My Personal Finance Blog

It should be a big surprise to anyone that young drivers have higher insurance rates than older car owners. There is a set of reasons behind such a state of affairs and parents unwilling to pay high premium rates for their teenage drivers shouldn’t think about dropping the coverage altogether. Instead, there are effective ways your teen driver can opt for lower insurance rates and save you some buck from the family budget. Here are some tips on how to do that:

1. Learn the offers at the market.

Shop around and see what local insurance companies have to offer. There are providers that specialize in high risk drivers (and teens also make part of this group), however there is also a small number of companies that work exclusively with teenage car owners and offer preferential rates. If you are able to find such a company in your area that would be the best option for you. Otherwise, compare the rates with different companies and choose the one that is more liberal towards young car owners.

2. Be a good student.

Good students can usually opt for special discounts with the majority of car insurance providers. This is because the statistics have proven that good students are safer and less risky drivers and thus can have lower rates. However, you should ask the insurance company what are the requirements and will be ready to provide proof with your current

3. Encourage the teen to pay a part of the premium.

Nothing encourages better saving and hard work when financial interest, so when you make the teen pay a part of the insurance premium you will instantly see how he or she tries to minimize these costs. This can be a good push for better grades and research on other insurance options. But be realistic about it, if your teen can’t manage to pay the premium in whole don’t put the burden and make him pay only the part he can.

4. Raise the deductibles.

Deductibles are the amount of money you have to pay upfront from your wallet before receiving the insurance benefits. And they are reverse-related to the insurance premiums, meaning that the higher is your deductible the lower premiums you will pay each year. So if your policy carries the smallest deductible, it’s better to raise it to the amount you can really pay out of pocket if something happens. This will cut your premiums for about 10-20%

5. Buy a vehicle that will give you low car insurance quotes.

It shouldn’t be a revelation to most of you that the car you drive strongly influences the rates you pay for insurance. And finding an insurance-friendly auto for your teen will really help cut the costs. Try searching car insurance quotes online to see what autos offer you the best saving opportunities and cost less to insure.

6. See if you can include the teen into your policy.

Some auto insurance companies allow parents to include teens into their insurance policies and sometimes it will help you in saving on insurance rates compared to having a separate policy for the young driver. Ask your insurance agent about your possibilities and if has any financial sense and provides some money saving options then write your teen in.

Article by David Gorberg

How the Lemon Law Protects Pennsylvania Car Owners

This guide to Pennsylvania’s lemon law can help you understand your rights and help you figure out if you may be entitled to a full refund or new car from your vehicle manufacturer.How to Know if You Have a Lemon:

Follow this simple checklist to see if your vehicle may in fact be classified as a lemon:

- My vehicle has a defect that impairs its use, value and/or safety.

- The defect was not caused by my own neglect or any alterations to the vehicle.

- The defect occurred within the first year or 12,000 miles after receiving the vehicle.

- I have brought the vehicle to the manufacturer’s repair facility to get the defect repaired.

- The repair facility has failed to repair the vehicle after 3 attempts OR my vehicle has been out of service for 30 days or more.

If You Think You May Have a Lemon:

If you can check off all (or even most) of the checkboxes above, then you may be entitled to a full refund for your vehicle or a new replacement vehicle. As a next step it is advisable that you consult with a lemon law professional to determine if in fact you do a have a claim and how best to proceed.

Frequently Asked Pennsylvania Lemon Law Questions:

Q: Are leased vehicles covered?A: In Pennsylvania all vehicles leased after February 11, 2002 are covered under the Pennsylvania lemon law.

Q: Are used vehicles covered by the lemon law in Pennsylvania?A: Used vehicles may be covered if you had any warranty left from the manufacturer when you purchased your vehicle, or if your vehicle was “Certified” by the manufacturer or dealer, and you made at least one unsuccessful warranty claim before the warranty ended.

Q: How do I avoid buying a car formerly labeled as a lemon?A: The Pennsylvania lemon law requires that an auto dealer notify you in writing of a vehicle’s lemon history and that they get your signature acknowledging that you received and are ok with the history.

Q: How much will it cost and to pursue a refund for my vehicle?A: Many lemon law professionals will provide their services free of charge and instead make your vehicle’s manufacturer pay for any fees.

Are you heading out for a formal celebration this weekend? Do you need to take your car for a wash to make it look pristine and good looking? Some car owners overlook the exterior condition of their car, even the accumulated dust and dirt smudges in the paint can make your car quite unappealing to look at if left unclean, and the car will look very dirty and not much to look at. It’s time that you made a move to head out for a carwash. If you have no time to clean your car then this is the best option for you. Just head out to your local car wash or other auto service centers for your car to look good for the celebration you are going to in the weekend. And before you head out for a wash you might want to get some car wash coupons as well that can help in lessening some expenses!

You might be wondering on how to get those precious coupons for your car wash, they are relatively easy to find and you won’t have any hassle in getting them. Just take a look at your nearest auto service center for discount coupons for a car wash, there are cut out ones from their latest offers and services, you can even check out their newsletters for cut out ones that will be good for you when you acquire the car wash services, you can also head online and print them out from third party manufacturer coupon sites for good measure. Now you’re car will look dazzling to the other guests in the formal event that you will be attending! Who knows? Maybe you get a free car waxing too after washing. Those car wash coupons are the perfect ticket to touch up your car!

For more information about car wash coupons, check out this page to learn more details.

At some point, most car owners will have had the unfortunate and annoying incident of having their car come into contact with bird droppings. Most people know that if bird droppings are not removed and are left so sit and dry onto a vehicles surface that they can cause damage and leave unsightly etching marks behind. Yet even though people know this many will still not remove them because they either don’t know how, they haven’t got access to the tools to do so, or they simply cannot be bothered.

As soon as bird droppings are noticed on your car they should be cleaned off straight away. If, for whatever reason it is not possible to remove them straight away it is advisable to cover the affected area with a wet towel to help prevent the droppings from drying onto the surface, until the area can be properly cleaned.

Ideally, bird droppings should be cleaned off your car in a shaded area to prevent any cleaning product residues from drying onto the surface. The most effective way to initially loosen and lift off bird droppings is to pre foam the area, this will safely and effectively soak into the droppings and make them much easier to remove. If you do not have access to a designated foaming lance or hosepipe attachment then the area can be pre sprayed with a diluted all purpose cleaner which will also help to loosen and break down the droppings prior to cleaning.

After the foam or pre spray has been left to dwell, the area should be thoroughly rinsed off to remove all cleaning product and bird dropping residue. Once rinsed off, the area should be washed using a normal shampoo solution and wash mitt, then again thoroughly rinsed off and dried with a micro fibre towel.

After the area has been properly cleaned and dried it should be inspected for any damage. For paintwork, an all in one polish product can usually be used to successfully remove light to medium etching marks. The product should be thoroughly worked in with a micro fibre or sponge applicator pad using both circular and linear motions then buffed off. The process may need to be repeated a number of times in order to fully restore the area.

If an all in one polish product is unsuccessful at removing the damage then you should step up to using a designated abrasive polish product. Ideally, this should be applied and worked in with a dual action polishing machine to allow the abrasives to be thoroughly worked in but if you do not have access to a machine you can work the area by hand, although it will require a little more time and effort in order to properly break down the abrasives. Again this process may need to be repeated in order to fully restore the area.

If the bird droppings have been dried onto the surface for a considerable amount of time then even an abrasive polish product may be unable to remove it. The final step to remove severe etching marks would be to wet sand the affected area. A 3000 grit grade paper should be used in conjunction with plenty of water or a detailing spray to provide adequate lubrication. You should only wet sand the area if you have access to a polishing machine as without one you will be unable to properly remove the sanding marks by hand afterwards.

If the bird droppings contaminated plastics then the same cleaning method should be used and then a designated exterior dressing product should be applied to restore and protect the area. For glass, a glass polish product should be used to remove any staining after cleaning and for metals & chrome a designated metal or chrome polish should be used in the same manner.

This is another reason why you car should be kept regularly cleaned, polished and protected as this would vastly decrease the likelihood of bird droppings inflicting any damage because they would be sitting on the smooth protective coating and would be unable to bond to and damage the surface underneath.

Visit Car Cleaning Guru Today and Discover How to Clean Your Car to a Professional Standard Yourself.

 

All car owners need to clean their cars; washing car on your own is time consuming, boring and takes a lot of energy. Automatic car wash is becoming more and more popular these days with car owners. Car wash in Surrey is also gaining popularity rapidly.

 

Automatic washing system for cars was first introduced by two men in Detroit in the year 1914; there has been no looking back since then. The best part of using an automatic service is that it is not just cost effective, but also a big time saver. There are “drive through” washes available at a number of gas stations; that make it so easy for you to have your car shining and sparkling within minutes, when you go for filling up your car tank.

It is important to note however, that all automate are not the same; some of the different washing system in existence, are as follows:

Self Service: This kind of automate uses an open-bay system. There is a pressure sprayer, and a foaming brush connected to a central pump. This system is coin operated. Exterior Rollover: In these systems, one drives the car inside the bay, and then the washing equipments do the rest of the job. The Gas stations, usually, have this kind of washing system. Exterior Only: You drive you car inside the bay (resembling a tunnel). The front tire gets positioned on a conveyor belt, and then the car is cleaned automatically with different washing equipments. Full Service: This is a modified version of above wash type (exterior only). It is similar in the sense, that the conveyor belt is used. The difference lies in the fact, that the interior of the car is also cleaned; though manually, by the attendants.

The business of car wash is an ever green business. Until the time people have cars, they would need easy ways to get their car cleaned. Some intelligent people, who have resources, opt for opening a washing automate for cars too. One can either go for a car wash franchise, or open an independent business; either way, there are very remote chances for the business to fail. Good location and advertising skills can give an additional boost to your business. Consider giving away free car wash coupons, or discount for frequent washers as a way to attract more and more people.