Qt Auto News

The Auto Valet Brings Innovation to Enclosed Car Trailers

Auto News — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 04:59:34 +0000

Rich Wilson of Auto Valet Loader invented an innovative loader which automatically “valets” your car in and out of an enclosed car trailer. Normally you drive your car up the ramp into the trailer and if you’re skinny enough to squeeze out a door or window, you secure your car.

With Wilson’s invention attached to your trailer, you simply drive up onto the Auto Valet, put the car in neutral and the hassle loading, securing and wiggling out of the trailer is eliminated.

The remote control starts loading and unloading cars in a few minutes. It quickly secures the vehicle with a locking mechanism.

Advice on Getting Cheap Irish Car Insurance

GuestPoster — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:22:00 +0000

It is possible to find cheap car insurance Ireland if you know where to look. There are a lot of insurance firms out there offering competitive quotes for drivers in Ireland. It’s all a matter of finding the right company, and having the necessary qualifications. After that, you could be well on your way to enjoying the benefits of operating a fully legalized vehicle.

When looking for a good company, it is important to check out a wide range of different options. You will find that Irish car insurance will be on the same basic price level as most other European countries, but you can still expect to find major quote differences between the different firms out there. For this reason, it is recommended to use quote comparison tools and simulators that will allow you to select the most appropriate insurance for your vehicle.

If you own more than one car, you might want to consider multi car insurance as a way to save on cash. Many companies will offer special discounts for getting more than one vehicle insured at a time. This is because you are essentially bringing them more profit, and it makes sense that they would deduct a certain amount of money off your overall quote for being a regular customer.

Another important point to remember is that insurance will be a lot cheaper if you maintain a good driving record or belong to a particular low-risk demographic of the population. Women and drivers over the age of 30 will qualify for lower premiums than students or drivers with a history of driving violations and infractions. This is another reason to drive safely, and keep your eyes on the road ahead at all times. If you abide by the rules, you will find that yourself saving a lot more money in the long run.

Toyota Recalls 90,000 Lexus’ in Japan

Auto News — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:26:37 +0000

Toyota announce another recall which will affects nearly a quarter million cars in the Lexus luxury models. Toyota is recalling 90,000 cars in Japan and may recall another 137,000 in the U.S. market at a later date.

Toyota did not specify the make or mode of the Lexus, but stated that there is a faulty valve spring which cause certain V8 and V6 engines to stall in traffic.

Toyota recently halted sales of the Lexus HS 250h hybrid and is recalling 13,000 vehicles sold due to a possible fuel leak in a rear end collision.

Reduce Emissions by Repairing Your Catalytic Converter

Auto News — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:09:31 +0000

The catalytic converter plays an important role in your car’s exhaust system by removing harmful pollutants from the exhaust. But sometimes you need to have your catalytic converter repaired which is often costly. The good thing is that the converter has a 7 year or 70,000 mile warranty; the, bad thing is that catalytic converters often fail long after warranties expire.

The first indication that your converter is no longer working is when you fail your biannual emissions test. This test determines the pollutant levels of Carbon Dioxide (C02) and Ozone (O2) in your exhaust and fails your car if it exceeds levels set by your state.

Sometimes your engine is the cause of the emission failure, but often you catalytic converter just needs replacing. Your mechanic will determine the source of your car’s problem.

If you take your car to a dealer, the dealer usually replaces the entire exhaust system all the way down to the muffler. This is a costly repair. You may want to look at alternative solutions such as taking your car to a Muffler Repair Shop.

The Muffler Repair Shop will cut out the faulty converter and weld in a new one. This repair will cost a fraction of the cost.

Before you have your emissions retested, “break in” your converter by driving your car for a few days.

By repairing your catalytic converter, your car will emit less pollution that is harmful to the environment. With a simple replacement of the converter, you can save money which could be come a costly repair.

Photo Credit: Podknox

Why You Want Airbags in Your Next Car

GuestPoster — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:37:57 +0000

Airbags are one of the great technological achievements of our times. Next to seat belts, it’s airbags that can really save the day.While we sometimes look towards the trunk for emergency flares and equipment, airbags are the unsung hero of safety.

Automotive safety has come a long way since the days of Henry Ford.

Accidents may happen anytime even to the most alert and experienced vehicle driver, and this is why you want airbags in your next car. To augment seat belts, these airbags have been proven to protect vehicle riders from hitting the insides of the car in the event of an accident. Hence, when something wrong is sensed, these balloon-like devices immediately inflate. The ACU or Airbag Control Unit which is composed of the seat occupancy sensors, impact sensors, gyroscopes, side door pressure sensors, brake pressure sensors, and accelerometers, are truly life-savers.

These reliable airbags, programmed with certain thresholds provided by certain regulations, work during collisions that may be frontal or near-frontal. Due to technology advancement, these are developed to fit to the extent of the involved crash, the usage of seatbelt, the posture and the body size of a vehicle rider, and the distance of a passenger/the driver to the car’s specific airbag.

The different types are the Side, Frontal, Center, Knee, Seatbelt, and Rear Curtain Airbags, each one located strategically inside the car, and each has a specific function tailor-fit to protect a person or persons seated nearest to where it is located. There are many negative feedbacks about using such airbags, mostly from those who have had experiences from defective ones. But from a car owner’s point of view, the benefits definitely outweigh any possible risk involved.

Simply put, saving lives from an accident is why you want airbags in your next car. Most especially if these lives are your loved ones’. And yours, too. When you are planning for safety, be glad you have your GPS, infant car seat, seatbelts, and airbags along for the drive.

Photo Credit: Mike Babcock

Understanding Insurance Agents and Brokers

GuestPoster — Wed, 19 May 2010 10:05:06 +0000

When you decide that you would like to get a car insurance broker then you will want to keep it cheap. But, you will also need to fully understand what a broker is. Many people do not realize it but a broker is different than an agent and this article will help you with these concepts.

The insurance broker is going to be the person that will help you find the insurance policy that will best fit your needs. He or she will have access to a large amount of companies and policies and they will be able to help you identify which ones will be the best for you.

You should realize that even a discount or cheap car insurance broker will be working for the customer not the insurer. This is something that you will need to try really hard to remember. You can always find cheap car insurance brokers online but you should realize that it may be better to pay a little bit more to use a larger company. You will have a lot more success when you have more options.

An agent will legally represent the insurer. This is nice if there is something wrong with the policy because it will not fall on the customer. The agent will generally represent one single company or even several smaller companies.

Independent agencies have a wide range of plans and policies that potential customers can look at and select from. This is not true when it comes to exclusive agencies because they only represent a small number of companies. This means that potential clients will not have as many options when it comes to selecting the best policy for them. You should also check on the reinsurance commission when you are determining which type of agent to go with because this will change depending of it is an independent agency or an exclusive agency.

Consumer Confidence Boosts April US Auto Sales

Auto News — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:06:18 +0000

April 2010 US Auto Sales showed sizeable gains over depressed 2009 levels. Ford and Nissian Motors led the way with double digit gains posting sales increases of over 25 pct. GM sales showed a positive increase of last year April sales figures.

Consumer confidence returned as Government stimulus packages helped stem the Greatest Recession in the post WW II era. Expensive consumer items such as automobiles were hit hard as buyers curtailed spending as panic set in.

Recent gains in the stock market and a glimmer of hope that unemployment has stabilized helped April sales with large gains.

Ford, who did not require a bailout package, showed favorable quarterly profit of over $2B USD. GM fared just as well by repaying bailout loans years ahead of schedule.

Honda Recalls 167K Acura TSX

Auto News — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:36:21 +0000

Approximately 167,000 Acura TSX vehicles made between ’04 – ’08 are are among the latest set of recalls issued by automobile manufacturers. The affected TSX cars were sold in the US with the 2.4L inline 4-cylinder engine.

The power steering hose could crack causing fluid to leak onto a hot exhaust component which potentially cause smoke or fire.

Acura will replace the power steering hose, o-ring gasket and power steering fluid at no cost to the TSX owner. Owners of affected cars will be notified of the recall starting at the end of May 2010.

For more recall information please visit: http://owners.acura.com/recalls/

Photo: alex4981

The New Ford Explorer Adds User Friendly Traction System

Auto News — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:10:28 +0000

The 2011 Ford Explorer 4WD will sport an intelligent traction control system that is easy to understand. The icon-based system supports five different traction modes. The majority of the time the Explorer will operate in the normal mode for regular driving conditions. The other modes include conditions where there is sand, mud, snow and hill decent.

“Talking with customers told us that flexibility and freedom to tackle any road, anytime is important to them,” said Explorer Chief Nameplate Engineer Jim Holland. “We saw the opportunity to eliminate a compromise by adding an intuitive and efficient terrain management system that can demystify four-wheel-drive control and enable the driver to properly match 4WD traction to the situations and road conditions they encounter.”

Ford (F:NYSE) just announced a first quarter profit of $2.1 billion. The new Explorer model should contribute to future company profits as drivers see and use the new traction control system.

Photo by: Flickr User klynslis

How to Find Cheap Sports Car Insurance

GuestPoster — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:48:51 +0000

All drivers require car insurance, regardless of the type of vehicle that they drive. If you own a sports car, your need for vehicle insurance is similar to everybody else’s. Sports cars are not cheap to buy and if you are involved in an accident, you would have to pay a great deal of money for replacement parts and repair of the vehicle. For this reason, sports car insurance is imperative. However the cheapest sports car insurance can often prove hard to find.

When you buy a sports vehicle, contact an insurance company as soon as possible. Prior to deciding on the best insurance company to use, obtain several comparative quotes in order to make an informed decision. Do not forget that the lowest priced quote may not necessarily be the best one. If you agree to a higher excess, you will find that your premiums are lower and vice versa. If you desire lower premiums, make sure that you will be able to afford to pay the excess should you have an accident. With an expensive fast car, you are likely to have to pay a large amount of money even for small repairs. Insurance firms may also refuse to pay the cost of certain types of repairs.

It may not surprise you to realize that if you own a fast, sporty car, you will have to pay more for your premiums. One reason for this is that sports vehicles are designed to travel at fast speeds and this can make them more of a danger on the roads. Statistically, speed is a major cause of vehicle collisions. If you own a fast car, you will therefore incur the cost of higher premiums. Furthermore, sports vehicles are highly favoured by thieves as their constituent parts sell for a high price.

In order to acquire sports car insurance at a low price, lower the risk profile of your car. Many sports vehicle owners modify their cars to enhance their appearance or speed. However, this will not serve to lower your premiums. By far the best thing to do is install a security system. If your car possesses a high quality alarm system and immobilizer, this will substantially reduce the cost of your premium.

Owning a fast car can be a pleasure. However, always drive safely and adhere to the rules of the road in order to prevent involvement in collisions.

Photo Credit: Flickr uggboy