7 Tips To Help You Select Your Custom Car Cover

You lovingly wash and wax your vehicle on most sunny weekends, spending time detailing every single blotch, nick, scrape, or other damaging mark on your car's exterior. Part of the deal with owning any vehicle is making certain that it looks its best week in and week out. Still, you may not be doing all that you can to protect the finish. Other enemies including bird excrement, acid rain, and even harmful UV rays can thwart the best efforts of even the most diligent car owner. Fortunately, there is one automotive accessory that can help keep your car clean, provided you use it when your car is parked for an extended length of time. What am I talking about? Car covers! Read on for seven helpful tips to help you choose the right cover for your truck, van, SUV, or car. When shopping for a custom car cover you must give consideration to what it does besides simply covering your car. Among some important points to know: Will the car cover protect from damaging UV rays? If you live in an area of intense sunshine, such as Arizona, you need a car cover that offers the maximum protection from the sun. Is the material durable? Does it breath? Will it tear if loaded down with snow or ice? Will the car cover resist or completely repel rain? Can the product survive weather extremes, i.e. intense heat or severe cold? Will the car cover resist dust? Some car covers prevent even the finest dust from accumulating, dust that can mar your garaged car too. Does the car cover come with multiple layers to protect from small insults? This is important feature to have if you leave your car in a public area. In addition, selecting a car cover that comes with side mirror pockets is a wise choice to ensure that your car receives the snuggest fit. Finally, you will want to know if there is a lengthy guarantee offered, what colors are available, and what the return policies are, if any, of the cover that you select. Most premium car covers allow you for them to be cleaned right in your washing machine. By selecting cold to warm water, regular bleach-free laundry detergent, and drying it on your dryer's permanent press cycle, you can make the dirtiest car cover clean in no time. Of course, make certain that you adhere to the manufacturer's specifications for the proper care of your car cover.

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Is America Ready For A Tiny BMW?

I wrote previously about Mercedes’ foray into the small car market. As strange as that may seem to many Americans, both Mercedes and BMW have long produced smaller and less costly models for the European market. Now, it appears that BMW is considering doing the same: introducing to the North American market a truly compact car, smaller than any BMW that has ever graced our highways and back streets. Is this a good move for the German automaker? Or, will it water down a prestigious brand name? Part of any automaker’s marketing strategy is to convince you, the consumer, what their vehicle line is all about. Dodge would like you to believe that they sell sporty cars and rugged trucks; Scion touts their youth oriented vehicles; and both BMW and Mercedes, like Cadillac, sell luxury vehicles. Millions of dollars of advertising is spent per year to reinforce brand image which is supported by consumer surveys of that particular sentiment. Speaking about Cadillac, in the early 1980s GM’s luxury brand briefly marketed a compact car – the Cimarron – that ultimately bombed, in part, because it strayed far from its big luxury car base. Sure, the car was little more than a rebadged and re-tweaked Chevrolet Cavalier, but it contradicted the entire Cadillac mystique. Even a slightly larger and much later model, the Catera, also failed as the car was perceived for what it really was: a remade Opel. So, now the dilemma: will consumers accept the “1 Series” BMW’s planned entry or will it cause confusion and diminish the BMW name? As a backgrounder, the current 1 Series is expected to be overhauled in 2006. Right now the car is offered as a sport hatchback, but the hatchback isn’t likely to be imported due to America’s aversion to that particular body style. Thus a sedan version is being considered by BMW for production according to published reports. I visited BMW’s U.K. site to examine the current Series 1 model. With the typical BMW fascia in place the Series 1 resembles a slightly stretched Volkswagen Golf mated to a compact BMW. The “1” comes equipped with either a 1.6L or 2.0L I4 gasoline engine, a gas 24V 3.0L V6, or a 2.0L four cylinder diesel that achieves a whopping 50 mpg fuel economy. Prices for the “1” start at just under $25,000 Equipment on the “1” is typical BMW with ABS and all the full luxury appointments. Clearly, the current “1” is not a stripped model as it features many of the amenities found on larger BMWs. In my opinion BMW must tread carefully in bringing a car of this size to the American market. Forget the hatchback and just go with the sedan with either a wagon and or a coupe being a possibility. Unlike the basic Mercedes models, the “1” may just be able to pull it off for BMW and allow the German automaker to sell a tiny BMW successfully in the U.S. Alternatively, BMW just may want to consider launching a separate brand, to retain the BMW mystique in the American market.

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Happy Honda Days, Eh?

I love this time of year! The seasonal music, the lights, manger scenes, and the silly ads on television. No, I am not talking about ads pitching products to put in your stocking or to set under your Christmas tree. Instead, what I like is all the car ads cleverly designed to get you to leave the mall and hit dealer showrooms. There is a lot more then meets the eye when a car ad makes its appearance during the holiday season. It isn’t all ho, ho, ho either! Read on and I will tell you what it is all about. Happy Honda Days! Yes, playing on the “Happy Holidays” theme the group of five or six “carolers” singing Honda songs are doing what they can do to get you to buy a new Honda. So, why this pitch and why this time of year? For two reasons: consumers are buying Christmas presents, so purchasing a new car is nowhere near the top of anyone’s priorities, and Toyota. Toyota?! Yes, that is right. Toyota and Honda are once again battling for the top spot for the best selling car in America. Long ceded by American automakers who sell more trucks than cars, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are the two top selling cars. Guess what? December 31st marks the final day that cars sold can be tabulated as 2005 sales. Honda wants you in their showrooms and they want you to buy. Move over, Toyota! Don’t think for a moment that Honda is the only manufacturer with a big year end sales drive in place. Virtually all manufacturers are in a race to get you to buy a new car now. Each is hoping that you aren’t too busy to watch a little bit of television, listen to the radio, scour the newspaper, or search the internet in hopes that an ad promoting their product will find its way before your eyes. You can’t shop all the time, right? Right? To help you out, the following are some of the current campaigns already under way and the brand they are touting:

December to Remember; Lexus

Toyotathon; Toyota

Miles of Freedom Plan; Dodge

Keep It Simple; Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

Red Tag Sale; GM

A to Z Year End Event; Nissan

The Cadillac Season’s Best Sales Event; Cadillac

Winter Event; Mercedes There is no telling what other sales events are being planned. By the time the new year rolls in, you are likely to be as sick of them as you will be of all the tinsel, the egg nog, and your 47th viewing of “A Christmas Story.” Happy holidays to you and yours; Happy Honda Days if you are choose to purchase a new car during this already overstressed time of the year!

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2007 Nissan Maxima: 300, Avalon Take Notice!

During the late 1990s, Nissan rolled out a new version of its Maxima to the critical acclaim of automobile experts as well as to consumers who snapped up the snazzy car in record numbers. Nissan carried the momentum forward until when the 2004 model was released; it was perceived by many as a step backward and sales dropped accordingly. Now, Nissan is poised to release a new Maxima and the company has the Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon in its crosshairs!

Make no mistake about it: when consumers are disappointed with a particular model they will look elsewhere; not even brand loyalty can keep consumers in the fold. Nissan found this out painfully in 2003 as the first Maximas were released as 2004 models. Sales dropped as potential buyers complained about the cheap looking interior as well as the uninspiring exterior.

Nissans loss was Chrysler’s and Toyota’s gain as the full sized, rear wheel drive Chrysler 300 has performed very well and the all-new-for-2006 Toyota Avalon is evoking favorable comparisons with current Lexus models. Nissan, realizing that lost sales was lost income hurried the Maxima’s redesign and has pushed the new car up market. This means that the all new Maxima will probably more resemble a vehicle from Nissan’s luxury car division Infiniti than any Nissan has to date.

So, what are the major changes? They will include the following: a redesigned exterior that takes its styling cues from Infiniti; a much more luxurious and refined interior; and more optional equipment made standard.

Sure, you will pay more for the new Maxima, but in the end you are certain to drive away with a car that competes effectively with Chrysler and Toyota for sales in the all important large car segment. This is good news for Nissan and for you, the potential buyer.

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9 Japanese Automakers

Japanese built and designed cars have flooded the North American market for over forty years now. Over time, many nameplates have come and gone, but Japanese cars continue to gain market share and acceptance with a growing number of motorists attracted to their high quality and durability. There are nine Japanese automobile manufacturing companies in existence. Can you name them? Let’s take a look at the list:

Toyota – The second largest automaker in the world is Toyota, maker of the Camry, the Corolla, and a host of SUVs, trucks, passenger cars, and a van. Toyota’s Lexus division produces luxury cars, while its Scion division manufactures youth oriented vehicles.

Honda – The Accord and the Civic are Honda’s two most well known models, followed by the Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline truck, the Element, and several other passenger vehicles. Acura is the name given to Honda’s luxury car division.

Nissan – Drive a Datsun and then decide. Up until the early 1980s, Nissan’s North American nameplate was Datsun, but was switched to Nissan to give it a more global name. The Sentra, Maxima, and Pathfinder are amongst the division’s best selling vehicles. Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury car division. Renault Motors of France owns a controlling interest in Nissan.

Mitsubishi – Originally imported exclusively by Chrysler, Mitsubishi began to sell cars under its own name in the 1980s. Top selling models include the Lancer, the Eclipse, and the Montero. DaimlerChrysler owns a chunk of the company.

Mazda – The Tribute, Miata, and the “6” are some of the most well known Mazda models. The Mazda 6’s platform also powers several Ford Motor Company cars including the Mercury Milan. Ford owns an important stake in the company.

Subaru – Think all wheel drive and you may just think Subaru. The Forester, Outback, and Legacy are all top selling Subaru models. Fuji Heavy Industries [FHI] owns Subaru; General Motors has a 20 percent stake in FHI.

Suzuki – 20% owned by General Motors, Suzuki is as noted for producing cars as it is for manufacturing motorcycles. The Grand Vitara is one of its most noted models.

Isuzu – Did someone say General Motors? Again, GM owns a stake in Isuzu. At one time Isuzu imported cars to the US, but those days are over. Currently, Isuzu has a miniscule presence and the two vehicles they do sell – the Ascender SUV and I Series pick ups – are simply rebadged GMC vehicles.

Daihatsu – The Charade and Rocky were two models introduced by Daihatsu when the car company started selling vehicles in North America in 1988; four years later its North American operations were closed. In 1999, Toyota assumed controlling interest over the company.

So, there you have it: there are nine Japanese automakers, two of which are still independent. Much like the American market further consolidation is likely with nameplates disappearing entirely just like the Packard, Hudson, Oldsmobile, Plymouth, and a host of other North American nameplates have driven off into the history books.

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