Automotive Interior » Articles

3 Tips For Using a Car Hoist

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:10:12 +0000

It really goes without saying that the most important point in operating any type of automotive lifts, be it a 2 post lift, 4 post lift or other vehicle jacks, is safety. Yet, in many cases it is an area that we tend to overlook, until an accident occurs. Here’s a quick look at some of the major safety tips in using a car hoist in your shop or garage.

It may surprise you to know that most hoist or lift accidents occur not due to the equipment failing, but to human error on the side of the operator. This is according to the governments Bureau of Labor Statistics. What are the most frequent mistakes that operators make? It’s from trying to lift a vehicle well over the capacity of the auto lift, as well as people walking under a vehicle that has been lifted up. Unfortunately, accidents such as these are tragic, yet avoidable in most every case.

1. Always follow the hoist manufacturers instructions and recommendations. For example, never exceed the hoist lifting capacity. Sure, it is really common sense, but always stop to take an extra minute to consider how heavy your load is before using the equipment.

2. Inspect everything. Be sure to check out the car or truck hoist to see that it is in good working condition. Is the chain in good shape and is it long enough to hold onto the load your attempting to lift? If you are using a 2 post vehicle lift or one of the many other types of hydraulic lifts, make sure to check the maintenance records and that the equipment is being properly maintained and greased.

3. Be sure that every operator has been properly trained in how to operate any lift. Do they know about lift points and making sure the load is balanced before lifting it? How are there communication skills? An operator must communicate with everyone in the shop when lifting a load.

These are only a few of the many safety tips for anyone operating a car hoist. Your shop should have a good safety program in place and conduct regular safety training meetings in order to ensure that everyone in the garage is on the same page.

Cheap Car Insurance Quotes And Low Cost Auto Rates Can Save You Money

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:31:20 +0000

Today if you’re a smart consumer, you will search for the best low cost auto insurance or cheap car insurance rate especially now when insurance rates are not as low as they used to be. It’s not only smart but absolutely necessary to seek out the lowest possible vehicle or car insurance quote. Most car or auto insurance companies offer a wide range of policies and plans to their policyholders and therefore can offer discounts and free online cheap car insurance quotes.

If you’re just starting to look for cheap car insurance quotes, you’ll want to compare both long established and newer insurance companies for cheaper rates. The new auto insurance companies are competing for your business, but of course they don’t have a long term history to back them up.

Auto or car insurance rates and quotes are never going to be identical for each company. There are many variables in insurance plans. Make sure to find out all you can about the company you’ve selected. Check online for customer car insurance reviews and ratings but keep in mind that negative reviews can happen with any auto insurance company. You want to make sure you find out exactly how much your deductibles will be and any conditions attached to them.

Keep in mind that insurance companies change their rates from time to time so the quote you got yesterday may not be good today. Many insurance companies will offer lower or cheaper insurance rates or more affordable budget rates than others with the same type of policies. You’ll want to make sure that you have full quality coverage or at least the coverage you basically need in your insurance policy. Make sure the insurance agents will be easy to contact at their office or home. If buying insurance online, find out how easy it will be to contact your agent over the Internet.

You want to make sure to compare all the cheap car insurance quotes that you do get; some may be very similar to each other but some of the quotes could be quite a bit different. In the U.S. many insurers offer a good-grade discount to students who have a good academic record. They may also have resident, student discounts to those who live away from their home. And senior drivers are often eligible for retirement discounts reflecting the lower average miles that are driven by this group. Women drivers can get discounts from some companies.

Make sure to check out the online, discount car insurance brokers who can give you fast online cheap car insurance quotes to compare from several different companies. Of course, avoiding accidents will keep your insurance costs down, so keep the kids quiet so you can concentrate on your driving. You can keep them busy with quiet car games kept solely for this purpose and give rewards for good behavior. In general, insurance premiums tend to become much lower at the age of 25.

If you don’t have a very good driving record you might not be able to get the insurance deductible you want. Make an attempt to focus on trying to turn your driving record around to further lower your insurance costs. And if you’ve always been with one company, don’t assume you’re getting the best insurance rate; compare the features and get quotes from other several companies. But sometimes longevity will play a part so make sure that you aren’t giving up the long history you may have with a good workable insurance company rather than going with the cheapest quotes.

If you haven’t had any automobile accidents that were your fault and you’re a good driver, then consider a higher deductible. You would pay out a larger sum of money in the event you have an accident that’s your fault but you would save on your monthly or quarterly insurance premium. Several car insurance policies or plans are based on a reasonable estimation of the annual average projected distance expected to be driven with figures provided by the insured. This low mileage discount benefits drivers who only drive their cars now and then.

Make sure the car insurance company you select offers excellent, quality low cost and cheap rates of auto insurance and a high level of customer service. These are just a few of the best tips that can help you understand discounts, save money on your auto insurance and give you an idea what to look for when you’re getting a cheap car insurance quote.

Top Cargo Bag

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:48:41 +0000

Waterproof Roof Top Cargo Bag

List Price: $76.39
Buy New: $48.99
as of 5/31/2010 17:43 CDT details
You Save: $27.40 (36%)

Roof Top Cargo Bag, Waterproof, 15 Cu. Ft. Protects cargo against road grit, sun, wind and rain. Four cambuckle straps provide attachment security.

This arrived in time for a big trip, and we were able to fit so much into the cargo bag. It worked great thru a long trip and lots of tough weather.

It rained and everything stated 100% dry. The straps work wonderful. This product held two large suitcases similar to ones purchased at Wal-Mart and two small bags. Drove from Jupiter, Florida to Utica New York. Hit lots of bugs and minimal rain, suitcases were clean and dry!
This bag was pretty easy to place and secure on the roof, could carry an unbelievable amount of cargo, and held up extremely well throughout the trip.
If you are the occassional cargo carrier, look no further. This is a great bag, and will do as good as any other $200 bag.

Arrived quickly, no problems.
Worked great. Super value for the money.
We drove about 500 miles through sideways blowing snow and rain and everything was completely dry when we got home.

Automotive Trade Show – Sema 2008

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 10:48:22 +0000

The SEMA Show is a leading automotive specialty products trade show in the world. Held annually in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the show attracts more than 120,000 industry experts from over 100 nationalities, thus creating huge business opportunities in the automotive, truck and SUV and RV markets.

The Specialty Equipment Market Association or SEMA exhibition throughout its history has been held during the first week of November and on a Tuesday. However, last year’s show (SEMA Show 2007) was held from October 30-November 2, 2007. However, the exhibition is NOT open to general public!

Just like the previous years, the 2007 exhibition was a grand success. The SEMA Show 2007 attracted about 60,000 domestic and international buyers for exhibits organized in ten categories. The intriguing part of the show was New Products Showcase where more than 2,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components were displayed. The exhibits alone occupied two million square feet of exhibits.

The show features state of the art products falling under 10 categories, 3 of which are given below:

1. Business Services:This category entails services with a focus on automotive industry and showcases hardware, software, computers, financial services, store fixtures, warehouse equipment, fleet services, personnel & human resources services and systems, CAD systems and consultants.

2. Hot Rod Alley:The products featured in this category include street rod/hot rod custom and specialty parts, tires and accessories, bodies, alternators, catalytic converters, brake systems including disc brakes, electrical systems and components, chassis parts, gauges, aluminum radiators, exhaust systems,valve covers, sheet metal, shocks, and wiring kits.

3. Mobile Electronics & Technology:This category includes sound systems, LCD video devices & systems, MP3, DVD, CD, satellite radio, telematics, security systems, CB, GPS, on-board technology, antennas, cellular telephones and accessories, computer chips and PROMs and radar detectors.

By: Freddic Clay

Auto Sound System Amplifier – Tips To Pick Your Best

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:26:53 +0000

Setting about to find the best Amplifier for your sound system could be a whole lot simpler if you just dedicate sometime before hand to learn what is best for you and will perform best with your type of car, truck or SUV’s audio system. It’s worthwhile to learn about the functions of an Amplifier for you to make an informed purchase; the major function of an Amplifier is that is receives small sound signal from your auto sound system and increases it to produce louder sound. This means that the more powerful your Amplifier, the more exceptional quality sound it produces. A lesser-powered Amplifier will therefore have a weak, thin sound that is quite unappealing in any auto sound system and most other sound system as well.

It is also worth mentioning that power rating of an Amplifier is determined by the utmost power it’s able to expend and not by it’s regular usage amount. RMS rating is a good indicator of an Amplifier power output. Another thing to consider is that never purchase an Amplifier based only on RMS rating or maximum output. This number can be remarkably misleading in Amplifier purchase.If your preference is towards a thumping driving bass beat, then ensure that your Amplifier is equipped with a bass boost button. Such a button will be a plus in giving you a bass boost. I sure believe this is a must have to most bass lovers. Not every Amplifier is equipped with this, so shop smart in accordance to your likes.

Amplifiers are essentially divided into four main classes (but of course, there are many more classes, though mostly uncommon, so I will not dwell much on defining them) which represent excellent quality you ought to expect from the system.

A) 1. This is a class with amazing production of superior sound, but the down side is that it wastes large amount of energy in producing that good quality sound.

B) 2. This class is somewhat better than 1 as far as energy consumption is concerned, but it is a bit worse as it produces lesser quality sound.

C) 1/2. This is like a cross-breed between 1 and 2 because energy and sound wastage depends on the volume. Low volumes will use the class 1 attribute of the Amplifier while higher volumes are more in maintaining with class 2.

D) 3. This is mostly decent in producing good quality bass sound and nothing more. The quantity of sound and energy wastage is both moderate and is neither very impressive.

This is of course a skeleton run through most of the core amplifier basics. It is also worth noting that a score of people these days talk of amplifiers as just Amps, instead of fully pronouncing the entire word Am-pl-i-fi-er, maybe it’s too long for most folks or just a hype. It’s probably a slang widely accepted that no one would blink an eye if you utter it. In fact if you go the so-called old way and call it AMPLIFIER, don’t be surprised if you get funny looks. Despite of all these, Amplifiers aren’t the end to all that would be of an automobile sound system. its necessity is determined by you the consumer, because as a matter of fact most audio sound system work well, minus the extras like an amplifier that only serves to justify the price raise.

A decision to buy an Amplifier for your latest auto sound system, truck or SUV is at one moment filled with excitement and exhilaration, because this is habitually a decision that you have introspected over time. This same excitement can result to fear at later stage, due to the absence of clarity in what you truly need. I presume that this has at least gone a distance in informing your decision on whether or not to purchase an Amplifier, and if your answer happens to fall in the affirmative, you will ultimately make an informed decision prior to purchase.

By: Abhishek Agarwal