Buy a used engine, not a new car!

By: Ronnie Tanner

Today, people everyday are purchasing either a new or used car to replace an older one that may have had previous problems with the engine. Buying a used engine is a great alternative to getting into a new car note but it can be risky business if you don't know what to look for. One of the things that makes it so risky is the fact that there is no legal requirement to maintain the engine to any standard, or to keep any kind of accurate log.

So the first thing to look for some kind of service record on the engine or a Car-Fax statement showing the mileage as listed by the DMV. If it's not there, the engine might not be what you think you are getting. I see at least one engine every month that was bought used and was misrepresented as being much fresher than what it actually was. Nearly every such case, the buyer was told that the engine had just been "rebuilt", or that it has only been "broken in." In actuality the engine had over 100K miles and had been sitting in the rain for 2 years rusted up solid.

"Rebuilt" is a relative term, and should not be relied on as an indication of quality unless there is a detailed service record describing exactly what was done with the engine and when it was done. The service records that get sent back with one of my rebuilds is usually about 2 - 3 pages single spaced, and every little detail of the engine service is in there. Without that kind of records, "rebuilt" could mean new seals and gaskets, or it could mean new crank, pistons, bearings, seals, and gaskets. That is a big difference.

Just be sure to find out if paperwork comes with a rebuilt engine and find out who did the rebuild and see if that is a reputable company.

Something else to consider when buying a used or rebuilt engine:

The age in years of the engine: If the engine is 10 years old make sure you don't get a quote as if it had 20,000 miles on it as this is highly unlikely. Consider the number of years old x 12K miles per year. Also, find out how long its been sitting, compression tests if possible and a car-fax certification on the VIN. If the engine has not been ran in a while be sure to ask them to start before sending it. Even on an engine that is ran, if it's not ran a few miles per year, there is too much down time and pistons can lock up etc.

Additionally do a check up of the company you are buying from. I'm not suggesting going on a witch hunt to see if they have every had a complaint but maybe check the Better Business Bureau to see if they have a satisfactory record. This just means that though they get complaints (what business doesn't) they handle them according to BBB standards which, by the way, are fairly stringent. You just can't go around selling junk engines and get away with it for long.

Overall buying a used engine is definitely the way to go before you replace your car unless the cost of the engine is more than the value of the car if sold. That is where I suggest you to purchase something new.

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Ronnie Tanner has been in the used engine industry now for over 5 years specializing in the sale of Chevy Engines, Ford Engines and Used Honda Engines.

The Skinny on Exhaust

By: Spool

So let’s imagine that you and your significant other just finished a bottle of wine... Now take a look at the bottle and let’s imagine that the more part under the skinny neck (you not the bigger part) is the motor of an engine. Now you see all that air stored in the bottom part of the bottle, that’s engine exhaust. Well what are you waiting for, take all that air that the engine has and push out the thin little neck. That is what the engine is trying to do every time one revolution of the engine goes through and then your engine is idling at 2,000 rpm. Yes that is revolutions per minute.
I was trying to get a point across and I don’t know if I did. For every one revolution your engine goes through, it takes air and fuel, ignites it and the left over, carbon dioxide, is expelled. So as a professional in the field of performance accessories, I can say: A stock exhaust is not made for optimal performance. Well you can’t really blame the automobile producers. They have to worry about noise and pollution (which are mandatory by laws); cost of producing millions of each individual component, the list is endless.
So the answer is a better performing exhaust by a reputable company. Now let’s say that you take that bottle of wine we were talking about previously and put an imaginary performance "muffler" at the end. Well you got the exhaust sounding pretty good, but there is still bottle neck (no pun intended) in the process. You can expect to get a couple of HP (horsepower) on to your auto or truck but without widening up all of the exhaust, you really won’t get a measurable increase in power. At least not one you will feel when you mash down on the gas, not that we do that in public streets Mr. Police.
Now this is really a small portion of performance and in particular exhaust systems. In reality we can write full books on these and there are. So if you want to dig deeper into this you should get a hold of a reputable performance oriented shop and ask, ask, ask. Especially since everyone has their own opinion. At Spool Motorsports.com we are always happy to answer questions, give advice and sell you the best products for your auto or truck... just give us a shout.

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Spool Motorsports.com specilizes in auto accessories and performance products. We are here to help you in all aspects of the automotive performance and accessories industry. Come join us on: www.spoolmotorsports.com

Finding Value in Low Cost Car Insurance

By: Jon A

If you are like most people, you hate paying more for car insurance, even if it is classified as low cost car insurance, then you have to. In fact, no matter what product or service it is, you don't want to pay more for it.

Now keep in mind there is a fine line between the value of your time and finding the best deal, and only you can make that determination. You could potentially spend months or even years trying to analyze the last nickel's worth of premium charges on your insurance quote, but at what cost? Your time should not be considered free, because there are other things you probably could and should be doing.

The very first thing you need to do is shop around. Just because you have been with the same brand name agency for a number of years has no bearing on it. It could be that they have been overcharging you for a number of years because you do very little if any comparison shopping. And the comparison shopping is something you should do on a regular basis, probably about once a year. Just because you found the best deal two or three years ago does not mean that it is still the best deal in today's world.

The next thing you need to do is find out what is mandatory in your state and what is optional. This is for state mandated coverages as well as coverage that you want to have, or may be required by your finance company. For example, your state may require that you carry at least $250,000 in liability coverage, so if a particular policy does not have that much coverage, find out what the cost of that policy is if you bump it up to at least that number, and then compare again. As another example, if your car is not paid off in full, your finance company almost certainly requires that you carry collision insurance coverage on it.

There are many more places you need to look in order to make sure that you are really comparing apples to apples when you are comparing car insurance quotes. For example, if one policy has a liability coverage up to $300,000 and another one has that same coverage up to $30,000, guess which one will be cheaper and why?

Speaking of collision coverage, this is probably one of the most expensive type of coverage you can get, but it can be worth it if you are in an accident or even a relatively minor fender bender. But one of the things that drastically affects how much this will cost you is your deductible. This defines the amount of money that you will need to pay out of your pocket if you make a claim for collision. The overall cost of the insurance policy may be up to three times as much if you elect to go with a $100 collision deductible rather than a $500 deductible.

Lastly, do not be afraid to shop online. There are many quality car insurance companies that quote policies low cost car insurance online and they can be quite aggressively priced. But the bottom line is to be sure to shop around, because if you aren't, chances are good that you are throwing money out the window on your car insurance.

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For more insights and additional information about finding Low Cost Car Insurance as well as getting a very competitive online quote, please visit our web site at www.tips-for-car-insurance.com