Auto Warranty News

As the economy declines, more motorists are trying to save money by abandoning their car insurance.

According to the Insurance Research Council, the uninsured rate and the unemployment rate are directly correlated.  When unemployment increases 1%, uninsured drivers increase a half-percent.  Unemployment is up a great deal since last year.

In a study that is coming out next month, the council claims there have been several hundred thousand drivers that have let their insurance lapse, or dropped it in the last year.

What this means is that your odds of getting hit by a driver that is uninsured have gone up drastically, and usually people who are uninsured don’t have very many assets if you plan to sue for damages.

For people who have the funds, coverage for being hit by underinsured or uninsured drivers has become a necessary protection even though it raises your premium 7% to 9%.  And, you don’t want to let your insurance lapse because you will be charged a 25% to 50% surcharge for a new policy.  Also, drivers should protect themselves with used car warranties.

Vehicles make people irrational.  They become our babies and we wash and wax them every weekend.  People even talk to their cars and give them an affectionate pat every now and then.  But as much as we love our cars, we don’t need to spend unnecessary money on them.  Here are some things that you might be wasting your money on.

First of all, you don’t need to purchase premium gas over regular.  Buy the gas that is the cheapest that doesn’t allow your engine to knock.  The purpose of octane is to prevent knock, so if your car isn’t knocking with regular gas, you’re fine.

Typically, car manufacturers suggest that you get an oil change every 5,000-7,500 miles.  Many people feel that they need oil changes every 3,000 miles.  This is only necessary if you’re hard on your vehicle.

Also, people waste money by having repairs done at a dealer.  Independent shops will do a good job for much less money.  And make sure you have an auto warranty so you aren’t paying unnecessary repair costs.  Also, roadside assistance will save you money in the long run.

Just being aware of where you are wasting money can allow you a big savings.  Don’t let people talk you into unnecessary car expenses.

Smart cars are becoming more and more popular because of the downsizing trend.  But many consumers have reservations about the safety of this car because of its 8 feet long, 5 feet tall dimensions.  So how does the Smart car measure up in safety?

According to crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Smart car received the highest rating possible in side and front crashes and the second highest in rear crashes.  The Smart car comes standard with front-end airbags on the passenger and driver side.

Also, motorists can feel good knowing that the Smart Car is made by Mercedes.  The Mercedes name has earned consumers trust, and they have always had excellent safety.

In the Smart Car the passengers are essentially sitting on top of a roll cage.  This is an iron frame that surrounds the car and provides a buffer zone in crashes.

Although the Smart Car has excellent safety features, the IIHS reminds consumers that cars are ranked in their class, determined by the size and weight of the vehicle.  This means that the Smart Car is in the top of its class, but this doesn’t mean that the car is as safe as vehicles in other classes.

Consumers are taking safety into their own hands by purchasing safe cars with an auto warranty.  The Smart Car is a great choice for its class based on its safety features.

Because many people lead busy lives, they try to pick a repair shop that is close to their home.  They also try to find a shop that they believe to be trustworthy.  Motorists take for granted the freedom of being able to pick where their cars get repaired.  This may all be coming to an end.

Cars operate through their computers, and it is necessary to have the computer codes to determine if something is faulty on the vehicle.  However, car manufacturers often don’t like to release the codes.  This means that independently owned repair shops might not be able to properly make repairs.  In addition, drivers will be forced to take their vehicles to dealerships.  This makes an auto warranty even more necessary for motorists because dealerships tend to charge more for repairs.

There are approximately 220 million cars in the country and only 21,000 vehicle dealerships.  Also, there are around 130,000 businesses that make a business of repairing cars.  If these businesses don’t have access to computer codes they may eventually go out of business because they won’t be able to perform many repairs on cars.

Unfortunately, you never know when your car is going to require repairs, so regardless of where you take your car for service, make sure you have an auto warranty to protect your wallet.

There is no vehicle quite as exhilarating as a convertible.  Motorists love to feel the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces.  Convertibles give drivers a sense of freedom that is hard to find in any other vehicle.  However, are convertibles a good purchase?  Read on and decide for yourself.

Automakers have spent a lot of time improving convertibles.  Motorists used to have to worry about retractable tops leaking, but that is a thing of the past.  Today, convertible tops are superb at sealing out weather and sound.  And whether fabric or metal, the tops can go up and down with the touch of a button in less than 30 seconds.

Convertible safety has also greatly improved.  Cars are now equipped with side airbags.  These airbags deploy from the line of the window in order to create protection.  This is important in the case of a crash or rollover.

Although the convertible market hasn’t been growing, there are many interesting choices for consumers to consider.  Models that are newer, such as the Volkswagen Eos and Saturn Sky have been doing well in sales.  You might also want to consider a high-performance convertible, such as the Dodge Viper SRT10, Audi RS 4 Cabriolet, or the Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet.  The benefit of buying a new convertible is that it comes with an auto warranty.

Unfortunately, many convertible owners admit that the novelty of driving a convertible wears off within the first year.  Luckily, convertibles hold their value very well, which means that if you become fickle, you probably won’t have a hard time getting your money back.

Car dealers have haggled with car shoppers for years.  This practice has allowed salesmen to con buyers into buying cars and new car warranties, using all kinds of negotiating strategies.  But car dealers have paid for it by being known as untrustworthy.

Some dealers are changing their old ways by dumping haggling.  The eighth largest chain of dealers in America, Lithia Automotive Group, announced that they are going to make all 108 of their stores haggle-free within three years.

Toyota’s Scion has implemented a policy for no negotiation from its onset four years ago.  This has prompted dealers who sell Toyota vehicles to apply the one-price approach.

And all over the country, independent dealers who carry various brands of domestic and foreign vehicles are teaching their employees to sell cars like the rest of the retail world.  In other words, cars come with a price tag and a smile from the salesperson.

This no-haggle method will make buying a car a more pleasant experience for consumers.  Now that people can look up a car’s base price online, they don’t have patience for haggling.  In addition, people are able to compare the prices of new car warranties online.

Consumers have been more concerned than ever about saving money on their vehicles.  They are doing everything from purchasing small, fuel-efficient cars, to purchasing an auto warranty to ensure they don’t pay unnecessary repair expenses.  But are they willing to skip the amenities that come in new cars, such as air conditioning, an automatic transmission, and power locks and windows, to save money?  And are stripped cars even available?

The truth is that it can be hard to find a car stripped with crank windows and a manual transmission.

According to JATO Dynamics, 89% of vehicles sold in America last year came standard with automatic transmissions, which is up from 85% in 2003.  Also, power locks came standard on 87% of cars sold, compared to 80% in 2003.

The vehicles that offer these features as optional tend to be on small cars, yet economy-car buyers usually pick convenience and comfort over cost if given a choice.

For example, the cheapest model by Toyota is the Yaris, which begins at $11,550 for a 2008 base model hatchback with air-conditioning.  However, approximately 80% of Yaris buyers choose to pay an extra $900 for an automatic, and about 60% opt for a power windows and locks package, which costs an extra $1,680.

It appears that features, such as air conditioning, and automatic transmissions are necessities that most people aren’t willing to live without, just like new car warranties.

If you’re a lover of old cars you aren’t alone. Antique car shows all over the U.S. display vintage cars.  Crowds gather to admire these charming vehicles.  Owners who display their vehicles have a great deal of pride.

Many people who own vintage cars have restored them piece-by-piece, literally. It’s not just that they have rebuilt the vehicle; they have restored it back to its original state.

It is simple to differentiate between rebuilding and restoring a car.  A car that has been rebuilt has new parts.  A restored car has parts that are authentic to its year and model.

The restoration process encompasses the body of the car and the mechanical components.  It is amazing to some people that the actual parts must be original to the year and make of the vehicle, but this is necessary for a true restoration.

The restoration also includes the vehicle’s interior.  The upholstery should be repaired whenever possible.  It can be nearly impossible to find the exact upholstery for a car’s year and make.  If this is the case, you need to get as close as possible to the original.

The restoration of a car is a labor of love, but well worth it.  There is no greater satisfaction than turning a piece of junk into a beautiful classic.  And don’t forget an auto warranty will bring any motorist peace of mind, especially with a vintage car.

If you’re planning to purchase a used vehicle you need to find out as much as you can about it.  The car could have problems that you can’t detect by looking at it.  In order to understand the car that you are getting, get a vehicle history report.  This will give you combined information from DMVs, RMVs, and police reports about the car that you are looking at.  Here are some things to consider when looking at the vehicle report.

Determine if the car has had many owners.  You are better off with a car that has had fewer owners because there is more of a likelihood that the car has been taken good care of.  Although inexpensive, rental cars will have undergone a great deal of abuse.

Also, consider the location that the car has been in.  This is important because some climates are harsher on cars.  For example, winter conditions are hard on cars because of salty roads.  Obviously, excessive heat and flood areas are also of concern.

Finally, make sure that the name and description on the history report actually match the vehicle you’re looking at.  This will help avoid types of fraud, such as vehicle identification number cloning.

A used car is a great way for people to save money and get a great car.  Just do your homework to make sure you are getting a good buy.  You need to consider the costs of used car warranties, auto insurance, and maintenance costs.  An auto warranty is a good way to get peace of mind when purchasing a used vehicle.

The Prius has become one of the hottest vehicles in the country.  This is actually quite amazing because this is a hybrid electric vehicle, which requires people to embrace change. With any change, people like to protect themselves.  Many people feel better purchasing a hybrid if they have an auto warranty to go along with it. The billion-dollar question that innovators face is whether people will resist or embrace innovation.  Apparently, Toyota got it right, because thousands of people are buying the Prius.

People accustomed to a regular vehicle would struggle to get the Prius to move forward.  In addition, people probably couldn’t figure out how to put the car in reverse.  However, these are not hard lessons to learn, they just require people to change their way of thinking.  To start the Prius you press a button located on the dashboard twice.  To make your car go forward or backward you manipulate a small stick that comes out of the dashboard.

People might fear technology because it is seductive, yet they might also have a fear of not being able to change. Either way, it is good to protect yourself.  This includes purchasing new car warranties that will cover you in the case of faulty technology.  Innovators never really know which way the cash register will ring.  However, Toyota got it right with the Prius.