vehicle interest could represent a bright spot for an expected gloomy year in the automotive industry.  Consumers want to save money on cars, used car warranties, and auto loans.

After a great deal of excitement for several months about the new El Camino looking vehicle by Pontiac, and a lot of speculation that the vehicle might even use the El Camino name, Pontiac has chosen a name: G8 ST.

G8 comes from the fact that this sporty truck has been based on the car platform of the G8, and ST means that it’s a sport truck.

Pontiac had a national contest to come up with a name for the truck.  They had to sift through approximately 18,000 names by almost 90,000 submissions in its contest called ‘Tame the Name’.  G8 ST was one of the suggestions that were the most popular, which kept with a trend for easy-to-remember, simple names.

The new G8 ST will be sold late in 2009 as a model that is 2010.  Although information about the price of the car and the auto warranty haven’t been released.  This vehicle has a 361-hp, 6.0-liter V-8, and has active fuel management that has the ability to shut off four cylinders if they aren’t needed.

Used car buyers need to be aware of a common scam; odometer fraud.  This is the act of rolling back the odometer on a car.  This deceives buyers into thinking a vehicle has fewer miles than it really does.  It is estimated that this crime leads to sales of around 450,000 vehicles every year.

Also alarming is that digital odometers are easier to meddle with than traditional odometers.  There are ways that consumers can protect themselves against odometer fraud.

First of all, request to see the car’s title and make a comparison between its mileage and the car’s odometer.  Also, compare the mileage on the car’s maintenance records with the odometer on the vehicle.  In addition, sometimes there are stickers with maintenance records on doorframes and windows.

Next, you should ask for a Carfax History Report on the vehicle to see odometer discrepancies.  If the person selling the car doesn’t have one, you can order one online with the vehicles VIN number.

Finally, check to see that the odometer gauge numbers are all aligned.  If they aren’t aligned, or if they move when you tap on the dash, you may want to think twice about buying.

These tips can save you from buying a car that has been tampered with.  However, you never know the true history of a used car.  This is why used car warranties are a good idea to protect you against unforeseen repairs.

Recently, President Obama instructed the EPA to do a re-evaluation of California’s request, as well as 13 other states, to determine and regulate their own vehicle emissions standards.  Unfortunately, motorists haven’t been very concerned with emissions.  In fact, many people would rather hold onto their current cars with used car warranties, instead of buying a new car with cleaner emissions.

One problem that we face In the United States is that we have a federal guideline for gas efficiency, which is called CAFÉ.  President Obama recently claimed he would agree to strengthen this, which would mean stricter requirements coming next year.  Also, the EPA issues mileage ratings, which are placed on the stickers of new cars.  These numbers aren’t the same as the CAFÉ numbers, however the EPA utilizes a sizeable budget to determine these important numbers that consumers use every day.

New standards set for emissions set on a state-by-state basis would add on one more regulation.  So instead of having three or four various standards, it would be much easier to have one national one.  That way, for the states with big budget problems, such as California, they wouldn’t have the expense of regulating something so unwieldy like emissions.  Also, it would be a great help if the formula were a bit cleaner than the current CAFÉ ratings.

As the carmakers around the world race to build electric cars, North America isn’t prepared in regards to mining the battery material and producing batteries.

North America doesn’t have a hearty supply base for the market.  In fact, South America provides over half of the required lithium for batteries.  In about a decade, approximately 40% of lithium will derive from China.

The key is to come up with a long-term investment that is strategic.  This sort of investment came today.

Johnson Controls-Saft made an announcement that it won a contract of two years from an advanced battery group, made up of several carmakers and battery suppliers, including the Detroit carmakers, to build lithium-ion battery systems for hybrid cars that are plug-in.

Included in the contract is an $8.2 million allotment in research money that comes from the U.S. Department of Energy.  This joint venture between Saft and Johnson Controls Inc. will try to make the technology ready commercially for mass-market plug-ins.

It is essential that the manufacturing base is developed to make batteries in North America, so that we don’t have a dependency on other countries.  After all, consumers want to save money on gas by purchasing hybrid cars with a good auto warranty.

Soon, Nissan Motor Co. will put out vehicles that push back if drivers attempt to put their pedal to the metal.  Also, Nissan has been busy developing a test model that is loaded with added sensor technology in order to make cars crash-free.

The safety features that Nissan unveiled are among the latest of carmakers’ efforts to beef up their images.

The collision-free prototype by Nissan includes side and back sensors that enable brakes and alarms to turn on and aid in avoiding collisions.  This system also allows the car to maintain a driving distance that is safe from the vehicle in front, as well as aiding in preventing the car from veering out of its lane.

Nissan hopes that these efforts will cut the number of car accidents in half involving Nissan cars.

Nissan’s system, called “ECO Pedal”, which has been promoted as being safe and green, causes the gas pedal to press up when it is sensed that drivers are speeding up to fast.

In a news release, Nissan claimed that this system would allow motorists to improve their fuel-efficiency from 5-10%.

Global warming concerns and high gas prices are pressuring carmakers to put out ecological products.  In addition, consumers are protecting their wallets by taking extra precautions, such as purchasing an auto warranty, driving fewer miles, and buying fuel-efficient vehicles.

Getting the word out about a new product that meets the driving needs of young people, or a cynical attempt at branding oneself as “hip” by latching onto Millenials?

This question must be asked after the announcement by Ford about its scheme for advertising for the Fiesta, which is the European compact car that Ford is bringing to the U.S. in 2011.  This “Fiesta Movement” entails giving the keys of 100 Ford Fiestas to “100 socially vibrant Fiesta Movement ‘Agents’”, which will expand on their driving experiences on websites like YouTube and Facebook.

If you look at it from a business standpoint, the campaign is smart.  After all, Barack Obama proved that tapping into America’s youth could win you a Presidency.  In fact, Millenials are going to account for around 70 million motorists by the year 2010, or 28% of drivers who haven’t yet gotten the chance to develop loyalty for a particular brand.

Only time will tell if the Fiesta will catch on as a “movement”.  However, regardless, people are anticipating its arrival.  Information about pricing and new car warranties is yet to come.

New York State has a humungous budget gap to fill, which is why Gov. David Paterson is trying anything and everything to fill it. Included in his efforts is a proposed 5% tax on vehicles costing over $60,000.

Today, however, $60K isn’t what it used to be in terms of luxury vehicles.  Consumers should keep in mind that this tax isn’t only for vehicles with an MSRP of $60K or more.  If you buy a car that has an MSRP of $50,000, but you throw in a moon roof, GPS, leather seats, and a high-tech stereo system, it may push the price of the vehicle to over $60K, which would mean you would owe an additional 5% tax in NY.  Many cars would fit the bill, such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and the BMW 5 Series.

Yachts are also affected, however the tax doesn’t kick in until you spend at least $200,000.  Private jets will also escape this tax if they stay under $500,000.

The main problem with this tax is that luxury car sales will be hurt, even if just slightly.  Nameplates like Mercedes, BMW and Lexus have experienced a recent drop in sales, just like all of the other carmakers.  Unfortunately, this tax may make people hold off on buying a luxury vehicle and instead hold onto their current vehicles with the addition of an auto warranty.

Over the past few decades, perhaps one of the biggest technical developments has been to tires.  And now, new rules concerning tires will yield even more mileage and safety improvements.

After the estimated 280 deaths that were linked to Firestone tire failures on the Ford Explorer SUVs, lawmakers ordered tire pressure monitoring systems are used.  These systems alert drivers if they have a tire with low air.

Thankfully, some of the recent monitoring systems don’t have problems that were experienced with the earlier technology.  Problems included false alerts, and failure to advise drivers which of their tires was low.

Now, there is a national registry that has been approved, allowing drivers to register their tires that they purchase.  In the case of a recall, such as Firestone, drivers would be notified quickly.

Drivers will be much safer with the new tire rules.  However, drivers should always protect themselves by doing regular tire pressure checks and having an auto warranty in case of necessary repairs.