Money Saving Car Tricks

These easy to apply, use and follow tips for saving money on your car will keep money in your wallet.

The necessity of transportation for everyday errands, work and vacations, makes the cost and expense in the upkeep of your vehicle very important. Average cost of maintenance and repairs, not including gasoline, per vehicle per year is over $600. Many of these repairs could have been prevented or avoided. If someone said they could save you $200 dollars for very little effort, chances are you'd take the offer. So, these simple, little effort tricks and tips to keep your vehicle running its best should help you maintain the paper in wallet.

Register your vehicle with the manufacture, whether new or used, and become familiar with the warranty policies. Keep your address and phone numbers current with the dealership or manufacturer. Sometimes, defects, recalls or other problems are repaired for free by the manufacturer - as long as they can find you and have proof of purchase.

Make friends with your local dealership's service department. When Technical Service Bulletins arrive and/or updates that pertain to your vehicle, ask if they'll give you a heads up. Knowing what might be a problem and that a repair is available can make life much easier. Frequently, dealerships will have shuttle services for service customers ever be without transportation. Take advantage of this offer.

Take a look at the owner's manual of your vehicle. If you purchased used and don't have a manual, contact the manufacturer and they will be happy to send you one either free of charge or for a nominal fee. Though the manual may be thick and a little overwhelming, look for the manufacturer's oil change schedule or maintenance matrix. Many of the newer models recommend oil changes every 5, 000 miles or longer; the common myth was to change the oil every 3, 000 miles. Odds are, you're changing your oil more than necessary. If the manufacturer doesn't recommend it, don't do it - save your money.

Air filters create a clean environment for your engine to run. The harder an engine has to work the more wear and tear on your car, increasing maintenance and gasoline costs. Changing the air filter, usually costing $15 or less, twice a year, can save you a great deal. It's a relatively easy skill that can be accomplished on your own or paid for through a service department.

Check your tire pressure once a month. Temperature differences, normal wear and tear or little bumps in the road can lead to under-inflated tires. This wears the tire out faster, which means you could end up purchasing new tires twice as frequently as you should. Many full-service stations can assist with the task or offer free "air" testing stations. A quick, one or two minute stop could make a great difference.

Stretch your gasoline dollars by slowing down. This is a difficult tip to keep under control but with the price of gasoline rapidly increasing, think of saving yourself an addition 12 cents per gallon by driving 60 mph. For every five miles per hour over 60 that your drive (65 is the typical highway speed), you are wasting enough fuel that its adding an extra twelve cents to the cost of each gallon of gas. Twelve cents may not sound like a great deal but calculate it out. Ten gallons of gas in your vehicle each week of the year equals 520 galloons. If you pay $2.00 for each gallon of gas, that's $1040.00 per year. Drive 65 mph all the time and you've add 12 cents to those 520 gallons for a cost of $1102.40 per year. That's a savings you'll appreciate.

So don't forget the little things that can keep your vehicle running in top condition. It will only pay you in the long run.

Car Security System with Fingerprint

At first I thought "Cool, what James Bond movie is this from?". Well folks, it's no movie - this is a piece of technology that's available to everyone. Forget about thieves and worries that your car will be stolen: this gadget scans your fingerprint and only you (or the ones you've authorized) get to start your car's engine. You lost your car keys? Not to worry, the keys become useless in the wrong hands (and I mean that literally).
Plus, this device also functions as a car alarm system, sending you text messages whenever someone tries to force themselves into your car - you just have to install a GSM SIM card into it. Sounds so cool I almost can't believe it.
For more information go here: Fingerprint Car Security System with GSM Alerts

Why Car Insurance is so Important

It is extremely important that you have car insurance so that you can protect yourself in case you have an accident. It not only protects you, but it also safeguards others that may be riding in your car. In addition, car insurance covers family members that may also drive the car.

Car insurance does not just protect you. If an accident occurs, the insurance covers you, your vehicle, and any other people that may have been involved. There are different policies that you can purchase depending on what amount of coverage you want. For example, you can choose to guard yourself against accidental harm, burglary, and fire. Your insurance agent can help you choose the policy that meets your needs and your budget.

Your monthly payment is known as a premium. The premium is determined based on factors such as they type of car driven, age, sex, and your past driving history. If you drive a luxury sports car, then you can expect to pay a higher premium than someone driving a lower cost vehicle.

A deductible is the amount of money that you are required to pay if you have an accident. The insurance company will pay for the cost of the repairs, but you must pay for the initial deductible. If the accident was caused by the other driver, then their insurance company may be responsible for paying your deductible.

It is important to make sure that you are covered by car insurance because if you are not, then the expenses to repair your vehicle can be really high. You will also be responsible for paying the other party's damages as well.

There are many insurance companies to choose from. Do your research to find a company that will offer fair rates and full coverage. Researching the insurance companies online is a great way to find out the information that you need. By reading reviews and learning about the guarantees and services that are offered, you will be able to choose a car insurance company that will work for you.

This innovative and modern concept car was the creation of Andre Dubonnet, successful race car driver, WWI fighter pilot and heir to the Dubonnet aperitif business. Early in life, Dubonnet developed a passion and took great delight in speed and adventure and desired to perfect the future of road transportation and in particular, the suspension system. As his favorite car was the Hispano-Suiza, he picked the 1932 H-6C chassis, which he had seen previously at the Paris Auto Salon and began sketching designs for a prototype, drawing upon his aviation background and racing experience.

He took his designs to French coachbuilder, Jacques Saoutchik who helped him with the framework of the automobile and then partnered with engineer Antoine-Marie Chedru to develop his patented independent front-suspension system.

What followed was a dramatically streamlined build with an emphasis on aerodynamic styling, affectionately named Xenia, after Dubonnet’s first wife.

Far ahead of its time, the Xenia resembles the fuselage of an airplane with a slender, tapered shape and pointed tail. A new parallel opening door system was used as part of the aerodynamic design and special attention was given to the undercarriage for clean air movement. The curved glass of the windshield and doors are reminiscent of airplane-styling and the panoramic windscreen and removal top were exceptionally futuristic. It featured an 8 liter overhead-valve inline 6 engine capable of 144bhp in standard form. Further, this 1938 car was designed to reach 125mph which rivaled any car of the time and had a cutting-edge four-wheel independent suspension.

In fact, the innovative suspension technology mounted each front wheel on a single arm that extended forward from the kingpin, while a pair of oil-filled, coil spring cylinders offered resistance and swiveled as each wheel turned, improving rise and handling. This original suspension system was later licensed by General Motors and used on its Chevrolet and Pontiac brands. Dubonnet designed his steel masterpiece at 19ft long and claimed that his Hispano-Suiza hyperflex suspension system would give it the “suppleness of a cat”.

To protect this revolutionary automobile, the Xenia was hidden away in 1939 during World War II and did not resurface until 1946 in Paris. The Xenia was then purchased by Alain Balleret, President of the French Hispano-Suiza Club who began the vehicles restoration. Upon Balleret’s death, the car was purchased and completed by Seattle based collector, Charles Morse. Morse debuted the vehicle at the Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance in 2000.

Today, this dramatic and stunning vehicle resides at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, California under the care of Peter and Merle Mullin. The Xenia has been honored for its innovative design and technology with the following organizations:

Goodwood Festival of Speed

Goodwood has unveiled a special 2011 Festival of Speed poster – illustrating a 1968 Lotus Type 56 with Joe Leonard at the helm, reflecting this year's theme of "the Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500, celebrating its century this year. The glorious illustration is by Peter Hearsey and shows the Lotus at full chat on the first right-hander of the epic FOS hill climb route, making the most of the innovative four-wheel-drive system, and 500bhp Pratt and Whitney gas turbine engine. Fabulous stuff!

The Electric Car Rise

Historically the electric car began in the 1900s, but it was not until towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century did true progression of the electric car take place. Early this decade gas prices started to rise and President George W. Bush began to release statements of encouragement towards car manufacturers to find alternative fuel sources in order to release are dependence on foreign oil. This was great advice and it sounded just as good in the 1980s when President Reagan spoke of foreign oil companies having a hold on the US. Fast forward to the 11/8/10, two large car companies, Nissan and Chevrolet are about to release two completely electric cars that will be available for the public.

Nissan is calling their car the "Leaf" and Chevrolet is calling their car the "Volt." Obviously Nissan is going for the "green" image behind their car and Chevrolet is trying to keep their brand of "power" with this model of electric vehicle. These two cars are geared towards the public and the government is encouraging the sales of these vehicles by offering rebates to the buyers to make them more affordable. These cars look nice and comfortable, but there have been failures throughout the car industry where people thought a certain model car would do great things. Some of the best examples are the Ford Pinto, Mitsubshi Montero, Ford Edsel, Cadillac Cimarron, and GM's EV1 were all expected to sell very well, but they didn't.

To state that they sold moderately well is an exaggeration and GM's EV1 is important because it was initially the car that was to bring in the new wave of electric vehicles. After a recall from GM, under suspicious reasons, the EV1 production was halted and the closest thing to an electric vehicle was a hybrid. Hybrids are not a solution to the problem of dependence on foreign oil at best it's a nice band-aid. These new cars hopefully will last longer than their predecessors and will encourage fully electric vehicles to be made and much like the first gasoline powered vehicle progression will take place. The worst that could happen is the planet's air will be a bit cleaner, but in a best case scenario the price of gasoline powered cars will drop down to dirt cheap and we all could afford a nice muscle car at the fraction of the price.

Ten Good Reasons why you need Car Insurance

It might seem a clever idea at the time but driving without car insurance is one of the stupidest ideas a person can have.

If you own a car don’t move it off the drive without taking out car insurance. You might be lucky and have years of accident free motoring but then again you might not!

Car insurance isn’t meant to be something you make regular use of. Like most insurances the hope is that you will never need to make a claim but if something goes wrong and you are involved in an accident you will certainly live to regret trying to cut corners and save some money through not having car insurance.

If you haven’t go car insurance and are wondering whether or not to get a car insurance quote just take a look at ten good reasons why you should never drive without car insurance again:

1. If you have an accident that is your fault and you don’t have car insurance you could leave a vulnerable victim without the care they need to recover from what is probably the worst ordeal of their life.
2. If you are hit by an uninsured driver and you don’t have car insurance yourself your medical care won’t be covered by any form of personal liability insurance that would have been part of your auto insurance package. Have you had a look at the cost of health care recently!
3. If you are driving without car insurance you are driving illegally.
4. If you don’t have car insurance it can leave you concentrating on who’s following you or who you are passing rather than on the road. Big accident risk.
5. Your inability to fund the one off cost of replacing your car if it was stolen or written off might leave you without transport for a considerable period of time.
6. Driving without car insurance and getting caught could loose you your license.
7. If you are considered high risk it could significantly increase your car insurance premiums. Being caught driving without insurance is likely to push you into the high risk category with most car insurance providers.
8. An unexplained break in your car insurance could impact your no claims discount leaving you with higher car insurance premiums in the future.
9. If you go for a period of time without car insurance you will probably have to lie when you next apply for car insurance. Proven falsifications could result in your car insurance provider revoking insurance cover and not settling a claim.
10. Driving without car insurance could leave you personally liable for significant third party claims in the event of an accident!

If you are still tempted to drive without car insurance just try and imagine how you would feel if you hit a child. Then imagine how much worse you would feel if you then left that child without the money to fund their health care or any form of financial compensation for the devastating impact an accident might have on their life.

Don’t ever drive without car insurance!

For more on car insurance visit 24-7-insurance.com