If you are like me, you do not like to travel to most cities and be dependent on the local taxi or transit systems. I want to be able to go where I want when I want to. More importantly, I want to be able to leave when I want to. Welcome to the world of car rentals.
This is not going to be a commercial for any particular car rental company as I have no allegiance to any of them. This is going to be about the do’s and don’t’s of renting a car.
First off, I never wait until I get to a city to rent a car. I get online and make reservations before hand. And I do not go to the individual car rental companies; I go to places like Travelocity, Xpedia or Orbitz to check pricing and make reservations. These outlets save a lot of time and the rental costs are extremely competitive. In fact, you will find deals on free upgrades and price breaks on different styles of cars. Here is where I make my reservation. It costs me nothing; and if, for some reason I change my mind about the rental, I am not liable for any charges. Perfect for the person whose whims guide him or her.
Flash forward to the car rental depot. Be prepared to show your valid driver’s license and a valid credit card (MC or Visa) as it is mandatory. Next, they are going to present you with all kinds of different options. Listen to them and affirm or deny each dependent on your current needs. The one option I always deny is the insurance. It is expensive, and both my automobile insurance company and my credit card company provide this auxillary coverage.
Once you get out to the car, check for damages, scratches, or anything that they could bill you for later. Make notes on their pre-damage check list for your protection. Check the fuel level and all of the gauges on the dash to ensure all is okay. Next, check the air, the windows and even the radio if you are dependent on niceties.
Have fun on your stay. Only two things to do on your return. First, make sure you top off your fuel within 10-15 miles of the drop-off point so you pay no costly fuel surcharges. Second and most important, make sure you get everything out of the car that is yours.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Car Parts It’s What’s On The Outside That Counts
When many of us think of car parts, we consider all the intricate devices that lurk under the hood and come together to make our vehicle drive smoothly and safely. While a large proportion of these parts are usually out of plain sight, many of the essential parts of a working car are part of the body of the vehicle. Just because you can see it, doesn’t mean it’s not essential in making your driving experience as enjoyable and safe as possible.
Safety is one of the most important tasks performed by the highly visible car parts that combine to create the outer shell of your automobile. While the various components of the engine are designed to get you where you want to go, the body of a car is designed to store the people that travel within, and their safety is paramount. Millions of dollars are spent each year on testing the strength and durability of these casings – this is where crash test dummies came about. And with car ratings increasingly including this safety aspect in their final judgment on a particular vehicle, this seems like money well spent. And while collisions and crashes might not be something any driver or passenger wants to dwell too long upon, it is the body of your vehicle that can make all the difference in your health’s prognosis in the event of such an awful occurrence.
The parts that combine to make your car’s outer hull also carry the responsibility of another requirement. This is the comfort of the vehicle’s passengers, an important factor in these days of frequent driving. While comfort might seem a concern of luxury or exotic car makers – we’ve all seen those advertisements that portray the inside of a high priced vehicle as though it were an expensive suite of lounge furniture – it is something to be considered in the construction of all cars. In the early days of motoring, automobiles were so far from user-friendly that motorists were physically only able to drive for limited periods. The car parts that make up the body of your vehicle need to be designed with this in mind also.
It is clear that the external parts of your car have an important role to play in the overall running of your vehicle. Combined with the suspension system, these parts are designed to make your trip as comfortable. Add to this the burden of your physical safety, and it is easy to see that external car parts need to do a lot more than just look good.
Safety is one of the most important tasks performed by the highly visible car parts that combine to create the outer shell of your automobile. While the various components of the engine are designed to get you where you want to go, the body of a car is designed to store the people that travel within, and their safety is paramount. Millions of dollars are spent each year on testing the strength and durability of these casings – this is where crash test dummies came about. And with car ratings increasingly including this safety aspect in their final judgment on a particular vehicle, this seems like money well spent. And while collisions and crashes might not be something any driver or passenger wants to dwell too long upon, it is the body of your vehicle that can make all the difference in your health’s prognosis in the event of such an awful occurrence.
The parts that combine to make your car’s outer hull also carry the responsibility of another requirement. This is the comfort of the vehicle’s passengers, an important factor in these days of frequent driving. While comfort might seem a concern of luxury or exotic car makers – we’ve all seen those advertisements that portray the inside of a high priced vehicle as though it were an expensive suite of lounge furniture – it is something to be considered in the construction of all cars. In the early days of motoring, automobiles were so far from user-friendly that motorists were physically only able to drive for limited periods. The car parts that make up the body of your vehicle need to be designed with this in mind also.
It is clear that the external parts of your car have an important role to play in the overall running of your vehicle. Combined with the suspension system, these parts are designed to make your trip as comfortable. Add to this the burden of your physical safety, and it is easy to see that external car parts need to do a lot more than just look good.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Auto Towing Need Not Be A Nightmare
All but the very luckiest of souls has, at some point, had their car towed away from them in the wake of malfunction from an automotive towing company, or worse, come out to the place it had once been parked only to find some phantom tow truck had grabbed hold of their prized possession and quickly spirited it away. The latter case is always most infuriating, though having to call an towing company is never anyone’s idea of a ripping good time in itself. Either way, without traffic enforcement bylaws and tow trucks we probably wouldn’t recognize the world we live in, so it’s time to accept their existence, and know a few things about them that can help you in case you have to cross their path.
The first thing to make sure of as a car owner is that you have a plan of action in mind in the event of a breakdown or, God forbid, a sudden realization that you haven’t the requisite amount of gasoline to continue running that combustion engine of yours. It’s embarrassing, yes – but hey, it happens to all of us, so the best thing to do is swallow pride and vanity and ring up a auto towing company ASAP to get that motionless heap of your off the road as quickly as humanly possible. Having a number handy with you in your car at all times is a necessity. Just when you’re having the worse day of your life as your engine overheats on two-lane bridge in the middle of summer, billowing smoke out like chimney, you don’t need the added joy of having to stop and ask someone if they know the number of a tow truck so that you can quickly get out of the flow angry motorists who are bound to be making vocal their aggravation with you.
But that, of course, is the worst of the possible scenarios which could force you to have to call a towing company. We’ve all done the key-in-the-ignition thing, where we frantically grope ourselves in hopes of realizing we’ve left our set of keys in some secret, hidden pocket we didn’t realize we had, and then peered in through the tightly sealed window to see them dangling there inside locked doors. Again, we hate to admit our own stupidity, but it happens, and a towing company is the first number you punch into your cell phone to admit the understandable lapse in common sense. Of course, you may also be in the unfortunate position of having battery with no more juice without another soul around to help jumpstart you back into running order.
And then there’s the other kind of auto towing that we have to bear witness to on a daily basis: the parking violation tow away. This, surely, is no laughing matter, but it’s also important for you as the motorist (in this case, parked motorist) to know that there are rules and regulations that every towing company must abide by before they hook themselves up to your car and speed off to the nearest impound lot. These laws are up to you to be aware of, and are occasionally broken at the motorist expense, when companies assume that car owners will be too ignorant to know their rights. Firstly, a car cannot usually be towed by an auto towing company due to a parking infraction unless the proper authorities are noted, and a significant amount of time (usually in the neighborhood of an hour) has elapsed to give the owner a chance to claim his automobile. Second, if you race out to see a truck in the process of raising your car up to tow away, you have the right to tell him to lower it back down, and it is against the law for him to impound it after you have done so.
Just knowing this much can save you money and stress, in what is bound to be a costly and stressful enough situation as it is. Know your rights and be prepared, and your encounters with the towing companies won’t be as horrifying as they could be.
The first thing to make sure of as a car owner is that you have a plan of action in mind in the event of a breakdown or, God forbid, a sudden realization that you haven’t the requisite amount of gasoline to continue running that combustion engine of yours. It’s embarrassing, yes – but hey, it happens to all of us, so the best thing to do is swallow pride and vanity and ring up a auto towing company ASAP to get that motionless heap of your off the road as quickly as humanly possible. Having a number handy with you in your car at all times is a necessity. Just when you’re having the worse day of your life as your engine overheats on two-lane bridge in the middle of summer, billowing smoke out like chimney, you don’t need the added joy of having to stop and ask someone if they know the number of a tow truck so that you can quickly get out of the flow angry motorists who are bound to be making vocal their aggravation with you.
But that, of course, is the worst of the possible scenarios which could force you to have to call a towing company. We’ve all done the key-in-the-ignition thing, where we frantically grope ourselves in hopes of realizing we’ve left our set of keys in some secret, hidden pocket we didn’t realize we had, and then peered in through the tightly sealed window to see them dangling there inside locked doors. Again, we hate to admit our own stupidity, but it happens, and a towing company is the first number you punch into your cell phone to admit the understandable lapse in common sense. Of course, you may also be in the unfortunate position of having battery with no more juice without another soul around to help jumpstart you back into running order.
And then there’s the other kind of auto towing that we have to bear witness to on a daily basis: the parking violation tow away. This, surely, is no laughing matter, but it’s also important for you as the motorist (in this case, parked motorist) to know that there are rules and regulations that every towing company must abide by before they hook themselves up to your car and speed off to the nearest impound lot. These laws are up to you to be aware of, and are occasionally broken at the motorist expense, when companies assume that car owners will be too ignorant to know their rights. Firstly, a car cannot usually be towed by an auto towing company due to a parking infraction unless the proper authorities are noted, and a significant amount of time (usually in the neighborhood of an hour) has elapsed to give the owner a chance to claim his automobile. Second, if you race out to see a truck in the process of raising your car up to tow away, you have the right to tell him to lower it back down, and it is against the law for him to impound it after you have done so.
Just knowing this much can save you money and stress, in what is bound to be a costly and stressful enough situation as it is. Know your rights and be prepared, and your encounters with the towing companies won’t be as horrifying as they could be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
