Finding dependable car shippers in the US

Choosing a reputable and reliable company the United States can be a formidable task as there are literally thousands of companies out there, each claiming to deliver the best service at an affordable price.

You do not have to worry. Just check out Cartransportquotes.com which links you to the most trusted and Dependable Car Movers in .

Qualified professionals who are licensed and properly insured will give you fast and reliable quotes/ rates with reported savings exceeding 20%.

The site offers the best Car Shipping and auto transport quotes for free. All you have to do is fill up their quick form and generate up to eight car shipping estimates. You can then use this information to compare national car shipping rates from automotive shipping carriers at one time. This way, you can select the best quote.

I would suggest anyone who has never shipped a car to first check out the Car Shipping Glossary so that you are familiar with the industry jargon and go through the Frequently Asked Questions as well. Teh site also has a Auto Mover Blog with loads of interesting information.

Discounts on car rentals

One of my friends is going to Austria for a holiday and he initially had planned to drive there but later on decided to fly there. I asked him how he was planning to get around the place and found out that he planned to use public transport from moving around the city and hiring a car for going outside town.

When deciding on a car rental company, two companies usually come to mind, namely, Hertz and Avis. However, in the process we miss out on a number of other companies which provide competitive rental rates. One searching around the web, we came across Advantage Rent A Car. This car rental company is more than 40 years old and has a presence in 150 U.S. locations and 130 locations in 33 countries internationally. Yes! They are in Austria as well.

Found out that they are offering some special offers including a 50% discount on luxury cars and convertibles. Definitely worth considering when deciding on a car rental company.

GPS tracking company

If your company uses a number of vehicles for any purpose, a reliable GPS system is absolutely necessary to track all of them. Most companies who have installed a GPS system in their vehicles are usually for navigation and security reasons.

After reading about the GPS Insight vehicle tracking system provided by GPS Insight, I got to learn about the other benefits of installing and implementing a GPS system. This includes able to calculate routing efficiencies, fuel savings and not paying for labour when the drivers are not really working.

I found their Blog for GPS vehicle tracking really informative. According to one of their latest posts, collecting GPS data might not be enough. The data needs to be collated into something quantifiable in order for it to be useful to the companies. Using the example of a large trash hauling operation in Denver, it is shown how they are able to come up with useful information from the tremendous amount of data generated, such as :

• How many trips per truck
• Average stopped time
• Average to & from times
• Exceptions

I guess this is what differentiates them from other GPS providers, which just fit you up with GPS hardware and software or just generates data from your activities and leaves it up to you to interpret them.

Based in Arizona, the corporation has been providing custom navigation, and messaging solutions to their customers' for over 3 years. They target the service and trucking companies, such as HVAC, sales forces, delivery vehicles, long haul trucking, etc. With a customer base of several hundred customers, and several thousand vehicles, they are spread throughout all 50 states in the US.

Their solutions include both GPS hardware products as well as web software-based technology and usability enhancements including Google Earth integration, routing, customizations, alerts, specialized reports, ERP integration, and data warehousing, etc. Customers will be able to obtain direct engine diagnostics so that an operator can obtain fault codes, speed, fuel consumption, odometer readings, idle time, etc., along with 2 minute updates. The great thing is that each system is customized so that customers get the best solution for their needs. I really like their idea of having GPS Insight support wiki for customers. This includes general information about their system plus support information and helpful tips.

Their system costs about $34.95 per vehicle per month (approximately US$1.50-2 per day per vehicle). For more pricing options in details, check out their pricing page. The fact that GPS Insight offers a 30 day money back guarantee on commercial sales, are often willing to offer "free trials" in local markets shows how confident they are with what they have to offer.

Get lower prices on tyres

The OTR (off-the-road) tyre market is highly volatile and prices have increased dramatically over the years. There are several possible reasons for this but as I see it, this is directly related to the continued rising costs of raw materials. While the dealers and the manufacturers are blaming each other as well as the grey traders, for the price increase, the ones losing out are the customers.

If you are looking for OTR tyres, visit BuyBigTires.com. Located in Southeastern North Carolina, BuyBigTires.com is an international company specialising in OTR and specialty tire market doing business on 5 continents. They help customers find lower prices on those tires. They are able to do this by getting rid of the middleman and bringing the products directly to the end users.

A search of 4000R57 haul truck tires gave me two results. They have brand new tires from Michelin and Goodyear priced at $99000 and $105000 respectively.

Radar gun site

The speed limit inside the University of Warwick campus is 20 mph and they have a traffic speed board to inform the drivers of their speeds. I was thinking to myself that I was a great idea to get drivers to reduce their speed if they were traveling fast. Would be much more effective than the normal speed limit signs. I assume that they were using a radar gun to find out the speed.

If you were interested in getting one, go over to Radargunsales.com, a sports and traffic radar gun site.


The 'Traffic Radar Speed Board' is a 10.5" dual color high intensity LED display. It flashes the speed in red to warn speeders while it is green for legal speeds. The different models all come with a 12 month limited warranty (6 month battery warranty) parts and labor covered.

They have so many different varieties of top quality Traffic and Police Radar Guns that should fit every budget. All of the products are made in the United States. Shipping is through standard UPS ground shipping and is free on all radar guns for delivery within the continental USA.

Magnetic signs for your car

Having your business signs on the side of your or the company vehicle can be a cheap and effective way of advertising your business.

You have either the option of painting the signs, pasting it up or using Car Magnets. I personally favour the last option, because it is easier to change the signs. The customizable magnetic signs offered by BuildASign.com are easy to design using their online design tool - you can even upload your own images. They also promise to have your sign ready and shipped to you in 1 - 2 days (using their "Expedite" option). I really like the fact that they reduce the price per item as your order quantity increases and best of all, there are no artwork or setup charges.

The signs are not limited to businesses. It can be about real estate, political and other banners. Check out the site for more details.

Car seat cover site

One of the most important but neglected car accessories are the seats. I have seen cars heavily modified with neon lights under them and mufflers that looked like cannons but with the old boring factory installed seats.

Even if you don't want to change the seats you can change the overall look and feel by just changing the covers. Talking about seat covers, Seat Covers Unlimited specializes in high quality seat covers. The site has a list of seat covers for almost every make or model of car from Fords to BMW's. They also have seat covers for SUVs, vans and even trucks. Even if your vehicle make is not listed, don't worry. Accordign to the site you just have to call them at 1-888-410-5050 and they

"will let you know if we have a pattern for your year, make, and model or we'll search for a vehicle to obtain a pattern for you."

Seat Covers Unlimited has designs to suit the personality and style preferences of almost everybody. For example, if you fancy yourself as a hunter living in the jungle and want a tiger or leopard print car seat cover, they have it.

I was surprised when I checked out the prices - they are so reasonable. This is amazing because the products used are not any cheap cloth but durable upholstery style fabrics. For added comfort, a 3/8 inch foam backing is added to the seats.

For your information, their manufacturing plant is located in Mesa, Arizona.

Review of Nengun Performance

The following is a paid review of the Nengun Performance website. Nengun Performance is an online reseller of after market auto performance parts. According to the information provided on the site, the company was originally from Australia but currently operating directly from Japan since April 2000.

I assume that their tagline is "the wholesale performance parts supplier on the Internet." They claim that they are able to offer really low prices on the parts because they buy in bulk from the Japanese performance parts companies with which they have direct contact.

First impression. Looking at the design of the site, I have to admit that there is an overall amateurish feel to it. Maybe it has to do with the Color Scheme. The color scheme of the site doesn't really appeal to me. Probably due to the fact that I am not a fan of sites with black backgrounds. From my experience I have found out that clean designs with white backgrounds are best for e-commerce sites. Not very exciting but it's safer.


I noticed that they have different logos on different pages and it changes everytime you reload the page. If they are interested in building a brand identity, having a unique and uniform logo should be the first step. I liked this particular logo, which I have shown here.

Moving to more serious matters, E-commerce is all about trust and I have to say that going through the site doesn't really give me that feeling of security. The first thing I look for on every e-commerce site, are their security and privacy notices. Unfortunately, the Nengun Performance site doesn't have one.

The "About page" is also not detailed enough. There are no names or contact addresses. Customers like to know who they are dealing with. The fact that there are spelling mistakes on the page doesn't help either.

In their FAQ, it is mentioned that they accept the following payment methods:
· International Direct Deposit
· Australian Direct Deposit (Westpac) and
· Paypal

However, I noticed that they do accept credit cards too. It would really boost the customer's confidence if the company provides some short of assurance that all important information (such as credit card details) sent to this site, is encrypted and is protected against disclosure to third parties.

So what did I like about the site?

I was drooling just looking at some of the products. They have an impressive collection of parts of well known brands (includes HKS, Apexi, Greddy, Mugen, Spoon, TRD and Nismo)for customers to choose from. Some of my more knowledgeable friends confirm, the prices are indeed wholesale. They also have a photo album that visitors to the site can view even without registering.

However, the question remains whether customers would be impressed enough or trust them to buy their products online.

Protecting window tints from scratches

Most cars now come with windows tints factory installed. They can help to keep down the temperature inside the car in hot, sunny places. Other people tint their car windows just to look cool.

Several car owners are encountering a particular problem with their tint being scratched. It seems certain manufacturers including Mercedes, Ford and Honda among others have felt on only one side of the window canal of the door, while failing to put this felt on the the weather strip that seals the window. This weather strip is made of hard plastic and over time collects dirt and other materials which rub against the tint causing scratches.

TintProtector.com has come out with a high quality felt strip installed to the existing plastic weatherstrip to prevent future scratches to film. The Tint Protectors Moleskin developed and manufactured by the company is made to withstand more heat, moisture, cold and abuse. The secret is their special synthetic resin adhesive. This product simulates the fur of a mole (hence the name) and removes dirt and grit as the glass moves down, thus preventing scratches.

Mustang and TL owners are the companies best customers. They also sell the MoleSkin for other purposes as well - to stop rattles and squeaks and as cleaning towels.

Sponsored

Searching for insurance on the net

Searching for the right car insurance can be really tough. You want to see whether other drivers would be insured, whether it has coverage for windscreen breakage, if the company would provide a courtesy car while your car is being repaired and so on. However, the most important factor that we have consider is the price.

Cheapest is not always the best choice but we have to see that we are getting thte value for our money.

The internet has made the process of searching for the right car insurance much easier. Find out how you can compare car insurance packages in the UK at insure121.com.

The great thing is that many of the insurance providers promoted by the company will offer you a discount of anything between 10% and 30% just for buying your insurance online, with no loss in cover too.

For your information, the company also lists several home insurance providers. So if you are looking for the best insurance quotes for your home on the site, you know where to go.

Sponsored

Auto refinance

if you are looking for Car Refinance, I suggest you look at what Rate Genius has to offer. They make it easier to complete your refinance by utilizing a proprietary electronic document process. the entire process is quite fast. The application takes only a few minutes and within 24-48 hours, rateGenius can have your car refinanced.

You can choose a suitable lender that will provide you with the rate, term, and amount to fit your lifestyle from their collection of prominent national lenders network.

For your information, rateGenius is an online loan brokerage company. Their main office is based in Austin, Texas. The company is licensed as a registered lender with the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner and is a member of the Better Business Bureau.

Sponsored

Different petrol prices

Unlike Malaysia where petrol prices are fixed by the Government, Petrol prices in the UK depends on the market. For example, the prices went down for a while around November but it went back right up soon afterwards. It also varies from place to place and between companies.

Given below are the prices of unleaded petrol at various petrol stations near our locality:

1. Tesco: 84.9p
2. BP: 85.9p
3. Jet: 86.9p
4. Texaco: 87.9p

Mind you, these are prices for 95 Octane unleaded Petrol. 97 octane petrol is costlier (as much as 4p more at some stations)

The nearest to our house is a Texaco station but have never filled up there because it is the costliest. I usually fill up at either the BP station along Lockhurst lane (2nd cheapest in my area and I also get Nectar points there). My favourite is of course the Tesco station - the cheapest + Tesco points. The full address is Tesco Filling Station, Pheonix Way, Coventry Arena, Coventry. CV6 6EN.

What is your favourite station?

UPDATED: (19 Jan 2007) Just found out that the petrol prices fell overnight.

Tags: Petrol octane Tesco BP

Ryton factory to close

The Ryton factory in Coventry will close completely later this month. Peugeot had stopped production of the 206 before Christmas.

The factory has a long and varied history. It was built in 1939 to manufacture engines for war planes during the 2nd World War. They only started building cars there in 1946 with the Sunbeam-Talbot by the Rootes Group.

The Rootes group lost control of the factory in the 1960s due to financial difficulties. Chrysler Europe bought over the group and continued to build cars at Ryton. However, they too faced problems and sold the plant to Peugeot in 1978 for the sum of $1. AT that time it was known as the Talbot Motor Company. Peugeot built the first car there in 1985.

Some facts
- The Talbot names was dropped in 1995 and the company became Peugeot Motor Company Plc.
- Robots were first used in 1985.

- The plant stopped production of the 306 in 1999 and the plant was left producing only the 206.

- The closure of the factory by Peugeot leads to the loss of 2,300 jobs in Coventry.

The British should be thankful that Proton is not leaving Norwich.

Tags: Coventry Peugeot Ryton

The Malaysian Car Industry

I am amazed at the number of people who thought that ALL cars would get cheaper after the implementation of AFTA. (for those who didn’t know, AFTA stands for the ASEAN Free Trade Area). They were disappointed when 1st of January, 2005 came and went and car prices didn’t go down (in fact they went up). They were disappointed that they still were not able to afford their dream Mercs, BMW, Hondas and Toyotas.

For those who didn’t know, under the terms of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) Agreement, Malaysia initially agreed to put the tariffs for automotive parts to below the five percent level by 2003. The move was postponed to the year 2005, when the car industry was badly affected by the economic crisis in 1997/98.

However, I am surprised to find that so many people are ignorant of the fact that this applies only to foreign companies having manufacturing plants in ASEAN with local content of at least 40 percent in order to enjoy the preferential import duty. So luxury brands like BMWs, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Ferrari and Porsche (as well as other makes) manufactured outside the ASEAN region will not be cheaper. Import duties on those cars still remain. Anyway, people who can afford to buy these cars will buy these cars. Even without the taxes, they are still above the RM100K mark. I still can’t afford to buy a car costing over RM80K anyway. How many of you can?

Then some people ask how come new Proton and Perodua cars are not cheaper. I disagree. They are cheaper. The new cars have better quality, extra features (like air bags, ABS) and service has improved. So for almost the same prices we are getting a better overall package.

Some people say that the Government should remove the taxes all together on all cars.

The logic is simple. Cars become cheapr and we can all afford the foreign brand that we have all been dreaming about. Yes!It would mean the end of the Malaysian automobile industry. Who cares about the consequences. Some people couldn’t care less but let us try to answer some questions:

- How many vendors companies have been developed and depend on Proton and Perodua for their survival?
- How many people are employed by these companies?
- Are you aware that the taxes obtained from the import of foreign cars into Malaysia are used for supporting public facilities?

Selling to a foreign car company may mean killing the Proton brand, loss of jobs and of course money moving away to other countries.

Of course there is always the question, "How come Korean cars are so cheap?" Why can't Proton be like them?

I simply have no good explanation. Proton and Perodua have to find the answers if they are to survive and remain competitive. Maybe I can blame it on dumping – that is, the practice of selling goods in foreign markets at significantly lower prices than either in the home market of in other markets. Many companies do this in order to build up their market share. The Japanese did it in the US. Proton does it too – for example, cars sold in UK are reportedly cheaper than in Malaysia or have better specs.

However, having said that I feel that the Malaysian companies have to find out how the Korean (and now the Chinese) car companies have been able to come up with winning designs and even penetrate the tough US market (which Proton and Perodua hasn’t been able to do so far).

Another Malaysian Car

Did you know that we have not 2 but 5 Malaysian car manufacturers and the numbers are increasing. I am not joking. Let me list them down for you (in alphabetical order):

1. Bufori Motor Car Company (M) Sdn. Bhd.

2. Esnasports Sdn Bhd

3. Perodua

4. Proton (Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd) (The big daddy)

5. TD Cars (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd

According to a Bernama report yesterday, the Naza group is going to join the list as the latest to come out with a Malaysian made car.

Some information about this car (According to group managing director Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin):

- 1.2 litre car
- Launch scheduled in October this year.
- Designs done by 18 Naza engineers, 'mostly former employees of Proton and Perodua'.
- Secret project has been going on for the past two years (Went under the radar of all auto researchers).
- Total investment : Around half a million ringgit
- Estimated production /YEAR: 60,000 to 70,000 units

Read the full report here.