Archive for the ‘Auto Zone’ Category

PostHeaderIcon What is Auto Insurance?

Auto insurance protects you against financial loss if you have an accident. It is a contract between you and the insurance company. You agree to pay the premium and the insurance company agrees to pay your losses as defined in your policy.

Auto insurance provides property, liability and medical coverage:

* Property coverage pays for damage to or theft of your car.

* Liability coverage pays for your legal responsibility to others for bodily injury or property damage.

* Medical coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses.

How is your auto insurance policy price determined?

The average auto insurance policy price is derived from a variety of factors.

Many of these variables are common knowledge and make sense for the most part.

it’s always a good idea to refresh yourself with what insurance companies are looking for when determining how much your coverage will cost.

*Driving Record

*Coverage Amount

*Age

*Vehicle Model and Driving Mileage

*Your Residence

What auto insurance coverage?

What types of auto insurance coverage to choose from?

*Liability: coverage is the primary – and usually mandatory – part of the auto insurance equation. Liability means what the word implies: it saves your bank balance when you’re liable for destroying someone else’s car or body parts.

*collision: which is not to be confused with liability. Liability pays the bills for damage you cause to the other party; collision covers damage done to your own car. If someone else totals it, his liability pays for repairs (assuming he doesn’t hit and run), so if you can follow the aforementioned tip of not crashing, you generally shouldn’t need collision. In simplified terms, buying collision insurance can be thought of paying someone to save you from yourself. The safer you drive, the less necessary it becomes.

*Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, required by most states, is always a good idea knowing that 17% of drivers out there don’t have any insurance, and a lot of the rest probably skimp by on the sometimes-inadequate state minimums. This usually varies in tandem with the body injury part of liability. Don’t sweat it too much, as the premium is a mere fraction of liability.

*Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or Medical Payments (MedPay) provides reimbursement for medical bills of you and your passengers regardless of who’s at fault, and for resulting lost wages. This is an option – one that those with good health insurance plans might not want to exercise.

*Rental reimbursement simply pays for the cost of renting a car. Even if it costs $30 a year, why bother? $30 basically buys a one-day car rental, so it’s hardly worth it unless you get stranded a lot. (In which case, you might want to switch cars.) If you own a second car, this is completely unnecessary. The same reasoning applies to towing insurance and the like.

*GAP insurance, which covers the difference between what the car is actually worth and what you owe. This might be an attractive proposition for a car that with heavy depreciation, which is a symptom suffered by young cars in general. A $20,000 car might drop to $12,000 in market value after a year. If you total the car at that point, $12,000 is all you’ll get from your insurance company, yet you’re still obligated to the $16,000 in payments that still remains. Obviously, $4,000 is one gap you’ll want closed.

Can you raise or lower your auto insurance rate?

There are 10 factors that can raise or lower auto insurance rates

*Your Age

Generally younger drivers are considered to be high risk and so the insurance rates are higher.

*The make of your car

Most insurance companies tabulate auto insurance rates based on the make of the vehicle. Compact cars and sedans have lower rates while sports models, exotic cars, and SUVs are assigned high rates of premium.

*Gender is a factor too

Females get lower rates of auto insurance while males pay higher auto insurance premiums.

*Financial stability

Auto owners with great credit scores and credit reports generally pay lower premiums than those with bad credit scores and reports.

*Driving records have a say in premiums payable

If a driver has a clean driving record for three consecutive years then auto insurance providers will happily extend policies with lower premiums.

*Where you stay

Those who live in the city pay more than individuals who live in the country or suburbs. Areas with lower crime rates and less congestion attract lower auto insurance premium rates.

*How many insurance policies you hold

If you approach for auto insurance the same insurance company that has you covered for life, health, hone and so on then you would automatically be eligible for great discounts on premiums payable for an auto insurance policy.

*The condition of the car will be considered before offering a policy

The make, how old the vehicle is, its maintenance, and so on. A car in prime condition will get better premium rates than a rattletrap.

*The distance traveled per year

If you restrict the number of miles traveled then you will be able to get auto insurance at lower rates. To do this you need to walk, use public transport, and car pool.

*Whether or not you are eco-friendly

If you care for the environment and drive a non polluting vehicle then the auto insurance premiums will be lower.

Why do you need international vehicle insurance?

If you live in a foreign country for an extended period it is important to ensure that your vehicle is properly insured at all times. International vehicle insurance is specially designed to meet the needs of:

* Diplomats.

* Expatriates.

* Humanitarian organizations.

* International businesses.

* International charities.

* International schools.

* Religious orders.

* United Nations agencies.

International Vehicle Insurance should include cover for:

* Accidental damage, fire and theft risks.

* Protection against windscreen breakage and for fitted accessories such as audio equipment.

* Additional protection against riot, civil commotion, hijacking and armed robbery.

* Hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding.

* Payment of the purchase price for a seriously damaged or stolen car that is less than 12 months old (on Non-commercial Policies only).

* Immediate cover anywhere in the world (except the USA and Canada).

* Multiple vehicle and fleet discounts.

Can your age be a problem in auto insurance?

In auto insurance know as the age factor.

Your age can be a big problem in auto insurance. It could also be a great advantage. Whichever group you fall into, there’s a way for you to make the most remarkable savings in your auto insurance premium.

*If you’re above fifty-five thank your stars. You’ve entered the hallowed zone in auto insurance. If you don’t get pampered by an auto insurance provider now, you never will. This is because you belong to an age group that has a high reputation of road safety.

*If you’re under-25, you’re considered a very high risk as far as auto insurance is concerned. Yes, if you’re in your early twenties you’ll be better off than a teenager. However, you still are a high risk group.There are several options open to you.

-You can get married if you are old enough and it makes sense in your circumstance. I’m not kidding here. Marriage does reduce the perception of risk auto insurance providers have of you.

-Another thing you can do as an under-25 is to be on your parent’s auto insurance policy.

Why is Women’s auto Insurance So Much Cheaper Than Men’s?

Statistically, women
drivers are the safest on roads, and therefore are rewarded with cheaper premiums for car insurance. Women on Wheels combines these discounts with supreme cover, that automatically includes a free replacement car (on comprehensive), free abroad travel, and free legal cover!

PostHeaderIcon Tough Autos, Tough for Rescuers

Hard metals, reinforced alloys, and upgraded auto materials make up tough vehicles. And tough vehicles are said to slash crash fatalities. But rescuers complain. Why? This is because it is tough for them to free the injured.

Undeniably, modern cars save lives by cocooning occupants in reinforced alloys, reliable crumple zones and a good number of airbags. But American rescuers and other experts said the new technology is also delaying extrication of injured people, increasingly forcing crews to work deeper into the critical “golden hour” between accident and emergency room treatment, reported Toronto Star.

Modern cars are equipped with more durable parts, more refined accessories, more powerful engines, and brightest projector headlight but there’s a catch along the improvements. According to reports, on many 2005 and later vehicles, an extrication that was previously perfected in 15 minutes can now take twice that or longer.

To remedy this, cities in the United States are shelling out tens of thousands of dollars on more powerful equipment to cut through newer autos. Hydraulic-tool makers, on the other hand, have to put more oomph into their equipment. As a result, the equipment becomes heavier and more painful to the government’s coffers.

What’s more, there are impending risks facing rescuers. Pressurized gas canisters responsible for inflating airbags can explode if sliced by cutting tools. When airbags suddenly inflate, rescuers can be blown from cars. Also, hidden battery cables in hybrids can produce a powerful shock.

To avoid troublesome incident, rescuers peel away the ceiling and interior plastic to see what is inside the vehicle. This is done prior to cutting metal sheets.

At present, experts aren’t sure whether the delays in extrication have resulted in people dying. But that’s the fear of safety experts. “We build more fire stations, we make faster fire trucks, we’ve got helicopters to get you to the hospital,” said Capt. Clint Roberts, an extrication expert. “But what’s slowing us down are these vehicles that are harder for us to get into.”

Automakers, meanwhile, said they’re doing more to make safety information available to rescuers and toolmakers before new models come out. Ford Motor Co., for one, is already offering a look at the skeleton of the 2009 F-150 pickup, built with the strongest steel construction the company has ever used. The Dearborn-based automaker understands the critical nature of rescuers’ work, said a Ford spokesperson in an interview.

PostHeaderIcon Buying Auto Parts at the Right Price is Easier Said Than Done

Taking your car to the shop is an expensive endeavor. Not only do the shops charge you the prices of the auto parts that they need for the vehicle at inflated prices, but they also charge inflated prices for the actual cost of the labor itself and make a huge profit in the process. Instead of dealing with this, consider purchasing your car parts and having the work done by someone else or doing it yourself. While this does have its drawbacks, with careful work or a trustworthy friend who knows about cars, you can buy the parts and pay a flat fee for the work done to the vehicle. This can save you a great deal of money that hiring a professional for the job might otherwise cost.

There are many different places to check out auto part prices. There are local places in you r community that sells things related to the care and maintenance of vehicles, like Auto Zone and other such chain stores. There are independent stores that sell such items as well, and if you look in your local phone book you should be able to find a few other places to look. Call around and see who has the best price for the brand new part for your car. Considering travel time and convenience, this can help you figure out just where to find the parts that you need.

A junk yard is another great place to buy the parts that you need. Some parts can be used brand new or used, and in such an instance used car parts are certainly the more economical option. Just so long as the parts are available at the junk yard in question, you can save a whole lot of money. You may have to search around town a little bit, but most cars have at least one ghost around that they can pick parts off of.

When shopping for parts for your car, remember that where you can get one price point you can look elsewhere for a better price. Most places have compare and save deals that will allow you to get the same or better price at the retailer of your choice if you can prove that another place has the same part for a cheaper price. These retailers will not be beat, and many of them will even give you a difference back in addition the lower price tag.

When you are looking for parts in particular, you also have the internet to choose from. Many web based retailers have the ability to offer parts that you may not find in stores all because they don’t have physical locations to run out from. They order the part and have it sent directly to you, making money in the process.

Auto parts are not cheap by any means, but you can save money on the parts that you need with a little bit of smart shopping.