Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Car Insurance you can Buy Online


In these days of technology, consumers have the option of buying their car insurance policy online from various quality companies. Buying a policy online is not only convenient, but also comes with added benefits unfamiliar to many.
If you think about it, the internet is the perfect tool for buying auto insurance. You can buy your policy online right from the comfort of your home and when it comes to needing policy service, you can utilize the internet by logging onto your policy management page and making payments, filing claims, creating changes and more.
A few years back, consumers were unfortunate because they did not have internet privileges. Using the internet has opened up many new opportunities for consumers to conduct business online from their home which has led to saving time as well as money.
How to Buy Car Insurance Online

When it comes to car insurance you can buy online, you must first start by getting your rate quotes. When getting your online auto insurance quotes, you will need to have a few pieces of information available such as:
Driver information such as date of births, driving experience and violation or accident data.
Vehicle information such as year, make and model, number of cylinders etc.
Current policy information including effective and expiration dates. (This is required in order to get a prior insurance discount.)
Type of coverage desired including limits of liability and deductibles if requesting comprehensive and collision coverage, commonly referred to as “full coverage”.
Once you have gathered all the required information, visit http://www.OnlineAutoInsurance.com and begin comparing online auto insurance quotes from multiple quality companies such as Progressive, AIG and many more.
Once you choose your company based on price, brand, or any other factor, you have the option to buy your policy online.
OnlineAutoInsurance.com allows you to easily and instantly compare auto insurance rates from different companies by completing one simple form. Additionally, in most states, you can buy your auto insurance policy online and receive instant proof.

Car Insurance: Are you Covered?


The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it.
~Dudley Moore (1935-2002)

Whether you own a unique sports car that you tuck safely in the garage every night or you drive a worn out hand-me-down, the laws in your area probably require you to have car insurance. You'll likely need a certain amount of mandatory coverage with the rest tailor-made to suit your needs.

How does car insurance work?

Generally, the payments or premiums we pay cover the losses of a few. The premiums you pay go into a large pool. Since there are more people contributing to the pool then there are using it, car insurance companies always have enough to cover your claims. In fact, most companies have their own insurance protection in the event that there might be a large surge of claims to cover.

Unlike other forms of insurance, your premiums don't build up over the years. Car insurance runs for a year at a time. One reason for this is so that the providers can keep track of annual premium payout needs. Insuring companies collect a lot of data about drivers and vehicles.

What does car insurance cover?

Property coverage: Although not usually required by law, it's wise to have property coverage. Car insurance property coverage can pay for damage from accidents, theft and fire.

Liability coverage: This area of your policy covers the cost of injuries to others or damage to another vehicle.

Medical coverage: A serious car accident can mean long-term rehabilitation. You might want your car insurance policy to include coverage for lost wages and funeral expenses.

It's important to read over your car insurance contract to know what losses you would be entitled to claim for. Have your representative explain things to you and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Car insurance costs

What sort of things will affect the cost of your coverage? Location, for one. If you live in an area that is mountainous or has severe weather conditions throughout the year, your car insurance may cost you more. Just ask any young driver- they know that driving history plays a large role in determining costs. The good news is that if you go through the year without making any accident claims you could qualify to receive safe driving discounts the following year.

There are some practical steps you can take to lower your premium costs. Most car insurance companies will reward drivers who use anti-theft devices. Having an alarm or immobilizer installed could help. Another step you could take involves claim deductibles. The deductible amount is the amount the driver is responsible for on a claim. If you are willing to increase this amount, your payments will be lower.

Some companies offer lower rates for new customers. If you are in the habit of always using the same car insurance broker, why not look into signing on with a competitor? There is always a bit of flexibility in premium rates. Just remember, if you are ever in an accident you'll be glad to have the coverage

Best Used Cars Are Easy To Find Online!



If you are intent on finding the best used cars dealers then you need to follow some basic advice. It is very easy to be seduced by slick salesmen, fancy advertising, and large lots of good looking used cars, but this doesn't mean that you are going to get a good deal.

Used cars dealers are governed by a standard which is set by the Federal Trade Commission. This applies through all states of the US except Maine and Wisconsin who have their own used cars laws. You are deemed a used cars dealer if you sell more than five vehicles over a 12 month period.

The used cars dealers have a responsibility to display a buyer's guide on all of their vehicles for sale. This has to be in a prominent position and ideally should be posted alongside the 'for sale' sign. This information is now required by law and offers information aimed at protecting the buying from unscrupulous dealers.

The guide serves another purpose and that is to provide the full details of the used cars dealer should they be required some time in the future. There is a section set aside in the back of the guide for this information. By filling this section in, the used cars dealer is showing that he is fully accountable, which builds great credibility and customer relations.

The buyer's guide is primarily to inform the buyer of a number of very important issues related to the purchase. This follows the guidelines of the National Automobile Dealers Association. Some of the points covered are: Whether the vehicle comes with a warranty or not; What other services the car dealer can offer; Any promises which must be put into writing; What type of mechanical and electrical system the car has; A request that the buyer has an independent mechanic inspect the car before purchase.

A used car by definition is one that has been previously titled before. This covers all vehicles whether commercial or for private use, and also includes dealer's demonstrator cars and program cars. The information about the car must be displayed on the vehicle before it is advertised for sale.

Finding the best used cars online may be a little easier. Quite often the dealers organize themselves as one group where a potential buyer could actually go online thru the group's website. This is one way of easily finding the best used car dealers and the best used cars for sale that the buyer wants.

By providing the specifications of the desired car such as the model, color and price, the desired car specifications are immediately forwarded to the different members of the used car dealer networks. Those dealers that can possibly provide the requirement are contacted and linked to the buyer. This makes communication and negotiation between the buyers and used car dealers easy and efficient.

One advantage of dealing with a network of dealers is the assurance that member dealers are legitimate and do have a used cars dealers license. They are obliged to come up with the necessary documentation, paperwork, manufacture warranty, and other licenses. Finding the best used cars dealers may allow you the benefit of haggling for a lower and better price.

After doing some searching, the buyer can visit the dealer and haggle with the price quote initially shown on the website or in the shop itself. Though it may be shown for the public, the buyer can still negotiate for a lower price. The dealer is also expected to provide the buyer with a copy of the warranty.

Rolls-Royce's baby scooped


BMW has started testing its new baby Rolls-Royce – and our spies were on hand to capture the moment this mule took to the roads around Munich. Size is relative, of course; this might be the smallest Rolls for generations, but it will still dwarf the majority of cars on the road.
Nestling under the disguise of this long-wheelbase 7-series lie the innards of the baby Roller, codenamed New Generation Saloon. The smaller Rolls will slot beneath the Phantom uber-saloon in the range and officials talk of it as ‘a Silver Shadow for the 21st century’. Strip away the BM bodywork, and the baby Rolls will look like the car depicted in our artist’s impression above.
Classic four-door proportions
CAR Online understands the NGS has a classic four-door silhouette that stretches to five-and-a-half metres long. Even Rolls-Royce owners downsizing won’t put up with cramped cabin conditions after all. Will it have the suicide – sorry, coach – doors so beloved of £265,000 Phantom owners? Nobody is certain yet, but it seems likely if customers are to be lured out of their top-spec BMWs, Mercedes and Bentleys.
Analysis of our exclusive scoop shots reveals a platform whose track is noticeably wider than a 7-series’, and the raised ride height is another indicator of what lies beneath this BM body. Check out the size of the brake discs too – required to halt a couple of tonnes of luxury car. The unknown at this stage is the material used to build the NGS; the Phantom’s aluminium spaceframe could be deemed too expensive for the smaller, more affordable car.
Many of the next-gen 7-series’ underpinnings will be used on the secret new Rolls-Royce, and a BMW-derived V12 is likely to provide the propulsion. In the longer run, we’d expect the British luxury brand to dip into parent firm BMW’s hybrid technology; not that Rolls-Royce owners worry unduly about their fuel bills - but they do worry about what people say about them. Even the world’s most exclusive uber-brands will need to face up to their environmental responsibilities in the 21st century.
Inside the baby Rolls
The inside will be as luxurious as you’d expect of a Rolls-Royce; the company’s artisans employ know-how and materials from the world of yachts and bespoke furniture to craft the sumptuous cabin of the Phantom. We hear there will be a high level of pampering in the smaller Rolls, with quality wood, soft hide and opulent paint choices aplenty.
But the NGS is aimed at a younger buyer than the Phantom, so this cabin will be available with much high-tech gadgetry. Expect radar-based cruise control, auto-shutting doors and fibre optic headlining for that star-studded sky effect, and there will be a new generation of digital read-out screens that are immune from bright sunlight and problems with shadows.
Baby Rolls: the timeframe
Expect a concept car to hail from Rolls’ Goodwood HQ at some point later in 2008 or, more likely, in 2009. This year the company is busy concentrating on the new Phantom Coupe which launches at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, and the smaller car won’t arrive in production form until late 2009.
Prices aren’t fixed yet, but the baby Rolls-Royce won’t wear a truly bargain price. It will be significantly cheaper than the quarter-million pound Phantom and its £307,000 Drophead Coupe convertible sibling – but we’re still talking about an entry price of some £175,000.
But when it does finally go on sale it should swell the production figures at Goodwood significantly, with BMW targeting around 2000 units a year. A second assembly line is being installed to cope with the upshift.
Ten years after BMW bought Britain’s most prestigious car company, it seems that Rolls-Royce is finally getting into its stride
source:http://www.carmagazine.co.uk

How get cheap auto insurance quotes and save money?



Comparison site auto insurance is by far the quickest and easiest way to find a cheap insurance rate quote.

For reception of the answer from the insurance company you should fill the questionnaire with your insurance, history and quantity of insurance which you want.

We require protection against risk, accidents and unforeseen circumstances operating the car, therefore we should count on a good covering of insurance which guarantees us safety.

Who wants to spend a well-being on insurance premiums?

You need to be knowledgeable about the steps you can take to help ensure that you are eligible for the lowest cheap auto insurance rates possible. In addition, you need to know how to locate the insurance companies that offer cheap automobiles insurance and compare available rates.

Automobile insurance should not cost you of well-being. For this purpose you should choose a way on which you can save money for your insurance and find cheap automobile insurance. You only should spend a few time for detection of cheap insurance, carrying out sequence of steps:

1. Choose your automobile insurance company wisely.

2. Make sure that it safely.

3. Learn opinion of friends and independent sources concerning the chosen insurance company.

4. Make sure available licenses of the chosen auto insurance company.

5. Ask about all auto insurance discounts.

6. Familiarize with conditions and a policy of the company of auto insurance chosen by you.

7. Purchase the minimum liability auto insurance policy. The choice of the minimal policy of auto insurance is effective way of reception of cheap auto insurance for your budget.

8. Raise your auto insurance deductible. I lift your deductible, you should pay more in case of damage or involving in a road accident, but automobile insurance payments will be cheaper, than at lower deductible.

9. You can lower your insurance payment establishing anticreeping devices.

10. The latent items and expenses are hidden in the cheap scheme of auto insurance. The latent expenses can influence cost of the auto insurance chosen by you.

11. Give the exact information on you as it will influence cost of received auto insurance.

12. Car that is popular with thieves or is expensive to repair will cost more to insure.

If you can find an insurance company who will combine car insurance along with perhaps family insurance, home insurance, boat insurance, life insurance and e.t.c., you may save a large amount of money. It should be studied at a choice of the insurance company, packaging policies makes things cheaper and easier to manage.

Using you can save this information more on insurance of your car, but it is necessary to remember that the best auto policy for you probably not the cheapest.

How Car Steering Works -4



The Future of Power Steering
The Future of Power Steering
Since the power-steering pump on most cars today runs constantly, pumping fluid all the time, it wastes horsepower. This wasted power translates into wasted fuel.
You can expect to see several innovations that will improve fuel economy. One of the coolest ideas on the drawing board is the "steer-by-wire" or "drive-by-wire" system. These systems would completely eliminate the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering, replacing it with a purely electronic control system. Essentially, the steering wheel would work like the one you can buy for your home computer to play games. It would contain sensors that tell the car what the driver is doing with the wheel, and have some motors in it to provide the driver with feedback on what the car is doing. The output of these sensors would be used to control a motorized steering system. This would free up space in the engine compartment by eliminating the steering shaft. It would also reduce vibration inside the car.

General Motors has introduced a concept car, the Hy-wire, that features this type of driving system. One of the most exciting things about the drive-by-wire system in the GM Hy-wire is that you can fine-tune vehicle handling without changing anything in the car's mechanical components -- all it takes to adjust the steering is some new computer software. In future drive-by-wire vehicles, you will most likely be able to configure the controls exactly to your liking by pressing a few buttons, just like you might adjust the seat position in a car today. It would also be possible in this sort of system to store distinct control preferences for each driver in the family.

In the past fifty years, car steering systems haven't changed much. But in the next decade, we'll see advances in car steering that will result in more efficient cars and a more comfortable ride.

How Car Steering Works -3




Power Steering
There are a couple of key components in power steering in addition to the rack-and-pinion or recirculating-ball mechanism.
Pump
The hydraulic power for the steering is provided by a rotary-vane pump (see diagram below). This pump is driven by the car's engine via a belt and pulley. It contains a set of retractable vanes that spin inside an oval chamber.
As the vanes spin, they pull hydraulic fluid from the return line at low pressure and force it into the outlet at high pressure. The amount of flow provided by the pump depends on the car's engine speed. The pump must be designed to provide adequate flow when the engine is idling. As a result, the pump moves much more fluid than necessary when the engine is running at faster speeds.
The pump contains a pressure-relief valve to make sure that the pressure does not get too high, especially at high engine speeds when so much fluid is being pumped.
Rotary Valve
A power-steering system should assist the driver only when he is exerting force on the steering wheel (such as when starting a turn). When the driver is not exerting force (such as when driving in a straight line), the system shouldn't provide any assist. The device that senses the force on the steering wheel is called the rotary valve.
The key to the rotary valve is a torsion bar. The torsion bar is a thin rod of metal that twists when torque is applied to it. The top of the bar is connected to the steering wheel, and the bottom of the bar is connected to the pinion or worm gear (which turns the wheels), so the amount of torque in the torsion bar is equal to the amount of torque the driver is using to turn the wheels. The more torque the driver uses to turn the wheels, the more the bar twists.

The input from the steering shaft forms the inner part of a spool-valve assembly. It also connects to the top end of the torsion bar. The bottom of the torsion bar connects to the outer part of the spool valve. The torsion bar also turns the output of the steering gear, connecting to either the pinion gear or the worm gear depending on which type of steering the car has.

As the bar twists, it rotates the inside of the spool valve relative to the outside. Since the inner part of the spool valve is also connected to the steering shaft (and therefore to the steering wheel), the amount of rotation between the inner and outer parts of the spool valve depends on how much torque the driver applies to the steering wheel.

Animation showing what happens inside the rotary valve when you first start to turn the steering wheel
When the steering wheel is not being turned, both hydraulic lines provide the same amount of pressure to the steering gear. But if the spool valve is turned one way or the other, ports open up to provide high-pressure fluid to the appropriate line.

It turns out that this type of power-steering system is pretty inefficient. Let's take a look at some advances we'll see in coming years that will help improve efficiency.

How Car Steering Works -2



Recirculating-ball Steering
Recirculating-ball steering is used on many trucks and SUVs today. The linkage that turns the wheels is slightly different than on a rack-and-pinion system.
The recirculating-ball steering gear contains a worm gear. You can image the gear in two parts. The first part is a block of metal with a threaded hole in it. This block has gear teeth cut into the outside of it, which engage a gear that moves the pitman arm (see diagram above). The steering wheel connects to a threaded rod, similar to a bolt, that sticks into the hole in the block. When the steering wheel turns, it turns the bolt. Instead of twisting further into the block the way a regular bolt would, this bolt is held fixed so that when it spins, it moves the block, which moves the gear that turns the wheels.
Instead of the bolt directly engaging the threads in the block, all of the threads are filled with ball bearings that recirculate through the gear as it turns. The balls actually serve two purposes: First, they reduce friction and wear in the gear; second, they reduce slop in the gear. Slop would be felt when you change the direction of the steering wheel -- without the balls in the steering gear, the teeth would come out of contact with each other for a moment, making the steering wheel feel loose.
Power steering in a recirculating-ball system works similarly to a rack-and-pinion system. Assist is provided by supplying higher-pressure fluid to one side of the block.
Now let's take a look at the other components that make up a power-steering system.

How Car Steering Works -1




You know that when you turn the steering wheel in your car, the wheels turn. Cause and effect, right? But a lot of interesting stuff goes on between the steering wheel and the tires to make this happen.
In this article, we'll see how the two most common types of car steering systems work: rack-and-pinion and recirculating-ball steering. Then we'll examine power steering and find out about some interesting future developments in steering systems, driven mostly by the need to increase the fuel efficiency of cars. But first, let's see what you have to do turn a car. It's not quite as simple as you might think!
Turning the Car
You might be surprised to learn that when you turn your car, your front wheels are not pointing in the same direction.
For a car to turn smoothly, each wheel must follow a different circle. Since the inside wheel is following a circle with a smaller radius, it is actually making a tighter turn than the outside wheel. If you draw a line perpendicular to each wheel, the lines will intersect at the center point of the turn. The geometry of the steering linkage makes the inside wheel turn more than the outside wheel.
There are a couple different types of steering gears. The most common are rack-and-pinion and recirculating ball
Rack-and-pinion Steering
Rack-and-pinion steering is quickly becoming the most common type of steering on cars, small trucks and SUVs. It is actually a pretty simple mechanism. A rack-and-pinion gearset is enclosed in a metal tube, with each end of the rack protruding from the tube. A rod, called a tie rod, connects to each end of the rack.
The pinion gear is attached to the steering shaft. When you turn the steering wheel, the gear spins, moving the rack. The tie rod at each end of the rack connects to the steering arm on the spindle (see diagram above).
The rack-and-pinion gearset does two things:

It converts the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion needed to turn the wheels.
It provides a gear reduction, making it easier to turn the wheels.
On most cars, it takes three to four complete revolutions of the steering wheel to make the wheels turn from lock to lock (from far left to far right).


The steering ratio is the ratio of how far you turn the steering wheel to how far the wheels turn. For instance, if one complete revolution (360 degrees) of the steering wheel results in the wheels of the car turning 20 degrees, then the steering ratio is 360 divided by 20, or 18:1. A higher ratio means that you have to turn the steering wheel more to get the wheels to turn a given distance. However, less effort is required because of the higher gear ratio.

Generally, lighter, sportier cars have lower steering ratios than larger cars and trucks. The lower ratio gives the steering a quicker response -- you don't have to turn the steering wheel as much to get the wheels to turn a given distance -- which is a desirable trait in sports cars. These smaller cars are light enough that even with the lower ratio, the effort required to turn the steering wheel is not excessive.
Some cars have variable-ratio steering, which uses a rack-and-pinion gearset that has a different tooth pitch (number of teeth per inch) in the center than it has on the outside. This makes the car respond quickly when starting a turn (the rack is near the center), and also reduces effort near the wheel's turning limits.

Power Rack-and-pinion
When the rack-and-pinion is in a power-steering system, the rack has a slightly different design.
Part of the rack contains a cylinder with a piston in the middle. The piston is connected to the rack. There are two fluid ports, one on either side of the piston. Supplying higher-pressure fluid to one side of the piston forces the piston to move, which in turn moves the rack, providing the power assist.
We'll check out the components that provide the high-pressure fluid, as well as decide which side of the rack to supply it to, later in the article. First, let's take a look at another type of steering.

18 Simple Ways To Save Money On Your Car



After you get recommendations for honest mechanics, call around to check out the prices for certain jobs. It’s always smart to get a second opinion.

How about some preventative medicine? Keep your gas tank filled. This will help you avoid the gas line freezing up in cold weather. Also, driving on “fumes” allows little pieces of dirt at the bottom of your gas tank to run through the fuel lines with the last drops of gas. This debris clogs up the fuel filter and can cause carburettor damage as well.

Sometimes a problem with your car’s electrical system results from a simple blown fuse. Check to see if you have any blown fuses before investing in a tow truck! Keep track of how much oil your car uses. A sudden change in oil consumption means you need to see a technician. Save your brakes by having your brake fluid changed every 30,000 miles. Check your tire pressure once a month. This simple maintenance check can add up savings at the gas pump!

Stop and go traffic causes excess wear and tear on your vehicle. Go ahead and give your car a nice twenty minute ride at 55 mph on the highway every couple weeks if you “major” in short trips.

There are other ways to save money on car expenses. Let’s look at the insurance payments.

If you’ve budgeted for possible out-of-pocket expenses in case of a car accident, you might want to consider increasing your insurance deductible to $500. This will lower the cost of your insurance.

Talk to your insurance agent. If your car is as old as the hills, you might want to drop collision coverage to save money.

Car insurance companies offer a variety of discounts. Ask your agent if the company offers reductions for driver training courses, anti-lock brakes, car alarms, air bags, mature drivers, good students or maintaining a good driving record.

Before you purchase from a dealer, ask about the dealer's return policy, get it in writing and read it carefully. Dealers are not required by law to give used car buyers a three-day right to cancel.

Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.

In most cases, using cruise control on the highway will save gas.

Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. This isn’t going to cost you an arm or leg either.

Do your homework when buying a car from an auction. Many vehicles that have been damaged by floods and hurricanes are going on the market. These won’t last long – leaving you with a flood of bills. Be a little concerned if the carpet looks too new, and check carefully for signs of rust.

If you use your car for business, keep track of miles travelled so that you can use this for a tax deduction. Get more info at irs.gov.

When you consider all the ways you can save money on your current vehicle, you might be persuaded to put away the extra each month for a new car down the road!

Hybrid Cars



The cars of the future? No doubt about it.

A lot of people are unable to come to terms with the fact that we, on a global basis, are running out of oil in such significant quantities that are used at present, particularly in the US. Whilst the rest of the world has often had to pay a lot for their fuel, the US has been cosseted by the politicians and American oil producers to ensure an uninterrupted flow of cheap gas for the gas-guzzling cars produced in that country.

Various “oil reserves” are left both in the US and all over the world, but you don’t have to be very good at mathematics to work out that this is not a sustainable commodity and has a finite future in terms of major usage.

The Hybrid car has been developed all over the world to counteract the blindness of the oil “barons and conglomerates” who seem to wish for short term profits as opposed to long term solutions to the Energy Crises.

It has been very easy in the US, with cheap gas in the service stations, to ignore the future. However new technology is at last being financed, particularly in countries who cannot afford large quantities of what is now very expensive oil on the World Markets, to use alternative and preferably renewable sources of energy.

Agricultural commodities are the obvious sources initially, transferring the sun’s energy, by photosynthesis into plant forms from which one can extract alcohol to fuel either electric generators or indeed cars.

Solar power can drive cars. At a recent competition a solar powered car ran for over 1000 miles.

Hybrid cars are, as their name suggests, half way in between using oil products and other mediums for propulsion. Whilst a lot of countries are moving to LPG (liquid petroleum gas) this is also an exhaustible commodity in the long term. Methane from such things as cow dung is only exhaustible if the cow has nothing to eat. Middle Eastern people and many other civilisations have been using this fuel for thousands of years, and still do. The methane, once captured, propels many farmers’ cars particularly in England.

How Car Alarms Work



The first documented case of car theft was in 1896, only a decade after gas-powered cars were first introduced. From that early era to today, cars have been a natural target for thieves: They are valuable, reasonably easy to resell and they have a built-in getaway system. Some studies claim that a car gets broken into every 20 seconds in the United States alone.
In light of this startling statistic, it's not surprising that millions of Americans have invested in expensive alarm systems. Today, it seems like every other car is equipped with sophisticated electronic sensors, blaring sirens and remote-activation systems. These cars are high-security fortresses on wheels!

In this article, we'll look at modern car alarms to find out what they do and how they do it. It's amazing how elaborate modern car alarms are, but it's even more remarkable that car thieves still find a way to get past them.

The Basics
If you want to think about a car alarm in its simplest form, it is nothing but one or more sensors connected to some sort of siren. The very simplest alarm would have a switch on the driver's door, and it would be wired so that if someone opened the door the siren would start wailing. You could implement this car alarm with a switch, a couple of pieces of wire and a siren.

Most modern car alarm systems are much more sophisticated than this. They consist of:

An array of sensors that can include switches, pressure sensors and motion detectors
A siren, often able to create a variety of sounds so that you can pick a distinct sound for your car
A radio receiver to allow wireless control from a key fob
An auxiliary battery so that the alarm can operate even if the main battery gets disconnected
A computer control unit that monitors everything and sounds the alarm -- the "brain" of the system
The brain in most advanced systems is actually a small computer. The brain's job is to close the switches that activate alarm devices -- your horn, headlights or an installed siren -- when certain switches that power sensing devices are opened or closed. Security systems differ mainly in which sensors are used and how the various devices are wired into the brain.

The brain and alarm features may be wired to the car's main battery, but they usually have a backup power source as well. This hidden battery kicks in when somebody cuts off the main power source (by clipping the battery cables, for example). Since cutting the power is a possible indication of an intruder, it triggers the brain to sound the alarm.

In the following sections, we'll look at a variety of sensors to see how they work and how they are connected to the alarm system's brain.

The Advantages of Gasoline Electric Hybrid Cars over Conventional


You may wonder why hybrid cars are gaining popularity all over the United States, but you should consider that hybrid cars can definitely give you a lot more benefits than conventional cars.

Hybrid cars can cost a lot more than conventional cars in terms of retail price. However, if you think in a long-term basis, hybrid cars will tend to be a lot cheaper than you can imagine. Hybrid cars are the next generation cars now available in the market that will enable you to save lots of money by getting more miles on a gallon.

Because of the constantly increasing price of gasoline, many people tend to purchase hybrid cars in order to save money on gasoline. Just imagine, a hybrid car will be able to cut fuel consumption in half compared to conventional cars. As you can imagine, you will save a lot more money in the long run. What you pay for the hybrid car will be worth it. This is because conventional cars will tend to be more expensive in the long run.

Hybrid cars use both gasoline and the cleanest energy source available, which is electricity. It also has smaller gasoline engines, built with light materials and is designed to be aerodynamic to reduce drag in order to give you the full efficiency potential.

Hybrid cars work by utilizing both the gasoline-powered engine and the electric motor to run the car. When the car is running idle or when it is not in motion but the engine is running, it automatically switches off the gasoline engine and the car will run on electric power. Once you stepped on the accelerator pedal, the hybrid car will automatically turn on the gas engine again. With this concept, you won't spend a lot of fuel when you are trapped in a gridlock. Also, when the car is in motion, the electric motor and the gasoline engine will share the propulsion.

Another great advantage of gasoline-electric cars or hybrid cars is that it runs on clean energy. It has been found that hybrid cars emit far lower toxic fumes than conventional cars. Also, since it runs on a small gasoline engine and an electric motor, it is far quieter than conventional cars. This means that it can effectively help in reducing air pollution and noise as well.

Hybrid cars don’t need to be plugged in like electric cars to recharge. This is because the batteries are charged when the car itself is running or when the car is braking.

Recently, the President of the United States has signed an agreement in 2005 that states tax incentives for hybrid car buyers. This means that when you purchase a hybrid car, you will get huge tax relief depending on the hybrid car you purchase. It will depend on the amount of fuel it can save compared to a conventional car made in 2002 with the same weight class.

With all these benefits, gasoline-electric cars or hybrid cars is definitely the car of choice in today's world. You will never be affected with constant oil price hikes and erratic movement in prices in the fuel industry.

With hybrid cars, you can benefit a lot more than you can imagine.