Tools Women Can Use to Impress Their Auto Technician

Trust, reliability and good communication are not just key ingredients to a healthy and successful relationship with your significant other. They are also instrumental to a balanced and sound relationship with your automobile and its technician. At some point in a vehicle's life, most women will have to take their automobile to a repair shop because it has, unfortunately, let them down. AAA, North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, is helping women motorists jump-start their awareness in automotive maintenance with a checklist they can use to boost their car care confidence and automotive self-reliance. "If women put off visiting an auto repair shop because of fear, it could be a recipe for disaster," said John Nielson, director of AAA's Approved Auto Repair program. "The more you know about your vehicle and how it operates, the better." AAA offers the following tips for women: * Become familiar with your automobile's maintenance schedule. This information is provided in the owner's manual of your vehicle. * Don't wait for your car to break down to identify a repair shop. Be proactive and research where you want to take your vehicle when it's time to be serviced. * Gather recommendations and opinions from friends and family about auto repair shops. This will help streamline the decision-making process. * Check with local consumer agencies to identify if the repair shop in question has any unresolved disputes. * Find out if the shop employs ASE certified automotive technicians that are experienced working on the type of car you own. * Select an AAA Approved Auto Repair facility. These shops undergo an extensive investigation before being allowed to enter the program and AAA is confident that they will provide competent and professional repairs. * Communicate your vehicle's symptoms effectively by using simple everyday language or demonstrating the problem during a test drive with the technician.

Read More

Understanding Your Auto Warranty

The auto warranty is something everyone thinks about when they are purchasing a car, but few of these people realize that they need to think about it after that as well. You go into a dealership, which convinces you to purchase an auto that is perfect for you. What seals the deal, in many cases, is the fact that the auto has an auto warranty on it. You think that they could not or would not offer a warranty on a product that wasn’t up to standards. So, you purchase your car and get your auto warranty. Regardless of the car, the make or model number, you simply shove that auto warranty into the glove box and call it done. But, what you need to do is to know what is covered on that warranty, what you need to do to get those services, and what you need to do to keep that warranty up to date. Getting the information that you need to make a decision about your auto warranty is also important. For many people, they may not even realize that they should read the thing! You would be surprised at what is and isn’t covered in that warranty. If you have one and you haven’t read it, dig it out and get going. What you will want to know first of all is what things it cover. Does the auto warranty cover things such as parts and oil changes? Does it cover the tires, brakes and the body work? Now that you know that, do you know what to do to get the services that it covers? Read on. Learn where you will need to go to get these services, if there will be any fee and what happens if you don’t go to the right location. Lastly, you also want to know about the auto warranty expiration date if there is one. In some cases, you may actually be able to increase that amount of time by purchasing a warranty extension. The auto warranty can offer many things after all.

Read More

Speeding Ticket – The Legal Basics You Need To Know

If you have chosen to fight your speeding ticket in court, then you’ll need to know the basics of how to act while you’re in court. With this in mind, I’ve prepared for you some basics of how to behave in court. Here they are: Make sure you are well dressed. If you are dressed inappropriately, it will be seen as an insult to the court…and this is NOT going to help your case. ALWAYS be polite and courteous to everyone there. This includes the judge, the prosecutor, and the police officer. Also, remember that these people know each other very well. Always be nice to these people. The idea of innocent until proven guilty is for the movies. It doesn’t work like this in real life. Remember the only thing separating you and a conviction is evidence. If you admit to anything in the court room, the charge against you can be changed at a moments notice. You can be found guilty if it comes from your own mouth. If anyone in the court room (judge, magistrate or prosecutor) asks you anything whatsoever about the ticket, be courteous…and say you would prefer not to testify against yourself. Remember that the proof required in criminal cases is beyond reasonable count. The key word in all of this is reasonable. If you don’t challenge the evidence, it will be presumed reasonable by everyone in the court room. Remember that you are being charged for a specific speed. Not just for driving fast. The prosecution will try to show evidence that you were driving a specific amount over the limit, not that you were simply driving “fast”. You do not need to try and prove your innocence. You simply need to prove that the prosecutions evidence is either unreliable, or is inadmissible. This is an important distinction which you need to keep in mind.

Read More

Tire Tips to Keep You Rolling Into Fall

Recent research by the Rubber Manufacturers Association tells us that more people wash their cars each month than properly check their tire pressure. But a clean car is not going to do much to keep us safe on the roads. Adding a few minutes to your fall car care routine to check your tires will help keep you safer this season. Here are some simple tips: * Examine the tread on your tires once per month and before every long trip. Your tires should have at least one-sixteenth of an inch of tread depth, which is the legal limit in most states. Perform the "penny test" by inserting a penny in the tread at several points on the tire, with Lincoln's head pointed down. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, the tread is worn and the tire probably needs to be replaced. * Take a good look at your tires. Uneven tread wear could mean a number of different problems: under- or overinflation, tires out of balance or wheels out of alignment. If your tread appears to be wearing unevenly, ask your TiresPlus service professional to take a look. * Don't neglect the signals your tires are sending you. Tires have "wear bars" built into them. These indicators appear when you have worn your tread down to one-sixteenth of an inch. * Rotate your tires according to the vehicle owner's manual. The forces exerted on tires differ depending on the tire's position on the car, which may cause uneven tire wear. Front wheels work harder because they do the turning and most of the braking. And rear wheels can be unevenly loaded. * Check your air pressure with an accurate tire gauge at least once a month and always when cool - meaning the car has been driven less than one mile or has not moved in at least three hours. Tires can lose up to 1 pound per square inch per month, and tire pressure can change by 1 pound per square inch for every 10 degrees change in ambient temperature. The next time you head to the car wash, take a few minutes to check your tires so you can cruise the roads knowing your vehicle is clean and, more importantly, safer for any season.

Read More

Shopping For Scooters

Once you start shopping around for scooters, you realise that there are so many selections. Even though it’s a good thing there are so many selections, it’s hard to figure out which one is good for you with all the different brands, styles and models out there. That’s why the internet is a good tool to help you in your search. There are scooter retailers and personal websites that can help you find the information that you need. Shopping for motor scooters at the store can have you running around and wasting time, because there are many sales and deals. But using the internet helps you figure out what exactly you’re looking for and where to find it, before you go to the store. And you could even purchase it online if you wanted too. But be cautious as there are sites with inaccurate information pertaining to scooters. So be on the look out for false information while browsing sites. It’s good to look at sites with peoples opinion on scooters which could help you decide, but make sure they have experience in scooters and know what their talking about. You could see the performance ratings on many scooters which could help you decide on a scooter more easily. Many large sites provide reviews that have been submitted by consumers who have purchased the products. These sites are usually more reliable. Your main objective when purchasing a motor scooter is buying one that’s comfortable and fits your needs. The best to achieve this is by researching the product you want so you know what it offers and what it doesn’t. That way you can see if it’s right for you. If the scooter will be used as a commuter vehicle it could save you a lot on gas and time. Finding a good deal on the scooter by knowing what you want exactly, is the best reward.

Read More

Look Over the 2008 Range Rover Sport

Whether it is off-road driving or oft-traveled routes, the 2008 Range Rover Sport lives up to the legacy of the Land Rover brand impeccably. The rugged yet refined SUV offers unparalleled luxury and performance. The RRS has eight-way electric-powered front seats and a 4.2-liter 390-horsepower V8 engine. It comfortably seats five adults. Standard features on the RRS Supercharged version include a six-speed automatic adaptive transmission, a touch-screen DVD-based satellite navigation system, an electronic four-corner air suspension, a front-and-rear park distance control, and an adaptive cruise-control system. The technology and entertainment sources are superb, as it has a Sirius satellite radio, a personal telephone with Bluetooth technology, and an optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The electric-powered steering column has a memory function to accommodate various drivers' preferences, and the cool center console features a cooler box for on-the-go chilling. The seats are supple leather and the interior trim features either straight-grained walnut or dark Zebrano wood. Twenty-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels are standard, while 20-inch nine spoke wheels are optional. An adaptive cruise-control system and a cold-climate package are additional options. A regular electronic cruise control comes standard along with an adaptive front-lighting system. Both versions of the RR Sport provide a six-airbag-restraint system, front and rear three-point safety belts, adjustable front and rear head restraints, and active roll mitigation for safety. The ground clearance for everyday driving is 6.8 inches, and 8.9 inches for off-road adventuring. The vehicle's towing capacity is more than 7,700 pounds (braked) and 1,653 pounds (un-braked). The 2008 Ranger Rover Sport Supercharged package comes in six vibrant color options, such as Rimini Red, Buckingham Blue, and Zermatt Silver. The price of this magnificent machine begins at $71,950, and the Range Rover Sport HSE starts at $58,500. Simply defined, the Range Rover Sports were born to be wild, sophisticated and refined.

Read More

Speaking Up About Vehicle Safety

If you think there's no use in complaining, think again. Consumer complaints about vehicle safety have sparked a number of auto recalls that have helped keep American roads safe. How many complaints does it take to initiate a recall investigation? There is no set number. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), every consumer complaint counts. The NHTSA is perhaps most recognized for its "5-star government crash test ratings." However, the agency also oversees and manages the recall of defective vehicles. While most recalls are initiated by manufacturers, NHTSA-influenced or -initiated recalls typically result in a greater number of individual vehicles being recalled each year. To encourage consumer input, the agency uses every available avenue. Efforts to get unsafe vehicles off the road are fueled by calls to the DOT Vehicle Safety Hotline, complaints sent by mail, and reports filed via the Web site at www.safercar.gov. Visitors to the site can fill out an online complaint form, at their convenience, and with relative ease of use. Every phone call, Internet report or complaint letter to NHTSA is carefully reviewed by vehicle safety experts and the complaint is posted (with names and personal identifiers removed to protect privacy) on the agency Web site. The agency's technical staff members continuously monitor all complaints to determine trends and next steps. As soon as a trend is suspected and the issue poses a potential safety risk, the agency opens an official recall investigation, with the ultimate goal of saving lives caused by motor vehicle failure and crashes. It could be your vehicle safety complaint that signals agency engineers to open an investigation. The group says that people having problems with their vehicles that they think are safety related shouldn't hesitate to complain. Direct input from consumers is invaluable to the agency's ability to fulfill its mission and improve service when it matters most: when lives are at stake.

Read More