Auto Warranty News

Don’t purchase a pre-owned car without first having it looked at by an independent mechanic.  It is hard to know the true state of a pre-owned car until you have a professional examine it.  You don’t want to find out after you buy a car that you bought a lemon.

If you leave a photo I.D. with a dealer they shouldn’t have a problem with you having a private inspection performed.  Even if the dealer tells you that they have already had an inspection done, insist that you want to have an inspection by an independent shop.

A good mechanic should inspect the undercarriage of a car by putting it on a lift.  It will cost you approximately $100 to get a thorough diagnostic, but find out in advance.  You can ask the mechanic to give you a written report, which will give you details of the car’s condition.  The report could come in handy when it comes time for you to negotiate with the dealer.

If you aren’t sure how to find a good repair shop, ask around for a referral from someone trustworthy.  You can also ask for advice from your local auto-parts store.  But, whatever you do, don’t pick a mechanic’s name out of the phone book.

Buying a used vehicle can be a great option, but you need to protect yourself by getting a private inspection and purchasing 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.

What do you get if the “hybrid” is taken out of a hybrid pickup truck?  In the case of GM, you get the XFE, or Xtra Fuel Economy pickup trucks that are full size.  These trucks share a lot of running gear and hardware with their hybrid counterparts; however, the exception is the two mode gas-electric powertrain.

The Chevrolet Silverado XFE and GMC Sierra XFE provide fuel-efficiency ratings of 15/21 mpg for city/highway, in comparison to 21/22 mpg for city/highway for GMs two-mode hybrids and 14/20 mpg for non-XFE pickups that are comparable.  That is an approximate 5%-7% improvement over the trucks that are non-XFE.

Models that are XFE only come in two-wheel drive with the E85-capable LC9 5.3-liter V-8 and a six-speed transmission that is automatic.  An Aluminum engine block, as well as aluminum cylinder heads is used by the LC9 to save weight.  In addition, it has active fuel management in order to change the V-8 between eight-cylinder and four-cylinder modes in order to save fuel.

Consumers are looking to save money on fuel, and GM has delivered.  Also, consumers are concerned with purchasing cars with good new car warranties in order to avoid unnecessary repair expenses down the road.

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.

Many motorists wonder what it actually means for a car to be considered “clean”.  The new Jetta TDI is a prime example.  This car will use a new fuel that is an ultra-low sulfur diesel.  It used to be that diesel fuel contained large amounts of sulfur, which harmed devices like catalytic converters that are put in the exhaust stream to help clean harmful emissions.

Now, ultra-low sulfur diesel has reduced the content of sulfur by 97%, which allows carmakers to add devices that will reduce emissions, without risking damage to the components.  Of course, devices like these will vary from carmaker to carmaker, just like new car warranties.

There are four new emission-reducing devices in the new Jetta TDI.  According to VW, they are an oxidation catalyst for carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, storage catalyst for nitrogen emissions oxides, particulate emissions trap, and for hydrogen sulfide emissions, a slip catalyst.

Changes that have been made under the hood of the 2009 Jetta TDI include four valves per cylinder (not two), common rail fuel injection, and new calibration for the engine.

The national average cost for fuel in June and July was just over $4 per gallon, fueling a trend in small, fuel-efficient cars.  However, motorists’ focuses on small cars in now shifting as fuel prices are dropping.

In fact, data shows that small vehicle trends are leveling off, and there is a reclaimed interest in segments that were previously declining, such as crossover SUVs.  Even the all-popular hybrid has seen a 34% decline in interest since June, as fuel prices have decreased.

It’s as if high has prices made consumers forget other car requirements, and just focus on fuel economy.  However, with the initial alarm fading and prices declining, people are now able to look at the big picture.

It’s gas prices, not vehicle incentives that are causing the shift in vehicle requirements.  Many cars that offer big incentives still have large drops in consumer interest, while other cars that offer lower incentives are seeing an increase in consumer interest.

Although interest seems to be shifting, people still aren’t purchasing bigger cars.  Instead, consumers are putting their money into smaller cars with an auto warranty that will save them money on gas.

With the fall term approaching, college students are seeking out the perfect vehicle to drive to college.  And while it isn’t hard to find a great looking car, it takes a lot of research to find a vehicle high in fuel-efficiency, reliability, and safety, with a low sticker price and a good auto warranty.  Here are some great cars with all of these features.

The Ford Focus is an entry-level car that is roomy.  Also it will fulfill music lovers because of it SYNC system, which is a hands-free, voice activated entertainment and communications interface that allows the car to be linked to all phones, MP3 players, PDAs, and storage devices.

The Honda Fit is a five-door hatchback subcompact with great fuel-efficiency.  On the highway it gets 34 mpg and in the city it gets 28 mpg.  This car has a roomy interior featuring a “Magic Seat” that folds and reveals a cargo area that can fit a standard bicycle.

The 2008 Hyundai Elantra is a great compact car.  It’s fuel-economy is 25/33 mpg.  The interior has numerous features, such as power door locks, power windows, remote entry, and heated rearview mirrors.  Also, this car has the option for a Bluetooth system, a power sunroof, and a 220-watt audio system that has an iPod jack.

These are all great cars for college students that will satisfy parents and students.  In addition, they come with impressive new car warranties that will protect students from unnecessary repair expenses.

Ford Motor Co. recently made a promise that its new compact and sub-compact cars, which are due in 2010, will exceed the industry average in quality.

According to Bennie Fowler, the Ford VP of Global Quality, the carmaker will maintain its “things gone wrong” at approximately 800 for every 1,000 cars. This would be around 500 below the average for the industry. “Things gone wrong” is a yearly compilation of difficulties that car owners have in their first 90 days of owning a car.

To achieve the 800 goal, Ford will be using virtual reality tools that will allow 70% of problems to be reduced before vehicles are even built. In addition, an “army” of hourly workers will be trained to detect problems before a car will ever get to the showroom.

Ford’s commitment fuels the current battles between Ford and GM to shift their product lines to small, fuel-efficient cars. Consumers have begun to abandon trucks and SUVs and instead purchase small cars with new car warranties that will save them money at the pump.

With the average fuel prices at around $4 a gallon, many motorists are opting to trade in their big vehicles for small fuel-efficient models and purchase new car warranties. But, while that is a smart goal, it could cost you more in owner costs if you switch too early.

It makes sense that motorists want to cut down on their gas expenses and reduce the negative environmental effects as soon as possible. This is apparent from the recent dramatic drop in sales of pickup trucks and large SUVs.

However, it usually doesn’t pay to downsize if you’ve owned your vehicle for less than three years. It is important to remember two factors when considering a trade-in: financing charges and the depreciation of the car.

If you still owe on your car loan, it won’t be worth downsizing until after three years. This is because your initial monthly payment is made up mainly of interest, therefore less principal is paid into the loan in the first year than at the end.

Depreciation is the other main hurdle. In the first five years of ownership, depreciation makes up approximately 48% of the total car costs. After that point, depreciation will level off.

So, if you’re within the first five years of ownership hold off on purchasing a new car to save money because you won’t really be saving. It’s better to keep your car and purchase an auto warranty to protect yourself from costly repair expenses.

Shopping for insurance isn’t as easy as many people make it out to be. In fact, it requires a lot of effort to shop for the best deal. Consumers need to compare not just the price, but coverage details and exclusions. You don’t want to discover after a claim is filed that your policy with the terrific premium doesn’t include a type of coverage that you need.

According to the spokesperson for State Farm Insurance, it pays for people to shop around because coverage that is exactly the same can vary significantly from one carrier to the next.

The best thing to do is to call several large carriers and then contact a few independent agents to make sure you covered all of the bases.

When shopping for car insurance, the saying, “It’s too good to be true” definitely applies. If the premium is very low, you may not be getting the coverage you need.

When you talk with insurance agents, make sure to ask a lot of questions. Definitely find out what is covered and the cost, but also make sure you know how the claims will be processed.

Consumers should protect their wallets by purchasing insurance coverage that works for them, and make sure to have a comprehensive auto warranty. By taking these steps motorists can rest-assured that they wouldn’t be paying unnecessary costs.