Unsafe Auto Body Repair

Fraud committed by Insurance company promoting bad auto body repairs using Direct Repair Program and releasing unsafe nonrepaired vehicle.

Auto Insurance: How to Get the Best Collision Repair for Your Money

I have seen it all in my 40 plus years of repairing cars and trucks. The insurance companies bottom line is profit, you need to understand that they want your vehicle repaired for as little as possible. Purchasing insurance is only the first step for both coverage and legal limits. If you have been involved in an accident and you want your vehicle repaired so that no physical flaws can be detected then you have to get the most money possible to allow enough time for the collision shop to slow down and not get in a hurry during the repairs. This is even more important if you want to save on your deductible.

If you own a Classic Car and it was restored to a high level there are additional problems to overcome. When purchasing insurance for a Classic Car or Truck many people think that if they purchase "agreed value insurance" the matter is over. In layman's terms this refers to how much the insurance company believes muscle cars and classic cars are worth if there was a total loss. This is usually understood and agreed with by both the insurance company and the owner but rarely does a classic get completely totaled.

Therein lies the problem. In general most late model vehicles and Classic Car insurance companies, " approx 90% " demand that you come up with an estimate for the repairs. Keep in mind that if you take a Classic Car to a collision shop they are not used to doing older vehicles/classics. It is very hard to find older parts with little to no rust. Doing repairs at a high level on classic cars is rarely seen because of the insurance industry only allowing them so much cash to complete the job. When you are in a hurry the quality goes down.

Your best bet is to find three of the very best shops in and around your area. Go to them and explain that you want the highest level job they are capable of and to write the estimate accordingly. Tell them you will fight with the insurance company to " pay up " and to not be concerned possibly wasting their time on the estimate. Once you get at least two estimates you will have much needed ammunition when you go back to the insurance company to haggle. You then have living proof that this is what it is going to costs regardless if the insurance company has their own adjuster look over the damage and come up with their own pricing. Many of the larger body shops in big citys are owned by the major insurance companies thus controlling the prices with a system known as "direct repair" this affects your chosen shops ability to make decent profit on each vehicle if they are a part of this system. As far as Classic Car insurance, Grundy is one of the few companies that will pay a fully certified restoration shop by the hour to do the repairs up to the agreed amount. They understand the hourly billing restoration that resto shop/companies live by.

The bottom line for the consumer is to have the proof in hand, that it costs more then the insurance company will say that it cost. This way you will have the maximum cash when dealing with the repair facility. Stand up for your rights. Winning is not luck its knowing how to fight!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_S_Lilly

Auto Paint Removal With Dry Ice Blasting. Really "Cool".

Advanced dry ice blasting technology used to remove the paint from this 240Z restoration project.

Car Accidents and Teenagers

The general consensus is that teenagers will get involved in more car accidents than adults. Teenagers are more likely to go over the speed limit and make more mistakes due to poor decision making than adults when driving.

This is why many insurance companies have increased their prices when it comes to adding a teenager to the policy. It can now be quite expensive to add a teenager onto a car insurance policy.

The cost of family insurance policies can vary depending on which state you live in. The average cost of the family insurance [policy can be anywhere in the region of $1,800.00 per year.

The sad thing is that when you decide to add a teenager onto this policy you will definitely se the cost increase. The amount of the increase can be as little as 50% or as high as 200% of the original cost of the policy.

This may seem quite unreasonable but the sad fact is that these insurance companies class most teenagers as very high risk and as such will punish them with higher insurance costs. You could say that the facts justify those increases but there can be ways for you to receive certain discounts for teenagers too.

Insurance companies will give discounts to teenagers that they believe to be responsible and careful when driving. The teenager that fits this bill is the one with good high school grades. So if you have a teenager that is doing well at school you should check to see if you are eligible for these discounts.

It is thought that teenagers who attend traffic school will get fewer tickets than those who do not attend it because they will adhere to the traffic regulations. This in turn will mean that their premiums will effectively be lower for their insurance.

Finally a teenager that has a sensible car will get cheaper car insurance than one with a flashy sports car. Obviously insurance companies will suspect the sports car driver to be more likely to break the speed limit and be more likely to be involved in accidents so they will increase the cost of their policy.

Experience an uninterrupted power supply and use a power surge protector.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Gero

James Dean and Gig Young Talk Auto Safety

In 1955, America was in a tizzy about teenage rebellion and Hollywood had a newly minted spokesperson who could explain the angst contagion -- James Dean. Months before Rebel Without a Cause was release Dean was tapped to sit with Gig Young and tell America's troubled youth they should slow down on the highway. Ironically, he was killed in traffic accident a short time later.

Crash Tests Show Impact of Size on Safety

Three front-to-front crash tests, each involving a microcar or minicar into a midsize model from the same manufacturer, show how extra vehicle size and weight enhance occupant protection in collisions. These Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests are about the physics of car crashes, which dictate that very small cars generally can't protect people in crashes as well as bigger, heavier models.

"There are good reasons people buy minicars," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests. Equally clear are the implications when it comes to fuel economy. If automakers downsize cars so their fleets use less fuel, occupant safety will be compromised. However, there are ways to serve fuel economy and safety at the same time."

Deer Car Accidents

According to State Farm Insurance, Pennsylvania comes in first as the state that has the most automobile and dear crashes. A survey done by the insurance company showed that 1.5 million automobiles are involved in collisions with deer each year and have caused 150 deaths and $1.1 billion in damages. Deer migrate and mate between October and December and that is when most accidents occur. The time that they most often happen seems to be first thing in the morning and dusk. Since a deer can weight over 200 pounds, a run in with one can cause death to a driver, passengers, the deer and thousands of dollars in damage to your car.

Based on rankings of the total number of deer accident claims filed with State Farm other states that rank high with deer car accidents are Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Minnesota, Virginia, Indiana, Texas and Wisconsin.

If you are driving in an area that is known to have deer, use your high beams for greater visibility, and slow down if you see a deer standing on the side of the road. If you startle the deer, it may run right in front of you. Use your horn and flash your lights until the deer is out of harm's way. Also, if you've seen one deer, there are probably more in the area, so drive very cautiously. If you can't avoid a collision, try not to swerve. It increases the chances of losing control of your car. Attentive driving is the best way to avoid run-ins with deer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Morris

New Trend In Using Waterborne Paint For Auto Body Repair

Car paints are mostly used for auto body repair. And it is known that most paints are solvent based. But the fact that solvents can escape into the air means that they also contribute to air pollution. In fact, the majority of such organic solvents impose great damage to the environment.

And today, higher air quality standards demand the use of water-based paint for auto body repair uses. This demand will soon be a standard.

About couple of years ago, two of California's largest air quality management districts imposed emissions regulations and required the use of water based paints. And as expected, this trend instigated new legislations that aim the reduction of harmful emissions from the automotive finishing and refinishing sectors, at least in California.

Essentially, one of the most infamous regulation changes that automotive refinishing industry in Southern California has dealt with was the lowering of the limits of VOCs found in products used to paint cars.

VOC actually stands for "volatile organic compounds". These are solvents and other compounds contribute to pollution. Typical VOCs consist of the solvents in paints, adhesives and inks. However, VOCs are not just limited to paint supplies as plastics release VOCs as well when they age. And these chemicals are alleged to react with gases in the atmosphere that contribute to smog, pollution, and toxic death.

This is understandably why there's a pressing call for the use of water-based paint for automotive painting today. As you know, water is not organic and while it evaporates as well into the air, it is not a VOC.

With tighter regulations set by California Air Resources Board, there was a reformulation to switch solvent-based paint to waterborne. This step would allow refinishers to meet the new environment-friendly standards. Nowadays, finding solvent based materials becomes more and more difficult.

However, there are some considerations to remember in using waterborne paint for auto body repair. Although there are some available waterborne primers, generally you still have to use traditional, solvent-based primer. As a result, colors tend to dry to a dull satin finish. You will have to clear it to achieve the shine you want.

Also, before spraying the clearcoat, it is important to have enough airflow across the panel. When using a water-based paint, you need to allow the paint to dry fully as it dries differently from solvent-based paint. You see, solvent based system requires lesser time to dry up than water-based paint as it evaporates much faster. However, the continued use of such hazardous compounds will in turn speed up the damages in the environment.

Down the line, the convenience offered by solvent-based products may not be convenient for the environment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Angelo

Hunter's Self-Centering Wheel Adaptor

Hunter Engineering Company's Self-Centering Wheel Adaptor quickly and easily allows the target or sensor to remain centered while the technician clamps the adaptor to the rim. For use with Hunter DSP600 and HS400 Hexagonal or HS401 High-Definition Alignment Targets.

Blackhawk Shark - electronic measuring system

Overview of how the Shark measuring system operates