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One of the most frequent questions I get as an auto insurance agent is “who is insured to drive my car?”

Sometimes the answer to this question can be trickier than most people realize. If you never loan your car to others and you never will, none of the restrictions I discuss here will matter to you and you can stop reading now.

Short answer:

People that are listed on your policy enjoy the full benefits of your policy coverages with no restrictions. For those that borrow your car that aren’t listed, they are generally covered as long as you have given them permission to use your car; this is called “Permissive Use” and all policies have some form of, or interpretation of, permissive use. Excluded drivers are never covered nor are un-named drivers who “use the vehicle without a reasonable belief that the person is entitled to do so” (sometimes referred to as “theft”).

Depending on the company you are insured with, interpretations of permissive use can vary dramatically and some insurance carriers are very strict in their enforcement of the rules.

By reducing or restricting coverages through different applications of permissive use, carriers can reduce their risk (and claims costs) thereby reducing the cost of their policies to make them more affordable for their policy holders.

Three examples of the “Permissive use” restrictions carriers utilize include: “Drop-down limits”; “Double deductibles”; and “No physical damage coverage”.

Drop-down Limits:

Oftentimes there are dramatic reductions in coverage amounts on insurance policies even when a permissive user has an accident. One such reduction is called “drop-down limits”. “Drop-down limits” means that if a person has an accident while borrowing your car, the limits of liability are reduced to what the state’s minimums are. For example, the state of California requires minimum limits of only $15,000 per person for bodily injuries (BI)/$30,000 per occurrence maximum for bodily injuries (BI)/$5,000 for property damage (PD).

Example: Driver “A” has an insurance policy with full coverage with permissive use and his liability coverages are $100,000 per person (for BI)/$300,000 per occurrence (for BI maximum)/$50,000 per occurrence (for PD). His policy has a “drop-down limit” clause. Let’s say he loans his car to a friend (driver “B”) and that friend has a serious accident where the bodily injuries to other party amount to $65,000 and he totals the other car which has a value of $28,000. In this scenario, the “drop down limit” is in effect and the most Driver A’s policy will pay is $15,000 for the other persons injuries and $5,000 for their vehicle which clearly isn’t enough. In this case, Driver A is legally liable for the balance of the damages because he is the owner of the vehicle; $50,000 for injuries and $23,000 for the vehicle. If Driver B has coverage, their coverage would be secondary and their limits would then apply until they run out as well. Otherwise, Driver “A” will most likely be sued by the other party.

Double Deductibles:

One coverage that is available with your auto insurance is called collision insurance. Collision insurance protects your vehicle for damages that are a result of a collision with another object. I.e. another vehicle, a building, etc. Collision coverage has a deductible which is the “out of pocket” amount you have to pay first before the insurance carrier steps in to repair or replace your car. Typically deductibles can range from $100 to $2500 but most of the time they are either $500 or $1,000.

They way the “double deductible” restriction works is if an un-named driver has an accident while driving the car with your permission, the collision deductible is doubled. Hence your $500 deductible is now $1,000, or your $1,000 is now $2,000. Hopefully your friend that borrowed your car is willing to chip-in and pay the extra deductible amount.

Sometimes the “double deductible” restriction is based on the age of the driver who borrows your car. For example, the deductible for collision is only doubled if the driver is younger than 25 years old.

No Physical Damage Coverage:

This restriction works just like the “double deductible” described above. However, this restriction is much more punitive.

Simply stated, if an un-named driver borrows your car and has an accident the insurance company will pay the third-party damages (liability), but the damages to your vehicle will not be eligible for coverage.

All of these “permissive use” restrictions are described in detail in your policy initially and also in your renewals. These restrictions should also be disclosed by your agent when you buy your policy, which is why you want a professional insurance agent/broker who really understands these intricacies and can effectively explain these restrictions to you when you apply for coverage.

Permissive use restrictions are also very common and are employed by some large, reputable nationwide insurance companies so be sure to examine your policy carefully.

Auto insurance policies are not all standardized. They are different from carrier to carrier and there are a multitude of coverage benefits, restrictions and exclusions that are unique to each company. Make sure to consult with your agent to see how your particular policy works.

Food for thought – next time you are considering buying a policy “online” without a human helping you, or from an “800#” with an “order taker”, consider how details like these may not be adequately described or may somehow get lost in translation – it pays to have an agent who can really look out for you.

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Source by Wayne Mccormick

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The Rack and Pinion system is the system that most vehicles use to actually steer the vehicle. The system allows for directional steering, allowing the driver to maneuver as they need while driving their vehicle.

Problems with the Rack and Pinion steering system can cause serious issues with your vehicle. While some will find that the steering becomes difficult and unnatural, others will find that they simply cannot steer properly.

If you operate your own vehicle, you need to fully understand the simple Rack and Pinion system. When you understand how the system works, you may be able to quickly identify any problems that you have with the steering of your vehicle.

What is the Rack and Pinion?

The Rack & Pinion system is actually a simple system that only uses a few different gears to control the direction of the vehicle. The Pinion is the part of the system that is connected to the steering shaft. As you turn your steering wheel, the pinion rotates. This rotation occurs in the grooves of the rack, forcing the rack to move in either direction (depending on the directional change of the steering wheel).

The Rack of the Rack & Pinion system is attached to a tie rod. This tie rod connects the system to the tires, as the tie rod is connected to the steering arm that is connected to the tire. When you turn your wheel, the tie rod moves to direct the tires in the direction of the turn.

How It Affects your Driving

If you have driven different vehicles, you have probably noticed the differences in the feel of the steering of the cars. While some vehicles turn with ease, others require more work to turn. This is due to the torque that is had through the Rack & Pinion system. The more torque you have, the easier it is for you to move the tires. Older vehicles, or vehicles with Rack & Pinion issues, are harder to turn because the system does not move as efficiently as it used to.

Power Steering

Power steering is an important part of the Rack & Pinion system in all vehicles. All vehicles come with power steering because of the difficulty of actually driving the vehicle under non-power circumstances. It would be difficult to move the wheel enough to move the tires if you do not have the power steering, as the vehicle weighs too much to move quickly under simple man-power. The power steering system actually give a hydraulic boost to your actions, making it simple and easy for you to turn the wheels of your vehicle with the Rack & Pinion System.

The Rack & Pinion system is actually an incredibly simple system that allows you to turn your tires in both directions. If you are having trouble steering your vehicle, you can be sure that the problem lies within this simple system. This makes issues easy to identify and fix, getting your car into proper working condition quickly and easily.

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Source by Ron Haugen

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The farm tractor and its advanced iterations have many uses for any farmer, big or small. Tractors can do the work of many men. Learn about the farm tractor and its many uses below:

Many Types and Uses

Farm tractors have many uses for a typical farmer. Tractors can be used to pull loads of crops from the field to the farmhouse or truck. Tractors can be used to plow fields using attachments. A tractor can plant seeds, water crops, distribute fertilizer or pesticide and till or turn over crops.

Reduced Labor Needs

One of the main advantages of the invention of the tractor is the drastically reduced labor needs, and therefore reduced labor costs and reduced cost of food. Instead of working in the fields all day, doing extremely difficult manual labor, the farmer can now tend his fields in a much more efficient manner in the relative comfort of a tractor seat. Just 100 years ago, a farmer who wanted to pick his olive or almond trees needed to hire extra workers during harvest season, now with the invention of equipment that shakes the fruit loose from the trees, the labor needed is a fraction of before. Even the smallest family farm can take advantage of the farm tractor to increase production, reduce labor and make more money from their crops. A family farmer can use a basic farm tractor to pull any number of implements behind him to tend his fields. A family farmer can also take advantage of the brute strength of a farm tractor to perform tasks that might take several people with just 1 tractor and 1 man.

Modern Tractors

Tractors have come a long way from the steam powered tractors of the early 20th century. With new safety features, the latest technology and increased efficiency, the modern tractor has made farm life easier and more productive than ever. Tractor roll overs have traditionally been the source of many farm fatalities and injuries, but the addition of roll over protection systems, ROPS for short, has significantly reduced the amount of roll over fatalities. In addition, old tractors never had seatbelts, the addition of seatbelts or harnesses plus the ROPS system has further decreased fatalities during tractor roll overs.

The next time you pass a tractor on the side of the road, take a moment to appreciate this masterful invention that has drastically improved the way we farm and live forever.

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Source by Lydia Quinn

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Car makers have come up with an innovation by producing vehicles that can help both the environment and the driver's budget. They have manufactured a certain type of car that can function with more than one power-source option. These are the hybrid cars. And one that offers comfort and style: 2003 Honda Civic hybrid car.

What is a Hybrid Car?

A hybrid car is a one that uses more than one energy source to power the car. A gasoline engine and an electric battery run it. These are what we now know as the Gas Electric Hybrid Cars.

A hybrid car can either be a full hybrid or an assist hybrid type. A full hybrid is a car that can run either with a gasoline engine or through batteries or both, while a gasoline engine primarily runs an assist hybrid and the battery takes charge of the gas engine when gas runs out.

There are three most popular hybrid cars in the market. The first car that had been released was the Japanese-made Toyota Prius in 1997, and then followed by Honda Insight, also a Japanese-made car, which was released to the American and Canadian markets in 1999. A few years later, Honda again released another hybrid car: the Honda Civic hybrid.

Features of the Honda Civic Hybrid

Honda Company developed another option for hybrid car lovers. This model is a bigger and better hybrid car, which is competitive with other previously manufactured hybrid cars.

Physical Structure

The 2003 Honda Civic hybrid looks like the first released Honda hybrid car, the Civic Insight but this has four doors instead of just two. This car has 174.8 inches length, 67.5 inches width and 56.3 inches height. It weighs around 2,700 pounds. It can accommodate a maximum of 5 passengers and can carry weight up to 435 kilos. Its trunk has a volume of 10.1 cubic feet. The body is made from steel.

The car comes out in two colors. These are magnesium metallic and gray.

Interior

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid is neatly structured. All parts are well distributed and located. All the controls are grouped together which makes it easier to manage and control. It also has a storage area that has enough space to fit a wallet or a coin purse found at the center area between the driver and the passenger. In addition, it also has a glass-holder. It is very convenient for placing your beverages.

The gauge meters are colorfully made. It comes with blue color and is easier to read especially during nighttime when light is limited.

The interior has a classic color of black and tan. The seats are covered with a suede-like cloth that is very soft and it also has a new pattern design. The back part has a wide area where passengers can move freely and with ease.

Technology

The Honda Civic hybrid car has a 1.3 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, with 85 horsepower at 5,700 rpm. It has 47/48 (highway / city) fuel consumption. It has an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system wherein the gasoline engine stops and the battery works in place of it.

Advantages Of Hybrids Over Conventional Cars

Like other hybrids, this car consumes less gas, which can be seen clearly when the distance of travel is gauged. It likewise produces lesser carbon dioxide to the environment. With the conventional cars, the amount of the carbon dioxide is equal to the fuel that is used. Once the carbon dioxide released is decreased, there will also be lesser chances of pollution, thereby decreasing the factors that can affect global warming.

Since there is lesser consumption of gasoline, your budget for gasoline is considerably less.

Aside from these, the maintenance of the car is not as frequent as a conventional car. Motor and batteries of a hybrid car do not involve any special attention because they do not bring out as much carbon dioxide as the other cars. The brake pads in hybrid cars are not frequently used so it lasts longer as compared to the conventional car's brake pads.

In the US, tax breaks are available to those individuals who use hybrids, such as the 2003 Honda Civic hybrid. This is the way for the government to support the car manufacturers and drivers who likewise help clean the environment.

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Source by Ernest Jarquio

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Vehicle owners understand that regular maintenance keeps their vehicles in perfect shape. The most common maintenance areas include checking the level of engine oils, maintaining the pressure of tires and monitoring the level of vital fluids in your car. Little attention is given to Brake Rotors yet they are among the most crucial parts of your vehicle. Failure to pay attention to these parts will result in inconveniences on the road which may lead to accidents. Brakes on your vehicle make the difference between safety and accidents.

Why Brake Rotors?

The braking system of any vehicle is expansive. It incorporates the discs, fluids, hub and other components that bring your vehicle to a halt. The pads clamp on the rotors to bring your vehicle to a halt. Depending on the stopping mechanism and uses of a vehicle, there are different types of rotors and pads. Each has unique properties like heat resistance and provision of a firm grip. These properties determine suitability for different vehicles.

Do I Need To Change My Rotors?

It is the dream of every individual to own a vehicle especially for convenience during movement. Every vehicle owner thus endeavors to keep the vehicle in perfect shape at all times. The areas that require regular maintenance include Brake Rotors. They give signals that they are worn-out and need replacement. What signs can a vehicle owner watch out for?

Conduct a deliberate road test-

it might be difficult to detect malfunction on your rotors during normal drives because your attention is on the road. To conduct a test successfully, use a deserted road which allows you to apply instant brakes without inconveniencing other motorists. Vary the speed before breaking to get a feel of the extent of wear and tear. It is best if you understand the performance at optimum level.

Squealing sound- this is a high pitched noise that occurs once you apply the brakes especially on high speed. Others alongside the sound include the vehicle pulling to one side once you apply the brakes. It shows that pressure is being applied unevenly. A grinding sound also indicates that the pads are scoring or grinding on the rotors. Vibrations also indicate a faulty breaking system.

Replacing Braking Rotors

A driver should always be attentive whenever the vehicle produces unfamiliar sound. The idea is to identify the specific instances when the sound is produced. This is important for accurate diagnosis. The basic solution is to replace components of the brake system that are worn out. In fact, replacing brake pads falls under DIY tasks since it is easy, straight forward and does not require a lot of tools.

It is advantageous to engage an experienced mechanic or garage to safeguard the quality of work. A garage has all the tools and personnel required to successfully complete the replacement. However, you must be prepared to pay the price.

Your safety and control of vehicle on the road depend on the reliability of your braking system. Regularly check your Brake Rotors and other parts to ensure that they are in optimum condition. Involve an experienced and well trained technician in repair, replacement and maintenance of your vehicle.

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Source by Long Chad

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One of the most important things a person can do for his or her safety and to protect his or her property is to keep a fire extinguisher in his or her car. When a car catches on fire, it can completely burn in less than three minutes. Having an extinguisher in one’s car can help stop the fire and protect surrounding people and property.

A car can be an easy target for fire as it contains gas and oil. In an accident, electrical wires and fuel lines can be damaged and are easily flammable. Having a fire extinguisher in one’s vehicle enhances safety and lessens the chance of a severe fire damaging or totaling one’s vehicle. Even a car’s battery has the potential to leak battery acid and catch a vehicle on fire.

The vast majority of automotive fires start in the engine so a driver has time to grab his or her extinguisher and put the flames out. There’s always the chance that a driver may also see an accident or incident occur before him and may need a fire extinguisher to provide assistance to people in need.

Once a person purchases a fire extinguisher it is important to maintain it. It should be checked twice a year and made sure it is mounted in a secure but easy to reach place. When fighting a fire, a person should try to aim at the base of the fire, and not at the middle of it when they are attempting to put it out.

Make sure when purchasing a fire extinguisher that it has the UL label on it. This means that it has undergone rigorous laboratory testing and can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures. This way a person knows it is strong enough to be a good and effective safety device.

Practice proper safety precautions when putting out a fire as well. If it appears that a fire has formed under your hood while the hood is down, do not pop the hood. The fire could cause an explosion and people could be seriously injured. Fire extinguishers must be used wisely and it is important that people try not to be heroes. If a car fire has large flames, is spreading quickly, or your fire extinguisher has run out of agent, get away from the car and call the fire department. A car is easily replaced, while a person is not.

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Source by Eric L Larsen

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Personal Loan

Personal loan is perceived to be the most popular way to finance a car according to many surveys.

Borrowing money from a bank, building society or other lender gives you instant ownership of the car. Comparison websites such as money supermarket will show you which lenders offer the best deals.

The annual percentage rate (APR) is the easiest way to compare loans, and essential in working out how much a loan will cost you over the repayment period chosen. If the APR isn’t mentioned then ask the question, the headline rate is not always what you get it depends on your individual credit rating.

It’s a temptation to take a longer repayment period which makes the monthly repayment smaller but you will pay more interest. Keep the loan period as short as possible.

The downside to a personal loan unsecured is that in the event of default any of your assets could be seized. With dealer finance only the car is at risk in the event of payment default.

Go for a personal loan if you say YES to any of the following:

• You don’t have any deposit

• You want to own the car outright

• You plan to keep it for a while

• You don’t want annual mileage restrictions

Hire Purchase

After a bank loan hire purchase (HP) is the easiest way to buy a car.

Under HP agreements there’s usually a deposit to pay, typically 10% followed by fixed monthly payments. The car is owned by the HP funder until it’s paid for including any option to purchase fee. At that point the customer has the right to sell the vehicle.

However some customers do sell their cars before the final payment and the good news is for buyers of non-paid up cars is that the law protects private purchasers who buy without knowing the car is not fully owned and no matter what the police or anyone else tells you will get good title if you buy a car on HP in these circumstances. The finance company can ultimately take action against the seller but that’s not your problem.

The credit on an HP agreement is secured against the car, so it’s like dealer finance in that the car can only be seized in the event of default. If you need to sell the car before the end of your agreement you will have to settle the outstanding monies first and early settlement fees may apply.

Go for HP if you say YES to 1 of the following:

• Ultimate ownership is important to you

• Your budget and circumstances suit fixed monthly repayments

• Your disposable income may decrease over the agreement term (eg if you’re planning a family)

• You like credit secured against the car only

• You don’t mind not owning the car until the debt is fully paid.

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP

This product is probably the most popular product of all.

It’s a bit like HP in that you pay a deposit, a fixed rate if interest and monthly repayments usually over 12 to 48 months.

Where PCP differs from HP is at the end of the agreement you have 3 choices.

1. Return the car to the supplier

2. Keep the car

3. Trade the car in against a replacement

The first option returning the car costs nothing, unless you’ve gone over an agreed mileage or returned the car in poor condition. In either case there will be an excess to pay.

Keeping the car means making a final “balloon” payment. This amount is the cars guaranteed future value, or GFV, which is set at the start of the agreement.

The GFV is based on various factors, including the length of the loan and the anticipated mileage as well as the cars projected retail value. If you exercise this final buying option, you can continue to run the car, or you can sell it and pocket any equity above the GFV that you have paid back to the finance company.

If you’re trading in your car, any GFV equity can be used as deposit towards its replacement.

If your car has gone into negative equity which can happen you will have to make up the difference. Shorter agreements are more likely to accurately project the GFV.

Go for PCP if you can say YES to 1 of the following:

• You want lower monthly payments

• You like the flexibility of options at the end of the agreement

• Trade the car in against a replacement

Personal contract hire (PCH)

This product is basically renting your car for typically 2 or 3 years with an agreed mileage limit. There is no option to buy the car at the end of the contract you just hand the car and the keys back to the finance company. Your payments are covering the cars depreciation.

While you’re running it, you’re responsible for its upkeep. On the plus side, the deposit is low as are the fixed repayments and you can negate the impact of repair bills by including a maintenance element into the agreement.

Cars that hold their value well are a good PCH option because the difference in their new and three year old values will be smaller so you will repay a lower amount whilst cars that plummet in value will see you pay more.

Go for PCH if you can say YES to 1 of the following:

• You don’t want to own the car or suffer its depreciation

• You like being able to change cars often

• You like the idea of driving better cars than you could normally afford

• You don’t mind looking after cars

Dealer Finance

Research is a must here as motor dealers love lazy buyers who haven’t done their research. There is no point in haggling on vehicle price if you waste it all on a poor finance deal.

Check out detail on current and forthcoming manufacturer finance deals. These might include interest free or low APR rates or deposit contributions.

Don’t fix on the rate or monthly payment though look at the total repayable to understand the total cost and compare with what you can find in the open market.

Also don’t assume that a dealers finance rate is set in stone, everything is negotiable. Take time to go through things you are not sure about and get the final offer in writing.

The only thing at risk if you don’t keep up dealer finance repayments is the car. Bear in mind that even with sweeteners thrown in the dealer will still make money somewhere in the deal and you are paying for it.

Go for dealer finance if you can say YES to 1 of the following:

• You like the convenience of “package” deals

• You’re happy to do some comparison research

• You don’t want to do the research but you don’t mind paying extra

Self – finance

If you want to own your car using your own money by buying outright it does make some sense when UK savings rates are so low. Buying a car outright is also a sensible alternative to leasing if your mileage is high or unpredictable because of excess mileage charges.

Using a credit card be an advantage as many funders offer 0% on balance transfers and purchases. You can avoid paying interest charges altogether by changing you card at the end of interest free periods.

The choice is yours!

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Source by Tom Skilling

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Restoring a classic car can be a scary topic for some people. There are a lot of different types of work that goes into a classic car restoration and most people are not skilled at all of them. When you break the process down into the types of repairs that go into your classic car restoration, it’s easier to come to grips with what you really can or can’t do yourself.

An accounting of your skills can help you decide how much work you can do yourself, and how much of the restoration work you should get done by a professional.

Your classic car restoration can be broken down into a few repair categories.

• Knowing your car,
• Mechanical repairs
• Electrical repairs
• Interior or upholstery work
• Sheet metal or rust repair
• Surface preparation and refinishing
• Auto body and painting
• Trim or molding repair and refinishing

Some of these categories are self explanatory. Allow me to clarify the ones that aren’t so obvious.

Knowing your car

Cars have always been available with options like sport trim packages, air conditioning, V8, 6 cylinder, or 4 cylinder engines, and the list goes on. As the car gets on in years, some of these options get removed from the vehicle, replaced with something substandard, or never replaced at all. Option codes and shop manuals are generally available for most American classic cars that detail this information.

Mechanical repairs

This covers a lot of what makes up a car and would be most of the moving parts. You’ll find the engine and transmission will need rebuilding, as well as all the regular maintenance repairs like brakes and suspension, and rebuilding components parts like starters, water pumps, and generators. Other components that rarely get considered are the under dash parts like heater or vent controls, window parts inside the doors, hinges, and latches. I’m only touching on the subject, but you get the idea.

Electrical repairs

Electrical can be the scariest of them all. On an old vehicle the sheathing on the wiring can be dry rotted, and cracked and brittle creating the risk of an electrical short. Switches wear out and even fall apart. On some vehicle where these parts are impossible to find, you’ll need to be creative and improvise by using parts from another vehicle make.

Interior or upholstery work

Cloth, vinyl, leather, threading, and stuffing or padding materials all dry rot over time and need to be replaced. Colors fade really bad as well.

Sheet metal or rust repair

Any metal made with iron will rust, even aluminum will oxidize and even disintegrate under the right conditions. The body sheet metal will need to be replaced or patched. This means knowing how to work with sheet metal, how to weld, and even how to shape metal.

Surface preparation and refinishing

Other than the exterior of the car body, there is a lot of sheet metal surface that will need to be stripped of old paint and surface rust, then prepared so it won’t rust anymore, then painted again. This includes the car frame, suspension parts, differential, fasteners and more.

Auto body and painting

Aside from the sheet metal work the exterior of the car body will need to be smoothed and painted. This is an enormous amount of work which is why it can be so expensive.

Trim or molding repair and refinishing

Classic car trim and molding was made mostly from metals. There are steel chrome plated parts, chrome plated pot metal parts, aluminum, stainless steel and even brass or copper. until recently, some parts can’t be fixed and re-plated, pot metal is on of those. In extreme cases, you’ll need to weld new metal into your trim or moldings, grind and sand them down, polish them and get them ready for re-plating.

That’s a lot to know how to do.

Luckily there are some really good how-to DVD’s available that cover all these topics. Even still you might want to specialize in only 2 or 3 of these skills, and get a professional to do the others.

Learning how to do something like this can be entertaining. Even you if you don’t plan on doing some of this work yourself, you’ll want to know how the work is done so you can recognize a job well done.

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Source by Carl M King

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The majority of Fisher Price Power Wheels vehicles are really focused at children above the age of three, which you would think means a great choice for parents with children in this age group. Not so. Parents’ continuously pay large amounts of money on the vehicle that looks the best for their particular child and wrongly assume that they all have the same great Fisher Price performance, capability and fun factor under the hood. Wrong again.

For so many parents, their child’s battery powered ride-on just becomes a costly mistake and either ends up cast aside or not really used or they actually spend another large sum of money to now buy the appropriate vehicle. This super quick parent guide attempts to help those parents on the verge of buying a Fisher Price Power Wheels vehicle for their child and hopefully will save you from making the same costly mistakes like so many other parents before and provide your child with maximum safe driving fun at the same time.

Speed

Buy a model that will give your growing child the necessary speed that they will inevitably want as time goes on. Power Wheels vehicles are currently powered by either a 6 volt battery or a 12 volt battery. 6 volts will generally drive the vehicle at about 2.5mph, whereas the 12 volt battery will power the vehicle forward at a maximum of 5mph. However, these ‘official’ top speeds are under perfect conditions running on a fully charged optimal battery and a perfectly flat, smooth and clean road surface. In reality, you will probably achieve a little less speed.

The 6 volt 2.5mph limit is fine for your older child when they are just getting used to their new toy, but give it a few weeks and the ‘crawling’ 6 volt speed becomes very boring, very quickly for them, particularly as other kids on bicycles zip past them!

Off Road Driving

Buy a model that is capable of dealing with everyday surfaces other than just the smooth road. In reality you kid will want to drive over concrete, grass and gravel. Some Power Wheels vehicles have been designed for kids that mainly use them in their grass back yard or in the park, but countless parents buy models that simply come to a standstill or enter into crawl mode when they get onto grass and the parents spend most of the time pushing their child and vehicle out.

It is not only the ATV or off road looking vehicles that have off road capability, some of the normal cars have great off road capability as well. Being able to perform over less desirable surface conditions really comes down to the power of the battery (12 volts = best), traction ability (the new Monster Traction = best), tire tread and width (wide rugged tires = best) and weight of vehicle (lighter = best).

Brake Safety

Buy a model with the Fisher Price Power Wheels ‘Power Lock’ braking system. This is especially important for the faster 12 volt vehicles as opposed to the slower 6 volt vehicles. It’s one thing for your child to race their new ride on toy at top speed downhill, but it is always nice to know that when it comes to stopping that the vehicle’s braking system can actually stop your child quickly and under control.

The Power Lock braking system is being fitted to most of the 12 volt vehicles now and really does go a long way in providing more capable stopping ability for your child to maximize safety and minimize harm for them. For the older and more advanced drivers out there, this braking system also allows you to pull off some great slides!

Top Power Wheels Picks For Older Children

The most popular and consistently highly rated Fisher Price Power Wheels vehicles that have 12 volt batteries, ‘more than’ smooth road surface capability and are fitted with the Power Lock braking system include: Barbie Jammin Jeep, Rubicon Jeep, Ford F150, Cadillac Escalade, Kawasaki KFX Ninja, Barbie Ford Mustang and partially applicable is the Lightning McQueen.

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Source by Laura Robbinson

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Getting a scratch removed from your car is a job that shouldn’t cost a great deal of money – yet some companies on the market for this service seem to have a different idea, and charge ridiculous prices for this procedure these days. If you want to avoid falling for a trap like that, and want to make sure that you won’t get ripped off when you go to get a car scratch repair job, you’ll need to take a few precautions. Thankfully, as long as you know what you’re doing, it shouldn’t be that difficult to find a company that will work well enough for you.

You should start with some thorough research about the companies in your area that provide this service – depending on where you live, there should be a good choice of companies that you can take your car to, to have a scratch removed from it. Have a look at their websites if they have them, and compare the prices between the different companies before you’ve even started contacting them. You need to have a good idea of what each company can offer you in terms of price and quality of their services before you even take things further, as otherwise you’re going to waste a lot of time in your search.

Remember that a car scratch repair job should only concentrate on the scratch itself – some companies may try to convince you that they would need to completely repaint the vehicle, but in almost all cases this is simply not true. Nowadays there are various ways to get rid of a nasty scratch on your car without having to redo the paintjob of the car as a whole, so just talk to the different companies that you’re visiting and ask them how they’re going to do the job. In addition, you must make sure that if they’re fixing the scratch locally, they’ll know how to match the color of the paint to the car’s current shade – this is important, as a darker/lighter spot on the paintjob of your car can have an effect just as negative as a scratch.

Last but not least, on a similar note, you should get a guarantee for the longevity of the repair job in some form – after all, it doesn’t make much sense to submit your car for a scratch removal, only to be forced to come back in a few days/weeks because the paint has started to fade in the area where the scratch was repaired. Always check to make sure that the job that would be done on your car will be a quality one and won’t leave you with more problems than you originally had – especially in the long term. And if you’re satisfied with the services of the company you used for that repair job, keep in touch with them – you never know when you might need something similar done on your car in the near future, so it’s good to know where you can go for that!

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Source by Jay Kenneth