Consumers are often offered extended warranties from vehicle dealers when they purchase new or used vehicles. Extended warranties can be great products because they offer peace of mind in the event that your car needs to be repaired after the manufacturer’s new car, or dealer’s used car, warranty is no longer in effect. But there is an important thing to know about extended warranties – they are not all created equal. Those offered by reputable dealers are fine but many third-party ones aren’t. Here is what we want you to know:

About “third party”

A third-party warranty is so named because it does not have direct involvement in a two-party transaction. In the event of a car sale, the car dealer is the first party and the second party is the customer. A third-party is another unit that gets involved, such as a company selling their extended warranty.

Be Careful

As we mentioned, a third party extended warranty offered by a good car dealership is bound to be a good product but the others out there can be weird. The problem is that many seem to have great coverage and are affordable but the companies that make them available don’t seem to be in business for long. And those that stay around, never seem to cover the parts that stop doing their job on your car due to numerous exclusions. And who pays the car repair bill? We recommend that you decide to get a third-party extended warranty you get one that pays the shop directly for repairs, as there are some third-party warranties out there that require an out-of-pocket payment from you first leading to reimbursement–however, a reimbursement process usually takes weeks or even months to complete.

We Really Want You to Proceed With Caution

Third-party extended-warranty problems are quite widespread! Here are some of the FTC’s advice on how to keep yourself away from problems. We have thrown some of our own tips in, too:

Stick with the manufacturer – The best way to avoid extended warranties that aren’t quite real is to have coverage with a manufacturer’s extended warranty. For example, if you buy a Chevrolet and General Motors makes available an extended warranty, you may be assured this is a solid product.

Look up the company – If you’re considering a third party warranty, Google the company that offers it and look for any feedback and complaints from warranty buyers. Also consider checking with your state’s Consumer Protection office. One other reputable source is your state’s Better Business Bureau website.

Know what’s covered and what isn’t – This is usually the biggest source of confusion with extended vehicle warranties. Although they’re called extended warranties, they usually don’t function the same way that an original “bumper-to-bumper” warranty does. Think of these as contracts that cut down your costs incase high-priced repairs have to happen, not for the minor things that original warranties take care of.

In general, don’t be afraid of extended warranties when they’re from a reputable local car dealer. As you might think these warranties will cost a bit more but with one of them you’ll have the peace of mind that your vehicle will be taken care of. They can be a great product that eliminates risk if you decide to keep a car for a long while, but the bottom line is to be aware of how many third party extended warranties are not good to have, so be careful if you are thinking about getting one!

Article Courtesy of: Thompson Mazda

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Whether you’ve been on the road for decades or are a new driver, driving in the rain is inevitable and can be quite difficult. Here are six handy and useful tips to help you have a safe trip while on the road in the rain:

1. Turn your headlights on. Headlights will allow other motorists to see you better, but will also let you see the road better than without. However, don’t use rear fog lights in the rain because motorists behind you may think you are braking when you use them.

2. Go slow. You should drive slow in the rain because you don’t want your tires to rise up on a water film, also known “hydroplaning.” Your vehicle can hydroplane on as little as 1/12 inch of water, and it might be good for you to know that hydroplaning begins at 35 miles per hour (mph). The speed limit sign serves as just that, a speed limit sign, not a sign that says you should be driving any faster than the number posted on it.

3. Know where the defroster button is, a small button in your climate control section with three arrows pointing up, near where your air conditioning and heat controls are located. It is common for windshields, as well as your back window, to fog in wet weather, and as a result you want to be sure you can see your way to make it to your destination safely. A defroster evaporates any moisture that has accumulated on the glass.

4. Know what to do if a skid happens. Skidding can be scary for drivers, as they feel they have lost control of their vehicle. However, that is not the case; there are ways out of it. The trick is that you keep your eyes on the road in front of you on where you want to go, and keep steering in the direction that you want your car to go. You also should refrain from slamming on your brakes because that will throw off your vehicle’s balance and make it difficult to have control over.

5. Don’t use cruise control. Many present-day vehicles have cruise control. Cruise control works fine in dry conditions, but in wet weather you should not use it. This is because your chances of losing control of your car will increase. You are unable to lift the accelerator to reduce the vehicle’s speed if you’re worried about losing traction while you have your cruise control on, so it is better to drive without it in wet weather.

6. When you have a few free minutes, make sure that your windshield wiper inserts do not leave streaks behind. You want to make sure that your windshield wipers can clear the glass in one swipe, so if they are lacking in either one of these abilities you should think about getting them replaced. The typical driver gets new wipers about every six months to one year.

Article Source: Premier Cape Cod

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Tires are likely the most common automotive “replacement part” but not many people know a lot about them. In the following article we will focus on just that interesting factor of new tire ownership, being the warranty.

Tire Life

Most tire makers have decided that the usable life of a tire is either six years from the purchase date or when there’s just 2/32nds of an inch of tread left. Tire retailers have a special gauge that they use to measure tread depth. Tires purchased in North America are required to have tread-wear indicators inside the tire tread’s grooves. These wear indicators look like small tread bars that run perpendicular to the groove. If the tire’s wear has reached the depth of these indicators, get ready to replace the tire.

One other measure, being a visual one for consumers, is the penny method. Place a penny in the groove of the tire, upside down and ensure Lincoln’s head is facing you. The distance from the top of Lincoln’s head to the coin’s edge is about 2/32nds of one inch. So if “the top of Lincoln’s head shows”, you will need to replace the tire.

Road Hazard Warranties

Road hazard warranties are important if you end up with a flat tire. If your tire can be repaired, the company will pay for the repair. If the tire is unable to be repaired, the company will prorate the remaining mileage toward a new tire’s purchase.

Road hazard warranty prices vary, but they typically range from $10-$20 for each tire. The warranties are a source of profit for tire shops so you will probably be offered one when you purchase new tires. These warranties are basically insurance policies. If you are considering whether to purchase a road hazard warranty, think about how many times you’ve had a puncture or nail in your tire in the last few years.

Tread Life Warranties

You probably didn’t know this: every tire maker offers a warranty on the tire’s tread-life. Here’s how they work. Almost every tire comes with an estimate of the number of miles that it will roll people to their destinations. This estimate is based on the kind of tire and the number of miles that are to be expected under normal driving conditions. You will find the estimate on the paperwork you get when you purchase the tires.

If a tire has worn out evenly across the tread way before its estimated mileage limit, you may be able to get a replacement under the tread-life warranty. You will need to show proof of purchase and proof that your tires were rotated properly at the suggested intervals. In this situation, a tire maker prorates the cost of the new tire based on the price of the replacement tire and amount of remaining tread.

Workmanship and Materials Warranty

The workmanship and materials warranty covers the buyer if defects present themselves in the manufacturing or components used in the tire. The majority of manufacturers offer this coverage for the entire tire’s life.

How to Void the Warranty

Just as you can void the vehicle’s warranty, you can void a tire’s warranty, too. The big one to be aware of is improper maintenance. If the tire maker does not see proof that the tires had been inflated, rotated and aligned properly, your warranty claim will likely be denied.

Was the amount you spent on repair or replacement sufficient to justify the warranty? They are for many drivers. Frankly, the vast majority of people buy tires based on recommendations from tire retailers and the tires’ price. And very few pay attention to the warranties that come with them. Hopefully you’ve taken away some useful information about tire warranties from this article!

Article Courtesy of: Thompson Hyundai

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When temperatures plummet, cars often get hard to start. With modern fuel injection systems, this is not as common as it used to be but when vehicles get really could it can still be an issue. An excellent way to make it easier on your engine is to keep it heated up a bit during the night.

The issue goes back a long time ago. Back in the early 1900s in Northern Canada, flight engineers, who were responsible for preparing an airplane’s engines for operation, would drain the engine oil out of the engines on cold nights. Then, before flights, they would pre-heat the oil before pouring it back into the engines. It was messy, time intensive…but it worked.

Even though the oil formulations today are better than they used to be, oil still gets thick when temperatures drop. That means that cold engines can be difficult to start and when they do, they wear more quickly and pollute more.

This can be avoided with a block heater. Block heaters are devices that are designed to keep engines warmed up whenever the mercury drops. They are very common in cold climates such as the northern U.S. and Canada. In regions such as this, block heaters are often standard equipment in new vehicles. And you may find electrical outlets in public or private parking lots to plug block heaters into. It’s part of the culture of driving in regions that have really cold winters.

The most common type of block heater is an electric heating element installed directly in the cylinder block. These are typically connected to a power cord which is routed through the vehicle’s grille. The service department at www.zeiglernissangurnee.com explains that his sort of block heater usually replaces one of the engine’s core plugs (often called freeze plugs). Another popular model is installed in line with one of the car’s radiator or heater hoses.

Block heaters are available for purchase at most auto and part stores and on the internet. The ones that are permanently installed in the block or in radiator hoses generally require a professional mechanic to install them. Contact the professionals at www.zeiglernissangurnee.com to learn more about block heaters and what models they recommend.

Source: Ziegler Nissan

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In Europe, close to 50% of the cars and trucks on the road are diesels. So why not in the US? Polls reveal that Americans aren’t as comfortable with diesel-engined passenger cars and some say it has to do with an poorly-designed Oldsmobile diesel engine from almost 40 years ago. Specifically, back in 1978 Oldsmobile designed a V8 diesel and it was a real disaster. Here’s the story:

In order to meet new American emissions regulations in the mid-1970s, executives at General Motor’s Oldsmobile Division decided to design and install a series of diesel engines in their passenger cars. This was because diesels were not subject to the same emissions requirements as gasoline engines and this helped them meet the federal requirements of the time.

Working at a frantic pace, the first GM diesels hit the dealer’s lots in 1978 and immediately there were problems. To begin with, Oldsmobile powertrain engineers based the new diesel’s design on the GM’s famous 350 V8. Ask any car buff and they will tell you that the problem was that GM engineers “simply slapped new diesel heads on the standard 350 block” and did little else. This is an automotive urban legend, though. The service techs at www.antiochchryslerdodgejeep.net know the story well and tell us that the new block was absolutely properly reinforced and was built of a sturdier cast-iron alloy. The trouble came from the cylinder heads
Diesel engines have much higher compression ratios than gasoline engines do. As a result, diesel engines require stronger head bolts, and more of them, to compensate for the diesel’s higher cylinder pressure. The Oldsmobile diesel, however, maintained the same 10-bolt pattern and head bolts as gasoline engines, so that common production tooling could be used for both the gasoline and diesel engines. This would prove to be a fatal decision for the production engineers.

Production of the Oldsmobile diesel lasted from 1978 and 1985. Many engines failed due to head problems and this caused a class-action lawsuit that saw owners reimbursed the cost of replacement engines. The Oldsmobile diesel debacle was so bad that it spurred legislators in several states to draft early lemon laws.

Only now are diesels beginning to reenter the U.S. car market—and most of those are from European manufacturers who have been manufacturing diesel engines for over a century and doing so quite successfully. Today many fine diesel automobiles are available from companies such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram.

Source: Antioch Chrysler

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Without question, your engine’s timing belt is the most important maintenance item in your car. The worlds junkyards are filled with cars with engines damaged due to timing belt failures. Here’s what you should know so you can avoid that fate:

First, what is a timing belt? A timing belt is a heavy duty ribbed rubber belt that couples the crankshaft to camshaft(s). Essentially, it keeps the valves in the top half of the engine in sync with the pistons and crankshaft in the bottom half.

Do all car’s and trucks have timing belts? If you have an older car from the year 2000 and before, odds are you have a timing belt. Today, some cars and trucks have timing belts and some have metal timing chains. Timing chains are a far better design because they generally don’t break like belts can. (In theory, timing chains can last the life of the engine.) How do you find out which you have? Well, Google it or consult your owner’s manual and see if timing belt maintenance is listed.

How often should I change my timing belt? Auto and truck manufacturers employ various schedules for timing belt replacement, but the rule of thumb is some 60,000 miles, or 5 years, whichever comes first. If you are in doubt as to how old your timing belt is, see your local dealer and have it examined. A mechanic can quickly judge a timing belt just by looking at its condition.

What Happens If My Timing Belt Snaps? Well, that depends. There are two types of engine timing designs to consider first “interference” and “non-interference”.

An interference type engine means that the valve’s stroke and piston’s stroke overlap the same space in the cylinder but at different times. The timing belt essentially keeps them from hitting each other. If the timing belt snaps, the valves will smack into the pistons causing bent valves or even cylinder head damage, and possibly piston and cylinder wall damage.

In a non-interference engine, the pistons and valves don’t overlap, so if the timing belt snaps in two, no valve or cylinder damage occurs, the engine just stops running. To fix it, a mechanic just needs to pop a new belt on and you are good to go.
How Much Does It Cost To Change My Timing Belt? Generally speaking, a lot of work is involved when changing a timing belt. A typical job would be around $600 but with some engines, it can be higher. Your service center will be able to give you more information.

Source: Reedman-Toll Jaguar

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Before we get into the vehicles themselves, let’s take a look at what Flex-fuel is, in particular, what “E85 Fuel” is. E85 is a biofuel mixture which contains 85% ethanol alcohol and 15% gasoline. It is available in most of the United States (however in some states, distribution is rather sparse). E85 is most popular in southern states which are closer to the companies that are making the ethanol component.

As you might suspect, a Flex-fuel Vehicle (FFV) is a vehicle that is designed to operate E85 fuel. In fact, they will work with gasoline, E85 or any combination of the two. Why are there flex-fuel vehicles, you may ask. You could think of FFVs as “transitional vehicles” and E85 as a “transitional fuel”. They are engineered to bridge the gap between our current predominately petroleum-based (gasoline) supply and steadily growing bio (plant-based alcohol) fuel supply.

Keep in mind, not all vehicles are FFV, in fact most aren’t. In the US, the largest proponent of flex-fuel vehicles has been General Motors. Many automotive manufacturers just haven’t signed on because there isn’t a lot E85 stations in the US yet. It’s a bit of a chicken or egg kind of thing. In other countries, E85 is vastly more popular than it is here in the US. In Brazil, for example, most gas stations carry E85 fuel because the biofuel is made locally and in huge quantities.

Whats the advantage of Flex-fuel? Is E85 fuel cheaper than gasoline? Well, currently it isn’t. While the prices of E85 are typically less than standard gasoline, there is less energy per unit volume (27% less) which means less fuel mileage. This, of course, would change if the prices of E85 would decrease, which is always possible if supply increased.

And what about the future of E85? The fuel distribution infrastructure for ethanol is still in its infancy, and it will take many years and a lot of money to fully develop.
During the transition from petrofuel (gasoline) to biofuel, vehicles will need to be able to run on both types of fuel as availability of one or the other may be spotty.

Source: Reedman-Toll Autoworld

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The app is simple and straight-forward. You search for cars based on make and model, whereupon you can find reviews, photos, specs for every trim level, and a list of competitor’s vehicles to consider against your choice. The main page also has general categories like “Latest Reviewed,” and “Fuel Misers.” These are especially helpful if you’re just starting your search or are unsure where to look. In any case, there’s always plenty of information. Of the 20 or so cars I browsed through, I never left the app thinking they’d missed something.

The app also has a general advice section including articles like “How to Test Drive a Car,” and “What’s the Right New Vehicle for Me?” The articles are full-length and offer the same kind of advice you’d get from the magazine or any male relative over 40.

If I have one complaint about the app it’s that there are ads, but that’s the price you pay to get a free app. Otherwise, it’s a great tool for anyone in the market for a new vehicle.

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