Archive for the ‘info’ Category

How long will my auto parts last ?

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Old-style junkyards have themselves become an endangered species, but catch a glimpse of one, and the impression it leaves is that of decay. Rows of cars, with cataract headlamps and big chrome teeth missing from their grilles, slowly sink into the earth while corrosion returns the metal to a more elemental state. While more ancient vehciles might decompose away to nothingness, modern cars are filled with materials that just won’t go away. That’s not to say Neff’s SHO will be recognizable as any kind of automotive touchstone when it’s unearthed from somewhere below Cleveland in ten centuries. What will remain of our vehicles is a mish-mash of petrochemical fodder that will surely be creatively interpreted by future archaeologists.

No metal, no leather, nothing organic will be left. Even the tires, after providing a snack for rubber-eating microbes, will then have the inner steel belting eaten away by the elements. Plastics will likely look as fresh as the day they were ejected from their molds. Seat foam, too, has shown amazing longevity in recent tests, degrading not one whit after being buried in a landfill for 700 days. Glass is pretty much the only other thing in your car that hangs around as long as the oil-based stuff, having a shelf life conservatively estimated at one million years. Wouldn’t it be grand to see the window switches, headlamp clusters, and other bits and pieces artfully arranged into some kind of “artifact” that never existed? Too bad we’re not going to be around to see what kind of sense future man makes of our automotive trash.

How long does it take for a vehicle to decompose?

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Sobering Statistics: How long will it take for your car to decompose?

Filed under: Etc., Green Culture, Green Daily

Take a walk through any junkyard in the world and you’re likely to come across any number of vehicles that are a mere rusted-out shell of their former selves. That’s mostly because sheet metal is thin and, as the outer-most skin of an automobile, takes the brunt of the weather’s nastiest beatings. Underneath, it’s a different story entirely.

An article on AOL Autos examines the major bits and pieces of an automobile and offers rough estimates of how long it takes for the average vehicle to rot away, and there are a few surprises. For instance, rubber tires decompose naturally over a fairly reasonable-sounding period of 50 to 80 years. Wait, what’s that? Engine blocks will take at least 500 years to break down? Ouch.

Worse yet are the polyurethane seat cushions under your fine leather interior: they take at least 1,000 years to decompose. The longest-lasting piece of your car, though, is the glass, which never really goes away. It will reportedly take a million years or more before your vehicle’s windshield is ground down to powder.

Fortunately, we generally don’t bury old cars in the ground. Nearly every bit of modern automobiles is recyclable, and automakers have been making serious advancements to bring that figure as close to 100 percent as possible. USCAR says that about 95 percent of vehicles go through the end-of-life recycling process. Still, AOL Auto’s sobering figures should serve to remind us how important it is to properly dispose of used-up vehicular machinery, especially with the advent of government-sponsored scrapping programs.

[Source: AOL Autos | Photo: nico.cavallotto]

Is it more eco-friendly to keep your old car or buy new?

Filed under: Green Culture, Green Daily

Here’s a question that often comes up when discussing the green automotive scene: Is it more eco-friendly to keep your old car or to buy a new, more fuel efficient model? The answer is, as you may have guessed, very complicated. One way to attack the question is on carbon emissions, and this is the main tack that Scientific American has taken when analyzing the issue. According to SciAm, due to the emissions created when manufacturing vehicles, you should keep your current car as long as possible, so long as it is in decent running condition and getting reasonably good fuel mileage. Case closed?

Not so fast - while that’s not necessarily the wrong answer, let’s muddy up the waters a bit, shall we? Depending on the year of manufacture, a given car may not be equipped with many modern emissions controls that are standard on current models. Even if a car continues to pass its emissions testing, it is generally only required to meet the standards that were in place when it was new, and those requirements have gotten much more strict in the past few years.

Scrapping a car, as pointed out by SciAm, isn’t a particularly green option, though retrofitting modern emissions equipment is tough. A conversion to electric sounds like a nice option, but then you must consider where the electricity is coming from. As you can see, this is anything but a cut-and-dry answer, and it depends largely on what green aspect you consider most important. To keep or to buy new, that is the question. Thanks for the tip, Micah!

[Source: Scientific American]

cash for clunkers

Monday, May 25th, 2009

I was wondering what your thoughts were on the Cash For Clunkers program that has recently been passed been President Obama.  This program in a nut shell, says that American car dealerships will honor a voucher given by the Gov’t., for up to $4500, towards a new car that gets at least 4mpg better than the car they are trading.  The cars traded in can not be resold to salvage yards or scrap yards.  The vehicles have to be destroyed.  This article found in USA TODAY by James R. Healey, explains the program; http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-05-11-chrysler-gm-cash-clunkers_N.htm

Truck Insurance | Commecial Truck Insurance

Thursday, February 12th, 2009
damaged trucks
Getting the right deal on your Truck Insurance has improved thanks to the Internet. You can now get commercial truck insurance and truck insurance quotes anytime and any place. The Internet caters to your needs 24/7. The accessibility of getting truck insurance U.K based means that any truck driver can have their vehicle insured quickly and safely. Whatever your need to have any truck insurance quotes, from commercial truck insurance for haulage and smaller vans to specialised fields such as recovery truck insurance. You will find all the policies available online and you will get the Truck Insurance policy that is right for you.

There are over 250,000 road traffic accidents on our roads each and every year. So you will be glad that you have commercial truck insurance if it happens to you. You’ll be even happier to know that the driver of any recovery truck insurance keeps them safe as well. Their insurance protects your vehicle from damage. Truck Insurance is a lifeline and a great support for any road user who drives a truck. You must have the right truck insurance quotes for policies that fit your needs and you can do it all with the click of a mouse.

Truck Insurance is easy to access with the Internet and their are hundreds of insurance firms and brokers who are willing to help you get the best deal on your truck insurance quotes. Any specialised insurance details, like if you need recovery truck insurance, can also be obtained and there are many different policies to suit.

Commercial truck insurance providers are mainly for the large fleet vehicles and businesses that require a larger amount of comprehensive cover for all company vehicles. This doesn’t mean that smaller businesses will be left without Truck Insurance, you just have to find the right policy.

You can find that the online Insurance providers have done all the hard work for you and have compiled lists of over 450 individual policies that can be tailored to suit your commercial vehicle needs. Getting Truck Insurance has never been easier.

The contract of Truck Insurance will mean that both you and the insurance provider will agree to set terms for the eventuality of an accident, fire or theft. The insurer will specify how much you are to pay for your policy and in return they will provide you with a level of service.

Truck Insurance protects you and other road users against risk. Getting the right deal can mean the difference between a growing business and financial strain.

Accident Damaged Cars for Sale

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
damaged cars

Accident Damaged Cars are one of the most common type of salvage vehicles available on the open market. These accident damaged cars are usually vehicles that have been taken over by insurance companies for reasons of not having to pay auto body companies from repairing damage that would cost more than the vehicle itself. The insurance companies would rather pay the owner the value of the vehicle that may be considerably less than having the vehicle repaired.

Once the car has been taken by the insurance company it is usually priced out to junk or salvage dealers who tend to either strip the cars and sell the parts or if the car is not damaged to far resale it to the public. Once the accident damaged car for sale is sold it still has a long way to go before it is able to be driven on the open road. When sold these vehicles are deemed un-drivable by motor vehicle associations. The vehicles need to go through the process of being repaired and brought back up to standards that each country deems necessary.

Now the repairs are done and you feel that the repairs are all that you need. Well, the vehicle is still not ready for the open road. Meaning, you still will not be able to register the vehicle just yet. Now, you need to have the car inspected. You don’t want to drive around a car that is unsafe. I know that I would not. The inspection should be done by an authorized inspection station of the state. This inspection station will tell you if the repairs are up to par. If the repairs are not then they will recommend what repairs are still needed and which are not. If no repairs are not needed then they will give you passing paper work that you take with you to a registration station. If their are still problems that have to be taken care of either the inspection station will take care of it or you will need to take it back to the place were you had the initial work done. Once completed go back and have a final inspection done. Now you are ready for registration.

Accident damaged cars for sale are great deals but you really need to know the process when bringing these cars back to life.

Buy Used Car Tips

Saturday, January 24th, 2009


Buying a used car isn’t as nearly as fun as buying a new car, we all know that. I’ve been through three buy used car experiences up to now. The goods news is that I learned how to negotiate better and even a little bit about cars. The bad news is… I wish I had known the buy used car tips I know now before.The Real Deal

Ok so, the real deal with buying used cars is to make sure you aren’t getting scammed or that your really paying for what the seller says it’s worth. Many times have I heard people say that all the car lights work and then when I want to check it out… more than one light isn’t working. Here I’m going to share with you some of the tips I’ve learned from my experiences, but don’t limit yourself to these. Ask people you know for more tips because you never know who has had to deal with buying a used car, not a junk car.

- Make sure all the lights work

- Get the engine checked out by a trusted mechanic

- Look for oil leaks

- Turn off the radio and lower the windows while test driving it for peculiar noises

- If you can, drive uphill with the air condition turned on to the max

- Push the accelerator fast and hard to see if the car responds well

- Make a hard break to test the breaks

- Check for torn-up seats

- Test the speakers and radio, as well as antenna reception (I once bought a used car that had the antenna but didn’t have a cable to connect to the radio – of course I found out about that later!)

- Check the trunk and see if all the tools are there, as well as the spare tire

Those are just some of buy used car tips. I’m pretty sure you can find a lot more, but I think these are must-haves on your check list when buying a used car. You should be very careful because you don’t want to issue a used car loan and then the car turned out to be a piece of junk, right?

Buying Wrecked Cars?

Saturday, January 24th, 2009
wrecked cars
You have to admit that before you could acquire a brand new car, you have to invest on it toughly.  By tough means it could take a lot of years before you actually realize it.  If you want to save on cost, an ideal buy would be wrecked cars.  You may seem to be in doubt about this idea, but there are certain things that would prove the deal.  Before you know it, there are only basic things that you need to replace from these cars and that includes your steel wheels.  How do you actually save money on this purchase?

Wrecked cars are less expensive than brand new vehicles.  This reason is certainly very obvious since you have to buy something which was already used before.  What happens with wrecked or salvage cars is that insurance companies will never shed too much money to fix them.  The end result will then be for previous owners to have the vehicle repaired and then sell them in the long run.  You may also buy them without being repaired yet but you have to check whether the incidental costs of the repair will not make you spend much.

Checking the car’s history means saving money.  You also have to track whether these wrecked cars have histories of previous accidents.  You may also want to make a check on the actual mileage the previous owner spent running the vehicle.  You should also check the tires and have the steel wheels replaced when needed.  A good way of tracking down the history of the car is through providing the vehicle identification number or VIN to the motor vehicle department of any state.  After doing so, you will know whether it would be a wise buy.

Go to a reputable auction site before buying wrecked cars.  It is very interesting to note that a lot of websites have already attested to the reputation of their sellers.  Once you get to see automobile sellers with an established name in the business, you will definitely have the chance to save on cost.  As they will auction the cars, the starting bid will be very affordable on the part of the bidders.  If you take your chances under this kind of system, you may get the vehicle you want.  Some auction sites would also include steel wheels for free as part of their promotion.

Seek for desperate car owners who want their items sold immediately.  You could always encounter a seller who wants to earn money immediately without the fuss of rebuilding the wrecked cars.  More often than not these individuals do not have the patience to make long talks and negotiations.  Anybody who needs cash will certainly give in to the price you would ask for the property.  The technique is you have to start negotiating at a low cost up until you meet with how the seller wants it priced.

Wrecked cars are not certainly considered bad at all.  With the proper repair done on them, you will have your expectations met.  Why spend more on purchasing a new car when you still have other options awaiting you? You have to be very practical nowadays especially that earning money is difficult.  Just make sure that the quality of your vehicle is not sacrificed.  Who knows you may get a wrecked car whose steel wheels would be your only focus for replacement?

The Top 3 Scams When Buying a Car with bad credit

Saturday, January 24th, 2009
wrecked cars

If you have bad credit and want to buy a new car you haven’t got a lot of financing options. For that reason you are likely to look for a car dealer that can provide the money required for the new car.

Car dealer loans are not that bad, however it is more likely to have unfavorable terms. Another problem is that there are some car dealers that will try to cheat you. Here are the top three car scams that you should remember and avoid.

Previously Wrecked Car Sold As Is

This is a popular scam so you should be alert. Some car dealers do not know that the car is a wreck however some know and try to cheat. The real problem with buying a wrecked car is that you will be asked to signs papers that will state the car condition and that you agree to buy it “As Is”. In this case you have no warranty. If something happens to the car the dealer will step back and there is practically nothing you can do.

The best thing to do to avoid this scam is to always run a Carfax report that will show everything about the car. Also get a mechanic to inspect the car.

The Excusive Fee Scam

Definitely one of the top car dealers’ scams. The ridiculous thing about this scam is that it is so simple and still a lot of car buyers easily fall into the trap.

Another funny thing about this scam is that in fact it is not illegal. What the seller does is simple- he adds a number under the car price total and ask you to pay it. The dealer will tell you that this fee covers their expenses if someone did a check on the car, for cleaning it or removing the plastic from the car seats. However usually the extra charge is quite high for such services and you should never agree to pay it.

The Bouncing Check Scam

This is a scam applied to car buyers who managed to get the money for the purchase and will not ask the dealer for financing. The dealer will say that the check bounced and offer you financing. Of course he will convince you that their deal is great and you can get the car immediately and so on. Do not be cheated by these sweet talks. If you have taken finances from a credit institution you have surely check if they are respectable union and if their checks are accepted.

The dealer will offer you loan at higher annual interest rate. More over some dealers will call you later to say that actually you do not qualify for the credit and will try to increase the rates even more.

How To Detect And Avoid Buying Flood-Damaged Cars

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
damaged cars

Cars that went through flood damage are often disguised as vehicles being offered for an exceptionally great price. However, these cars and trucks are often just water and flood damage vehicles that have been poorly cleaned or restored.

A junk car that survived flood damage is likely to smell like mold or mildew. It is very difficult to dry out the fabric interior of a vehicle in the event of a flood, and the giveaway will probably be in the odors inside the car. Try not to be fooled by car fresheners or fabric sprays. If it looks like the seller is trying to mask a scent, there is probably a reason.

In the dome light, headlights, or taillights there is likely to be signs of trapped water. Check under the seats and in all compartments for other indications of water. Areas where it appears that dirt has accumulated could be signs of a flood, and the dirt that a flood brings can be filled with waste and bacteria. Even if you feel like this could be cleaned, flood damage on cars pose other risks.

If the vehicle has a lot of rust inconsistent with its age, then that could also be a red flag. Also check for rust in the undercarriage of a vehicle, as well as under the hood. Vehicles affected by floods and standing water will rust very quickly, and rust is difficult to mask or get rid of. It also further brings down the value of a car.

If there are several new updates to the vehicle, such as new carpeting or exterior body work, then that is also a warning sign. While this may appear to be a nice update to the outside of the vehicle, it could be a sign of damages to the interior, electrical, and technical parts of the car. In addition, fabrics in a vehicle that seem especially faded or discolored can also be a sign of flood damage. Take the car for a test drive and check all electrical systems, lights, clocks, and sound equipment. Take a look at the wires as well, because when wires are wet and become dry, they are often stiff.

Try and get opinions from trusted sources. Getting a vehicle history report from CarFax is always a good idea to check cars from flood damage incidents, but you may also want to consider taking the car to a mechanic that you know. They will be able to look at the car and perform certain tests on it to see if it is in decent working condition.

The effects of floods and excess water can be irreversible for several items, including vehicles. Even if you are not able to see the damage during a basic car inspection, in due time various parts or systems of the vehicle may begin failing. Even if you do not live in an area where floods are common, some sellers count on buyers to not look for flood damages on a vehicle. The money you will spend in repairs and replacements makes the deal on a flood-damaged vehicle not worth your time.

Get Back the Money Locked in your Damaged Car

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
damaged cars

The vehicles like vans which we put to use in our business and personal life are very much prone to accidents due to increasing number of vehicles on the road. Therefore it is very important that all goods or passengers in the van are also insured in addition to the van while it is on the road. This can be achieved through van insurance.

Van insurance provides two types of cover to the vehicle. The first one is collision cover. In this, the vehicle is covered against any damage that is incurred to the vehicle and the passengers traveling in the van caused due to a collision with another vehicles irrespective of who was at fault.

Van insurance also provides comprehensive coverage to the car owner. In case there is any natural disaster like fire, cyclones, earthquakes etc, the car owner will receive the amount equal to the loss incurred minus the deductible amount. Mishaps like thefts or loss are also included in comprehensive coverage of van insurance.

Van insurance can be obtained easily at low premiums. This can be done easily by increasing the deductible amount on the insurance policy. This would mean that a lesser redemption of money is made to the car owner in case of damage to his car and the amount of money deducted by the policy provider in each claim is more.

Van insurance policies can be easily obtained online as there are many agencies which provide van insurance at low premium rates. The policies offered can be compared by the car owner and thereby he can avail a cheaper policy. The car owner can search online for insurance policies. Since there is a lot of competition in the market, the car owner can benefit by availing the lowest premium policy but a wider coverage is the more important criteria to judge.

Van insurance makes the car owner secure about his car and he can now drive without any fear of loss of money.