Auto Transport Blog for National Transport LLC

Car Crashes That Leave Us Baffled….

Janelle — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:31 PDT

Have you ever witnessed a car accident that almost caused you to get into one yourself? The following video is a short compilation of car accidents that leave the rest of us wondering how on earth people got themselves into those situations. And while some may view it as humorous, car accidents are no laughing matter.

Driving is a privilege, not a right. When you get behind the wheel of a vehicle, it is your responsibility to stay focused on the roadway as well as what other drivers are doing around you. Drive defensively, use your turn signals and obey all other rules of the road. if you do these few, simple things, you will greatly reduce your chance of becoming involved in a motor vehicle accident. Remember, all accidents are preventable.

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

10 Things You Should Know Before Going to the Dealership

Janelle — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:00:34 PDT

In the May of 2009, the Better Business Bureau in Fort Wayne Indiana reported that among the top 10 Inquiries and Complaints that it received, auto dealers showed up twice. No doubt, whether you are a seasoned veteran of buying and selling cars or if you are new to the experience, there are several things that you should keep in mind if and when you go to an auto dealership.

10 Things You Should Know

Research- Knowing what you want ahead of time isn’t enough. Figure out what the different statistics are on vehicle safety, mpg and other features that may be important to you.
Credit- Know your credit score ahead time, this way you’ll be better able to negotiate a good rate for the car that you are interested in. Additionally, it will save you time (and possible embarrassment).
Stand Your Ground- Sales people can be intimidating and (unfortunately) manipulative. Remember that you are there to buy a car- not a new best friend.
Insurance- When purchasing a car, do research ahead of time to figure out how much the insurance would be. Depending on the make and model of the vehicle as well as your driving history, your insurance could be astronomical.
Consider Used- Not every car you purchase has to be brand-spanking new. There are plenty of reliable used cars available, and in today’s economy, more people are turning towards these!
Learn to Negotiate Financing-After you’ve decided on the car that you want, you’ll be ushered into an office to work out the deals surrounding your financing options. BEWARE. Car dealerships often make the bulk of their profit from the financing of your vehicle as well as the sale of all the “extra bells and whistles” that you somehow realized you wanted in your car. This is where it helps to arrange your financing prior to even stepping foot on the parking lot. Additionally, you may also want to try to negotiate the interest rate as well as reconsider all of the “extras”.
Safety- You may be attracted to a particular type of car, but how safe is it? Go online or ask around prior to going to the dealership to determine whether or not the vehicle is even worth it to buy.
Look Around- Just because a dealership is conveniently located near your house or workplace doesn’t mean that you have to buy your car from there.
Bring an Experienced Friend- As a general rule of thumb, you should never go to an auto dealership alone-especially if you are a woman. It is unfortunate that there are still many dealerships out there where the salespeople assume that women are less informed about vehicles than are men. Regardless of your sex, having an extra set of eyes and ears will help you catch things that you might otherwise miss.
Have a Plan- Figure out a budget on paper and stick to it. Knowledge is power, and knowing what your needs versus your wants are is a great way to narrow down your options for the type of vehicle you will end up getting.

Other Related Articles You May Find Interesting

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

How Far Can You Go After the Gas Light Comes On?

Janelle — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:05 PDT

Ever wonder how far you could go on a waning tank of gasoline before your car will completely give out? Given the current economic situation as well as the price of gasoline soaring up to new levels of being costly, increased numbers of people in the United States are driving around with dangerously low levels of gas in their car all in an effort to save a few bucks….but is it worth it?

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

What many people fail to realize (because face it, we’re not all mechanics) is that by repeatedly driving on empty, you can permanently ruin your fuel pump. A vehicle’s fuel pump is responsible for bringing gasoline from the tank to the engine and is lubricated by the fuel that is in the gas tank. Therefore, once your gas starts to run out, there isn’t anything to lubricate and/or cool the pump. This makes the fuel pump work that much harder to pull whatever gasoline is left from the bottom of the tank.

Most mechanics tend to agree that motorists should never wait until the gas tank light comes on. Rather, it is suggested that it is best to fill up on gasoline once you see that your gas tank is 1/4 of the way full. This is even more important during the summer months when the weather is much warmer because heat is the number one thing that kills fuel pumps. Because your fuel tanks are typically located on the underside of your vehicle, the heat that rises from the hot pavement heats up your fuel tank…and I’m sure you get the picture.

How Far Can You Drive on ‘E’?

For those people who have a morbid curiosity about just how far they can push it despite what the mechanics might advise, there is a nifty little site called Tank on Empty where you can look up the kind of car that you drive and find out how far other people have driven beyond the danger zone. However, I personally wouldn’t take the chance- even if gas prices are ridiculously high.

For a better understanding of how your engine actually works, check out this video. Additionally, the following articles may provide greater insight into how your engine works:

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

New Transportation Bill to Be Passed by Congress?

Janelle — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:00:19 PDT

According to a recent article that was published in the Wall Street Journal, the House Democrats are putting their thinking caps on to come up with a new transportation spending bill that could cost approximately $450 billion over the next six years. However, the bill is just in the beginning stages and hasn’t quite come to fruition yet.

Among other things that this bill would propose include (but are not limited to) the following items:

reducing oil consumption in order to boost economic growth
consolidate (to 6 or fewer) the number of Transportation Department programs used to channel money to the states, which would allow local officials more flexibility to deal with transportation issues.

All of this seems like a fine idea, but where is the money coming from? In a nation that has already seen the economy take a dive downward, it seems that there isn’t any more money to spare. According to the article, the question of how to pay for the “nation’s aging infrastructure” is rapidly becoming a nagging issue for Congress. The article goes on to state:

The current system relies heavily on taxes from gasoline and vehicle purchases. Revenue from these sources is dropping as Americans drive less and opt for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. Meanwhile, states are encountering similar funding problems due to declines in tax revenue. The result is a growing gap between the nation’s infrastructure needs and what is being spent to maintain and upgrade it.

All of that being said, what options does this leave us? Is there a way to address the problems that the transportation industry is facing without having to reach so deeply into our pockets?

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

The Top 10 Tire Inflators For Your Money

Janelle — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:00:51 PDT

We all know how much it stinks to be driving down the road when you suddenly realize that you have a flat tire. Equally as annoying is when you stop in at a gas station to use the air to fill up your tires only to realize that the machine is “out of order”. Well, why not avoid all of the drama by owning your own tire inflator? Having a tire inflator is a great item to keep handy in your car, truck, boat or RV because you never know when you’re going to need it. That being said, FindGasCards.com has a fantastic list of some of the best selling tire inflators that are out there on the market right now. They are listed below:

Top 10 Tire Inflators [source]

*FindGasCards has a wonderful blog, and you can also follow them on Twitter

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

The Deal is Done: Chrysler Takeover Complete

Janelle — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:00:20 PDT

I own a Jeep that I purchased back in 2007, so when the news hit that Chrysler was going down like the Titanic, I naturally wondered how (and if) it would affect me. It turns out that it isn’t going to affect me at all. Secretly, I think I was hoping that Chrysler would cut me a break on my monthly car payments, but no such luck.

According to a Detroit News article published recently, the deal between Chrysler and Fiat has finally been finalized. So what next? Well, now the company has to get back to building and selling cars and SUVs. However, it seems silly to me that the company which was failing to sell vehicles in the first place should go back to doing the same thing. Don’t they get it that the economy stinks right now? No one has money to be purchasing brand new or used cars- and the few who actually can afford to purchase a car are holding on to their cash until they see where the economy is going.

In a statement made to the press, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne (who is also the CEO of Fiat) said that the Chrysler plants, which have been idling since May of this year will:

…soon be back up and running, and work is already under way on developing new environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles that we intend to become Chrysler’s hallmark going forward.

But the question now isn’t regarding the kind of cars that this new merger will produce…Rather, the question remains: “Who is going to be buying the cars?”

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

The Top 10 GPS Navigation Systems

Janelle — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:00:44 PDT

A few weeks back, I remember looking on in awe as my boyfriend’s GPS system to gave us audible turn-by-turn directions to where we were going. For someone who is directionally-challenged, GPS systems are a godsend. I, myself, am still a little old fashioned and have my trusty oversized paper book of each of the states within the United States. However, I certainly wouldn’t argue if someone were to hand me a GPS unit as a gift!

It seems like everyone and their mother has a GPS navigation system, whether it’s built into the car or purchased after the fact. And the thing that I’ve been able to notice about GPS systems is that it seems to make driving safer and more seamless. Think about it. If you still use a paper map, you have to pull over to the side of the road in order to effectively figure out where you’re going (or at least, you’re supposed to!). On the other hand, with a GPS navigation system, all you have to do (usually) is type in the start and end addresses and let the GPS computer do the rest. You don’t even need to glance down! That being said, the following are the top GPS navigation systems according to FindGasCards.com:

Top 10 GPS Navigation Systems [source]

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

Is America Too Polluted With Noise?

Janelle — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:00:28 PDT

The other day, something amazing happened- something which almost NEVER happens…I was driving in my car and stopped for a red light when another SUV pulled up along the left side of me with it’s radio blasting. Before I could even think to mutter anything to myself, the person actually turned the radio DOWN! I cannot even begin to describe the look that must’ve been on my face at that moment, but I assure you it was priceless. This person didn’t have to turn their radio down, but they did it out of courtesy to the other drivers (or so I would like to believe).

Nowadays, thre has been much concern over the amount of noise pollution that comes out of the cars that we drive. From souped up, after-market engines to custom installed speakers loud enough to make one go deaf, to motorcycle engines, car alarms and brakes that need to be replaced because they won’t stop squeaking…Noise pollution from vehicles is EVERYWHERE.

A Noise-Free America

Is it any wonder that increasing numbers of people are looking for the perfect vacation spot to “get away from it all”? A place where they can retreat to the quiet and solitude of the mountains or the beach- where they don’t have to hear car horns blaring or brakes screeching to a halt? One group is fed up with noise; Noisefree.org is an organization dedicated to bringing awareness to all of the noise pollution that is around us as well as offering possible solutions to the problem. Perhaps the issue with noise pollution goes well beyond the dashboard in your car; perhaps the real issue at hand here is the fact that people simply need to be more considerate to each other

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

Just When You Thought it Was Safe to Ride the Bus…

Janelle — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:00:47 PDT

When I think about public transportation, I worry about whether or not the bus, train or taxi cab is a) going to be able to figure out where I live and b) get me to where I need to be on time. That being said, the last thing on my mind (as well as the minds of most people) is being fired at while sitting on the bus. Unfortunately, you heard me right…

According to an article published by FoxNews, a bus packed with approximately 40 passengers in Worcester, Massachusetts was hit eight times by projectiles apparently fired from none other than a pellet gun. And while pellet guns aren’t necessarily as dangerous as a real gun, they are still dangerous enough and when used improperly, can seriously injure and/or kill someone.

The shooting occurred around 3:30p.m. Eastern time on June 8, 2009. No one has been arrested in connection with this incident, however. According to police reports, one elderly, male passenger was taken to the hospital after the pellets struck and broke the window causing him to be hit in the chest by shattered glass. Other than that, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority bus only suffered minor damage which included a cracked windshield.

I don’t know about you, but I certainly hope that they find out who did this and apprehend him/her. No doubt, it was probably a youth, which then raises additional concerns about young people owning pellet guns….

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!

Should There Be Restrictions on Radio Volume?

Janelle — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:00:53 PDT

I was in my car with the windows rolled up, the air conditioning on and some music playing in the background when this SUV pulled up alongside of me with the speakers blaring so loudly that I thought the glass on my car was going to shatter. I could actually feel their music shaking my car.

I know that I am not the only person who has had to deal with this. It’s one thing to really really like music and want to listen to it loudly in your vehicle….when there is no one around. However, it is quite another thing to have a sound system installed or have the volume on your car stereo maxed out while sitting stopped at a light or when driving through an otherwise quiet, residential neighborhood.

That being said, should there be restrictions on just how loud a radio can be while driving? Most states have some sort of rule governing how loud you can crank up your car stereo without it being offensive. However, for whatever reason, people continue to do it. There seems to be a fine line between enjoying your favorite song versus being selfish and rude, and the people over at Noise Free America tend to agree.

At the end of the day, you really have to be considerate of others. Think about it; if you had your two young children in the back seat of the car and someone pulled up alongside of you blasting music in which every other word was a profanity, would you appreciate it? Not only is listening to your music at an intoxicatingly high level inconsiderate, it is also dangerous because it doesn’t allow you to hear other things that you may need to be aware of such as the sirens on a police car or ambulance, or the sound of tires screeching as someone is about to crash into you.

For more information about auto transport or car carriers, contact National Transport LLC today!