Category Archives: Automotive

Benefits of Buying a Used Car

It is time to replace your current vehicle and many prospective car buyers are faced with one hard, controversial decision: Do you buy a new or used vehicle? There are many good reasons to buy a used car, such as having a greater selection of vehicles in your price range, but probably the biggest draw for used-car buyers is affordability. Buying a used car could get you the most vehicle for your money by far, but has a little more risk involved.

Price

There is no doubt that buying a used car compared to buying a new car is going to be less expensive. New car owners often take a significant knock as brand new cars can lose a lot its value in the first year alone! Second hand buyers has the added advantage of being able to step up to a better model within the same price range.

Depreciation

It is really true that once you drive a new car off the showroom floor, its value will drop instantly. Cars depreciate steadily over time, but the steepest decline usually happens within the first two years of ownership. In rare instances, some models can even lose 40 percent or more of their value in the first year. With a used car, there is still depreciation, just a lot less rapidly. Improved reliability with certified pre-owned programs

Even though used vehicles usually don’t carry the same factory warranties as new cars, the original maintenance plan on a new car is often transferable to a second owner, even when buying from a private seller. If you buy a certified pre-owned vehicle from an authorized dealer you can also opt to purchase an extended warranty for the vehicle.

Insurance

Insurance rates are significantly affected by the age of a car. A used vehicle will in most cases be less expensive to insure than its newer counterpart.

Wider Selection

You would be able to buy a better equipped or more powerful version of the vehicle model you want, or you might be able to choose from a wider selection of car brands and models by opting for a used model, for the same price as a new car. Also, your selection of cars, and options further increase because you can buy used cars privately as well as from second hand dealers.

No Long order periods

Brand new cars have to be ordered from the factory in the country of manufacture, and you may have to wait for weeks or even months for your car to be delivered. Some luxury brands have up to a 12 month waiting period.

Individual’s needs differs widely and, the decision to buy new or used all comes down to what you can afford, are you willing to take on a little risk, or do you need complete peace of mind.

Automotive Navigation Heads Into The Cloud

According to the market research firm iSuppli Corp., automotive navigation systems increasingly are transitioning from standalone devices to connected systems capable of accessing up-to-date map data and other information from the cloud.

About 20 percent of in-vehicle navigation systems sold in 2010 will include connectivity, either through an embedded modem or a tethered mobile device, amounting to 1.8 million units. This will rise to 90 percent in 2017, amounting to 27 million units.

Cloud-sourced navigation is an evolution of connected navigation systemsa trend that started several years ago. Traditional car navigation systems use databases stored on the device itself but future navigation systems will rely on information that is stored in the cloud. Maps, points of interest, traffic and weather are examples of cloud-sourced content that is enabled through connectivity.

Rising sales of navigation systems with two-way connectivity are being fueled by the advantages of connecting to the cloud, said Phil Magney, Vice President (Automotive Research) at iSuppli. By connecting to the cloud, navigation systems give motorists access to the most up-to-date databases in the world. Traffic, weather, and points of interest change constantly, so access to the cloud is vital.

Static databases will become a thing of the past in automotive navigation during the next 10 years, said Egil Juliussen, Principal Analyst & Fellow (Automotive Research) at iSuppli. Connectivity means motorists will have multiple options in terms of on-board and off-board navigation resources.

On-board connected navigation systems that store maps on the device will refresh periodically to reflect changes and updates. In contrast, off-board navigation systemswhich access a server for map datawill need constant connectivity. Both employ cloud-based data access.

Traffic information is the leading cloud-sourced service for navigation systems, which is constantly refreshed to reflect the latest updates. Several more cloud-based navigation services are being employed including weather information, Point of Interest (POI) search, destination download, traffic camera visuals and map updates.

Worldwide sales of all types of navigation systems will exceed 100 million units in 2010, with smart phones and Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) accounting for the bulk of the units. Slightly more than 9 million in-vehicle navigation systems will be sold in 2010, dwarfed by the nearly 100 million PND and smart phone sales.

Smart phones will generate the growth in the navigation segment. PND shipments during the next decade are forecasted to be at about 40 million units. In comparison, 330 million smart phones with navigation will be sold in 2017.

Smartphone navigation increasingly is becoming free of charge and the use case is mostly in the autoalthough pedestrian navigation is beginning to emerge. By 2017, many of the smart phone-based navigation solutions will be integrated within the vehicle system where the display is shown on the head-unit and the voice guidance and voice input are through the vehicles Human Machine Interface (HMI).

Visit http://www.isuppli.com/Automotive-Infotainment-and-Telematics/Pages/Navigation-Telematics-and-Digital-Entertainment.aspx to know more about iSupplis Navigation, Telematics & Digital Entertainment services.

Automotive V.i.n. Numbers What Do They Mean

V.I.N. V.I.N.s. You will hear this term tossed around frequently by car sales people, auto insurance people among others in the automotive trade. What does the term “VIN” mean and how it is important to you?

The term V.I.N. is short form of “Vehicle Identification Number”. It’s a unique number that is assigned to your vehicle – be it car, truck, S.U.V., van truck, motorcycle or any other vehicle. Think of the VIN as the Social Insurance Number for your automotive vehicle.

In order to register a vehicle, especially a new vehicle, you will need its V.I.N. In order to insure your vehicle ditto. If your car is stolen it may well be tracked down and identified by this unique listing – it’s V.I.N. If you are in the market for a vehicle and do a vehicle history search – say at Carfax or a similar online service and the lookup will all be done by V.I.N. How else could the system work if each vehicle did not have its own unique identifying number? Through such automated systems you can quickly and accurately determine vehicle history since new – a list of owners , any accident reports , has the car been involved in a major accident , been written off , been in a flood , have liens or charges against it , as well as many additional concerns for auto buyers ,financers , and dealers.

How can you determine the V.I.N. of your vehicle? That is easy if have ready access to your registration and insurance documentation. If not, or if you want to confirm the VIN number assignment you can simply find out your vehicles stamp. Simply look through the windshield on the driver’s side of the auto at the corner of the dash. It should be clearly stamped on a plate attached to the dash. As well that same designation should be clearly listed on your bill of sale. If the 2 numbers do not match – this could be a sign of future trouble if you are ever involved in a collision and have to deal with auto insurance claims and payment to yourself or your auto body shop.

A short course in how to read a VIN to be of use to you – should you be in the car buying mode, need registration information or want to import a car into Canada. Where an auto is manufactured often determines import duties and taxes.

Reading a V.I.N. First things first look at the first number on the left hand side. This first character designates where the vehicle was built – 1 is the US, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, J for Japan, K for Korea for example.

Next the second character in line designates the manufacturer or who built the car. The letter “G: stands for General Motor or G.M. products. Next is the third character – in this example if the number 2 is the third character – this would indicate the Pontiac division of GM. Characters 4 and 5 indicate the car line series, eight represents the body style for example 2 door coupe, 4 door sedan, hatchback. The seventh character indicates the type of safety restraint system that was installed at the factory. Eight character stands for the engine code – each type of engine has its own stamp. Between the eighth and the last sequence of letters is a check digit – a spacer to prevent confusion. The last sequence of digits is the grouping that singly identifies the vehicle and makes it wholly unique.

Why all this effort in creating this system and nomenclature of listing and describing each car individually. How else could the automotive trades work if they could not id each and every vehicle separately , track it , keep detailed records and lastly allow you as a car , truck , SUV , Van or motorcycle driver to research the past history of your new found vehicle.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Body Kits Add Value To Your Vehicle Easily

Mitsubishi Eclipse body kits are best bought from the well-known sellers only since they are backed by numerous years of valuable experience. For many good reasons, they are your number one choice for a diverse range of car accessories and body kits.

You can easily augment the look and feel of your Mitsubishi car using the various types of body kits that are manufactured by the market leaders in the automotive spare parts and accessories industry.

The range of Mitsubishi Eclipse body kits that they deal with is simply bewitching for many reasons. The major types of body kits you can pick and choose from are:
06-2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2dr Demon FRP Body Kit ViS
06-2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2dr Spirit Body Kit in DuraFlex
06-09 07 08 Mitsubishi Eclipse Blackout-I BMagic Body Kit
00-05 Mitsubishi Eclipse EVO Style VFiber Body Kit
00-02 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2dr Shine Flared Body Kit in DuraFlex

Justifications to select their Mitsubishi Eclipse body kits
i.These kits are offered as unprepared ones and come as unpainted items.
ii.Razzi products are made of proprietary ABS composite plastic material for more rigidity.
iii.You can get mesh grille along with these kits at a low price and install them.
iv.The required screws are given with the body kits for seamless installation.
v.Some body kits are made of polyurethane, which makes them unbreakable.

They always strive hard to fulfill your needs related to top-notch Mitsubishi Eclipse body kits that are designed well and fully customized to suit your needs to decorate your car in an exotic manner. You can choose these kits and benefit much at all times.

You can confidently choose these products since the dealers offering them deal only with the leading manufacturers like Sarona, AIT body kits, Extreme Dimensions and Razzi.

They always help you save money, time and energy in your quest to decorate your Mitsubishi car so that you get full value for your investments. In a matter of a few minutes, your car gets a brand-new look and feel by virtue of these highly visible and top-quality Mitsubishi Eclipse body kits.

Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship Is The First Step To Success

Some people who want to become automotive service technicians may be limited in obtaining an education because they cannot afford to take time off work from their current automotive position to advance their education. At Centennial College, students don’t have to choose. With the post-secondary’s automotive service technician training, there is an earn-while-you-learn approach. That makes it possible to learn while still making a living. How? First, during the three eight-week in-school sessions of the automotive service technician apprenticeship, students may qualify for income support through Employment Insurance Canada benefits or training allowance. Meanwhile, there are also five periods of 1,800 hours with an employer during which students are fully compensated for their work. In addition, if that time period doesn’t fit their schedule, students can complete the program by attending one day a week for three years or two evenings a week for three years.

To apply for this automotive service technician training, students have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent and be employed as an apprentice. However, they cannot apply directly to the college or ontariocolleges.ca for admission. For general information about apprenticeship registration, students are asked to contact the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Once they have gone through the application process and been accepted, students will discover a program that puts the emphasis on ensuring they obtain a good working knowledge of all of a vehicle’s systems: engines, electrical/electronics, fuels, transmissions and drivelines, steering, suspension and brakes. This occurs through the provinces largest transportation training centre, Ashtobee Campus. This facility houses workshop labs that simulate a real life environment and include tools of the trade and entire cars and car parts that have been donated to the school, on which students practice. Leading the students are professionals from the field who can offer one-on-one instruction as well as share their own experiences. More specifically, during their in-school sessions students learn car systems by attending the following automotive service technician training courses: Drive Train Systems, Electrical/Electronic & Emission Systems, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures, and Suspension/Steering and Brake Systems.

After learning about a certain aspect of being an automotive service technician, students spend time with an employer showcasing their skills, encountering customers and practicing in a real-life setting. Upon graduation from Centennial College, students have the potential to be hired by their apprenticeship employers, full-time. In fact, more than other industry, the automotive service technician field looks for apprentices and workers who enter the sector having already experienced hands-on situations. Positions for those with automotive service technician training can be found in: vehicle and parts manufacturers, dealers, garages and service stations, retailers, governments, corporations with their own fleets as well as in self-employment.