Car Tuning,Car Finance,Auto Loans

Archive for April, 2009

We are talking about two of the worlds highest quality auto interior accessory manufacturers. MOMO has been known for over 40 years as a leader in the industry, when you see a steering wheel you can tell if it’s a MOMO just by its style. On the other side we have SHUTT a relatively new company only being in the interior styling accessories game for 15 years but gaining ground rapidly.

Competition always makes businesses perform better and with that in mind you can probably expect these companies to compete for your attention in the future. MOMO has it’s name already established but after attending the 2008 SEMA show it is clear that the public is waking up to SHUTT and loving it. Comments at the SHUTT booth were very positive and many actually asked where they could buy the products for their own rides.

These two companies have similarities like high quality and unique designs but where they differ is when it comes to price, SHUTT being the more affordable of the two usually by a whopping 20%. Everyone knows that MOMO is high quality with a high price, some say It’s worth it. Well I don’t know about you but if I can get a high quality product that I like and save money while doing it….I’M THERE… especially in this economy. I am not going to stop tuning my ride just because the economy is in the crapper, I will just do a little more research into the products I am about to buy and choose the highest quality for the best price. I did a little research and found that there are not to many places to buy SHUTT in my town, I could not locate a single shop that has even heard of it…don’t these guys ever go to the SEMA show? Anyway ShuttUSA.com was one site that looked to be a reputable source since I got the card at the SHUTT booth while at the SEMA show.

They have a new car audio line coming out in 2009, and it looks great. A component set consisting of what looked to be a 6 inch mid and a 1 inch tweeter with a crossover. They also have a 12 inch subwoofer and a line of amps including some digital amps.

You may have seen the SHUTT ads recently in “import tuner”, “super street”, “full power”, and “car stereo tuning” displaying their quality products but if you don’t read the MAGS then you probably haven’t even heard the name. Trust me in the next few years they will become just as well known as MOMO, SPARCO or GRANT.

Tuning enhances the performance of the car. It is regularly needed for a car especially if it is modified one. With proper car maintenance, the tuned up car will surely give its best performance giving maximum efficiency. The main idea behind car tuning is to improve its handling and performance.

If the car is not properly maintained and regularly checked then it cannot be considered a tuned car even if had undergone tuning before. A car can get permanently damaged if it is not given proper attention and fixed right away. A tuned car will need much more attention as compared to a regular car. Tuning ensures that the car is at its best all the time consequently prolonging its life length.

It is recommended to tune-up a car after every two years or after 30,000 miles. During the tune-up, the car will get some new parts that will be helpful in keeping it out of the shop for a time. Following is needed to be done for tuning the car.

Step 1
The fuel filter has to be replaced. If there is a fuel-injection system then its not necessary to do regular cleaning the injectors are blocked.

Step 2
The spark plugs have to be changed. If they are platinum made then the car can run for 30,000 more miles. The wires of the spark plug also have to be examined and can be replaced if required. A new set consisting of high-quality wires is worth the cost. They can be permanently attached to the distributor cap so it will also have to be changed.

Step 3
The rotor and distributor cap also has to be replaced. They can be only changed if they are present in the car because some new models with distributor less ignition don’t have it.

Step 4
The condenser and points have to be changed. In case of old car roughly 1978 model or older, then it does not have feature of electronic ignition. The points would have to be preferably changed or at least they can be adjusted after every six months or so. If they are changed then the ignition timing can be also checked.

Step 5
The ignition timing has to be checked and adjusted if needed. It is rare for a car that has an electronic ignition like post 1980 models and some cars don’t have this at all.

Step 6
The valves have to be adjusted as needed. It is not required in case the car has hydraulic valves. It must be made sure that the valve-cover gasket is also replaced as well, especially if oil is seen on top of the engine.

Step 7
The fan belt also has to be checked. They would have to be replaced if they are worn out.

Step 8
The fluids under the hood have to be checked and they must be refilled as necessary. The engine oil and oil filter would have to be changed if the car has crossed over 3,000 miles since the last oil change.

Step 9
The air filter has to be replaced; it should be changed between major car services or after every 15,000 miles also.

Step 10
The clutch has to be adjusted if there is a manual transmission. Even though some cars are now sporting self-adjusting clutches.

Step 11
The battery has to be serviced; distilled water can also be added if required. The cable ends and terminals are also needed to be cleaned.

Step 12
The PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve has to be replaced. This can make the car run roughly or also get stalled if it gets blocked. It is not expensive and it’s easy to replace.

The Disney Cars game developed after the movie of the same name lets you race all those lovable characters in their own environment. You can race as your favorite character through Ornament Valley, Radiator springs or Tailfin Pass. The developers of Cars the movie games have made sure that you can enjoy racing your favorite characters on any kind of player. The Disney Cars game can be played on OS X, Microsoft Windows systems, Apple Mac, PSP, PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo GameCube and many more.

However, the Disney Cars game does not repeat itself identically in every version. The game play in The PSP and Nintendo DS versions is different from the game play in the other versions.
Cars the movie games have several fun levels in the Nintendo DS version. You can reach levels of the Disney Cars game like Gesundheit!, Casa Della Tires, That Blinkin’ Light, Piston Cup, World’s best Backwards Driver, Tractor Tippin’ and many more.

The Disney Cars game is more than just inspired by the movie of the same name, it was created to be a kind of follow-up to the film. When several racers play the Disney Cars game as their favorite character the game play changes according to their actions.

The game offers twenty road races, clips from the film, five Piston Cup races and numerous mini games. In order to earn as many points as possible make sure you collect all the lightning bolts that are scattered all over Tailfin Pass, Ornament Valley and Radiator Springs. The more lightning bolts you collect, the closer you are to unlocking the bonus content of the Disney Cars game. Also, you earn extra points if you perform power slides or if you drive safely while playing cars the movie games.

The characters that you can race as differ from the version of the Disney Cars game that you are playing. For instance, in the PS2, Nintendo and GameCube versions you can only play certain characters like Mater, Luigi, Wingo, Sally Carrera and Sheriff. In the PSP version, in addition to the characters mentioned above, you can play Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson, Ramone, Lizzie, Sarge and many more. The race cars that you can drive in the Nintendo DS version include Leakless, Vinyl Toupee and Gasprin.

Buying a new car needs more than just determining what model of car to purchase and the amount to be paid. Very few people wish to buy a car with saved money and give upfront payment. Most people prefer car finance, instead of spending a large amount in one say. If one opts for auto finance then some homework related to price and interest rate comparison should be done.

Usually, car dealer facilitates everything at one place, that is, car cost, loan as well as payment plan, but in most cases these convenience is not the best option. A car dealer presents credit information of many lenders, but don’t get elated by this support because this deal may not be the best option. Remember, first priority of any car dealer is to make money, and so they normally persuade to choose such lender who offers the best commission to them. All the same, their commission is charged in the interest rate.

Dealers have business relationships with credit unions, banks and other financial institutions. These financial institutions allow the dealer to enhance the amount of interest rate. The extra money charged in interest is transferred to the dealer in lieu of the business. Thus, the dealer makes a profit, while the original lender gets the same prescribed interest rate and customer bears the brunt of higher interest rate.

One more good option to obtain car finance is applying via online. Usually, it has low interest rate. A person with good credit history (this is checked by nearly all sort of lenders) can easily avail low interest rate online loan. By using online loan service, the customer saves lender’s time and money. This saving (cost of doing business) is transferred to the customer’s interest rate. Normally, online lending institutions make the customer sign up an automatic payment plan form. This plan facilitates automatic deduction of car loan payment from the customer’s account on due date.

Last but not the least, never let the salesperson or dealer pressurize the decision-making situation. Many may give allurement of delivering the car the same day or even may be willing to give some special offer, but refrain from indulging in such attractions. First of all get sure and satisfied with both the vehicle and financial terms before signing the loan papers. Remember, if the dealer offers some good deal on a car today, most probably they may offer deal of equal value the other week.

You might think that used car finance simple involves a dealer, a bank or other lender, and a down payment on the part of the buyer. That is how it works in some cases, but it gets much more creative than that. Let’s look at a real life example, and see what lessons can be learned to apply to making money in other businesses.

A friend of mine used to have a used car lot. He teamed up with a creative used car finance company to sell cars to people who had trouble getting traditional loans. I don’t recall the name of the company, and I may get a few figures wrong, but I remember the principles very clearly.

A typical deal might have started with the dealer taking a trip to the auction. He would buy a car there for $1,200 (wholesale) which might have had a retail value of about $2,200. But because he is making it easy for somebody to buy the car, he can sell it for perhaps $3,000 after cleaning it up.

How does he make it easy to sell at a high price? By arranging financing for the buyer, who typically cannot get a bank loan. How does he do that? With a very creative finance company that rarely refuses to make a loan.

How can they make loans to people who are a terrible credit risk? By putting much of the risk onto the dealer and charging outrageous interest rates. Specifically, in this case, they would finance the $3,000 car at say 20% annual interest. But they also would only forward half of the loan amount to the dealer. The rest would be paid only when and if the payments from the buyer came in.

In this example, then, the buyer might have to pay a $600 down payment. A young couple can put together a couple paychecks to afford this. Payments on the $2,400 loan arranged by the dealer might be $200 per month. As I recall, weekly payment plans might have been available as well, to make budgeting easier for those with weekly or biweekly paychecks.

The loan would be for $2,400, but the dealer would get $1,200 when the sale was made – half of the loan amount. As you can see, the dealer is already okay, since he has received a total of $1,800 for a car that cost him $1,200. In other words, if he receives nothing more he may be able to squeeze a profit from these deals even after overhead costs.

What about the used car finance company? So far they have only risked $1,200, on a car which is worth that much at a wholesale auction. They collect 20% interest on the entire $2,400 however, as well as some kind of “loan processing fee” up front. This makes their real rate of return over 40% annually.

Of course, these are high-risk loans. I heard through the grape vine that 50% of these loans were in default at some point. But the finance company had an aggressive collection team, which called borrowers as soon as they were a week late, and quickly repossessed cars when necessary.

What does that mean? As an example, suppose a buyer ran into trouble and stopped paying after the first eight payments of $200. The principle amounts had been forwarded to the dealer, but the lender would have already collected about $400 in interest and fees. When they took the car and sold it for $1,100, they might net $800 after the repossession fee and other costs. In other words, they broke even on the deal. When you make a 40% return on the good deals, you can break even on a lot of the others, right?

Used Car Finance Lessons

One dealer who had used this finance company was still receiving checks for principle years after he retired, so he liked the arrangement. Despite the high interest rate, the buyers now had a car to get to work in, so they liked the deal, or at least found it better than all other options. The owners of the used car finance company were happy making money where nobody else dared to loan. It was very creative all around, so what specific lesson can we learn to apply when making money in other businesses? Here are three:

1. High-markup products allow for more creativity in marketing and selling.

2. Making it easy to buy allows you to charge more for your product (or service).

3. Finding a way for everyone involved to “win” helps you make money.

There are other lessons in this story of used car finance, of course. For example, in the case of the lender you can see that going where others fear to go opens up new opportunities. Sharing the risk is also a useful way to make things possible that otherwise might not be. Of course, the buyers out there might see the lesson that you pay a lot more when you finance things, and especially when you have bad credit.