Monthly Archives: May 2010

How to Save on Yearly Automobile Gas

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If you are a typical driver, you drive more than 1300 miles in a month and, over the course of a year you’ll purchase about 600 gallons of fuel to keep your car going. That’s the “typical” driver; you may not drive quite that much or you may drive a lot more than that but the point is, at current gas prices, you might be spending as much as $1500 a year or more just to keep gas in your car. Unfortunately, experts in the field predict gas prices going up from what they are now, giving us all a large incentive to try and find ways to reduce our fuel consumption. There are some ways to do that!

The next time you reach for your car keys ask yourself: ‘Do I really need to drive?’ Every trip to the store does not require car keys; you may find that there are ways of getting to your destination that are less expensive or even free:

Walk! If your destination is just a quarter of a mile or so away, walking those few blocks will not only save your gas money it will help you stay in good shape.

Peddle! You may own a bicycle that’s sitting in a corner and not being used; dust it off and use it for those destinations that are just two or three miles away. Don’t worry! You never forget how to ride a bike! If you don’t own a bicycle, consider buying one.

Public transportation! For those trips that are just not practical for walking or peddling, consider your public transportation options.

Ride sharing! There are literally thousands of carpools operating five days a week and saving their members plenty of money on gas and on wear and tear on their cars. Ask around at work, you may be able to find two or three people who live in your general area and who are willing to start a carpool. Also ask at work if the company has considered starting a van pool — they may already have one that you can get in on.

Neighborhood networking! Many times, in suburbs and small communities, neighbors get together for weekly trips to the grocery store or into town for other shopping or supplies — one week one person drives and the next week someone else drives. That type of arrangement also works great for getting the kids to school and home when you live in an area where there is no school bus service.

Telecommuting! More and more people are working for home and, with modern technology, they can even attend virtual meetings right from home. There are thousands of companies across the country that allow telecommuting and, if you can present it as a practical alternative to your management, you may join the ranks of telecommuters — at least some days of the week.

Perhaps you have no choice — there is just no way, other than driving, to get from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B;’ there are some things you can do to make your driving a money-saving experience.

Moderation! Watch your speed, if you drive at posted speed limits you’ll actually be driving at the most fuel-efficient speeds; if you have cruise control, use it for highway driving. When pulling away from a stop sign or light, don’t ‘floor it;’ jackrabbit starts are a big waste of gas. Jamming on your breaks wastes gas also and, more importantly, if you find yourself constantly hitting the breaks hard you’re driving far too aggressively; there is no need to add medical bills to your gas bills.

Plan ahead! During the morning and afternoon ‘rush hours’ you may find that the shortest route between home and work is also the most congested. Find an alternate route, even if its a little longer, it will get you out of those gas-wasting traffic jams. It also may be possible to have your work schedule changed so that you can miss the heavy traffic on the major highways.

Driving ‘lite’! The lighter your vehicle is, the less gas it will use. Don’t lug around unnecessary weight. Also, use the cars well-designed aerodynamics to your advantage by keeping your windows closed and not having anything strapped to the top of your car.

Keep your car in shape! A well maintained car will burn less gas than one that has been neglected: keep your tires properly inflated; use the proper (manufacturer recommended) oil and gas in your car; change your oil and have tune-ups at regular intervals. If your tires need replacement, look for tires that are rated as LRR (Low Rolling Resistance). Proper tire inflation along with the LRR tires will be your biggest fuel savers.

Rising gas prices will probably be with us for quite a long time so, if you are interested in saving money on gas, take these tips very seriously.

Automotive Detailing: How to Clean Automotive Upholstery

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Maintaining or restoring the “looks-like-new” condition of their automobiles is a consuming interest for most car owners. Most owners are interested in preserving their investment, and in enjoying the full use of their vehicle as long as possible. Other owners are interested in restoring a vehicle to the best condition possible in order to sell it or get a good trade-in value. Still others are attempting to restore a vehicle as a hobby, joining the many proud owners of classic and antique vehicles. These consumers want quality automotive cleaning products that will enable them to refurbish their autos quickly, with as little effort as possible. One particular problem, especially with older vehicles, is how to clean automotive upholstery. Is it different from furniture upholstery? Can the upholstery be cleaned in place or must it be removed? Is it necessary to use products that are uniquely for these interior automotive fabrics?

Even new vehicles can become soiled. A misplaced cup of coffee, a forgotten and melted crayon, a wad of gum tracked into the car on the driver’s shoe, or a sick puppy can present a daunting cleaning problem. If the problem was neglected when it was fresh, or if it was only partially cleaned and then allowed to age with the car, it may be extremely difficult to remove. It is always best to deal with stains immediately.

By and large, the same product that will clean a leather or vinyl chair should work on a leather or vinyl car interior. Automotive carpeting should respond to the same techniques as household carpet, depending on the fibers used. The same can be said for fabric upholstery. Therefore, the first step in cleaning your car’s interior is to determine what it is made of.

Second, try to determine what may have created the stain. This step may be difficult if the stain has been there for a while or if you have just acquired the car. Spilled cola and grease may leave stains that are similar in color, but they would respond best to different types of spot removers. It is important to choose the correct automotive cleaning products for the job or stain.

Unusual stains should be dealt with first, before an attempt is made to clean and refresh the entire interior surface. Gum or other, similar, sticky substances need careful handling. There are products available now that will freeze them in place, changing their chemical composition, and thus allowing for easy removal by scraping them away.

Other messes, like the above mentioned crayon, also need special handling. Crayon is wax based, but also has pigment. Its removal may need two steps and two entirely different products, depending on how badly it has melted into the fabric. A product specially formulated for crayon removal is a good first step.
Sugar-based food and drink spills on fabric, even old ones, can be removed with a good spot remover. This step should be followed by a thorough steam cleaning. If these stains are on the stitching of vinyl or leather, they may respond to the spot cleaner alone. Grease-based stains should respond to being blotted with a good degreaser, such as Formula 21 Grease Stain Remover.

Once all the unique stains have been dealt with appropriately, give the interior a thorough, all-over cleaning, depending on the upholstery type. Leather and vinyl can be cleaned with a specially formulated product such as Fuller Vinyl and Leather Cleaner. Built-up grime on older seats may also respond to washing with a good degreasing product such as Fulsol All-Purpose Degreaser. Fabric seats and carpets should be able to handle a thorough steam cleaning. Care should be taken to not get the fabric too wet. Because the upholstery and carpet cannot be removed to dry, work slowly in small areas, and only dampen the surface enough to remove the soil. Leaving the doors and or windows open for a while after the cleaning is complete may also hasten the trying time. Check with the manufacturer before treating or steam-cleaning antique fabrics.

With a little pre-planning and care, and with the right automotive detailing products, you can become an expert in how to clean automotive upholstery.

New Automobile Plant In Japan For Honda

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Just recently, the Honda Motor Company, Ltd. has announced that they are going to build a new automobile plant in Yorii, Osato county, Saitama prefecture in Japan. This new plant that they would be creating would be actually able to operate come the year 2010, during the early part of that year. The company estimates that its annual production capacity would be an approximate of some 200,000 units of engines as well as finished automobiles.

So where is Yorii? Yorii is a town in Japan. It is located in the northwestern part of Saitama prefecture. This is some 35 kilometers away from Sayama City and this is also the location of one of Honda’s existing plants which is known as the Saitama Factory or the Sayama Plant. The company plans that when the Yorii plant starts its operations, they will make sure that the existing Sayama Plant would be renovated and updated so as to make it the most advanced production plant in its operations.

The new plant’s construction still has not yet started although Honda is planning on starting it in a couple of years. The new plant for Honda would be constructed on a lot that measures around 800,000 square meters. They have also already come up with possible statistics and investment numbers. As per investment, they have an expected approximation of some 70 billion yen. They would also be able to employ roughly around 2,200 associates come the start of production of the Yorii Plant. Another fact is that come the total annual production for the company, they would have an increase of production. The current number is some 1.3 million units. They are looking at some 1.5 million units produced.

Takeo Fukui, the president and CEO of Honda Motor Co, Ltd., has something to say about their plans, “Honda will establish a high quality and highly efficient manufacturing system by applying the latest technologies. The new plant will be responsible for evolving these manufacturing systems to other Honda operations across the world.”

How To Save Money And Get Discount Automobile Insurance In Maryland

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Do not attempt to drive an automobile in the state of Maryland without automobile insurance. If you are caught driving on a public road in Maryland without automobile insurance your license plates can be confiscated and your registration revoked. No new registration and no new plates will be issued to you until you can prove that you have the required insurance coverage. In addition you may be subject to additional criminal penalties imposed by the courts.

In other words, it really doesn’t make any sense to even try to drive an automobile in Maryland unless you carry insurance.

Automobile insurance in Maryland does not have to be prohibitively expense for most drivers. In fact, there are several things you can do to help keep your rates as low as possible.

Start by keeping a clean driving record. A speeding ticket or a drunk or impaired driving conviction will cause your automobile insurance rates to rise to the stratosphere. Likewise, accidents, especially accidents that are deemed your fault, will also cause your monthly premiums to rise sharply ? and once your premiums have risen because of any of these factors they are likely to stay high for several years. Changing insurance companies does no good; your records are available to all automobile insurance companies.

If you are below 25 years of age then you know that automobile insurance is especially costly for you. If you are still in school and you want to keep your rates as low as possible then stay in school and work hard; average grades of “B” or better will save you as much as 5% in monthly premiums at most insurance companies. This is known as a Good Student Discount.

If you are 55 years of age or more you may have noticed your automobile insurance rates creeping up. They don’t have to remain high, however. Talk to your insurance agent and see if your company offers a discount for seniors who have successfully completed a refresher driver’s course. Many companies offer a monthly premium discount of as much as 10% to qualifying seniors.

If you have an older car, especially one with little or no trade-in value, you might consider canceling your collision and comprehensive coverage on your car. If your car is damaged in an accident your insurance won’t pay for its repair or replacement, but if your car had little Kelly Blue Book value before the accident then your insurance company would not have paid anything for it anyway ? so you really lose nothing and save a considerable amount of money.

One of the most dramatic things you can do to lower your automobile insurance rates is to increase your policy’s deductible. Your deductible is how much money you will pay out of your own pocket if you should have a claim. Since you will be paying for a portion of each claim your insurance company is willing to reduce your monthly premiums.

O.K., now it’s time for you to jump online and check out at least 3 of the many websites that offer to let you compare automobile insurance policies and prices at multiple insurance companies side-by-side. Take the extra time and fill out all of the necessary information on at least 3 different comparison websites. In this way you will be certain to have compared every insurance company that sells automobile policies in Maryland and you can rest assured that you have saved money and gotten discount automobile insurance in Maryland.

The point of all this is that you are not helpless when it comes to controlling how much you pay for automobile insurance here in Maryland.

Automotive Marketing… The 3 Mistakes Everyone Makes Marketing To Car Dealers

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When trying to sell a car dealer your products or services most sales are lost because of these 3 reasons.

The main reason that your sales are not where they should be is because most dealers never receive your message. Unless you are a huge company with an advertising budget in the millions most dealership owners and general managers will never see your message. Car Dealers are constantly bombarded with everything from window decals to water filtration systems and averages state that your prospect will have to see your message at least 7 times before they will have a favorable opinion about your products and services. How many times are your dealers seeing your message?

Another important point that happens in most campaigns is the message is too long. You must have copy that gets right to the point. If your message is 7 pages long and requires the prospect to spend 15 minutes reading it chances are they wont. Take a look at the length and see what points you really need to make. Most marketing and sales agents make the mistake of tyring to sell the prospect with their copy and adding in every little feature and benefit about their product. Instead offer a teaser approach and get them to contact you for additional information. This will allow you to focus on hot prospects while testing your marketing message.

The final reason that most campaign fail is not using enough marketing mediums to contact your prospect. We all know that an appointment with the decision maker offers the best opportunity to sell your product or service, but in the automotive marketing world we all know that is next to impossible. With the phone being the next best followed by direct mail and internet marketing. You must make an effort to use every form to reach your dealers. How many are you currently using?

If you incorporate these ideas into your current sales and marketing campaigns your sales and profits will explode and If you need the most exclusive automotive direct mail and marketing list with complete contact information on 21,545 Auto Dealers for only $297 visit: http://www.AutoDealerList.com