Buying Breakdown Cover

Breakdown cover is one of those things that you can easily dismiss as being surplus to requirements. That is until you really need it. Stranded on the side of the M4 at 9pm in November, 200 miles from home was one of those occasions. Thankfully I'm a member of the AA so a quick call (yes my mobile was nearly flat too) and a rather cold wait for a flat bed truck to arrive. I'd never really looked into breakdown cover - having bought AA cover simply as they were the most familiar.

TYPES OF BREAKDOWN COVER

The cheapest option available. You are covered if your car breaks down at the side of the road. If your car cannot be fixed at the roadside you, your passengers and your vehicle will be taken to the closest garage. Normally only covered once you are a certain distance from your home.

Basic roadside cover
The mechanic will try to fix your car at the roadside. If the car cannot be fixed, you, your passengers and your vehicle will be transported to your home or destination of your choice. Normally only covered once you are a certain distance from your home.

Home cover
Roadside or Recovery levels can be upgraded for a fee to cover breakdowns at your home address for example if your car won't start.

Some breakdown providers cover the driver and some cover the vehicle - handy if you have two cars. It is important to note that policies vary - don't just look at the price, and shop around - RAC Breakdown Cover is cheaper when you buy online. Ensure the breakdown cover provides nationwide 24-hour service - breakdowns can happen at anytime as I found out!

IF YOUR CAR BREAKS DOWN
I was lucky to be travelling on an empty motorway and coast to the hard shoulder. In any case, if you suspect your car is playing up, pull off the road and stop in a safe position, switch on the hazard lights and call your breakdown cover providers. 10% of all motorway accidents involve a collision with a vehicle on the hard shoulder so stand behind a crash barrier well away from your vehicle. If you stop suddenly on the road, put your hazard lights on and if possible place a warning triangle 50 paces back down the road to warn other traffic.

EUROPEAN BREAKDOWN COVER

Whether you're venturing to the Nurburgring, or going on a beer run, European breakdown cover can be well worth having - the costs of storing and transporting your broken car back home quickly adds up - it can cost £2,000 to have a car shipped back from Germany or £4,500 to return a car plus family of four from France. A car that is three or more years old has a 10% chance of breaking down at least once a year according to financial comparison site Moneysupermarket.com.

All in all it's easy to see breakdown cover as yet another expense and one you'll only see the benefit of should the worst happen. When I've had to call upon my breakdown cover I've always been pleased to have things taken care of be it a roadside fix or a flat bed home. I'd rather not be stuck by the side of the road any longer than I need be.

Article Source: www.japmobiles.com
Image Source: www.discover-insurance.info

Car Tuning 101 - 9 Basic Tips

By: Michael Walker
Your car should get a tune-up, or major service, every 30,000 miles. And, this is probably the best preventative maintenance tip a car owner could get. The components of a good tune-up will check into and replace all the things that cause normal wear and
tear on your car. If tune-ups are missed, this could lead to damage and further problems that cost a lot more than a tune-up. In addition, tune-ups can give you better gas mileage. Best of all, tune-ups can be done on your own, saving you the high cost of labor.

Here are the things you will need to do as you tune your own car, as well as an explanation why it is strongly recommended.

1. Fuel Filter- You will want to replace your fuel filter. Dirty fuel filters can lead to difficulty starting the car, can restrict the engine, and cause the car to lose power.
2. Sparkplugs and sparkplug wires- you will want to replace these, as bad plugs can rob your car of fuel efficiency and even take away from drivability. Bad spark plugs can even cause breakdowns, meaning an expensive tow. Bad wires can also cause problems. (See our article on this process)
3. Distributor cap and rotor- these two parts are usually made of plastic, therefore they deteriorate with age and use and cracks may develop, allowing moisture in. Because of this, metal contacts on both can corrode, which causes misfiring.
4. Valves- you will want to check and adjust your valves as needed. Also, you will want to replace the valve-cover gasket, especially when you see oil on the top of your engine.
5. Belts- you will want to check all of your belts to make sure that they are not worn. If they show signs of extreme wear and tear (fraying, tension) you can replace those as well.
6. Air filter- A dirty air filter blocks airflow to the engine, making it work harder. This results in a decline in horsepower and fuel economy.
7. Fluids- check all of your fluid levels underneath the hood. If any appear to be thirsty, give them what they need. (Transmission, brake, etc.)
8. Battery- give your battery a cleaning. (see our article on this process)
9. PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation)- this should be replaced because a clogged breather filter prevents the PCV from siphoning the blow-by gases and moisture created by engine combustion. This results in oil breakdown and sludge buildup.

The previous nine tips are the usual for tune-ups. When giving your car a once-over, you may also want to check your brakes, wiper blades, lights and other gauges. Also, while much of the aforementioned parts can be changed with a major service every few years, from time to time, you may need to replace one or more as a stand-alone project. But, all in all, following this guide will keep you with a smooth, reliable ride!

Michael Walker is a freelance author providing tips and hints on engine related topics such as JDM engines, used JDM engines and used Honda engines. His articles are a valuable source of information for the auto enthusiast.

Article Source: ezinearticles.com

Two Cheap Volkswagen Upgrades

By: Will Beston
If you have a Golf, GTI or Jetta, and you want some inexpensive upgrades, read on. We’ll start with two upgrades that are going to make the biggest impact for the lowest price. The first area of topic will be suspension. Be sure to check back soon for the other parts in this series!

An upgrade to your suspension is a night and day difference from stock. Let’s start at the strut towers. When you turn corners, your strut towers do not move in sync, they move independently. That movement is called stress. Thus, when the car leans, different stresses occur to each strut tower. To reduce give in your car, it’s best to install an upper stress bar. Take for instance the ABD Racing Upper Stress Bar. It’s got a twin tube design which helps reduce flexing and twisting when cornering. The install for an upper stress bar is relatively simple. Set stress bar into place, mark holes for drilling, drill, drop hardware into holes, place in stress bar, and bolt down.
For the test drive, head out to to the freeway and take a spin. The first thing you’re likely to notice is that bumps will feel more stable and even. Without a stress bar in place, you’ll feel one corner of the car rise up when bumps are hit. With the stress bar in place, it should be blatently obvious that one side of the car no longer flexes and gets pushed up. The whole front end now disperses the shock of a bump more evenly. When cornering, you’ll find that there’s not as much lean in the car. This will add to the ‘ride on rails’ feel as you continue to upgrade suspension parts. If you want to stiffen up the back end a bit, a rear stress bar is about the same price as a front.
Our next area of topic is the air intake system. If you’re looking for a little pep in your step, and some growl under the hood, then you’ve found your next modification. Several companies put out good quality cold air intakes, but Euro Sport Accessories’ Cool-Flo Race Air Intake System seems to accommodate the widest range of VW models. Even if you’ve got an old Volkswagen with a CIS/E fuel injection system, you can still boost performance and feel results. Don’t let that fuel dizzy fool ya! Install is relatively easy, more time consuming than hard to understand.
The other great perk about Euro Sport’s Cool-Flo Intake is that there are no more filters to buy, the filter is re-usable! Simply remove filter, rinse with water until clean, let stand to dry, re-oil, and back on she goes! That’s roughly $10.00 savings every time you go to get your oil changed. (ok, maybe every other time) Either way, it’s money in the bank for two more cheap upgrades!

Part II of this III part series is on the way.

Article Source: www.ezine-articles-planet.com