Auto Warranty News

Luckily, at the moment, not all of the economic news is tragic.

According to economists from Comerica Bank, vehicles have currently become more affordable than has been seen in 28 years.  So, the last time vehicle shoppers’ purchases made up this small of a piece of his or her income, fuel prices were higher than ever and comedians were telling jokes about how old presidential candidates were.

Comerica claims that the average cost of a light vehicle currently is $27,704, including new car warranties, and the average amount of money that people spent on a vehicle fell $700 this quarter, to approximately $23,900.  Motorists have been keeping their payments down by stretching out how much time they will take to pay it off, which is currently more than 62 months.

Incentives have spurred the trend, which continue to get better as dealers try to get rid of inventory (they especially look appealing if you want to purchase an SUV or truck), but for the most part, motorists have just begun to want less-expensive models

California’s Air Resources Board withdrew its stringent mandates for vehicles with zero-emissions, in favor of hybrids that are charged with mainly electricity.

California is the biggest and most important car market in the world.  In fact, over 2 million vehicles are purchased in the state every year. Consequently, the most new car warranties and auto loans are also sold there. Its pollution stance has had an influence on countries all over the world.  For the last 18 years, the board has required GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and VW to up production and sales of zero-emissions cars.

Auto manufacturers have tried to fight the rules, which are, and have been tough.  They were developed originally to put out 25,000 zero-emissions vehicles between 2012 and 2014, however the board realized that this is an impractical goal.  Now, carmakers have been offered a 70% cut in the original figure, with a new requirement to produce 7,500 zero-emissions cars.

In exchange, manufacturers must produce 58,000 hybrids that are plug-in in that same period of time.  If they do this, they must in addition produce 25,000 zero-emission cars between 2015 and 2017.

Most people don’t realize that there is certain etiquette involved when buying parts at the parts counter.  Following this etiquette will allow you to get the parts that you want without unnecessary hassle and keep you from driving the staff crazy.

When you go to a parts counter at a dealership you need to have your VIN handy, which is basically the magic key to all of the car codes.  At places such as Advance Auto or NAPA, you just need to know the make, model, year, and engine of your car.

Make sure to know what the part’s name is that you need.  If this is something you don’t know, be able to describe what it looks like or what it is going to attach to.  Don’t make up a name for the part you want; this is where 90% of wrong parts come from.  If worse comes to worse, take the staff out to your car and point to the part you’re looking for.

When ordering an expensive part you want to ask about return policies and auto warranty terms.  And get the answer in writing.  This can be as simple as having him write the information on the receipt.  This will save a lot of hassle if something breaks down the line.

Finally, don’t go to the parts counter to diagnose your vehicle.  Counter-staff gets very annoyed when you try to return a part because it wasn’t even the problem in the first place.

Following these simple etiquette tips will allow you to get the parts that you need with little hassle.  And make sure you have used car warranties, because you never know when your vehicle will need to be repaired.

Here is some information that parents hate to hear: the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested booster seats for safety and found that 13 models out of the 41 that were tested rated so poorly in the area of seat belt fit that they aren’t recommended by the IIHS.  Parents try to do everything possible to keep their kids safe, such as maintaining their cars with the addition of an auto warranty and buying safety seats, so this news is unfortunate.

According to Adrian Lund, the IIHS president, the 13 seats not recommended don’t provide kids with the full benefit of an improved lap belt fit.  She claims that these boosters may make children more comfortable, but they don’t allow seat belts to be positioned in such a way that provides optimal protection.

The IIHS puts out a reminder to parents that booster seats aren’t intended to provide extra crash protection; instead they allow for a better fit and make the seat belt more effective.  Seat belts were designed with adults in mind and until a child is 4 feet 9 inches tall, they won’t fit correctly.  An efficient booster seat reroutes the seat belt across the bony parts of a child’s body and away from the abdomen, which is a vulnerable injury area.  However, the IIHS did say children are better off riding in any booster seat, rather than unbuckled.

Here are the tested seats that aren’t recommended:

• Cosco/Dorel (Eddie Bauer) Summit
• Graco CarGo Zephyr
• Compass B505
• Compass B510
• Evenflo Generations
• Dorel/Safety 1st (Eddie Bauer) Prospect
• Cosco/Dorel Traveler
• Cosco Highback Booster
• Cosco/Dorel Alpha Omega
• Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch
• Safety 1st/Dorel Intera
• Safety Angel Ride Ryte backless
• Evenflo Big Kid Confidence

Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested additional small cars from the 2009 model year and discovered that 11 out of the 21 cars that were tested claimed a Good rating in side crash tests, which is the top rating.  That’s a significant increase from the three out of 19 small cars back in 2006 that got that rating.

However, it is notable that out of the seven cars tested in this round, none of them received the Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, like the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic did.  Among the cars with the highest rating were the Ford Focus, Suzuki SX4, the Toyota Matrix, and the Pontiac Vibe.  The poorest scoring car was by far the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which scored Poor in rear and side tests.

IIHS made it a point to say that although small cars have made large improvements, large cars are still a safer choice.

IIHS senior vice president Joe Nolan said, “There’s no escaping the laws of physics.  People in larger, heavier cars fare better in crashes with other vehicles and in single-vehicle crashes than people in smaller ones.”

Consumers are becoming more and more concerned with vehicle safety, and tests show that small cars are improving greatly in crash tests.  Motorists can also protect themselves by purchasing an auto warranty and keeping up with car maintenance.

Unfortunately, drivers can be faced with an unpleasant surprise in the morning when they discover they have a weak battery. Some people may be lucky enough to be covered by auto road service, however others may not. A car won’t start when the starter is not receiving the power that it needs.  However, help is here.  Continental now has The Intelligent Battery Sensor, which gives a warning if age is making the battery run down.  It does this by determining the charge status of your car’s battery.

One third of vehicle breakdowns are due to batteries that are empty.  One reason for this is because today’s car batteries must do more than in past years.  Just look at all of the responsibilities that car electronics have taken on. They ensure that passengers are safer, simplify orientation in traffic, and make passengers more comfortable. This means that batteries also have higher requirements.  This is why Continental’s Electronic Battery Sensor is so beneficial.

Although the new battery sensor is small, it is a great advancement in technology.  It will allow motorists to have an indication of when to change their batteries.  This will definitely cut down on drivers being stranded.  However, technology is never full proof, so it is a good idea to protect yourself with an auto warranty.

Now, people search the Internet to purchase cars, an auto warranty, and car loans.  One great resource for this is Autoopia, or autoopia.com.  This is a new search engine that has revolutionized the way that people search for cars, just like Google revolutionized the way in which people make general searches.  The people who created this website have made a search engine dedicated solely to cars.  Also, the interface is simple and clean, which allows users to easily search for cars.

To do this Autoopia gathers car ads and online listings in the thousands.  Their database is growing continuously, and it lists millions of cars.  Also convenient is that the site saves people’s searches automatically, which allows people to return to the site later and use previous search results.

Consumers are pleased with Autoopia because they have a great first impression with the smooth interface, yet the extensive search results leave people coming back for more.

Another plus to this search engine is that people only get results for the specific car that they looked for, no others.

Shopping online can be a great way to buy a car, and Autoopia is a great place to look.  People can find good deals on cars, and then easily search for new car warranties and car loans.  The Internet has now revolutionized the way motorists shop.

As further proof that we never know what gas and oil prices will do, fuel prices have remained steady since Friday, with the nationwide average at $1.65 a gallon.  This ended a three-month free fall of gas prices.

So, now will prices begin to climb?

Well, there could be a slight rise as drivers get on the roads for the holidays.  However, this will be countered by an economy that is still awful and winter, which is the time of year when gas prices are there lowest anyway.  According to a recent USA/Gallup Poll, just 12% of motorists claim they have gone back to their usual driving habits, which is incredible considering how far gas prices have fallen.

So, what’s to expect with fuel prices down the road?

No one really knows, however experts are predicting fuel prices will hover around $1.50 before they start rising to about $2.25 a gallon this summer.

At the moment, OPEC has cut oil production by about 2 million barrels, we have a weak dollar and one has to wonder if motorists will do away with their new driving habits that are so conservative, since gas is so cheap.  One thing is for sure though, drivers are hanging onto their current cars and purchasing used car warranties instead of buying new vehicles.

Sales of crossovers are one of the strongest segments in the auto industry.  What exactly is a crossover?  A crossover combines attributes from both SUVs and minivans with the positive characteristics we enjoy on passenger cars.

Crossovers typically have the cargo room and passenger space that you find in minivans, yet add the utility, usefulness, and even all-wheel-drive systems that you find on SUVs.  All of these attributes come with the smooth ride, easy operation and secure handling of passenger cars.  Basically, crossovers are built to be a combination of the best of all worlds.  In addition, most crossovers come with a good auto warranty that gives drivers peace of mind.

Consumers who purchase crossovers have a variety of different interests and activities that call for a flexible, practical car with varied features.  Crossover owners like to be ready for anything and everything, and they expect the same from their vehicle.

Other crossover owners are motorists who need to be able to carry more than four passengers, but they don’t want the image that goes along with the minivan, and they don’t want SUVs because of gas consumption and clumsy handling.

The crossover segment of the auto industry is becoming more and more crowded, with new vehicles coming out rapidly.  These vehicles offer consumers versatility, reliability, and new car warranties.  What’s not to like?

Many times, SUV drivers believe that they have the safest vehicles on the road.  People assume that because they are driving a large vehicle, they are indestructible.  However, this isn’t the case.

Actually, SUVs have a much greater tendency to roll over in a crash than any other vehicle type.  And, research shows that about 35% of fatalities in car crashes are from rolling.  Recently, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that there is a direct correlation between SUVs roof strength and the injury risk to passengers.  In other words, the stronger a car’s roof is, the less injuries incurred by occupants.

Currently, the U.S. government has a requirement that cars should withstand a force that is 1.5 times the weight of the car before reaching 5 inches of crush.  However, the government wants to change that to 2.5 times the vehicle’s weight, for safety reasons.

Drivers can never foresee when they will be involved in a car crash.  However, to protect themselves, drivers can purchase a vehicle rated high for safety with new car warranties and take safety precautions behind the wheel.