Category Archives:
Uncategorized

[ad_1]

Unlike the National fleet, the upside of being on a regional or local fleet is that you work, primarily, with one dispatcher. The downside is that this dispatcher might be difficult to work with. My experience in trucking has given me the opinion that the relationship between many drivers and dispatchers is often of the love/hate variety-minus the love in several cases.

I believe the main reason for the “us” versus “them” attitude stems from a lack of communication between drivers and dispatchers, and a lack of understanding of one another’s respective roles. I will be the first to admit that this consideration did not factor into my thinking early on. In many cases, an unhappy driver is simply the result of a lack of understanding of the office structure, policies, and the role of key people in the company. Two-way communication and mutual respect are imperative in a successful relationship between drivers and dispatchers, and it is necessary for the retention of experienced drivers to a company.

I failed to understand early in my trucking career that most dispatchers do not willingly aspire to villainous acts. The job of a freight dispatcher, especially in a large company, is one of the most stressful jobs in America. Not only are they juggling the scheduling and progress of multiple trucks while constantly resolving problems that emerge, they listen to the gripes, threats, and choice words of drivers on a daily basis. On top of this, precious few dispatchers are afforded proper stress management training. They are, mostly, just thrown into the fire. In general, becoming a freight dispatcher requires no further education beyond a high school diploma. It just requires the ability to use a computer, the ability to multi-task, and an extremely high tolerance for stress.

I believe the key ingredient in a driver’s success and happiness with a company starts with an understanding of, and communication with, his or her dispatcher. Nobody will have more influence over a driver’s success than a dispatcher.

Most dispatchers identify poor communication as a primary cause of stress. Many drivers are quick to identify their dispatcher as a “bonehead”, but are slow to seek two-way communication. As a driver, I know that the stresses of the road are numerous and real, and it is easy to be caught up in a self-centered mindset. I once even heard another driver comment, “The dispatcher is there to serve us… not the other way around.”

Wrong! The dispatcher is there to serve the needs of the company.

Dispatching is a sedentary job but, having worked in a sedentary job, I know that mental and emotional stress can be just as debilitating as physical stress. This stress leads many dispatchers, like drivers, to have an abysmal diet. Fast food, fried foods, and vending machine junk are often the standard fare seen in a dispatch office. At a former company, I once noticed a bulk tub of antacid tablets nestled snugly in the bottom drawer of my driver manager’s desk. I have little doubt that I caused him to gobble more than a few of them.

A dispatcher is under constant pressure from his terminal manager to move freight, and a terminal manager is under constant pressure from company executives to keep his terminal productive and running smoothly. Unfortunately, this often translates into a perception of an uncaring or unfeeling attitude in the eyes of a driver. A driver needs to educate himself on the basic operation of his company and on the roles of some of the key people in it. Nevertheless, as I said before, communication is a two-way street. The dispatchers, terminal managers, and the company as a whole needs to consider the drivers, without whom money would not come into the company.

When I was in orientation at my first company, a newly hired dispatcher was inserted into class with the drivers. When one of the drivers asked him why he was there, the new dispatcher replied, “They wanted to put me in here so I could learn what you guys go through.”

I was fresh out of CDL school, so I did not respond but, among some of the experienced drivers, a number of lower jaws collectively banged to the floor.

“If you want to learn what we go through,” inserted a shocked driver, “you need to go on the road with us. You’re not going to learn anything sitting in here.”

This was a prime example of “Let’s watch a rodeo to understand cowboy life” thinking. You might as well watch a Three Stooges skit with Moe playing the role of Adolf Hitler to understand the nature of World War II. A true cross-familiarization program would consist of ride-alongs by dispatchers, and time spent in a dispatch office by drivers. I can only assume that most companies do not consider this to be a cost effective practice but, in adhering to this line of thinking, they fail to recognize that familiarity breeds mutual respect.

Drivers and dispatchers, by virtue of their mutual ignorance of one another’s working environment, each formulate strong opinions about the other. It doesn’t matter if these opinions are correct, but by allowing them to formulate and take hold, it often creates a negative work environment. In many cases, a negative relationship between a driver and a dispatcher is the fault of neither one of them. Rather, the company that is content to maintain a revolving door policy concerning its drivers deserves the finger of blame.

It never ceases to amaze me that many trucking companies cannot seem to grasp the simple concept that a truck driver desires to be treated like a human being rather than a truck number on a computer monitor. It is easy to forget that these numbers represent men and women who have lives and families outside of that truck, and they deserve to live them like anyone else. Do they really think that a long-haul driver can cram his personal life into four to six days a month at home?

Repeatedly, home time is cited as the number one reason why drivers quit. Recruiters often misrepresent the amount of home time that a driver will be afforded, and this dishonesty often leads to short-term employment. Nothing makes me feel more insignificant, as a driver, than a company giving me the impression that a load of freight is more important than I am.

A standard industry response for not getting a driver home when requested might be: “Freight is slow. Be flexible until the freight situation allows us to route you home.”

The person or people who provide such a response spend(s) an average of 420-480 hours per month at home with their families. A long-haul driver spends an average of 96-144 hours per month at home. How much to they expect us to “flex?” Most of us are already at the breaking point by the time our home request rolls around. If a company is unable to follow through on its promises of home time, they should not offer it as a hiring incentive. I am willing to be flexible in most areas, but when I feel that a company has little or no consideration for my need to live a personal life outside their truck, that company can summarily kiss my inflexible buttocks.

Dispatchers and trucking companies need to understand that drivers are real, live human beings rather than just a truck number. Likewise, drivers need to understand that dispatchers and managers have a specific job to do, and they are under a lot of pressure just as we are. A dispatcher has the unenviable task of piecing together a huge jigsaw puzzle, and the driver is only privy to his or her small portion of it. While communication will not resolve all issues, it will go a long way toward providing a better understanding and developing a mutual respect. It is not a matter of kissing the dispatcher’s or manager’s behind, it is just a matter of opening a line of professional communication with them.

[ad_2]

Source by Rick L. Huffman

[ad_1]

Many of us take our drinking water for granted. Even though it’s so vital to our lives, we’ve allowed our water sources to fill up with all sorts of contaminants. The highest impurities in drinking water are invisible to the eye but are extremely toxic.

Our public water sources have been allowed to fill up with all sorts of chemicals. Not only are our rivers and lakes polluted, now most water tables deep under the earth are polluted too. Years of ground pollution has made its way hundreds of feet below ground surface and seep everyday into this formerly pure source of water.

You may be thinking that you live in the country and are immune to the effects of water pollution. Unfortunately, air pollution can travel hundreds of miles and end up on plants, trees, and in the soil. Because of the severity of air pollution in many heavily industrialized nations, well water is becoming just as polluted as tap water in cities.

Most Common Impurities in Water

The highest impurities in water are from industrial waste, chemicals added by water facilities, and heavy metals.

Industrial waste is responsible for literally thousands of chemicals in drinking water. Studies have uncovered the most common contaminants from industrial businesses are pesticides, prescription drugs, fertilizers, gasoline, oil, solvents. Imagine what drinking water mixed with all these toxins is doing to your body.

Water facilities add chlorine and fluoride to the water they pump to millions of homes. The problem with both of these chemicals is they can have serious health ramifications. Chlorine has been proven to increase the risk of getting cancer and fluoride can harm the mental development of children. It’s hard to believe these chemicals are dumped into our public water sources by the truck load.

The third highest impurities are heavy metals. There are thousands of miles of old rusting piping systems in many cities. Overtime, steel and lead piping break down and the metal particles end up in our the water.

Removing the Highest Impurities in Drinking Water

The amount and types of toxins in our water is pretty shocking. No wonder there are so many people sick and diseased. But, you don’t have to live with this health threat. You can remove over 99% of any toxins that are currently in your home tap water.

To do this, you can install a water filter system. There are models that fit under your kitchen sink, some for shower heads, and others that will purify all the water in your home.

The water purification technologies that will remove over 99% of contaminants use a sub-micron and an active carbon filter. Once installed, your tap water will be ultra-pure.

Make no mistake about it. Removing the highest impurities in drinking water is vital to your health. Why risk the safety of you and your family?

[ad_2]

Source by Mark LeBreton

[ad_1]

Not long ago, I got an email from a gentleman wishing to set up a mobile oil change business in Florida. He was concerned about what sort of insurance he might need and was under the impression that a 1 million dollar commercial liability policy was needed up and beyond his work truck vehicle commercial auto policy. Okay so, let’s talk about this; is he correct?

It turns out that he most definitely is, you see commercial auto is not the same as completed operations or the potential liability while working. For instance, if a car catches on fire that you are working on, your commercial auto policy isn’t going to cover it. Do you see that point? So, this is the advice I explained to him;

You will need most likely want to get a commercial insurance policy; $1 million aggregate, 300K per occurrence general liability, with a “garage keeper’s liability” notation, and there will be some customer who may demand more, and also demand to be additionally insured, not just a certificate of insurance on file.

Commercial Auto Insurance is another need, but most commercial business policies will write them together as one. Find a good “commercial insurance broker” and have them scout out their sources, usually the broker-agent knows the underwriters very well (as in speed-dial) and can get you a good rate and the underwriter will understand the difference between mobile and fixed costs. Generally the commercial liability insurance is partly based on your estimated gross income.

Don’t over estimate or you will pay too much, and don’t underestimate or you may get audited by the insurance company or they might simple decide you are not a viable risk. Believe it or not most commercial insurance policies do have a clause in their insurance contracts that they may audit you and by signing the policy you pre-agree to those audits. Thus, it’s unwise to falsify information or underestimate. If you find that you may have underestimated you need to call your agent-broker and explain that, sometimes they will add to the premium, sometimes up the next year’s estimates for gross sales.

Now then, Florida is a great market for mobile oil changes, however, let’s not forget there is some competition there, some long-standing 25+ years in fact and so, insurance is only one aspect or piece of information which one needs to consider before starting a business of this type. Please consider all this and think on it, and develop a strong business plan.

[ad_2]

Source by Lance Winslow

[ad_1]

What is considered hard water and what are the degrees of hardness? Well very hard water would be 10.5 grains per gallon and 180 parts per million and above. But you need to realize that even moderately hard water of 3.5 to 7 grains per gallon and 60-120 parts per million will leave hard water spots. Slightly hard water such as 1 to 3.5 grains per gallon and 17.1 to 60 part per million will not leave noticeably hard water spots that you cannot cure with a chamois. But really as a professional auto detailer you are really looking for soft water of less than 1 grain per gallon and 17 parts per million.

What Makes The Water Hard?

Hardness in water is caused calcium and magnesium ions that form insoluble compounds; sometimes iron and even aluminum. There are many ways to soften water. Some are more complicated than others; Aeration, De-Ionization or ion-exchange, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis or Softening.

Softening by use of a water softener is the simplest concept used today; water softeners replace hardness ions like calcium and magnesium with sodium or non-scaling ions. The ion exchange resin used in the process is recharged periodically with salt drawn from a storage tank. Many water treatment experts agree and Lance Winslow concurs that softening can be most cost effective when the water has as few as one to five grains per gallon of hardness. Most mobile operators will be happy with one to three grains per gallon of hardness and probably won’t even purchase a softening unit until the hardness is five plus grains per gallon. Their theory is well taken because, if the total dissolved solids (TDS) is that low, there will be little water spotting on cars anyway.

One reason to put in a water softener even if your water is 5 gpg or less is because you wish to prevent scaling in the coils of your steam cleaner or save your pressure washing pump on your auto detailing rig. On a cold water machine, this is not as important because 5 gpg or less won’t ruin a pump. More than five can over time.

Hardness also hinders soap from doing its job. You may notice that your soaps are not cleaning properly. That’s because they are cleaning the water first and combining with the compounds in the water rather than the dirt on the car. You see, the hardness in the water has a tendency to neutralize those cleaning compounds and you have to actually use more soap to offset the neutralizing effect of the hardness minerals.

With hard water, you will use more soap and the cars still aren’t clean. I encourage you to talk to your soap vendors for helpful advice on water chemistry and treatment requirements. Your soap strategy should be custom tailored to your city and the hardness of the water you put in your tank.

Most independent auto detailing professionals agree that areas with hard water will also cause a film on cars that are washed when no softener is used. They also agreed at the annual conference that the decision to purchase a softener should be based on a real water test. You might wish to contact a water treatment dealer such as: Rain Soft, Culligan, Apollo, Calgon, Rayne water Systems or the Water Man in your area. They can help you by having the local water tested or ask city water authority for information on their supply. Once your decision is made to purchase a softener, selecting the proper equipment is easy. Softener sizes should be based upon two factors: Flow Rate (GPM) and Grains Per Gallon (GPG).

Flow rate would typically be six to eight gpm (gallons per minute) with your hose at your residence. We recommend you change your pressure regulator to 90-110 PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch). This would give you approximately ten gpm. So you need a water softener that is a little bigger than the basic model.

Water softeners are basically like refrigerators; says Car Wash Guys Founder Lance Winslow;

“They could last two years or twenty years…and a lot depends on how much goes in and how often it comes out.”

This is why you should monitor softening equipment. You can test the hardness with a testing kit or just pay attention when you’re washing cars. Steel softening tanks last for years. Fiberglass units last well also. Plastic units crack. You may need to change resin every couple of years.

Chances are you will choose to rent softeners for $30 per month and let the exchange company recharge them for you. Be careful when hiring water softener vendors. Ask us for help. You may even be able to trade services for water softening rental plus make money on the account because water softener rental companies have lots of delivery trucks. In any case think on these issues when considering a water softening strategy for your mobile car wash or auto detailing business.

[ad_2]

Source by Lance Winslow

[ad_1]

Touted as reliable, Blood Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices are anything but. An Ignition Interlock Device is a cheap breathalyzer which is connected to the electrical system of an offender’s vehicle. Before driving, the interlock user must breathe into the device so that it can gauge his or her BAC (blood alcohol content) reading. If the driver’s BAC is .020 or below, the device allows the engine to start. However, if the driver’s BAC is .021 or above, the car will not start. Once the car starts, the driver must periodically breathe into the device. If the device registers a BAC which is over a pre-set limit, a “rolling re-test violation” will occur. These rolling re-tests are designed to insure that the driver is not drinking while driving and he or she did not have someone else provide the initial breath sample.

In Massachusetts, an Interlock Device is required for anyone whose license has his or her license twice suspended in Massachusetts or any other jurisdiction for Drunk Driving or certain other alcohol related offenses. There has been agitated debate about ignition interlock devices in Massachusetts since their inception. These devices were required for drivers who reinstated their suspended license or were on hardship licenses, effective January 1, 2006. Although some claim interlock is the answer to many DUI issues, many experts point out that the device is faulty and false alcohol readings have resulted in 10 year and lifetime license suspensions.

The ignition interlock device is not completely problematic. Like any debatable item, the device has its benefits. For instance, by preventing people with a high BAC from driving, the device may possibly keep the roads safer and less prone to accidents during certain hours where heavy drinking is the norm. The Registry of Motor Vehicles and Board of Appeal should feel more comfortable granting hardship licenses to individuals with interlock devices. Interlock Devices should allow multiple offenders to keep their jobs so they can live their lives and support their families.In a perfect world, that may be enough, but this world is not perfect, and the device is considerably flawed.

The interlock devices used in Massachusetts use fuel cell technology. This is considerably less reliable than the infra-red technology used in police breathalyzers. These devices are not alcohol specific and a variety of substances other than alcoholic beverages will register as alcohol. For example,  common substances such as protein bars, cough drops, cinnamon, baked goods, perfume, hairspray, and favored coffee has registered as alcohol. There have also been documented cases  were the interlock device has registered alcohol and the driver immediately went to a hospital or police station for a comparison blood alcohol test. In every instance, these tests and/or police observations completely contradicted the faulty ignition interlock device. These are only a few examples of the many problems associated with interlock devices. Other problems include defective equipment, frayed cords, and rejection of breath samples.

The ignition interlock device is not a reliable device, and it relies on the “guilty until proven innocent” mindset. That is not what this country’s legal system is supposed to represent. No device that can so easily mistake items like baked goods, protein bars, mouthwash, and cough drops for alcohol should be relied upon to suspend someone’s license for 10 years or life. The sensor tests BAC through an oxidation reaction to the breath, unlike the more reliable infrared spectroscopy used in evidentiary breathalyzers. Therefore, drivers are given a sub-par machine that can potentially label them a criminal and destroy their lives. A person should be innocent until proven guilty, but with an unreliable detector, the opposite is true. Nevertheless, certain individuals who are seeking a hardship have no choice but to deal with interlock devices.

Hopefully you are now more educated on this matter. Before the laws evolve any more, the existing laws need to be perfected. No one should ever be charged for a violation which they have not committed and until these devices are proven to be more accurate, they should not be blindly relied upon to suspend someone’s license.

[ad_2]

Source by Brian Simoneau

[ad_1]

Making your exhaust sound louder and deeper can be as simple as just replacing your muffler. Many owners of cars with V8 engines do not want to muffle the roar of their engines and always look for ways to improve the sound of their vehicles. The basic muffler design you are looking for to make your car sound louder is a straight-through muffler. Mufflers designed to silence engine exhausts loop the exhaust gases once or twice inside the muffler to deaden the sound. Some owners have found that using a straight pipe instead of putting in a replacement muffler is enough. With V8 engines, you can also put a cross-pipe just after the exhaust manifold collectors to give your engine exhaust a different sound. The sound will be much louder but this may be what you are looking for.

The distinctive V8 sound comes from the uneven exhaust pressures on either side of the engine, which is a direct result of having an odd firing order. The very distinct exhaust sound made by a crossplane V8 is from the irregular firing order. Crossplane refers to the crankshaft design used in most automotive V8 engines. These crankshaft designs provide smoother running because of the large crankshaft counterweights that are employed to balance out the vibrations of the engine. Opposite to a crossplane is a flat-plane crank that is often used in high performance V8s for their high-revving capabilities in exchange for rougher running.

Each time two cylinders fire on the same side in sequence, the two exhaust pulses create high exhaust pressure and noise which can be heard out the tailpipe. This repeats later in the firing order on the other side of the engine. Often times, balance pipes are used to equalize the large exhaust pressure difference between each side of the engine. The pressure equalization improves exhaust scavenging, especially at low RPM. This is why after the mufflers, succeeding exhaust system mods will include a larger diameter or differently-design cross pipe. The final exhaust system modification you can perform is to replace your V8 engine’s exhaust manifold with headers, which when properly designed will improve horsepower and give your engine a more aggressive sound. Some “advice” you will hear or read online is about removing the catalytic converters to produce a louder sound from your engine. While this may be so, cats are a legal requirement to operate a motor vehicle and it is irresponsible to remove them.

[ad_2]

Source by Janus Onbekend

[ad_1]

I am filing a consumer complaint against CCC Valuescope (CCCG) and my insurer USAA for falsely alleging a fair “market value” of my automobile.

My insurer USAA has breached its duty to exercise the utmost good faith to me its insured. By using CCC Valuescope (a company I allege violates the U.S. federal RICO Act) USAA has intentionally provided me a low and fraudulent valuation of my automobile in hopes of obtaining an unreasonable and unfair settlement.

CCC Valuescope (formerly known as CCC Information Services Group Inc – CCCG) can by no means be deemed a fair and market value of automobiles as CCC Valuescope works exclusively for insurers and therefore has an economic interest to supply valuations that are intentionally below the actual fair market value of what insured vehicles are truly worth.

It is known fact throughout the insurance industry that CCC gathers its values from what car dealers would sell a vehicle for at basement wholesale prices, not the true “retail value of an auto of like kind and quality prior to the accident” as mandated by FL insurance regulations. Moreover CCC Valuescope uses a mix of vehicles formerly leased, used, and abused among wrecked cars when compiling valuations to afford their insurance company customers paying out total losses the lowest possible “values” to present their insured.

Ironically, nearly every vehicle in CCC Valuescope’s appraisal of my car report consisted of vehicles that had over 20 records indicative of issues such as accidents and faulty cars. Among the report, some cars had 28, 31, and 32 records.

Cutting costs and denying its insured “the utmost due care” historically can be documented against USAA beginning with the class action lawsuit against USAA in Washington’s King County (March 12, 1999) for compelling auto repair shops to use “imitation” parts in repairs, while simultaneously hiding this practice from policyholders. Beyond auto insurance, USAA has countless complaints filed against it in 27 states across the country.

CCC Valuescope is not independent in their valuations since they are a hired gun for the insurance companies! Upon conducting a VIN search on the vehicles within the CCC report 39813905, many cars had over 20 records indicative of numerous collisions, issues with the vehicle, and several changes of ownership. By relying upon CCC’s intentionally low valuation of my vehicle, USAA is breaching its fiduciary duty to act in good faith in handling my claim. No fair and honest evaluation of my claim can be performed by CCC as it is contracted by insurers for the primary purpose of minimizing monies paid out by insurers to its fiduciaries. By using CCC Valuescope, USAA is clearly not exercising the “utmost due care” in the interest of me its insured as required by Baxter v. Royal Indemnity.

CCC admitted itself in its SEC Filing on 3-16-2005 that “the Company sometimes pays a new customer for the remaining commitment of its previous contract with third parties as an incentive”. In regard to regulation, CCC mentions in the same filing “in most states, however, there is no formal approval process for total loss valuation products”. CCC itself confesses in the same report “individual state departments of insurance have taken positions as to whether the use of CCC Valuescope valuations is in compliance with a states claim handling regulations”.

“The Company is aware that since 2002 the California Department of Insurance has advised some of the Company’s customers (which management estimates to be approximately 14% of the total revenue earned in 2004 from the Company’s CCC Valuescope valuation product and service) that the Department believed that their use of CCC Valuescope had not been in compliance with the California insurance regulations in effect prior to October 4, 2004, with respect to certain components of the products methodology. The Company believes the product was in compliance with the applicable California regulations.”

“On April 24, 2003, the California Department of Insurance formally adopted new regulations that required the Company to change its methodology for computing total loss valuations in California.” There is good reason therefore to believe CCC Valuescope’s valuation methodology is terribly flawed and skewed to favor its insurance company customers.

In CCC’s annual report filed February 13, 2004 the legal proceedings and numerous class action lawsuits against CCC are documented in pages 35, 42, 43, and 44 of the 53 page report.

On page 35, CCC Valuescope admits to setting aside $4.3 million as an estimate towards potential settlement to “resolve potential claims arising out of approximately 30% of the transaction volume of CCC Valuescope”.

By acknowledging 30% of transaction volume becoming potential claims, CCC Valuescope thereby makes it public record that it anticipates a sizeable percentage of lawsuits for unfair and fraudulent valuations. Such a high percentage of transaction volume alone attests to the flawed methodology of CCC’s report, its unscrupulous dealings, and wholehearted commitment to protect the financial interests of the insurers it serves.

Ironically, four of CCC Valuescope’s automobile insurance company customers have made contractual and, in some cases, also common law indemnification claims against CCC for litigation costs, attorneys’ fees, settlement payments and other costs allegedly incurred by them in connection with litigation relating to their use of CCC’s flawed TOTAL LOSS valuation product.

Certainly the countless class action lawsuits filed across the United States against CCC Valuescape provides further evidence concerning the grossly low and inaccurate valuations of vehicles they give the insurers they serve. Among the many are:

CCC Settles Class Action Suit on Valuation of Total Loss Vehicles (July 15, 2005)

Chicago-based claims software-maker CCC Information Services Inc. announced that it and 15 of its customers signed a settlement agreement with the plaintiffs in various class action suits pending in Madison County, Ill. These consolidated suits, Case Nos. 01 L 157, et al., relate to the valuation of vehicles that have been declared total losses by insurers.

Terms of the settlement agreement will require CCC to pay notice and administration fees and other costs associated with the settlement. The company estimates that these costs will total about $8 million, and including available insurance proceeds of $1.8 million, the company is fully reserved for these payments. Other settlement costs, including claims by class members, will be paid by the insurance companies that are participating in the settlement.

August 23, 2000, a putative statewide class action was filed in the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County, FL, against CCC and USAA Casualty Insurance Company (Peter Sintes et al. v. USAA Casualty Insurance Company and CCC Information Services, Inc., Case No. 00-006308). Plaintiffs allege that USAA contracted with CCC to provide valuations of “total loss” vehicles and that CCC supplied valuations that were intentionally below the actual fair market value of the insured vehicle.

Iinsurance companies “owe a duty to the insured to exercise the utmost good faith.” Baxter v. Royal Indemnity Company, 285 So.2d 652 (Fla. 1st DCA 1973).

Given the countless and ongoing class action lawsuits against CCC Valuescope there should now be no question that CCC Valuescope is not independent in its auto valuations and is guilty of violating the U.S. federal RICO Act and National Insurance Regulations, along with many of the complicit insurance companies such as USAA who willingly and knowingly use their product with the intent to deceive.

[ad_2]

Source by Paul Davis

[ad_1]

Well, I guess you know that our energy prices are going up, up, and away. And I have no doubt that you changed most of your light bulbs in your home to the more energy efficient light bulbs. Still, there are LED lights which are even more energy efficient, and many businesses are going to those. There’s only one problem with that if you happen to be in the auto detailing business, or have an auto detailing shop. I’d like to discuss this with you if you have a few moments, because it is a real concern.

As you know with the auto detailing industry you have to do a perfect job on every car. And that requires adequate lighting. It requires real lighting. It’s almost impossible to tell if you did a perfect job on someone’s windows unless you are looking at the window or through the window with actual sunlight. The types of lights that you have or use matter very much. I can tell you this, having been in the franchising business, and having franchised detail shops prior to my retirement; those detail shops which had fluorescent lights, because we didn’t have LED lights back then for these type of industrial applications, had the most complaints.

Customers got their cars back and they noticed a film on the rubber, plastic, rims, windows, or clear coat. It was something that the master detailer or detailing technician did not see. And it wasn’t their fault. In fact, the lighting was all wrong, and they could not see the flaws in their own work. Even though our teams used the best possible products in the auto detailing industry, they still made mistakes due to improper lighting. Now then, fluorescent lights and LED lights are quite different. Neither of those choices are as good as UV lights, and in some cases LED lights may be better than fluorescent, but nothing beats natural sunlight.

One thing I always looked for when our franchises went looking for locations, was for industrial buildings which had skylights because it let in natural light, not only did this save on energy, but it also allowed for better detailing quality. Of course there are days when there is overcast, or when you are working late into the night doing wholesale detailing for a car dealership, an auto auction, or you just can’t finish all the work before dark, because it’s daylight savings time.

What’s the solution you ask? Well it’s important to get the right temperature (note: temperature is a visual lighting term), and there are specific LED lights, and lenses which can help you with this. Before you put in LED lights in your auto detailing shop to save energy, make sure you get with someone that really knows lighting, and all the applications. Make sure they have a good understanding about the science of lighting; because it does matter. Trust me on this. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

[ad_2]

Source by Lance Winslow

[ad_1]

Usage, tear and wear are not the only causes of failing subwoofers. There are in fact many reasons why subwoofers fail. Because of their complex design and cheaper subs using short lasting material, subwoofers can often die within their first few years, particularly if used heavily. Like any highly used electronic product, car subwoofers can fail at times, but also can be fixed.

A common is cause of subwoofer failure is the lack of power, which is caused by not enough amperage reaching the electromagnet coil, in turn causing the permanent magnet and electromagnetic coil to interact differently. This obviously drastically alters the way the subwoofer works and stops the subwoofer from doing its job. Check that that amp is channeling enough power to your woofer and make sure it is a compatible amp for you sub.

Another widespread problem is overheating. Like any electronic product, if used intensely, it is bound to overheat. Although the first time the product overheats, it may not cause obvious problems, it can if repeated cause long term problems to your subwoofers. It may cause damage to the woofers components, in turn causing the subwoofer to stop functioning. To avoid overheating subs, when purchasing subwoofers look out for a sub with a ventilation system, which will keep your system cool. Also, always place your subwoofer in a ventilated area, avoid compacting close together with other audio components and don’t place in an area without much air flow, such as the boot.

A prevalent cause of subwoofer failure is the short circuit, which causes that vital signal never to reach its destination, the sub, causing the sub to fail. The most lethal short circuit is the short circuit at the terminal of the subwoofer. It stops the electrical current and signal ever reaching the sub, meaning no power and in turn no sound can be produced. Short circuits in the subwoofer coil are also a common determiner of sub failure. Coil short circuits often mean there is not enough power to drive the cone, stopping the correct movement that is needed to produce the sound. Short circuits can be annoying, but may be fixed by a professional depending on the damage.

[ad_2]

Source by Marie Coles

[ad_1]

How would you like to get a great, almost new car for a very reasonable price? It is becoming more and more common for ordinary consumers, even those with bad credit, to be able to purchase a nearly new car at a very economical price. How, do they do that? They simply buy a car from one of the many car auctions that are cropping up all over the country.

So now people that are in need of a newer car have the choice of buying and owning a superb, expensive auto while not paying much at all by attending one of these auto auctions. This makes the dream on owning an almost new vehicle a reality for many consumers that become the highest bidder at one of these auctions.

Instead of paying an inflated amount to your neighborhood car dealer, you can buy direct from a source that sells cars at reasonable pricing. Yes, auto dealers do have to make a living so they offer you a price which includes large markups that must be passed on. Obviously these markups are going to increase the price you must pay and this makes the car expensive to purchase.

The majority of these auto auctions are organized by insurance companies, lenders, banks and government agencies, both local and federal. The vehicles are usually brought into a very large, central area from different parts of a state, or even from many states. The most numerous amount of cars are the ones that have been seized by the bank for the failure of the owner to make timely payments. There are also many vehicles of all kinds that have been seized by assorted government agencies from people who owe back taxes or have been put in jail for drug charges.

The preponderance of these vehicles are normally in excellent condition and may even include brand new models with a still valid warranty period. The auction will try to raise as much as possible so the lenders can be reimbursed for the defaulted amounts.

Did You Know?

There are auctions where only used cars are sold and then there are others where a large number of products, including new and used cars are being sold.

These auctions are affordable seeing that the selling amount of the vehicle is decided by the purchaser who wins the bidding session. The price of the car is exempt from any sort of supplementary amounts that were additional when the auto was initially bought from the dealer. The bidding in this variety of auction starts from a low price and depending on how many people in the crowd are interested in the car, you potentially can pick up a really,

Many of these auto auctions are advertised on the net so you can get an idea of what’s coming up in your area of the country. The easiest and most convenient way to find these auto auctions is to look for a car auction directory. There are huge databases and announcement boards of vehicle auctions, both current and in the future. This way you may be able to find an auction near your home and check out the cars in person.

Without exception, you need to do your homework on the type of vehicle you’re seeking, peruse the blue book prices for the cars you may want, make a listing and go for it! Who knows, you could acquire a brand new Hummer or Harley Davidson for half or less than it’s original market price!

[ad_2]

Source by Patrick Morgan