Archive for the ‘Auto’ Category
Three Ways to Lower Your Auto Expenses
In most parts of the country, people use cars to get around. If you’re like many others, your automobile is one of your most expensive possessions. The average price of a passenger vehicle last year was over $35,000. Fuel expenses, insurance premiums and routine maintenance contribute to the cost of ownership. Consider these three simple ways to lower your auto expenses.
Saving on Gas
Gas prices fluctuate regularly, but you can reduce fuel expenses with small changes. Rapid acceleration decreases the efficiency of your car. Driving moderately under the speed limit may lower fuel consumption up to 30%. While you should look for the most affordable gas, it doesn’t make sense to drive across town just for cheap fuel. Also, consider taking the most efficient routes when commuting. These small changes can yield significant savings.
Review Your Insurance
Shopping for better insurance rates is a great way to save money. The insurance market is very competitive, so you should review your coverage annually and look for better rates. Check your policy to ensure that you’re getting every available discount. Also, make sure that your car is not over insured. Depending on your automobile’s condition, you may have too much insurance coverage. Increasing your deductible also lowers your premium. Talk to a provider of auto insurance in Glendale AZ to find reasonable ways to decrease your insurance costs.
Sensible Car Maintenance
While routine maintenance can save you from costly repairs over a vehicle’s lifetime, be sure not to over maintain your car. Most vehicles can go without an oil change for longer distances and time periods than what was commonly recommended. If you’re able, consider doing simple repairs yourself. Additionally, you should shop around for a reputable, independent mechanic who won’t recommend unnecessary repairs.
Vehicles are generally expensive to buy or lease. The price of ownership increases further given the costs associated with fuel, insurance and maintenance. Making small changes in each of these aspects can result in substantial savings.
2 Most Common Garage Door Problems
Garage door openers make our lives easier. Instead of having to stop, exit the vehicle, open the garage door, get back in, and then drive forward, a garage door opener eliminates many of those tedious steps. However, sometimes that technology doesn’t work correctly. Here are a few common garage door problems that you may encounter.
Safety Features
Garage door openers come with many safety features to prevent accidents. Triggering these safety features may be a reason that the door does not open or close correctly.
Door Won’t Open
You should first check the battery on your garage door remote. If a new battery doesn’t help, then the signal to the remote may have become corrupted. To fix this, you will need to pair the remote opener with the base. Most of the time, this is as easy as pressing the button on the back of the garage mounted systems and then clicking the remote. However, you should check your manual for the proper way re-connect them. You may also want to check the springs that raise and lower the door and the track of the door to ensure they are in good working order as well. A reputable garage door sales Denton TX will be able to assist with problems.
Door Won’t Close
The most common reason for the door not closing is that the eyes are out of alignment or there is something blocking the beam. Whenever the path of the beam is broken, the garage door will not close. The eyes at the base of the door often have lights that indicate whether the beam is connected or broken. If aligning the eyes or removing an object in the path does not work, you may need additional help. It might be possible that the motor in the main ceiling-mounted base has gone bad.
Fortunately, garage doors openers have a manual release that allows the garage door to open and close if the electricity should go out or in the event of other malfunctions. You can use this until you figure out what’s troubling the system.
Does Your Ride Affect Your Child Support?
Going through a custody battle can be brutal. You may place your emphasis on the time you spend with your children while the other parent only seems concerned about the money. You have avoided going to court as long as possible because you are afraid that a judge may find ways to make you continue paying more. What factors affect the calculation of child support in Florida? Do your material possessions, like your car, have any bearing on how much you pay?
Basic Child Support Calculation Factors
Before proceeding, you may want to understand what goes into the state calculation of child support. A custody lawyer in hernando county, fl could give you some more specifics, but if you want a general idea, two things start the process. The first is the number of children you share in common with the other party. The second is the combined income of both parents. Once you calculate these, a basic monthly amount is generated. This amount is the total amount the state believes it takes to care for the children in a month.
Splitting the Difference
At the point the monthly basic support is calculated, you may start figuring out the split. Unless you and the other parent make the same amount, it is likely the court will not divide the amount in half. Instead, it will be a percentage based on the individual’s income. If you make 10% more than the other parent, the court gives you 10% more of the obligation.
Other Factors
Money is the basis, but other factors are used to create a more fair split of child support. Things like the number of overnights spent with the children, which parent pays the insurance premium and daycare expenses will get factored in. Remember, if you make 10% more in income, you will pay 10% more of everything.
Your personal expenses may only get factored in if you need to go to court. If you are worried about how the calculations will turn out, speak to a professional who can better assist you.
Stay Safe on the Road
Wherever you travel or commute, you need to know how to drive safely, especially on major highways. With faster driving speeds and often more traffic, driving challenges tend to increase significantly. Take advantage of reminders from insurance companies, road and automobile experts, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to increase your ability to drive on freeways and major highways.
Adjust Your Speed
The posted speed limit is the maximum speed you should travel on a given road. However, you can and should adjust your speed when road conditions are not optimal. For example, if there’s rain, snow, construction, or heavy traffic, it’s okay to slow down. Speeding is a dangerous habit that puts everyone at risk.
Back Away From the Car in Front of You
Tailgating, unless it involves a barbecue, is an annoying driving habit that puts other drivers on edge and presents serious risks for you and your passengers. The recommended distance between yourself and the auto in front of you should be at least three seconds. Again, you may want to increase that distance when road conditions require it.
Respect the Rules of the Road
Do you know the difference between yellow lines and white? Can you explain what dotted lines, single lines, and double lines mean on the highway? These tools and other highway safety services, including guardrails, are there to keep motorists safe. Treat them with respect to avoid trouble on the road.
Draw Attention to Yourself
Your ability to see the road, other automobiles, and your surrounding environment is crucial to your ability to drive safely. The same is true for other drivers. Turn on your headlights before the sun sets and use them when it’s raining or if other conditions reduce visibility.
Stay Awake and Alert
Telephone conversations, food in your hands, kids crying in the backseat, and any other distractions lead to serious risks while your driving. One of the main things you can do to prevent trouble on the road is to reduce any and all distractions.
Whether you drive to work or to run errands, you’re probably on the road most days. Protect your own safety and that of others on the road by reviewing these reminders before you drive.
Protecting Against All Unforeseen Circumstances
As a parent and spouse, you may have taken what you think were all necessary precautions to protect your family. You have invested in life and health insurance for everyone in the home. You also have purchased property insurance for your home, cars, and real estate.
As helpful as these policies are in safeguarding your everyday life, they may not pay out enough money if or when the unthinkable happens. By investing in stocks, bonds, and supplemental insurance maitland fl parents and spouses like you can have extra financial support on hand to cover expenses that may arise in the future.
Umbrella Insurance for Your Property
When you want the fullest amount of insurance protection possible, you may see the benefits of taking out umbrella insurance for your home and property. The umbrella insurance policy acts as an additional safeguard measure against unforeseen circumstances. It will pay out if or when your other policies run out of money or refuse to provide coverage for an incidence.
It also can kick in if you are sued for an amount of money that is more than what your insurance covers. Your primary policy may pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars if you are sued. However, if the person suing you is asking for millions, you need a policy that will front this additional money.
Having such a policy in place can prevent you and your family from experiencing financial ruin after a disaster. It also spares you from having to sell assets like your cars or home just to raise the cash needed to pay out a settlement. You avoid going bankrupt and can move on with your life because of the supplemental insurance protection you have on hand.
You may not ever foresee being sued because of a tragedy. You also may assume your primary policies will pay for expenses that arise from claims you make against them. Rather than experience a shortfall of protection and money, you may want to buy an additional umbrella policy to protect you and your family now and in the future.