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.

One of the family activities that are the most fun is going on road trips. Over the spring and summer, American families will go on over 320 trips. Although enjoyable, frustration can accompany families on the road. Take note of the following do’s and don’ts in order to ensure that your family has a great trip.

The most important thing that you can do is to get your family vehicle a tune-up. Your vehicle needs to be in top-notch condition. Nothing is worse than having your car breakdown, leaving you stranded. This is why an auto warranty is a necessity.

You should plan ahead so that your family knows what is happening during the trip. This will alleviate stressful situations and help things to go smoothly. In addition, you might want to purchase software to plan your trip and invest in a GPS. This advanced technology will act as your guide to your desired destination.

Of course, you never know when you will run into speed bumps throughout your trip. For example, road construction and traffic are inevitable. However, your trip doesn’t have to be ruined by these inconveniences. In addition, you can rest assured if you have used car warranties.

As the stock market plummeted and the number of jobs lost are at an all time high, many people have missed the big drop in fuel prices. Today, the average gas price across the nation is $3.50, according to AAA. That price has gone down since the record high of $4.11 in July.

According to experts, gas prices would be even lower right now if it weren’t for the fuel shortages in the South resulting from Hurricane Ike. If $3 gas is to become the norm again, you have to wonder if the large shift from buying large SUVs to small cars is going to reverse.

Almost every carmaker has made a shift in its production plans toward making cars with better fuel economy, and it is unlikely that gas prices of $3 per gallon will cause plans to change. Even if lower fuel prices are going to stay for a significant amount of time, the poor economy might still prevent car shoppers from purchasing large SUVs, despite the large discounts. Chances are consumers will still be purchasing small fuel-efficient vehicles, or hold onto their current vehicles and buy used car warranties.

For carmakers, the incredible sales loss last month wasn’t just isolated to the U.S. The U.K. witnessed sales of new cars go down 21% in September, which is the fifth month in a row where new-car sales have fallen. Consumers have become nervous to purchase new vehicles because of the poor economy, therefore, many people are holding onto their old cars and purchasing used car warranties.

Just like in America, the sales drop occurred regardless of many new vehicle models coming out on the market. Other countries that experienced a fall in sales were Italy and Spain.

Even in China, which was car-crazed recently, sales dropped 26%, which is the biggest drop over the last 50 years.

One of the only countries that have seen an uptick in the sales of new cars was France, which saw an increase in sales of 8% in September. In part, this was due to the governmental aid of the purchase of cars that are less polluting. Usually, those vehicles are French brands.

People are often irrational about their vehicles.  They treat them as if they are their babies and shower them with affection.  Some drivers even talk to their vehicles and give them a pat here and there.  But as much as our cars mean to us, we don’t need to waste money on them.  Here are some common ways that you can avoid unnecessary car expenses.

First of all, buying premium fuel over regular isn’t necessary.  Purchase the cheapest gas possible that keeps your engine from knocking.  Octane serves the purpose of preventing knock, so if your car doesn’t knock with regular gasoline you’re fine.

Usually, carmakers recommend that you change your oil every 5,000-7,000 miles.  Many motorists assume that they should get their oil changed every 3,000 miles, however, this should be done only if you put a lot of wear and tear on your car.

Also, having auto repairs done at a dealership will cost you.  Instead, find a reliable independent shop to do the job for less money.  In addition, make sure to have an auto warranty to avoid unnecessary costs down the road.

Following these simple tips can save you lots of money.  Don’t allow other people to talk you into paying unnecessary expenses for your vehicle and purchase used car warranties to protect your wallet.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, out of the 20,700 U.S. new car dealerships, around 600 will have been forced to shut down this year, compared to 430 last year.

At least 80% of the dealerships closing will be domestics because of the large amount of sales that they have lost. And once a dealership has to close, it’s hard to reopen.

According to Grant Thornton LLP, it is estimated that at least 3,800 other dealers need to close also.

The fact is that there has been a surplus of dealers for many years. But the large cost of financing and the present credit crunch has created quite a storm. Dealers are having trouble getting the funds to finance the vehicles and don’t make the money, so they have to close their shop.

Many consumers have decided to hang onto their current cars and buy an auto warranty instead of purchasing new vehicles. Motorists are hesitant to buy because of the poor economy and instead opt to just purchase used car warranties to help them maintain their vehicles.

With gas prices over $4 per gallon, motorists are looking a little more closely at used cars.  The National Automobile Dealers Association reports that last year the average cost of a used vehicle was around $15,000, while it was $29,000 for new vehicles.

While you want to purchase a pre-owned car that has a solid reputation for dependability, it’s even more beneficial to purchase a used vehicle that consumers find less popular, because it has already depreciated rapidly.

Many people believe that the best new vehicles make the best used vehicles, which is true in general.  However, often these cars depreciate at a slower rate, which makes them popular as new vehicles, but means they cost more as used vehicles.

According to Kelly Blue Book, the vehicle brands that depreciate the slowest are Mini, Scion, Volkswagen, BMW, and Honda.

Instead of purchasing those models, consider other brands that have high reliability scores, but depreciate more quickly and can save you thousands of dollars.  Domestic brands are good to consider, such as Dodge, Ford, and Chevrolet.  These will get you a bargain.

If you want to save money by buying a used car, consider depreciation. You can get a good bargain by buying reliable, more rapidly depreciating models, and buy used car warranties to give you peace of mind.

Toyota is following in Honda’s footsteps to manufacture natural gas powered products. The carmaker of the successful Prius hybrid is planning to debut a Camry concept car that uses natural gas in November at the L.A. auto show. These cars are called CNGs, or compressed natural gas. There are only 1,000 refueling stations for these vehicles to fuel up at, and only half of these are retail pumps that are standard of refueling stations that are based at home.

So far, CNGs have not become popular, which is why the Honda Civic CNG is just sold in two states, California and New York. The CNG Honda Civic performs pretty much the same as the gasoline version. However, it is unclear why natural gas is a good alternative source of fuel for vehicles when there isn’t near the infrastructure for it than there is for E85. Also, by creating more of a demand for natural gas, prices will go up for those people who use natural gas to heat their homes.

However, Toyota claims that creating a natural gas infrastructure would be a good way to pave the way for a hydrogen infrastructure in the future.

Are consumers ready for natural gas powered vehicles? The problem is it is inconvenient at the moment. Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and purchase used car warranties, rather than paying money on a new vehicle that will end up being inconvenient.

Analysts have expected the prices of crude oil to go down for months now, yet they keep going up. Will motorists ever be able to afford important things such as an auto warranty and maintenance again? Crude oil prices had a considerable decline early in the year, however the hope is not just that the price will make demand go down, but that the amount of non OPEC production delayed will hopefully catch up late in the year and into next year. The market will soon continue with production, which will cause prices to drop.

The investment of the oil companies are based on around $55-$75 per barrel of oil. If you look at history, that is still very valuable oil. That’s what we are going to see, and gas prices will drop. However, the question on everyone’s mind is when.

Consumers shouldn’t expect price drops to be dramatic until late in the year. Gas prices will likely rise and peak throughout the nation at about $3.50 per gallon. However, motorists could see significant relief late in 2008 as new production is evident online.

There are a few things working in favor of lower gas prices. Ethanol will displace a large part of the demand for gas since it will be taking 10% of gas out of the picture. Also, prices won’t be up an enormous amount from years past, just about a percentage point. However, this isn’t the beginning of the $4-$5 per gallon apocalypse for gas. Never fear, motorists will be able to afford such things as used car warranties and maintenance again.

J.D. Power recently came out with the results from its 2008 Escaped Shopper Study, which gauges why consumers made the decision to walk away from certain new vehicles in their car shopping experience. It’s quite surprising that approximately 80% of car shoppers decided against purchasing a model after they went to a car dealer.

The top three reasons for not buying a car, that are dealer related, included inferior dealer service, a limited availability of various trim levels and colors, and unprofessional employees.

This is a very common anecdotal reason for consumers. If a dealer or salesman doesn’t treat a prospective customer well, that’s it. And, typically the customer not only stays away from that dealership, they also get a tainted view of the vehicle brand.

The study examined 30,000 new car shoppers and discovered that 40% of shoppers decided not to buy a vehicle because of the price, and 40% of those buyers said it isn’t that the car costs too much money, it’s that the car doesn’t seem like it is worth the high price.

Motorists would rather hang onto their current vehicles and buy used car warranties, than purchase a car that they feel isn’t worth the money. And with an auto warranty, drivers can rest assured that they won’t have to pay unnecessary repair expenses down the road.