Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Save Money by Do It Yourself Spring Car Cleaning

Spring is here and your car has been through a lot this winter so now it’s time to get your car back into shape for the good weather ahead. To save yourself some time, money and aggravation, here are some tasks you can do on your own. Replace wipers – After a harsh winter, your wipers may need to be changed. It`s important to have wipers in good working conditions to keep you safe, especially during intense rain showers. Also remember to keep extra windshield wiper fluid on hand. Tires – Remove winter tires and replace with all season tires. Not only will this allow your car to drive more efficiently, you will also save money on gas. Check your tires including your spare. Check if the tread is worn out, check the tire pressure and tighten up any loose nuts and bolts. Fluids – When you`re under the hood take time to look at your fluid levels. The reservoirs on most cars are easy to read. There are also dipsticks for oil and transmission fluid. Check your brake and power steering fluids but make sure you refer to your manual for procedures. The level of coolant in the radiator should also be checked. Before you remove the radiator cap, make sure the engine is cooled down. Lights – A great tip for checking if your lights are all in working condition is to drive to the glass of a store window and test all your lights. Turn your headlights on and off, test your highbeams, test your parking lights, your turn signals and then turn your car around to check that your brake lights are working, reverse lights, parking lights and turn signals. Also confirm that all interior lights are in working order. Cleaning – De-clutter your car. Check the trunk and clean out the wintertime mess. Make sure you have your emergency kit in order. Vacuum your car thoroughly. Using a damp towel, wash down your seats and carpeting. If the salt debris, mud or dirt is tough, use a carpet cleaning machine if possible. Organize your compartments, shine the windows inside and out, remove hubcaps and wash them down, wash the exterior of your car and give it a good wax. Now you`re ready to enjoy driving in the warmer weather and remember a properly maintained vehicle is safer, more cost effective and last up to 50% longer. For more valuable information and tips, visit http://www.prudentvaluecarsblog.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Factors That Lead To Road Rage

Half of us drivers have, at some point or another, felt extremely frustrated because of someone else’s careless driving. Although most of us will either ignore it, shake our heads, give some offensive gesture or use abusive language, anxiety and frustration can quickly turn the situation into a serious act such as bumping the other car, chasing them down or even drawing weapons. Road rage is still a cause of thousands of accidents each year and some resulting in death.

The fact that road rage exists is clear but what causes road rage and what can we do to avoid it?

If you find yourself participating in road rage, you should start to take actions that will eliminate the frustration for you such as:

· Getting plenty of rest.
· Planning your route in advance and be on time.
· Eliminate stress. Dealing with problems before getting behind the wheel.
· Don’t compete with other drivers or retaliate if they’re being inconsiderate.
· If you make a mistake, say sorry.
· Play soothing music.
· Keep in mind that this behaviour can cost you tremendously. There is an extremely high price tag that can follow.

If you are a victim of road rage you can:

· Be aware. If you’re being tailgated, change lanes.
· If someone wants to pass, let them.
· Try not to take gestures personally and return them as this can cause the other driver to spiral into further frustration or anger.
· If you notice an erratic driver, stay behind them as this will cause less damage should you be the target.
· Don’t make eye contact but you may want to take a quick look at the rager should you need to identify them at a later point.
· Pull off the road if necessary.

The reality is that everyone on the road is going through the same process in trying to get from point A to B. We should approach driving in the perspective that we are all fellow commuters and should work together on the road to make it a much safer place.For more information and tips, visit www.prudentvaluecarsblog.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

What To Do If You Are Hit By An Uninsured Driver

We all know that driving without insurance is illegal. If caught you can and will be fined a minimum of $5,000.00 on conviction and also have your license suspended and car impounded. There are many collisions that involve uninsured drivers. These motorists cost the province’s 9 million insured drivers approximately $27million a year in licensing fees and another $100million in insurance premiums to cover costs related to uninsured accidents.

What should you do when hit by an uninsured driver?

1) Write down license plate number and description of vehicle and driver that hit you. It’s very common for a driver who doesn’t have car insurance to flee the scene of the accident.
2) Call for emergency assistance. Do not leave the scene and wait for help to arrive.
3) Try and take pictures of the driver’s car, your car and your surroundings. Gather as much information as you can. Were there witnesses? If so, get their names, addresses and phone numbers.
4) Once the police arrive and an accident report has been made, get the information of the other driver. Make sure to get their name, address and phone number.
5) Contact your insurance company and explain the situation and ask the details of your coverage and what your options are. See if you have uninsured motorist coverage. Your insurance company will likely cover the damages and may go after the uninsured driver.
6) If you feel you are entitled to more money for injuries caused, you should speak to an attorney. Your attorney can file a lawsuit against the uninsured motorist. However, in most cases, those who drive without car insurance usually have no money which is why they don’t have insurance coverage.

When you get into any accident, remember to never talk to the other driver about who is at fault and about any monetary settlement. Let the police, insurance company or attorney handle this.
For more valuable tips and information, visit www.prudentvaluecarsblog.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Truth About Car Leasing in 2011

As recently as 2008, Canadians enjoyed significant competition in the automotive industry. To stay competitive all of the automakers began offering incredibly low lease rates and incentives to increase their market share.

As you are probably aware, when you purchase a new vehicle, it immediately depreciates in value as soon as you drive it off the lot because it “becomes used”. Some vehicle values can depreciate in value as much as 30% when purchased new. This is why a vehicle is considered a depreciating asset.

Previously, if you had leased a car at 1% or 2% interest you could return it in four years or buy out the lease. So what’s changed?

1. Some dealers like Chrysler (Chrysler Financial) no longer offer leases
2. Other dealers only offer low lease rates on promo vehicles and in the case of Ford, in Feb 2011 their lease rate on the popular Ford Edge was 5.99% (that is really high for a lease)
3. Some new car dealers are offering less residual buy out value on their vehicles (you pay more in lease payments)
4. Some dealers like Kia offer a minimum lease term of 5 years
The only other option that the new car dealers seem to be offering is new car financing over 72 to 84 months. The fact is that they have to stretch the financing over that long to even get to payment on a new vehicle, to an amount that most consumers can afford. The question is, does a 6-7 year car loan make good financial sense? I mean it’s like taking out a mortgage on a car.

If you can’t afford a new car payment financed over 4-5 years than quite frankly you can’t afford a new car. That doesn’t mean you can’t finance a car that meets your budget, and is almost new. Dealers like Prudent Value Cars sell quality pre-owned vehicles and arrange the loan financing over 3-4 year so at the end of your loan, you own something that still has value. For more information please visit www.prudentvaluecars.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Ways The Economy Is Affected By The Rising Cost Of Fuel

The economy is affected by many factors. When considering the economy specifically through oil and gas you might think, what relationship does the gas factor have with the economy? Canada operates in a global marketplace. Oil prices are set in the international marketplace and reflect the global supply and demand conditions. The prices are influenced by factors such as weather, strikes and wars. Here are just a couple obvious ways the economy is affected by the high cost of fuel:

Consumer spending – One of the biggest impacts the price of gas has on the economy is how it affects consumer spending. A big portion of our economy is driven by consumption. When gas prices go up, the demands for goods and services decreases. We are forced to spend more money on gas so that we can drive to work or to run errands that it leaves us with little to no money to spend on other purchases.

Transportation costs – When gas prices go up, the obvious happens. It costs more to drive, it costs more for buses and planes to operate, it costs more for trucks to deliver goods which all leads to reduced economic activity.

What can be done?

We’re misinformed to think that not purchasing gas on any specific day will cause a decrease in gas prices. The price will only decrease should the amount of gas demands declines. It’s priced on supply and demand but we are headed in the right direction by companies producing more energy efficient products. From our appliances to our automobiles, we are much more energy efficient than we were 20 years ago. If a large percentage of our population took steps to conserve energy it will be felt by the gas companies. Carpool, walk, jog or bike it to work if you can. Take measures to make your home more energy efficient like turn off the heater in your pool, properly caulk all your windows and doors, purchase energy saving items around the home. This will not only make a slight impact it will also save you money!
For more valuable information and tips, visit www.prudentvaluecarsblog.blogspot.com