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How to sell a car quickly

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Logically, if you are ready to sell your vehicle, you want to do it as fast as possible and for a reasonable price, because everyone out there wants to make a profit. And, as in any other procedure, it has some basic steps and points that you need to go through.

We will not give a full list of those, as not all of them need extra explanation and are plain. We will about the most useful things that you shouldn’t forget about.

So, here are some of the main tips to sell your car with a minimum waste of time and effort:

  1. Collect your documents

Before you apply your car for sale, you need to find some of the documents and go through some of the following points.

You should get the so-called “pink slip”, but you do not have to sign it right away. By getting it you will be able to sell your car legally. Then, go to the nearest department or the one, where you registered your car and ask which documents are needed to change the owner of the car.

And you can try to get a vehicle history report, which will show the future buyer al of the extra information that he or she might need.

  1. Pick the perfect price for your car

You need to turn your logic and analysis skills when it comes to setting the price. It should not be too high, because no one will buy it, but, at the same time, it should not be too low, because you will not get the wanted profit. Look for the average price of your car on different websites and try to calculate the average out of those variants.

When you are done with that, set your piece, by raising it a bit. Butt, at any cost, do not get it higher than one thousand dollars. The difference here will be too reasonable and easily seen, so you will, unfortunately, fall out of the price category that will be treated as a bargain.

  1. Do not forget about the power of the Internet

Nowadays, a ton of different resources, websites and social media pages will help you to sell your car. It is one of the easiest, fastest and most popular ways to sell your car. But there is also some useful advice on how to make your deal more appealing on the Internet.

– Pick only platforms that can be trusted. There are some of the most popular and trustworthy sources, that you can compare by looking up and comparing reviews under different platforms.

– Think about having a good-quality photo of your car. If you have plenty of money or a friend that can do it, then ask him or her to do a photo. The quality of it should be proper and the car itself should be clean. Pick out nice location that you will associate with beauty or success. Photos in the backyard will not work as good. Look for complimentary lightning or take your photo in the middle of the day. And make sure you take it from different angles, including angles from the inside of the car.

So, those were the main tips for selling your car fast.  Those are pretty simple and will lead you to success fast. If you follow them added with research and some time spent to know the process, you will sell your car in a moment. Hope they will be useful and good luck!

 

Purchasing Your First Vehicle: Why is Car Leasing a Great Alternative?

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There is undoubtedly a great sense of pride and accomplishment when it comes to purchasing and owning your very first vehicle. Whether you buy a brand-new model or go for a second-hand dealership, it is often considered to be a significant milestone in life. However, the act of purchasing a brand-new car is treasured to the point that some people force themselves into a challenging financial situation due to the purchase of such a vehicle.

For those who are forced to work with a few financial restraints, it might not be a good idea to purchase a car right off the bat. Instead, it would be a better idea to focus on alternatives, such as car leasing. Here are just a few reasons why leasing from www.genusleasing.com is a good idea.

More flexibility on the choice of vehicles

While it is undoubtedly an enriching experience to own a car, not everyone can buy the car that they want. More often than not, people end up purchasing a vehicle just because they can afford it, rather than because they wanted it. When it comes to leasing, you will not have to worry about finances to the same degree as ownership. You can look at a vast array of different models and go with something that you want rather than something attractive just because it happens to be affordable.

It beats used vehicles as an alternative

While some might say that going for used vehicles is a better alternative to leasing cars, there are often too many variables to make it the ideal choice. For example, while you might find a variety of different models of used cars, you cannot tell for sure if they are in perfect driving form. You might be able to take it out for a test drive, but there might some issues that only rear their ugly head once you have had it for a few months. Leasing, on the other hand, ensures that all of the models you drive are brand new, and have no underlying problems.

You can go with another model if you get bored

Last but certainly not least, one thing that leasing offers is the opportunity to switch cars if you happen to get bored with the one you currently have. Ownership of a vehicle ensures that the car is yours no matter the situation – even if you might end up getting tired of it. The reason why leasing a car is such a good idea is that you can switch vehicles once your contract has expired. Thanks to the flexibility of the deals available, you can choose the deal that works best for you. As if that was not enough, if you are happy with the car you have, you can keep renting it!

While some might say that it is better to own a car than to lease it, such a scenario is only viable if you have money to burn. If you are working with a tight budget, leasing is almost always the better choice.

The Most Gorgeous Land Rover Yet

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It is compact, it is sporty, it is powerful, it is fun to drive and it is the best looking SUV in the market. It is the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. An all capable British luxury SUV that the Evoque already is, it offers an exciting package of driving dynamics, luxury, and obviously good looks. This is one of the very few cars in the world that people of all tastes would find beautiful. At one glance it looks beefy and angry and aggressive and at the other, it looks upscale and classy and sophisticated and stylish. But is the Evoque just about looks? Certainly not. There is a lot of stuff excite you inside the hood and inside the cabin as well. We’ll dig that out step by step here.

The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque went into production back in 2011. It is based on the Range Rover’s LRX concept which was first unveiled back in 2008 at the American Auto Show. The basic question that might arise in any body’s mind is that what’s the issue with Land Rover and Range Rover? Well, the answer is that Land Rover is the parent company while Range Rover is the sub-brand. The SUVs that come out of the Range Rover branding are particularly inclined towards luxury and sophistication while the SUVs only under the Land Rover tag are more of hardcore off-roading machines. With that being said, it is pretty clear that the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is built to offer the owner a luxurious experience and at the same time, it allows the owner to have fun on the undulations.

The Evoque is offered in 5 different trim levels with the base spec trim priced at $41800. The Evoque is also offered as a two-door convertible which some people find to be pretty cool while have been really critical about it. The Evoque comes with 2 engine options. Both the engines are 4 pot, 2-liter turbocharged units but one of them makes 237 horsepower while the other pumps out 286 horses. You do not get a manual box in this year’s Evoque and you only have the 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The engine is punchy and athletic but the gearbox plays the spoilsport. The box occasionally feels slow and sluggish during fast acceleration but you can overcome that by putting the car in the manual mode and using to the paddle shifters to get it into the right gear and derive the proper amount of torque and power.

Power from the engine and the gearbox is distributed to all four wheels. The smart system of the Evoque automatically switches between four-wheel drive and front wheel drive automatically depending upon your style of driving. This system helps you churn out good fuel efficiency numbers and also a good amount of power. In the city, you can go for 22 miles on a gallon of fuel while on the highway you can go for 29 miles on a gallon of fuel.

This is a luxury SUV and so Land Rover have tried their best to live up the buyer’s expectations. As you get inside of the Evoque, you are welcomed by the gear selector which whirls up from the central tunnel. Then you find the central navigation touchscreen display which is one the most sophisticated displays in the industry. The screen offers some crisp visuals and doesn’t lag at all. It’s almost like you’re an iPhone. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. Although it lacks Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, still you can connect your smartphone via Bluetooth. Additionally, you get a very powerful Meridien to surround sound system which ups your in-ride entertainment experience.

The cabin feels plush and upmarket credit to the use of premium materials overall. The seats are wrapped in leather and nicely cushioned and offer comfortable bolstering all around. At the front, you get heated and ventilated seats while at the rear you can avail the heating option by paying extra. Overall, a nice place to be in however it doesn’t match the levels of finesse you would get from a Mercedes or an Audi luxury SUV. The suspension is set up a little bit on the stiffer side but they do the job of absorbing bumps and potholes really well. Stiffer set up helps the car to up the game in terms of driving dynamics and it almost feels like a staged up sports car. Additionally, you get the Land Rover’s Terrain Response system which lets you select drive modes for various types of terrains. At a tap of a button, you can select the terrain including grass, gravel, snow, mud and ruts and sand. Now again this is a luxury SUV and not a hardcore off-roading machine but still, you can take it through the mountains and wade through the rivers if you want occasionally.

The Evoque is the SUV brought about a revolution in the Range Rover design house. The strong stance of the car, the rising midline, the floating roofline, the beefy front grill, and the futuristic-looking LED daytime running lights all to add to the overall drama of the car. This is the car that banks on style over substance. The German counterparts of the Evoque do offer better options. However, all those cars look bland in front of the Evoque. You only buy the Evoque to make a statement. You buy the Evoque to turn heads. You buy the Evoque to grab eyeballs. You buy the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque because it is the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.

 

Car Tech Gadgets That Will Make Your Old Car Look Cool

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With the recent advancement in car tech, you will not believe the type of gadgets you will see out there that will wow you. There are just too many of them that will make your rides not only very enjoyable but comfortable and safe. The most interesting thing is that, you will not need to purchase a new car to use all these stuffs. They will still go perfectly well with your old car. They are just so compatible with even very old cars. Most recent innovations will work well with cars made in the 1980s. From the wheels of the car to the roof, there are just amazing things that will not seize to please you. Here are some of the gadgets that will make your old car smart.

Nulaxy Wireless In-Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter Radio Adapter Car Kit W 1.44 inch Display

This is one of the best rated Bluetooth FM Transmitter, rated almost 5 stars by thousands of users. This is one of the bestselling radio transmitters and you should get this for your car. This device is very compatible with most devices like Samsung, Apple, Sony, etc. due to its latest innovative tech. playing your songs in the sound of your car through Bluetooth, TF Card, and Aux Cable will never be more enjoyable. It has an advance noise reduction that will clean all that distorted sound and make your favorite songs sound real and true. Be sure the sound will be of high quality and crystal clear.

Fabo Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring System

You do not need to kneel on the ground crawl to check or monitor your tires again. A lot f times we get stranded somewhere due to flat tires because we did not check them before going out due to some laziness or it has become a habit and we do not even check them at all since tires are one of those parts in cars that a lot of people neglect. That problem has been taken car of. The Bluetooth-enabled sensors attached to your tires’ inlet valves, pinging your phone when you need to fill some air. Through the app of the gadget. You will be able to monitor the pressure of your tires 24/7.

Esky Waterproof Car Rear View Backup Camera

This in one of the bestselling backup camera that you can installed behind your car on the number plate or back window with a lot of users reporting that it can withstand months of rain, and with an amazing one hundred and seventy degrees field of visibility behind your car. No more hitting of objects or stuffs when reversing or bumping suddenly into someone behind.  With this camera you are able to monitor everything that happens behind your car. It is streamed to your cars media and has a high resolution.

Hudway Cast Heads-Up Display

Every time you are trying to throw a glance on your phone to view the direction distracts you and can easily land you in trouble. The reason many latest cars are equipped with cameras is to avoid such incidents like accidents due to distraction or impaired vision. What if our old car does not have that? You do not need to bother about that. This new car tech device is equipped with the latest heads-up display that projects directions safely in your vision. Hudway Cast HUD is here for you if you want to enjoy these features in your old ride. It can be mounted in any car and streams the screen of your smart phone paired wirelessly through Miracast or Airplay, so that you can use your go-to GPS app without necessary taking off your eyes off the road.

Mpow Car Phone Mount

It is sometimes very difficult handling a phone while driving. The distraction of having to fish it out from somewhere you do not seem to figure out can be very fatal and may lead to serious accidents. This is one of the top rated car mount for you can also get for phones. This will make receiving calls an easy thing to do while not driving steadily. It is equipped with two cushioned side grips to keep your electronic devices safe and secure.

The Anker Quick Charge 4-Port USB Car Charger.

This charger will charge your phone four times the normal charger and is equipped with the USB Type-C port for google pixel users. It has three USB ports that will ensure you to charge all your phones at once. But if you need a USB charger with less ports, check this one below

Garmin High Speed Multi-Charger

So here you are if you just need two USB ports to rapidly charge your devices at high speed. It features a 12-volt pot on the end, so you can hook in your GPS.

iDOBBI Car Air Purifier

Do you have pets but have problems with their smell and fur all around the whole place, who worried about the bacteria and all of that, well iDOBBI is here for you. It will not only neutralize all the airborne contaminants in your car but it will freshen the air and make the air inside your car quite breathable. It will neutraliize the dust, gross smells and even sweat to leave your car fresh.

 

Must Read Car Driving Tips For Ladies, New Car Owners And Beginners

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The exhilaration of driving or owning a car for the first is always epic. Driving is an enjoyable experience and euphoric especially for beginners. Your first time of accomplishing a reasonable distance behind the driving wheel alone is a reward of careful learning. If you do not have any idea on how to drive, or what to do when driving, these car driving tips down here will see you through.

Before you get into a car

Before trying to drive or attempting to drive a car, you need to learn some few basic things about the car. The most confusing of these things for many beginners are the pedals. There is the clutch pedal, brake pedal and throttle pedal for manual cars. Automatic cars come only with two pedals, the throttle and the brake pedal. Try to know about how to change gears too. The easiest way to know these things is by observing experienced drivers when they are driving and through asking questions. Do not be shy to ask. There are a lot of nice people out there who will tell just about anything in driving for nothing.

When you get into a car

The first and foremost thing you should do when you get into the car is to stay calm as much as you can. Regulate your breathing to normal and relax your body. Free your mind and try to focus on what is ahead of you, driving. You must trust and believe that you can do this. That confidence is needed. Let me tell you my first experience in driving. I had never driven before but since I had the interest I used to just look at what experience drivers were doing behind the wheel. I gathered enough confidence and told myself I can do this. One day, I got into a car, started it and everything I thought I knew vanished to where I do not know. This was because of the anxiety caused by sitting behind the wheel for the first time. I am sure it must have happened to you too if not expect something similar if you are nervous. You are not to panic in such a situation. Just calm down and take in a deep breath. You can and will do this. Before you start the car, do make sure you have buckled your seatbelt well. That is an easy one to do

Starting the car

Before you turn on the ignition, make sure the car is in neutral gear and the hand brake is up. When you do this, you then switch on the ignition. If you are not sure your car is in neutral gear, step on the clutch pedal which is on the far left completely for manual cars or step on the brake on the left too for automatic cars. This is the defining moment. When you switch on the ignition for the first time, there is always that tendency of getting lost. Do not panic. Take in some deep breaths as mentioned earlier to calm down, then you engage the first gear for manual cars or shift your gear stick to drive for automatic cars. When shifting gear, make sure you maintain your left foot on the left pedal for manual cars or brake for automatic cars. Begin to release slowly and gradually. Now the right foot comes in. you apply a gentle force on the throttle with your right foot while releasing the left foot completely. Maintain a steady and gentle pressure on the throttle until the car is moving smoothly. You can slightly increase the pressure on your right foot to increase the speed o the car. But remember, you are not into any car racing, so easy.

The ride should be very smooth for those who are starting to drive with automatic cars. A lot of beginners especially ladies always find difficulties at this stage when driving a manual car because it has the tendency of just jerking and stopping immediately they start releasing their foot from the clutch pedal or the car seem to go faster than they expected and they just get confuse. Cool down. When the car jerks and stop just after you are releasing your foot from the clutch pedal, it means you released it too fast without applying enough pressure on the throttle pedal to get it going. Just repeat the process calmly. No matter how many times it jerks and stop. Never give up until the starting is smooth.

While driving

If you are at this stage already then CONGRATULATIONS! You are driving already. Do not get excited yet. Remember, this is not a race so you have to go easy and slow. Do not get distracted. Focus on the road and stay as much as possible on your side of the lane. You can accelerate the car or slow down by pressing the throttle or press the clutch to enter the required gear for manual cars or just release or add more pressure on the throttle for automatic cars.

If you are driving a manual car, this is the recommended and standard gear shift change in manual cars. Automatic cars do not need this.

This is the acceleration upshift for manual car

  • When you are moving from 0Km/h to 10 km/h, you should be in the first gear.
  • Shift into second from 10Km/h to 12km/h.
  • 20Km/h to 22Km/h, you should be in third gear
  • From 30Km/h to 35Km/h, fourth gear. Do not exceed this level as a beginner to the next gear yet. But if you must do so,
  • From 40Km/h to 45Km/h should be the ideal accelerate upshift for you.

Now to bring the car back to the first gear, you just do the reverse,

Keep your eyes to the road and always check on your side mirrors for what is happening behind. Use you indicators properly whenever you want to change direction. Do this a reasonable distance away before you approach the bend or turn. Obey traffic signals and traffic rules to the letter and keep your distance from the cars in front. Do not be distracted by phone calls or whatever, just focus on your driving. And very important is you should not attempt changing gears frequently. Your speed should be maintained depending on the traffic flow.

Stopping the car

To stop the car, you press the clutch and hold it down while releasing the throttle, then place you right foot on the brake pedal for manual cars. For automatic cars, you just need to release you foot from the throttle then apply it on the brake pedal. Park well if you are supposed to park and then shift the gear lever to gear one and switch off the ignition. Apply the hand brakes. Then that is it. You have successfully driven a car and parked your car..

Car Financing Tips And Tricks

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Cars have become an integral part of our lives that we find it difficult to live without any. You will want to take your kids every day to school to be sure of their safety or travel anytime at your own convenience and will. There are lots and lots of ways cars help us but this becomes difficult when you do not have one or you have one that is not reliable. Always leaving you in the middle of the street or just does not want to respond at all. This is embarrassing right?  Imagine embarking in it to take your anxious children out to the play ground you promised them a month ago and the car refuses to start at all. Your kids will not understand that.

With all the stress of having an unreliable car or not at all might make you decide to go in for a car loan to get one you can count on every time. If you have taken that decision and you are here, you are welcome. It is just the right place for you at this moment. Whether you are still nursing the thought or you have nailed the final nail on that topic, you need to arm yourself with some few tips and tricks you will need before sitting in front of your lender. It is better when you start saying anything at all about borrowing money to your lender when you must have armed yourself to the teeth with some info in that light, this way you won’t be clueless and you will know how to go about it.

Decide on the source of your loan

It might seem so easy and more like a very good idea to get directly to the car dealer for a loan especially as he is a one-stop shop for your car needs. One thing about this is when you go directly to the car dealer, you have little or no room for negotiations. What he gives you is approximately what you will take. But a lender gives you the flexibility of bargaining for the car.  While this might look ideal, what about a car dealer who is proposing an irresistible offer? Well, you will need to sort this out. Prepare yourself before you head in to this.

Fix your rates with the lender

It is recommended that you bargain and secure fix rates of repayment the moment an opportunity shows up, this way your rate will be reasonable and fix every month. This will help you in budgeting for other things too as you know exactly how much is going where. When you know what you have, there are few chances you will lack something in your pocket except you decide to increase your expenses. If you go in for a variable rate, you will find things difficult because there will be fluctuation ions in your monthly financial plan because of the car loan repayment.

Avoid special offers, they are a trap.

If you are going in for a loan and jump into one because they had a “special offers” in a limited time, then you just walked into a trap. For instance, you will see a dealer offering free service for three years or five or even up to eighty thousand kilometers. Well that looks really interesting and enticing especially if you are going in for a very nice ride that will need you to spend about $500 or more per service, meaning that in three years of free servicing you will be saving about $3000 or so. Will it not be better you just negotiated the three thousand bucks off the car and service it for $150 at an independent mechanics? This way you will instead save more than seventy percent of that “special offer” and for “a limited time” they add to the offer to make you run for it. When you get there, forget about the special offer attached to the car. Negotiate the car that you want at the price you can comfortably pay for. You will be doing yourself a great favor.

Car loan fees

When applying for this loan, you will be required to pay for an application fee which is normal but if you are ask to pay any other fees like a monthly service fee, well, whatever that one is for I can’t tell. You are not to pay any monthly service fee to any lender who demands such fees because the “excuse attached” to most of these fees is that it will be used to pay workers to remind you to pay your loan. You are not the one to pay their staffs to do their job. In case you happen to meet this type of lender, drop him. Look for one that do not have such fee attachment to the normal application fee. There is no way you can miss repayment that has been set.

Pay fast, pay cheap

How does this work? All the extra cash bonuses you get, whether at work, a gift from somebody or you are lucky enough to win the lottery, you know where that money is suppose to go to. When you pay your loan faster, whichever loan, you reduce the interest and reduce your financial burden. When you do this you will be able to save for other things like those dream trips or voyages, or a holiday in that place you have ever wished to go to for a long time and all that.

When you overtake your loan, that is you decide to say use the extra cash to sponsor other things, you are likely going to dig into your credit card which will increase your long term debt and you will be indebted for a very long time. So leave that trip till you are done with your car loan or for later and work on your car loan till you are sure your financial situation is almost balanced.

 

Car Buying Guide For Used Cars

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Purchasing a used car will save you a huge sum of money you can use for other things. Parting with tens of thousands of dollars can be more painful than signing a loan contract. Whether you just want a simple and cheap car or and exotic ride to rock the streets with, there are always lots of choices on the second-hand market.

But this cannot come easy with those difficult salespersons that try to milk some huge amount of dollars out of your pockets. This guide will give you what it will take for you to buy your car easily and with little stress while saving yourself some money for other things.

The price of a used car will solely depend on what car you want and how much you have.

Use cars are less expensive

Let us look as this so you will be able to decide which one will go for you. Let say the car that interest you cost about thirty thousand bucks when new, by the end of the first year when it must covered about a hundred thousand kilometers, its price might drop to maybe twenty four thousand bucks. Buying it after the first year of use will save you approximately 25% and with continuous depreciation in the next year, the car will likely lose around five thousand bucks which will leave it at nineteen thousand bucks. So you can guess the price of the car from its continuous use and depreciation and from the amount you have to buy the car with you will know the state of the car you will be buying.

So if you are going in for a second hand car, buying it after the first year of use will save you a whole lot of cash. But note that you will not get an exotic car for sale that easily after a short use like that except you are really “lucky”. Do not think you will pick a Roll Royce one old. People who buy plush cars do not give them out that easily.

Buy a car that will be easy to manage

When you know you financial limits, you save yourself the stress of over thinking and come faster to a favorable conclusion. Though there are lots of sites out there to help you compare the prices of cars, follow these simple Buy-rules so you will not be buying a car that you can’t manage:

Buy a car with a small engine

If wanting to buy a cheaper car is driven by how much you will be able to afford to fuel it, then get a car with a smaller engine. What matters here is not the horse powers of the car but its efficiency in cost. A one or two-liter engine will consume less fuel than big engines. So the consideration to look for a car with smaller engine will be important.

Buy a manual car

Manual cars tend to be cheaper than automatic cars.  You may not like the idea of having to shift form gear to gear because it is strenuous but going for an automatic car will come with an additional price as it is meant to take that stress from you so you have to pay the price.

Buy a petrol engine car

Cars with petrol engines tend to be less expensive than their counterpart cars with diesel engines. You maybe fooled to think that since the prices of diesel at the pumps is lower than the price of petrol, this should be the right choice. Nope, take a petrol engine car of same model and make to the fuel station with the same kilometers covered by its counterpart and you will be surprised. They are not only expensive but cost more at the pump.

Buy a car with a good engine

When checking up on a car, do not forget to check its carbon dioxide emission as well. A bad engine will produce a lot of it and you will be paying a lot of road tax to take care of the mess your car is leaving behind. And this will make no sense as you are trying to save money. Some cars will cost about 70 bucks a year to road tax.

Buy a smaller car

To insure a big car is more expensive. So if your main aim for buying a cheap car is to save money, get a small car. Simply saying if you are going in for a pickup, know it will cost you more than a smaller car to insure.

With all of this in mind,

Buy the car you need

At times we get confuse on which car we really want, but if we take into consideration certain things, it will help you a lot. You could ask yourself these questions before actually jumping into the purchase.

  • What do I need from the car? Is it space or luxury or cheap or economical? And many more questions.
  • What do I need this car for? Is it for business or work or just to drive around with?
  • Do I need a petrol or diesel car? Which fuel do I really want to use?
  • Do I want a car that emits less CO2? An eco-friendly car?

Just ask yourself lots of questions and provide answers for them. This will help you in your decision.

Buy your car after checking as many car dealerships as possible, comparing their prices

When you must finally come up with your best buy, the next thing will be to check as many dealers as there are around your area and their best offer on your second-hand car choice. If you think their prices are not satisfactory and you have to travel far to check for better prices, increase your radius of search by making a note of the best prices and where they are then go back to your local dealers if they can go that low.

 

The Powertrain

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The powertrain is one of the most important parts of your motor vehicle. It is important for you to understand what a powertrain because it will help in better car maintenance and it will also help understand most of the car insurances that may be offered to you. This is because most insurance offered will be a Powertrain insurance.

In any automobile the term ‘powertrain’ is used to describe the main mechanisms in the vehicle that generate power and transport this power to the road surface, water or air. These are the components of the powertrain 1. The engine 2. The Transmission 3. The Driveshaft 4. Differentials and 5. The Final Drive. The final drive refers to the wheels, propellers etc.

In the modern hybrid cars, the battery, the electric motor, and the systems control functions also form part of the essentials of the powertrain. To put simply, anything that helps your vehicle move forward or reverse will be part of the powertrain and therefore covered in this insurance.

The maintenance of all of the parts of the powertrain is key to the safety of your car.  The powertrain uses any stored energy, and converts it into the kinetic energy. The powertrain is the part of your vehicle that helps work the gears, clutches and other electrical elements to help control the car in the direction that you want it to go. It helps divide the power or energy generated between the front and back parts of your car. It controls the drive shafts that generate the energy to rotate the vehicle’s wheels and move it either forward or in reverse. In automated hybrid vehicles, the final drive is mostly powered by energy that is generated as part of the car’s powertrain. One of the most common examples for the energy being generated and used in today’s cars is vehicles that have self-changing gears.

The powertrain insurance is a very smart investment to make for your car. This insurance covers everything that is part of the process of providing power to the wheels of your car, thus it covers everything that gives life to your vehicle. Therefore, a powertrain insurance covers all of the most important and the most expensive parts of your vehicle such as your engine and batteries. Because of this, it is highly advised and those especially with a used car should invest in a powertrain insurance.

 

 

 

Essential Auto Parts You Should Know

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It is very important not just to know how to drive but knowing certain parts of your car. This will help you to always detect and figure out what to do with minor issues that might surface. When you know nothing about auto parts, it is easy to be embarrassed by a mechanic at times, some of these mechanics capitalize on your ignorance in that light and make money. you might show up with a simple overheating problem you should have maybe added just water to your radiator at the mechanic’s and you are told other things not related to the fault and since you are a dummy in this niche you easily fall for it. In as much as you can’t know everything about a car’s parts and how they function, it is better you learn something about some auto parts and know a little bit of what they do so you will know how to face the mechanics the next time you show up there.

The auto parts we will be looking at are mostly those of internal combustion engine cars. The regular petrol and diesel cars we know and see and use every day.

Main auto parts

Bonnet/hood

The North Americans call it the hood and every other country except Canada calls it bonnet. It is the hinge cover over the engine of motor cars that allows access to the engine compartment for maintenance and repair. Some cars have theirs behind as their engines are installed behind like in most VW Beetles.

Bumper

A bumper is that structure attached or integrated with the front or rear ends of a motor vehicle. Its serves as shock absorbers of minor collisions. There are some that are made of steel and there are some that are made of plastic. Bumpers minimize the height mismatch between a cars and also protect pedestrians in case of an accident.

Radiator

A radiators are used in cars to heat cool the engine of cars when they are running due to their ability of exchanging heat between a medium to another. It sits in the front or beside most engines since the engine needs it work to pipe down its temperature.

Spoilers

This is an automotive aerodynamic devices with the main aim of spoiling the unfavorable air movement across the body of a car when it is in motion. The spoilers that are fitted in front of cars are called air dams. You will mostly find these spoilers on race or sport cars and but lots of passenger cars have them now as well. Spoilers make a car look cool though so lots of people are getting them for their cars too to give them a sporty and stylish look. There are both rear and front spoilers.

 

Rims

Rims are the outer edge of a wheel, holding a tire in place. It is what makes up the outer circular design of the wheel on which the inside edge of the tire is mounted on cars. It is what gives that final touch to the outer look of a car’s wheels. There are some flashy rims out there especially in sports cars. A lot of factory rims are just ordinary and honestly some do not please me an inch.

Trunk

The trunk of a car is the main storage compartment. It is called trunk by the North Americans and boot by the British and in most parts of South-East Asia, they call it compartment. However it is just to store stuffs.

Windshield

Windshield or windscreen as commonly known in British English is the front window made of laminated safety glass. This glass consist of two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are bonded into the window frame. This window helps to shield the wind from wiping your face in front and protects the car from flying objects and the strong wind pressure.

Alternator

Alternators are used in cars to charge the battery. As a car’s engine is running, it runs this part which in turn charges the battery of the car. When this part of the car is faulty, there is no way your battery will charge properly and you will have a difficult time starting your car. For instance if it happens to break down when you are driving at night, the lights of your car will not be able to light as the battery will not have energy to supply to them.

Battery

As an auto part, it is used to supply electrical current to an auto car. The main purpose of a battery is to feed the starter (also known as cranking motor or starter motor, a device that is used to rotate or crank an internal combustion engine. It initiates the operation of the engine with its own power) which starts the engine. Once the engine is running, it powers the alternator that supplies current to other parts of the car. Starting often discharges about 3% of the battery’s capacity, so auto batteries are designed to deliver maximum current for short period of time.

Gauges

A car has several gauges. But we will look at the common ones.

Fuel gauge

This gauge indicates the amount of fuel in the tank of the car

 

 

Odometer

This gauge measures the distance traveled by a vehicle. It is also known as milometer or mileometer)

Speedometer

This gauge measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a car,

Tachometer

This counter I known by some as a rev counter and is used to measure the speed of rotation of a disc or shaft in a motor. It displays the resolution per minute (RPM) on a calibrated analogue dial though nowadays a lot of digital displays are becoming very common.

Temperature gauge

This gauge measure the temperature change of the radiator of a car.

What are electric cars?

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Cars propelled by one or two electric motors, using energy typically stored in a rechargeable batteries are called electric cars

Electric cars saw their rebirth in 2008 when and advancement in their batteries was made and also due to the gradual increase in oil prices coupled with the desire to pipe down greenhouse emission. Subsidies, tax credits and lots of incentives have been established by many governments both national and local to promote the introduction and are now adopting the mass production and marketing of these new electric cars depending on the sizes of their batteries, their buying prices and their all electric range. When compared with cars with internal combustion engines cars, electric cars are very quiet and do not emit tailpipe gases.

Charging station of electric cars

There are several charging stations where these cars are charged which can be installed at home or in public areas. Nissan Leaf covering 151 miles when fully charged and Tesla Model S covering 335 miles when completely charged are the two bestselling electric cars now.

Power grids installed at owner’s home are usually used to charge the electric cars overnight for the battery electric cars. Not all electric car owners have these charging stations at their homes. This electricity used to charge the electric cars with is generated from different sources like hydroelectricity, nuclear or coal, and many other ways. For those who are very much concern about gas emission and want to prioritize zero-emission, they use energy from sources like photovoltaic solar cell panels, micro hydro or wind energy. Any charging station has its own charging speed. The slower charging stations are mostly installed at home an d the fast ones are installed in public places where an electric car can take less than thirty minutes to charge up to eighty percent of it battery.

Energy efficiency

Over three million electric and plug-in hybrid cars were in used around the world in 2007 with Nissan Leaf being the best-selling high-capable electric ever, with over 300,000 units sold globally by early 2018. This was closely followed by the Tesla Model S with almost two hundred and thirteen thousand units sold worldwide to by the end of 2017.

Electric motors convert stored energy into driving a car unlike making the more efficient than internal combustion engines. They are energy efficient and do not idle like the internal combustion engines.

Cabin heating and cooling

Electric cars generate waste heat in very little quantities compared to the internal combustion-powered cars, so their interior may need extra heating for occupants to be comfortable. Higher efficiency heating and a built-in cooling can be obtained with a reversible heat pump though heating can also be provided with an electric resistance heater. Positive temperature coefficient junction cooling is quite impressive and simple. Tesla uses this kind of system in their Tesla Model S electric car.

For the battery of the car not to be used for heating and cooling in the electric car so as not to reduce the range of the car, certain models will only allow the cabin to heat up when it is charging. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV uses this system to heat the cabin of the electric cars. Some electric cars instead use an auxiliary heating system like the gasoline-fuel units manufactured by Webasto or Eberspacher systems used in the Citroen Berlingo Electric but do this against the “zero emissions” or “green” credentials. Solar power is also used to add the cabin cooling or by the outside air flowing through the car. Toyota Prius has these two last features.

 Safety of electric cars

An international standard ISO 6469 document is used to deal with the safety issues of BEVs. This document is divided into three parts dealing with specific issues like

  1. on-board electrical energy storage, i.e. the battery,
  2. protection against failures and functional safety means
  3. protection of persons against electrical hazards

Electrical cars fire risk

Electric cars batteries can catch fire just like the batteries of their counterparts’ internal combustion engine after a crash or mechanical failure. Incidences of fire have occurred in plug-in electric car. The first of such incidence happened in China in May 2012 after a high car speed car crashed into a BYD e6 taxi in Shenzhen, and the second occurred in October 1st , 2013 in the United States when a Tesla Model S caught fire over ten minutes after hitting a metal debris on a high way in Kent, Washington state. This occurred because one of the 16 modules within the battery was punctured by the metal debris during the impact. Another was reported the same month two weeks later on the 18th of October, 2013 in Merida, Mexico. The Merida case happened because the car was driving at high speed through a roundabout and crashed through a wall and into a tree.

Manufacturers are putting in a lot of effort to reduce the mass of the electric car as much as possible to improve its range and endurance. But the batteries of these cars always make them heavier than comparable diesel cars. Though this is an advantage when it comes to collision because occupants in heavier cars get more protection.

Many electric cars use low rolling resistance tires that typically offer less grip than normal tires.

Because they produce less noise than internal combustion engines cars, visually impaired or blind people or even distracted pedestrians might just head right into them unnoticeably.