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If your turn signal blinker is cycling faster when you put your turn signal on, it’s typically a burned out bulb, either on the front or rear of the vehicle. So leave your blinker on, get out and see if one of your turn lamps is burned out. If so, a simple bulb replacement should remedy the problem.

Most water leaks in the trunk area are caused from a tail lamp fitting poorly, or its gasket failing. An especially sensitive concern is water intrusion within a vehicle’s cabin or trunk area. Manufacturers don’t sufficiently prepare vehicle interior which are more Emergency Home Solutions surfaces to withstand water incursion. If allowed to remain, rust will usually begin to form, often hidden from sight, not to mention the mildew and its attendant odor that frequently accompany water trapped within carpet and its insulation.

Modern headlamps are typically made of shaped clear plastic that will often cloud up over time. One only has to drive down the street to see what I’m trying to describe. Even high end cars will have headlights that appear to have cataracts after a few years. As a result, 3M came up with a system that will, in most circumstances, remove this yellowish, white outer film from the headlight’s lens. We just installed a headlight on a European sports sedan that ran over $1,700 (due to a collision). Even a lower priced car’s headlamps will often run over $200.00 each. I mention these lamp prices because shops that offer the 3M procedure will many times do it for under $100, a bargain compared to the cost of replacing your car’s headlights with new ones.

Of course we never really expect to have an accident, right? As a result, even when we buy the insurance that we should, there’s that all important phase right after we’ve been hit, where we need to gather critical info to get our car fixed by the other party. Long before these current economic times, we here at the shop level, have heard again and again of people who’ve been hit, had the other party run up and openly admit it was their fault at the scene, only to have them radically change their story later. I’m not sure I have words to describe the level of frustration my game experience when “the other guy lies” about what actually happened. As a result, I’ve put together a brief punch list that everyone should probably consider all the efforts that are put in with respective to the maid this cleaning service. We want to help protect ourselves from distorted versions of the accident, as well as to properly equip our insurance carrier to prevail, should a dispute arise following the collision.

I should add that there may be those on the insurance side of our industry that will advise against what I’ll say here. So please be advised, this is my own personal opinion, based upon tragic accounts that my customers have shared with me over the years. Check http://Femme-Fontaine-Sexy.com. You may want to contact your own insurance company and follow their advice with regard to being prepared.

Have a camera – It’s the old “a picture’s worth a thousand words” thing. Several strategic shots at the scene will go a very long way to winning the battle over who’s in the wrong later on. I used to counsel to have a small throw-away camera kept in the glove box at all times. It’s still a great idea; that is of course unless you have one of the newer cell phones with a camera feature already on it. Also try and get a few pictures that show the street, intersection and surrounding terrain. I’m not sure you can have too many pictures if you hit a snag later on.    

Keep a pen and pad of paper in the glove box – Write out something that briefly describes what happened, and have the other party sign it, right then and there. This virtually guarantees against any imaginative recreation of the event by the other party after they leave and “confessor’s remorse” sets in.        

Collect as much data on the other party as possible – Name, Address, Phone Number, Driver’s License Number, Insurance Company & Policy Number, Insurance Co. Phone Number, Their Vehicle’s Data (i.e. Year, Make, Model, Color, License Plate Number)

Witness Info – There are very few things as powerful as a third party eye-witness report. I’ve seen fraudulent accounts quickly swept aside when a witness described what actually happened. So whenever possible, (look around if you have to) grab a witness to the accident. I’m always encouraged when I see someone pulling over to be a witness for someone else. It can alleviate so much turmoil for the injured party later on. For more information please visit this site http://hdsikis.net”>

If there was only one thing that I would hope for, one thing that each and every one of my clients could get out of my input here, it would be to add rental car coverage to their policy, if they haven’t done so already. That is, of course, if they don’t have a back-up vehicle. We repeatedly have customers who’ve been involved in a collision, that believe they have full coverage, only to discover that their full coverage lacks any provision for a rental car. As a result, they find themselves in a real bind while their car’s under repair. Especially, if the accident happened abroad, like it happened to my good friend. He was staying in a villa rented from yourkohsamuvillas.com when his dream holidays were ruined by a car wreck in a rental.

What the heck, anytime you exercise your insurance policy you’re going to need wheels, right? So why shouldn’t rental coverage be a part of being prepared? But then there’s the argument about the added cost. Okay, that’s true, but my experience is that most carriers will add rental car coverage for under $100/year (with some as low as the $60’s). So, using the $100 number, that’s a little over 8$ a month. One day of rental in a “roller skate” can easily run you around $24/day. Oh yeah, I should add that most auto body repairs will take 2-3 days, minimum. The price will vary per region and season, but the average cost of a collision claim here in San Diego has often hovered around $3K. If you happen to pick your phone up and call body shops in your area, don’t be surprised if you hear that a three thousand dollar repair, as a rule of thumb, will take approximately 3 weeks ($1k in repairs = 1 week down time). Now this time element can obviously be affected a great deal with the type of parts required, nature of the repair, etc. It’s not an absolute benchmark for projected down time. It’s just a very rough guideline that you’ll tend to hear. Why do I mention it? Well, because if it happens to apply in your own situation, then there’s a decent chance that you’ll be without your car for three weeks (uh-oh!).

Most policies available from insurance companies will provide a rental car for 30 days, maximum. That’s a huge asset when you’ve been hit and are going to be without your car. You should probably also know that if you are hit here in California by another party, state law requires that they supply you with a car for the entire length of the repair. There is no 30 day rental limit applicable when it’s the other guy’s fault and his policy’s paying for your rental vehicle. For more details, visit us at testingmillions.org.

If you’ve read my total loss section, then you already know that many insurance companies will begin to consider a vehicle a total loss when repairs breach 70%-80% of the vehicle’s value. At the lower 70% number, a $20K vehicle could easily end up having a $10K repair done to it. In a case like this, you can begin to see that even a 30 day rental car resource may run out before the car’s done. A local shop did a repair on a BMW for over $60K. They had that car f-o-r-e-v-e-r. In situations where there’s a larger repair, we’ve seen several individuals who’ve activated their rental car coverage, and then negotiated with the rental car outfit and their carrier to drive a cheaper car for a longer period of time. Not every insurance company will allow for this, so you’ll need to check and see if it’s available, if the need arises.

Whether you or an insurance company’s paying when you rent a car to classy lax car service, you’ll be asked at the rental company if you’d like to buy their insurance, to cover you while driving their car. It wouldn’t hurt for everyone to know if they’re already covered by their existing policy while they rent a car. Most are. Even so, especially if it’s only for a few days, whenever I rent a car I personally opt to buy the portion of their coverage that will pay to fix their vehicle in the event I happen to wreck it. I tell the rental people, whenever purchasing this additional coverage, “Okay now, if I hit a tree down the road with your car, I want to be able walk back in here, hand you your keys and tell you to go get your car. And I want all of this without it costing me or my insurance company a nickel.” When they hear me say this they’ll usually look at me a bit funny and nod their heads. I, on the other hand, smile and initial the contract in the appropriate place, secure in the knowledge that I’m free to drive an unfamiliar car with a measure of confidence that (in my opinion) actually reduces accidents.

While at the rental agency, don’t be pressured into hurrying through the walk-around, especially if you don’t buy their insurance. Make sure that you indicate to their personnel every place that you can see that’s scratched or dented on the car you’re about to rent. Should you show back up with some damage that’s not been documented, the rental car manager’s position will be that if it’s not on the check-out paperwork, then you must’ve done it while you drove their car.

A total loss is where an insurance company would rather buy your vehicle, than repair it. This is a bit of an over-simplification, but in large part, terribly accurate. I was prompted by a conversation with one of our clients the other day, to try and put down the various points of interest with regard to a vehicle being considered a total loss by an insurance company. Here’s the bottom line: A vehicle is considered a total loss when it’s financially more advantageous for the carrier to buy the vehicle rather than repair it – period. I can’t remember the last time a vehicle was deemed a total loss due to a structural concern, one that would make it unsafe to repair. I suspect they exist, I just haven’t personally seen one in a very long time. It’s virtually always about the money. It might help to know that a general rule of thumb that many insurance companies run with is that if a repair breaches 70% (or 80% in some cases) it becomes a likely candidate for being considered un-repairable.    

“My vehicle’s frame is bent, so it must be a total”. Current collision repair technology, in tandem with modern vehicular design, have made it where damaged frames are either repaired or replaced* on a regular basis. So frame damage will not, in and of itself, create a total loss.

*Full frame replacement applies to conventionally framed vehicles (these are the heavy steel, black ladder-like frames found under pickup trucks and most SUV’s). Uni-body designed frame replacement, on the other hand, is almost universally done in sections or pieces, almost like replacing parts of a jigsaw puzzle. Uni-body vehicles (virtually every car on the road) have their frame woven through and welded directly to the sheet steel understructure, making the body and frame inseparable; conventionally framed vehicles, conversely, can have their bodies lifted right off the frame, following removal of the necessary bolts and hardware, of course.

“They’re going to give me half of what my car’s worth”. Total loss compensation is characteristically based upon actual recent market sales of similar vehicles, as well as averaged prices of similar automobiles currently up for sale. This data is typically tracked by an outside, third party source, and then supplied (for a fee) upon request to the carrier for claims loss resolution.

The key phrase here is “made whole”. When being paid for your car, you should be provided the financial ability to buy a vehicle of the same age, mileage, wear and options, etc. as the one being totaled. The underlying insurance processing model is to restore you back (again, to make you whole) to where you were … just prior to the accident or loss. So, ideally the insurance company supplies the funds to do just that. Now we all know that that can be rather tough to do sometimes. There are no guarantees that a perfect match for your car (in its ever changing condition) is patiently waiting on standby for you, should you need an identical replacement at a moment’s notice. And of course none of this addresses the valid concern that you know your vehicle, and won’t have the same intimate knowledge of how another used car’s been treated by its past owner. However true this last statement may be, the legal system unfortunately has no way to accurately address this thorny issue and has consequently left it up to the old “buyer beware” system when replacing your car, should it be a total.

When trying to arrive at a fair market price for your automobile, I’d suggest doing some online research, as well as checking out the local pulp auto sales magazines. One important thing to remember (as I’d mentioned above) an insurance company often averages actual sales figures, along with local asking prices. As a result, the vehicle you actually find and its asking price may not always match the lower market figures the insurance company might be running with. This can be due to the ubiquitous negotiating that takes place during the sale of a car that frequently lowers actual sales prices, thereby affecting the carrier’s blended data. 

My car’s worth $10,000 so they have to spend that to fix it, right? Unfortunately that’s incorrect. Whenever I hear someone mention their car’s value, with the expectation that that’s what should be spent to repair it, I explain that that rarely, if ever, happens. Here’s why: the wrecked vehicle in its damaged state, still has value. As a result, using the $10K number above, an insurance company might recover $2K from the sale of the salvaged car, then reach into their pocket for the remaining $8K and make the individual whole for the $10K owed. Using this illustration, the insurance company was able to handle the claim with a net loss of $8K rather than $10K, a $2K savings. Why would they spend $10K on a claim that could’ve been resolved for $8K? The answer is they typically don’t. 

Supply a list of all of the various options on your vehicle while working with the adjuster. This is an extremely common problem. The best carriers dig deep to make sure that all of the options are taken into consideration while assessing a vehicle’s worth. But even the best can overlook something that will make a difference in what you’re paid. Double check what they’ve listed on their end, it might pay off. 

I’ve just spent $2,500 in repairs, so that should add $2,500 to my car’s overall value, right? The answer is – sometimes. Many times maintenance parts and labor (fan belts, brakes, transmission services, etc.) will be viewed as simple upkeep and not add to a settlement price. On the other hand, if you’ve just put a rebuilt transmission in for $2500, and have the receipts, that could have a tremendous impact on the insurance company’s view of your vehicle’s worth.           

Can I keep my car and pay to fix it myself? Absolutely! You’re normally welcome to “buy” the car back out of a total loss settlement. Keep in mind though, that if there’s a lien holder, they’ll have to be paid off, potentially leaving less money for you to work with on a repair. Okay, remember that salvage value I mentioned earlier? Using that same $10K example, you could keep or buy back the wrecked car for $2K and receive the remaining $8K (less any lien holder dollars) to work with toward a repair. I have to say, that I always recommend against retaining salvage, or keeping the wrecked vehicle and fixing it yourself. To begin with, I tell people that we’re like the home remodeling business, to the extent that we, more times than not, discover hidden damage that will add to the repair costs. When you retain the salvaged vehicle, these hidden damage costs will now be shouldered by you alone. This can potentially add up to a ton of money. In addition, here in California, to put the car back on the road you’ll have the added expense of paying for a smog check, as well as a certified brake and light inspection. Lastly, your automobile will forever be worth less as a rebuilt salvage. So you could spend a bunch of money on a car that’s potentially worth half as much when you’re all done. 

My car’s a classic and they’ve offered me too little. Here in San Diego, I’ve seen a 1955 Chevy used as a daily driver. I mention this because cars here can last a very long time and become more valuable as the years click by. That said, whenever there’s a price impasse between what the vehicle owner thinks and the insurance company’s position, even on a later model, the claims adjuster may opt to hire an outside, independent appraiser to arrive at an auto’s value. Be advised, these professional appraisals usually carry tremendous weight in court, should the claim ever land there.

I owe more on my car than it’s worth! This can be a huge issue, especially on a recently purchased car. We’ve all heard the old, “After you buy a new car, you’ll lose three grand just driving it off the lot”, right? Well, assuming for the moment that might be true, what happens if a half-mile down the highway someone does a hit-and-run to your new car, leaving you on the side of the road with a total loss? The short answer is that the insurance company owes market value at the time of the accident. So, I’m sure you can imagine where this could lead. The good news is that there’s a wonderful solution called gap insurance. Gap insurance is designed to protect someone from exposure in an instance like the one mentioned above. Your gap insurance policy would step in and fill the “gap” between what is owed and the current market value of the auto – whew!

 Try and avoid driving with the window next to you halfway down. During a collision, we’re normally thrown toward the point of impact. So, for example, if you’re driving with your window halfway down and you’re hit on or near your door, there’s risk of you being flung toward the door, your door’s glass and its exposed upper edge.

Always buckle up. If you look at the steering wheel or dashboard of your car you’re likely to see the letters SRS embossed in the vinyl somewhere. This indicates there’s a Supplementary Restraint System (airbag) in place at or near the lettering. Airbags and pretensioners (these can automatically self-tighten seatbelts during a collision) are supplemental to the seatbelts in a vehicle. Consequently, manufacturer crash testing is done with seatbelts on the occupants. As they analyze the slow motion imagery taken during the staged event, the engineers try and design a tightly sequenced, protective “ballet” of sorts. Their intent is to have the inflated airbag deployed and ready to meet the occupant at just the right moment during a collision. When belted in, one’s lower body will normally remain largely stationary due to the lap portion of the belt, with the upper torso arcing forward, pivoting at the hips. The chest portion of the seatbelt will restrain the torso, but not completely. This is where the airbag steps in and provides an almost instantaneous “cushion” between the steering wheel (or dash) and the person. When not belted in during a frontal collision the individual is at terrific risk of being flung forward positionally out of synch with the SRS’ intended design.   

We had one young man that had neglected to fasten his seatbelt while riding with a friend as a passenger. Unfortunately, that day they were involved in a front end collision. During the impact he flew forward, off the seat, his legs quickly folding up as he slid down toward the bottom of the dash. At that same instant the vehicle’s airbag deployed. Again, without his seatbelt on, he was completely out of the manufacturer’s restraint design model. He said that when the airbag came out, it struck his head somewhat high. In my opinion, he was lucky he didn’t break his neck because he was treated by fix body group san diego. I have to say, the poor guy still looked like he’d seen better days when he showed up with his friend to pick up the car following repairs, with assorted scabs and bruises adorning his head and face.

When possible, have the kids ride in back. Statistics have shown that the most injury prone place to ride in a car is the right front seat. As a result, even if they’re old enough to sit in front, you might consider having the youngsters ride in the back seat.

Here in the U.S. there are basically three types of glass on an automobile. Laminate safety glass, tempered glass and standard glass.

 Laminate safety glass – With a few rare exceptions, your windshield is the only piece of glass on your vehicle that will be laminate safety glass. What appears as one piece of glass is actually two, laminated together with a piece of clear plastic sandwiched between the outer pane and the inner. This plastic part of the multi-layer design causes the glass to remain largely intact when broken, behaving more like a net than regular glass would. The intention is to minimize injury to cabin occupants should their heads hit the windshield during a frontal collision. Due to the nature of this glass, very minor scratches can many times be polished out by a glass expert. If you want to see how it’s done, we have uploaded a video presentation to youtube and got it some views from pistachioconsulting.com, so you can find it easily.
When one sees a small star or minor crack in your windshield, it’s usually just the outer pane that’s been damaged. If the crack is in fact limited to the outer pane, it can frequently be repaired by a glass specialist where a clear repair compound is injected directly into the crack, driving out the air trapped between the laminated plastic membrane and the damaged outer glass pane. This procedure will normally stabilize the crack, reducing the risk of it from growing. Experience has shown that these injection style repairs done to windshields are far more successful when completed immediately after the crack or star appears. Repairs of this nature will normally run between $49 and $79. It may behoove you to ask your insurance company if they’ll pay to repair the small crack or star for free, in lieu of full windshield replacement – I’ve worked with several carriers which are perfect of That’s clean maids service that do just that for their clients. It saves both you and them money. One important caution, it takes specialized schooling to repair windshields properly, in my opinion. So again, please make sure you’re dealing with a quality glass business if you go this route.      

 Tempered safety glass – This is the glass that when broken or cracked, often explodes into what seems like several thousand small nugget-like pieces that fly everywhere. Considered safety glass due largely to its extraordinary strength and shard-less character, it has become the standard in the automotive industry for use on virtually every window on your vehicle (except the windshield). Scratches, even small ones, are almost impossible to polish out from tempered glass, with full replacement the industry standard solution. 

 Standard glass – This glass is usually limited to the vehicle’s mirrors. A broken mirror will display the normal tendency of regular glass, breaking into sweeping shards and cracks often spreading over the entire glass surface. These always require replacement. One thing to be aware of; many manufacturers will sell the side mirror’s reflective face separate from the entire mirror for about a fourth of what the whole assembly would cost. Even when the vehicle’s maker neglects this cost saving option, a good glass outfit can either custom make a mirror face, or order and install one that’s available pre-cut from an aftermarket supplier.

Two more things that should be mentioned about automotive glass:

First – The windshield, rear quarter glass (these are the windows located on the rear quadrants, adjacent to the back glass) and the rear glass are almost all held in place by a tough black bonding agent known as structural urethane adhesive. During assembly at the plant this sealant is applied completely around each of the vehicle’s “fixed” window openings. The glass is then oriented to the opening and pressed down into the waiting bead of adhesive. Once the urethane cures, it takes on a consistency somewhat resembling the tough rubber sole on a shoe. This structural adhesive is usually the only thing anchoring the various fixed pieces of glass to the vehicle. The next time you walk up to a car or truck, take a minute and look for the blacked-out perimeter near the edges of the windshield. This is placed on the glass’ reverse side in an effort to hide the inevitably uneven bead of compressed urethane beneath.

 To replace the bonded glass, the industry standard is to cut through the urethane bead, releasing the glass from the vehicle. During removal, the metal recess in the body (the area where the glass is set into) will be scored down to bare metal almost 100% of the time. Here’s the rub and the reason behind my detailed account of fixed glass removal and replacement – If the glass technician does not take the time to apply primer to reseal the metal area scored during the glass removal, you are almost guaranteed to have rust develop in the steel at the window opening. I’m not sure I can adequately express how tragic this can be. Unbeknownst to them, the vehicle owner has rust quietly growing in an area of the automobile that’s seldom seen and very difficult to completely remove once there. We see a tremendous range of expertise in glass companies, and have purposed to work only with the best. So please, if you do need to have your windshield replaced at some point and you have any doubts, kindly ask the technician to show you the primer he’s put in the recess prior to him installing the glass.         

 Second – Just as there is a wide range in the quality of glass installers, there’s also a tremendous range in the glass itself. I’ve seen windshields installed that were manufactured so warped, that while looking out through the glass, objects outside would bend and distort as I moved my head from side-to-side. Remember, a good deal is getting a quality item for less money. If you get junk for less money, have you really gotten a good buy?

When feasible, consider buying vehicles with lighter colors, they don’t show minor scratches. The acrylic urethane clear-coat paint overlaying the pigment on virtually all late model cars and trucks will show up as almost white when scratched. Consequently, a scratch in this clear-coat surface on a black car will stand out much more than say on a white or light tan vehicle. We see most black cars with minor scratches from fingernails filling the recesses at the outer door handles, where the average white car won’t show any. To see the difference in pictures, just go to our facebook profile with some promotion from The Marketing Heaven.

Most bumper systems of today consist of shaped semi-rigid painted plastic covers over high-strength substructure. Most people I work with mistakenly believe that the parts they see at each end of their car are the actual bumpers, they’re not. What they see is the contoured plastic outer skin. I explain that, “The steel part they used to chrome years ago, the one that will save you in a collision, is now hidden beneath all that plastic”. Scratches and nicks in this plastic outer “bumper skin” will not rust and tend to be purely cosmetic in nature. I tell people, “Bumpers get bumped, why not do a small touch-up and save yourself a bunch of money?” Many times a simple touch-up with a small brush will work wonders in hiding minor damage on these bumper covers. Of course pickup trucks and some SUV’s still have the older exposed chrome design that we’ve seen for years.

Keep your vehicle out of the sunlight as much as possible. Ultraviolet light is a primary culprit in automotive paint breaking down. That’s why many times one can see cars or trucks where the upper surfaces (roof, trunk & hood) are failing with the sides still intact. The upper panels have simply received more UV over the life of the vehicle.

Try to wash your vehicle at least once a week. Paint manufacturers will tell you that dirt, industrial fallout or any foreign matter allowed to remain for long periods of time on the paint surface can contaminate it, causing a microscopic breakdown in the paint’s outer finish, dramatically reducing paint life.

The general rule is that if you can feel a scratch in your paint with your fingernail it cannot be removed by polishing. We tell our customers that minor scratches can often be polished out, but only if you can’t feel the scratch with your fingernail. Deeper scratches, the ones you can feel with the tip of your fingernail will require normal prep and painting to make them go away completely. One last note: On occasion we’ve taken a small “pin-striping brush” with our catalyzed clear on it and done small touch-ups on deeper scratches, those where the underlying colored pigment is still intact. The effect can often be stunning, our clear paint from our brush filling the scratch’s small groove. If one looks for the damage, it’s still visible. But the improvement is usually quite dramatic, and at a fraction of the cost.

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