Understanding Your Vehicle

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By Brenda Williams

Do you know that there are some people who don’t even know how to change their own tire on their vehicle? When you first purchase a car or even before that; when you first have the opportunity to drive a car, you should first make sure that you know how everything on the vehicle works. For example, right before I was scheduled to sign up for driver’s education lessons at my high school, my father took me out to the driveway and walked me through how everything worked on his car (since I was more than likely going to be borrowing his vehicle at some future point).

Today, I am grateful for that impromptu lesson all of those years ago. Even though his tires were completely fine, he still stood there and, in the hot summer sun, made me go through the entire process of changing a tire. This was, perhaps, one of the most important things that I could know about a vehicle because a couple of years later when I had my first car and was away at college during my frehsman year, I somehow got three flats over the course of that first year. I remember having to get on my hands and knees in the cold, 32 degree weather so that I could change my tire, put the spare on and drive my vehicle over to the mechanic so that he could address the flat tire.

There are many people who were surprised that I knew how to change a flat tire and that I had done it more than once during my freshman year of college. Where I had changed a flat, other young women (and some young men) would have called Triple A or someone else to come and help them. I even got a flat tire once when I was renting a rental car while my personal vehicle was in the shop for maintenance! Talk about bad luck with tires! Just a couple of years ago, I had just purchased a brand new Jeep, and one day while I was driving the twenty minutes it took to get to work, I noticed that my car seemed to be acting strangely. I had checked my tires before I left, and the tires had been fine…but still it felt as if I was almost dragging a dead body behind me. When I got to work, I hopped out of my vehicle, and walked around the back to get my police gear out for work. That’s when I noticed that both of my back tires were completely flat.

As a result of all of my tire woes, today I am extremely parnoid about tires. Before I get into my vehicle, I almost always do a quick check of all my tires. I occasionally keep an eye on the tread as well, as tread wear can affect what kind of gas mileage your vehicle gets. The tread in your tires can also be the cause of vehicular accidents as your tires have nothing left to grip the roads with, causing your vehicle to have difficulty when attempting to stop your car.

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Vehicle Maintenance

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By Brenda Williams

When should you get an oil change? How long in between service should you wait before you have your tires and wheels rotated and balanced? How much will all of this cost? How much can you expect to pay each time? These are all things to consider when thinking about vehicle maintenance. Additionally, did you know that it is actually bad to drive your vehicle when it is almost out of gasoline?

Before you purchase a car, you should really stop to think about all of the possible ways that you will have to spend money on your vehicle. For instance, with certain cars, the price tag may say one thing, but then you will later find out that it costs a significant amount of money to make any repairs to the car depending on where it was manufactured, what features your vehicle has and the number of dealerships and/or service centers that there are in the area who are capable of knowing exactly how to service your car.

My mother used to take her old Toyota Tercel to a local mechanic that she was friends with. However, when my father bought her a brand new Honda with updated electrical features in it, the next time she took it in for service to her local mechanic, he wasn’t trained in how to service an updated car like hers that had a brand new electrical system that he wasn’t used to, so he referred her to the dealership where my father purchased the car. No matter what type of vehicle you own in your life, you will inevitably have to take it in for routine maintenance. Whether it is for something as simple as an oil change or whether it is for something more serious such as a transmission check, your vehicle will more than likely have to be serviced.

When you do eventually bring your car in, you are going to have to make sure that you have enough money to cover the expenses. Additionally, before you purchase a car, you should make sure that you know what it is that you want to buy when you are looking for a vehicle. Be smart about it and make sure that you do all of the research ahead of time. For instance, if you know that you do a lot of driving, then a sport utility vehicle is probably not a wise choice. If you have children or are thinking of having children, then purchasing a sports car may not be the best idea either. The more research that you do ahead of time, the more likely it is that you will save yourself not only money and time but also the hassle of having to deal with car dealerships, unnecessary repairs or surprise costs for owning your vehicle.

There are things that every car owner has to deal with. For example, you will have to make sure that you keep up with getting your oil changed. While there has been an increase in the price of oil, it is still a relatively affordable procedure that you can keep up with when it comes to maintaining your vehicle. If you are planning on taking a long trip anywhere, always make sure that you check your tire pressure and make sure that your oil is changed. The last thing that you want is to break down on a road in the middle of nowhere!

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When Your Vehicle is Stolen

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By Brenda Williams

There have been times lately when I have almost wished that my car would get stolen so that I would have a great excuse for needing another car. However, after toying with this delightful thought, my dreams were soon crushed by the fact that I am pretty sure that having my car stolen wouldn’t mean anything to the car insurance company as I would probably still be responsible for paying some or all of what was previously owed on the vehicle.

Having your car broken into is not a great experience at all. However, having your car stolen is even worse. I say that having your car stolen is worse because, for most people, owning a car is their first major investment. In fact, some people easily spend upwards of $30,000 on a single car! This number doesn’t even begin to include all of the extra money that you would have to factor in for things such as car repairs, oil changes and gasoline expenses. By the time that all is said and done, you have probably paid the equivalent of owning a small house except for the fact that it is on four wheel.s

When I was a police officer, one of the major patterns that I was finding with stolen vehicles was the fact that most often than not, the vehicles were being stolen from a particular area during a particular time and that criminals were targeting a certain type of vehicle. For instance, in one area where there were numerous reports of cars being stolen, criminals were only stealing older model Honda Accords. In another area where cars were being stolen, people were too trusting and friendly (or perhaps forgetful and lazy) because they weren’t locking their car doors. In a couple of cases, people had their cars stolen right out of their garages because they had left their garage doors wide open!

Even if you think that you live in the nicest neighborhood in the world, and even if you in fact live in the nicest neighborhood in the world, crime is immune to that fact. Some things that you can do in order to protect yourself from having your vehicle stolen include making sure that you try to leave your car as empty as possible at all times. For instance, some people (and I have been guilty of this before) will leave valuable such as their wallet or their iPods and GPS systems, etc. in their vehicles…IN PLAIN SIGHT! This is just begging someone to come along and with one glance, see exactly what goodies you are tempting them to take.

Always try to park your vehicle in a well-lit area, and perhaps you should also invest in a car alarm. If you own a house, this may involve installing motion censored lighting on the exterior of your home as a way to deter criminals from entering the perimeter. There are all sorts of things that you can do to safeguard yourself against crime. That being said, what are you doing to prevent your car from being stolen?

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Secure Your Vehicle

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By Brenda Williams

When you are getting ready to go somewhere or are preparing to arrive somewhere, you need to make sure that everything in your vehicle is secured in an area that is not visible to outsiders who may be walking by your car and looking in the windows.

Ideally, when you want to go out anywhere, and you are driving your personal vehicle, you should always make every effort to secure everything in your car before you leave. The reason for this is because criminals will often scan parking lots or other common areas and will actually watch people as they sit in their cars and fidget around while they try to hide whatever it is that they don’t want you to see. However, what they don’t realize is that it is too late; someone is watching where they are putting their various items.

There are various items that people carelessly leave out in their vehicles such as cell phones, loose change or actual paper bills and jewelry to name a few. Why jewelry, you may wonder? The simpler explanation for why this is most often an occurrence is due to the fact that when many people go to the gym or go to a park to exercise, they will often take off their rings, earrings, bracelets and/or necklaces so that they are less restricted while they exercise or work out. However, what they often fail to realize is that jewelry is something that you should really take care of ahead of time at home. For example, if you know that you want to attend the gym to work out and you are not a person who likes to wear jewelry while you exercise, make sure that you store it before you get into your car. If you, for some reason, prefer to keep it in your vehicle, then at least make sure that you bring an opaque bag to put the items in, or at best, place your jewelry out of sight in an area of your vehicle that is covered such as your glove box, under your seat or in the middle console area (if it is covered).

There is no reason why you shouldn’t secure your vehicle. Whenever you exit your vehicle, you should always conduct a quick, last minute scan of everything inside of the car to make sure that there is nothing tempting that is left out- even things that you may not think are tempting to a thief. When I was a police officer, I responded to call of a car break in. It turns out that the person had just come back from the laundry mat and had a bunch of clothes careless thrown in the back seat of their car. The person who broke into their car walked by and glanced in the window. Seeing all of the clothing strewn about, the thief actually thought that the person was trying to cover something up, and therefore, the thief broke into the car. Whenever you are traveling somewhere, make sure that your car is locked and that you leave your vehicle looking as empty as possible so that no one is even remotely tempted to break into it.

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What to Look For When You Are Buying a Used Vehicle

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By G Jenkins

If you’re buying a used car, you can never predict whether your bargain is going to be a good or a bad one. Despite the repeated promises made at the time of purchase, there is always a chance that you’re caught in a bad deal. However, like every other purchase, there are always ways to find out if you’re being cheated.

The following are a few things that you’ve got to take note of when you’re buying a used car. Some of the more important things to do include:

• One sure way of knowing whether you’re being handed a bad car is trying to read the mannerisms of the owner. The owner of a bad vehicle will avoid answering your direct questions or will hide certain details regarding the vehicle. On the other hand, if the seller is direct and friendly, it is a sign that the vehicle it a good one. However, going simply by the personality of the person is not enough, because there are some glib talkers who can manage to sell you a bad car by hiding its faults with ease. So you have to take a few more steps to ensure that you’re making a good buy.

• The next precaution you should take before finally buying it is checking whether all the main parts and systems are in great condition. Everything has to be checked, right from the scratches of the body, to the air conditioning system. You must also check the windows, the stereo systems and the gears. Don’t hesitate to conduct a thorough check, you’re buying the car, after all, so you have every right to play the radio or switch on the air conditioning to see if they work.

• A good idea would be to look at the paint of the car carefully to see if it’s been repainted or comes off at places. Sometimes, damaged cars are totally rebuilt after an accident and then resold. A good way to check if this is the case with the car you’re eyeing is by looking at the gas tank. If there are traces of re-coloring or scratches in that area, the car has surely been repainted. It is better not to buy the vehicle because it’s bound to run into problems later.

• Getting a warranty for the car is also another way of ensuring that you’re buying a good vehicle. If you can get a one month warranty, it will give you enough time to test the capabilities of the car. If your car repeats any of its older problems during that period, you can easily take it back and refund the money. This is also a good way of knowing if the car is good. The dealers who will back their cars and give you a warranty are generally selling good cars; whereas, if the dealer refuses a warranty, it may mean that the car is damaged.

You can also get a second check done on the car through another agency to know for sure that it is in perfect condition. This can cost you anything from 20 to 50 bucks, but you will be aware of the true condition of the car. A second testing also means that you will know of any existing problems, and also about the impending ones, if there are any. In the end, you can make a better decision on whether you’re being charged a decent price for the car.

About the Author: For more car care and repair tips, head to the Auto Experts at: http://www.autoexpertscolumbus.com and check out the specials in their free newsletter issues while you’re there!

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