Automotive2you.com

Everything is negotiable, it just comes down to if you want to put forth the effort to negotiate. In my life I have owned no less than 15 cars , that means car repairs. When your car is in the shop for repairs it’s a unique situation, you have no control or true knowledge of what REALLY is needed and what isn’t. There have been several ”special reports” on news programs with undercover cameras showing mechanics damaging or lying to customers about repairs that are needed. The fact that it is even possible creates a situation that should also be taken advantage of by the consumer. Chances are pretty good that your mechanic is over charging you for something, if you take a good look at your invoice after you have had a major repair it has to be somewhat of a surprise that the gizmo that controls your anti lock brakes is $1700.00. There has to be a huge mark-up on the price of an item that is a must have, and you can only get it from the dealer.

Car repairs can be negotiated just like anything else, more so even. Your mechanic or service manager at the dealer, knows for a fact that you are being over charged, that means that all you have to do is ask for a discount. If your mechanic is worth his salt he calls you before he does any work on your car, that is when the negotiation should start. When your mechanic tells you that you need a new “flex capacitor” and it cost around $800, your first reaction should be “Can you give me a better price?”
Or better yet “Can you do it for $700” . You need to make it clear from the very beginning that you want a discount. A ten percent discount is always a good starting point, you are only trying to get a small discount, which is better than nothing. The biggest mistake you can make is to wait until your car repair is finished. At that point he basically is holding your car hostage until you pay him, so that means he is in full control of the negotiation. The very little control we do have is before any work is done, because we still have the ability to say no thanks I’ll take it somewhere else.

Most people want a discount, but most people don’t like negotiating. Let’s face it, it’s not for everybody. The reason car repair is set up for negotiation is because your mechanic or service manager knows that he can give you a discount but he certainly is not going to offer it. You’ll be surprised to see how easy they will give you 10% just for asking. The next time your you need a car repair follow these steps to get a 10% discount::

1. Make sure you tell the service manager or mechanic to call you BEFORE he does any work to your car.

2. Always ask for an estimate when he tells you what repairs you need.

3. What ever amount he says, ask for at least for a 10% discount. It’s much better saying a specific price instead of 10%, so make sure you have your math ready.

That’s it. No one said it was complicated, you just have to be willing to ask. Your’e going to be surprised how easy it is, and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Now take your 10% and do something for yourself,…. you earned it.

ClickForInfo.net

Todd C. Robinson is webmaster for ClickForInfo.net ClickForInfo.net

Having a wind-powered car would be the ultimate alternative energy car indeed. In fact like a sailboat it would need little if any power, now that would be the ticket. And there are land sails, which can cruise at high rates of speed across a flat desert lakebed and perhaps you have seen pictures of these? If not this ought to refresh your memory:

island-temptations.com/old/spring05/images/land_01.jpg island-temptations.com/old/spring05/images/land_01.jpg

So although this is not exactly you average SUV you can see the theory of how it could work. Now one think tank online has challenged its members to come up with a wind-powered car and one member states;

“There was always one issue I couldn’t get around, which was having this car work in flat terrain places like a plain or outback area, where there is no, or very little wind most seasons. You would need an alternate primary power source to kick-start the wind buildup.”

Indeed this would make sense because sometimes the air is totally calm and then what? You go nowhere fast right? Well, maybe not for instance if the sail car or wind car had batteries and could charge another way and then work off the batteries when there was no wind. Going down hills and breaking it could charge the battery. Some in the think tank suggested a solar power battery charging unit, others though perhaps another alternative energy source and still another suggests a heat exchanger collector type system as he states;

“You could use infrared collectors to kick-start the vehicle and gain power from thin air. This being especially advantageous since the sun shines more often in plain flats. Then store that power for usage during daytime (if needed) and the nighttime, where infrared is (at this point) less harvestable beaming off the moon, instead of the sun.”

Well although there would be only small amounts of energy collected in this manner, never the less it is energy and thus is one way to charge the batteries up a little more. Which would be the primary key to making a wind-car work, keeping the batteries charged that is. It was further stated;

“So you have the wind as a primary power, and you have the backup primary power as well. These resources are harvested from the sun and the air, which are two eco-friendly ways to get around. Both of which are readily available for usage.”

Indeed there are no simple solutions to making a wind-powered car, but the challenge is out there if you dare to explore and think. Perhaps someday we may see wind-powered cars to help us cut down on our dependence on foreign oil. Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/