Harmful Chemicals In Cars

Alright, so we've discussed about pimping your ride by applying some cool car modification tips, some safety measures to save you from some hazardous car mishaps and some other information e.t.c.

So this post (a rather different one) is not to freak you out. It's just for informative purposes and to spread awareness as well related to the health issues when it comes to cars both new or old. My new online pal, "Brian Turner" emailed me this couple of days ago.

The “new car smell / scent” is a distinctive and special smell that many people find pleasant and exciting. However, that smell may be a result of the many hazardous chemicals used in the manufacturing of automobiles. Several of these harmful and toxic substances are carcinogens, while others have some truly serious side effects.

Phthalates is commonly used to soften plastics in the interior of the cars. This toxic substance has been found present in levels that are known to be harmful to the occupants. Another toxic chemical, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), is used as a flame retardant and is found in the car seats, carpeting, and dashboard. PBDEs accumulate in the blood, fatty tissues, and breast milk. Both of these are known carcinogens.

Asbestos, a very dangerous (mesothelioma) cancer-causing substance, is found in high concentration in older cars. Exposure poses a risk to those who fix cars for work or hobby, such as muscle car enthusiasts. In addition, vehicles that are manufactured even today contain asbestos in the brakes, gaskets, pads, and clutch. It has also been found present in hood liners in the interior of the car. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause mesothelioma, a fatal lung cancer.

Toxic substances found in vehicles also cause liver toxicity and delayed development in children. It may also cause birth defects because of the potential to accumulate in the blood stream and breast milk. Neurotoxic symptoms and mucus membrane irritation can be caused by other chemicals found to be present, such as acetone, benzene, and toluene.

The occupants inhale the toxins when the car’s surfaces heat up. Parking in direct sunlight, leaving the windows closed, and not using a sun shade all heat the car up enough to release the chemicals. Mechanics and do-it-yourself repairers come into contact with the asbestos when performing maintenance and risk developing mesothelioma.

New government regulations are being put into place to limit the amount of toxic substances used to manufacture vehicles. Some companies, such as Honda, have initiated reducing the amounts even below current laws. When purchasing a new car, ask the dealer for the disclosure of chemicals used in the car. Check the amounts used and compare that the levels of toxicity. This is the best way to reduce exposure to toxins in vehicles.

How Safe Is Your Car?

Car safety has become one of the key selling points in today’s automotive market, and rightly so as the nation’s road toll continues to have a devastating impact on families and emergency services. Huge advancements have been made in terms of safety thanks to the likes of airbags, traction control and brake assist, which combined with design give every new vehicle an ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) rating out of five stars. The more stars a vehicle has, the safer it is.

ANCAP (Australian New Car Assessment Program) is an independent body that conducts crash tests on new vehicles and those with sound structures and better safety systems score best. When buying a new car, it should be stated what its ANCAP rating is. Ask the dealer if it’s not. When buying second-hand, there are plenty of websites that will tell you how the vehicle stacks up. Car makers put a high value on the ratings as they can make or break sales - a competitor with a higher safety rating in the same segment is likely to show more sales. Cars with four or five star ratings are highly recommended. Vehicles with higher safety ratings should also have lower car insurance premiums. Here is a guide as to what helps make a safer car.

Sound structure:

A vehicle with good structural integrity will absorb and dissipate energy in the event of a crash. The passenger compartment should keep its shape and the doors should stay closed but be capable of being opened after a crash for the safe exit of passengers. Other parts of the vehicle such as the steering column, dash, foot pedals and pillars should not experience significant movement.

Air Bags:

The more of these life-savers, the better. They inflate in the event of a crash and significantly reduce the risk of serious injury. A vehicle with driver and passenger airbags, plus curtain airbags (they are deployed from above the side windows in the event of a side impact) are going to be the safest. Airbags can deploy in impacts as low as 25kph and they can be costly to reset, so when getting car insurance quotes, check out if a cost such as this is covered.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC):

This helps reduce skidding and over-steer and takes effect when the driver loses control. Computer-controlled technology is used to help bring the car back on track and has proved to be highly effective in single car crashes. It also comes into play during sudden manoeuvres and can enhance handling and traction on gravel and icy roads.

Anti Lock Braking (ABS):

This system prevents the brakes from locking and wheels from skidding when sudden pressure is put on the brake pedal, such as in an emergency. It allows the driver to maintain control and is highly effective on slippery surfaces and in the wet. ABS works hand-in-hand with ESC and having the two together greatly increases the car’s handling in emergencies.

Seat belts:

They first became compulsory – both in the front and rear of vehicles - in Victoria in 1970 and the rest of Australia soon followed. Since then they have been responsible for saving thousands of lives and are the single biggest safety factor in a vehicle. There are stringent guidelines for seatbelts, meaning they must lock in an accident and are not susceptible to fraying and tearing. Unfortunately, seat belts only work when worn and people still die needlessly on the roads because they forget to buckle up.

Tips For Buying Car Insurance Online

The internet has made shopping around for car insurance easier and far more convenient than ever before – it saves time and you don’t even have to leave your home or office to get the information you need. It works just the same as if you were looking to get a car service in Sydney – shop around until you find what suits you best in terms of price and inclusions. Here’s a guide as to the best way to navigate around the internet when searching for a policy online.

Get As Many Car Insurance Quotes As Possible

A simple Google search for car insurance quotes is going to be a pretty good starting point. It will list a wide range of companies and you can then click on the links to your heart’s content – the more car insurance quotes you get, the increased chance of getting the best deal. Websites offer a quick quote service so you will need to have some information ready, including make and model of vehicle, year of manufacturer, and ages of drivers.

Make Sure You Understand What Is Included

Once you have entered all of the required information, you will be presented with a quote. It’s important that you use this as a starting point for deciding on your preferred policy. Cheapest isn’t necessarily going to be best, so read the policy and see what features it includes and if it covers exactly what you require. Think of it like getting a car service in Melbourne – you would want a written report on the work that is done, so you would want in writing what the policy includes. It’s also important to be honest when answering questions, such as the last time you made a claim, because it will have an effect on the premiums.

Look Closely At Each Company

While getting a quote online, have a look at what else each company has to offer on their website. They could have general insurance and motoring advice, information about themselves and links to other websites. It will help give you a good feel for who they are and what they offer, which will help you make an informed decision. Website security is excellent these days and companies are well aware of privacy issues consumers have, so be sure that your information will be treated in confidence.

Seek More Information 

Don’t be afraid to fill in an online form, send an email or call a customer service number if you need more information. The website should have at least one of these, if not all. Don’t jump in to a policy without fully understanding every part of it. If you can’t find out what you need on the website, speak to someone.

Once You Have Decided

When the time comes to actually purchasing a policy, you can do it several ways. The most important thing first is to get a copy of the quote in writing. If you are doing it online, the company should be able to send you an email. Review the information again before committing to purchasing the product. Quite often you can opt to save your quote online and go back to it when you are ready to purchase the policy. Follow the prompts online to organise the policy and payment (make sure it is a secure site by looking for the secure symbol or the web page starting with https://), or alternatively you can call the customer service line to finalise details.

Mobile Car Service for Busy People- How to Stay Organized and Stay on the Road

If you spend a lot of time on the road, you need to make sure that your vehicle is in A1 condition. Time off road is downtime, and that can get expensive. It can also leave you with a backlog of things to do that also cost time as well as money. It’s a good idea to make sure that you’ve got an all-areas car service available when you need it. The fact is that busy people don’t usually have the time to think about covering the basics of their business. There’s a lot to do, and many people are often mentally as well as physically on the move all the time. The result is that when there’s a problem, it derails everything, because there’s a gap in dealing with the issues. If the problem is a car, you need options available right from the start. Using an all-areas mobile car service, for both routine maintenance and emergency situations really makes a big difference. The huge advantage is that you can schedule your car work to have a minimum impact on your time for servicing, as well as making sure you can get instant service when you need it, on or off the road. This cuts downtime drastically and you can get things happening with a phone call.  
 
Shopping around for your car service

It’s important to make sure you find a car service company which has a full range of mobile services. The best options are usually the bigger car service companies, which have both the area coverage and the resources to get any work done that needs doing with no fuss. This is a sort of “shopping list” for the best car service:

• All areas- All areas service means you don’t have to go through the paperwork of setting up an account every time you need some assistance.
• Upfront quotes- Very important, and a sign of a good service ethic.
• All makes and models of cars service- This ensures you’re getting professional quality service.
• Industry standard parts- Another quality control, and makes sure you’re getting best quality parts for your car.
• Regular service options- Regular servicing means you prevent the problems caused by wear and tear on your car developing into major issues.

A quick online search will narrow down your choices to a few good car service companies. Check rates and service quality, and you should find the right service people easily enough.


Car service and insurance

There’s another good reason for doing business with the best car service people. Car insurance. Your car insurers prefer to see your car getting serviced by reputable car mechanics, and a good car service company can save a lot of bureaucratic runaround. There’s a good reason for the car insurers being a bit fussy. The top car service people are both professional and reliable, and they’re up to speed on the car insurance processes and issues. The insurance process runs smoothly mainly because they know the procedures and the insurers have faith in them. Get your car service organized, and everything works like clockwork.

How to get the best deals on car rental

Getting the best deal on your car rental doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look, how to compare car hire companies and keeping your ear to the ground about great deals. Here, we’ve listed the sure-fire ways to ensure the next time you hire a vehicle, you’ll be bragging to your mates about what a great deal you got:

Do your research

Knowing what’s on offer and by who is the first step to being able to decide between what is a genuinely good deal and what isn’t. Do some research and find out what each of the car rental companies have to offer. Some may specialise in providing a different range of rental services.


Let others do the work for you

Don’t have time to spend hours looking from website to website? Why not use a hire car comparison website to find out which company is offering what you want? There are now websites that help you compare different car rentals so you can make your choice faster. For the time poor, why not put your faith in the experts?


Don’t leave it to the last minute

Last minute bookings always lead to overpriced fees. Give yourself as much time as possible to find a great deal well in advance to avoid having to settle with an expensive car rental company a few days before you need the vehicle.  


Join loyalty programs


Apart from frequent flyer points, many car rental companies offer loyalty specials and offers only to those who are registered for their newsletter or loyalty system. This is a great way to find out about deals that aren’t necessarily advertised.



Through Work

Many companies have longstanding relationships with car rental companies. Use this to your advantage. You may be able to get a great discount on a rental car simply by presenting proof that you are an employee of your business.


Ask for a referral from a trusted source

If you have a friend or relative that has recently hired a car from one of the companies offering the best car hire Melbourne has to offer, why not ask them how would they rate their experience with that company? Referrals from friends and relatives are the best way to get a genuine opinion on businesses and their services.


Negotiate

Itʼs not always appropriate, but in some instances you may try to negotiate your rental deal with the car hire company. Remember, all they can say is no, so there is no harm in trying.

Jump on a good deal when you see it

Similar to cheap flights, cheap car hire gets snapped up fast so if you are lucky enough to come across a great deal, jump on it before itʼs gone!
Getting the best car hire deal is easy if you know where to look. I hope our tips on how to snag a great vehicle hire deal has given you some useful ideas for the next time you are in need of renting a car.