RT —
14
uto care
By GREGG HOWARD
Copley News Service
Of all the hazards and perils of
life that threaten your fortune and
possessions, probably none is more
constant nor greater than the
chance of having an accident with
your car, according to Nancy Gal-
onka of the Insurance Information
Institute of New York.
“Motor vehicles maim, they Kill,
they destroy houses, wipe out fami-
lies and even disrupt businesses.
Even the most innocent of trips can
end in an accident that triggers
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
claims against you or your estate,”
she said.
Since driving is not a luxury, but
a necessity, in many areas of the
country, people have to determine
how to make the risks associated
with driving as minimal as possible.
And the easiest and best way to do
this is to have automobile insur-
ance, Golonka said.
According to the pamphlet Auto
Insurance Basics, published by the
institute, insurance basically covers
six areas:
— Bodily injury liability provides
money to pay claims against you
and the cost of your legal defense if
your car injures or kills someone.
— Property damage liability pro-
vides money to pay claims and
defense costs if your car damages
the property of others.
— Medical payments insurance
pays medical expenses resulting
from accidental injuries. It covers
you and your family as well as
other passengers in your car.
— Uninsured motorists protection
pays for injuries caused by an
uninsured or a hit-and-run driver.
— Collision insurance pays for
damage to your car resulting from
a collision or from overturning.
— Comprehensive physical
damage insurance pays for dam-
ages when your car is stolen or
damaged by fire, flooding, hail or
other perils, but not when it is
overturned.
Before selecting an insurance
policy, decide which coverages you
need. Here are some points to consi-
der:
— Your financial responsibility.
Every driver has a responsibility
not only for driving in a safe
manner, but also for injuries or
damages he might cause. Most
states have laws that make it
important - or even necessary - to
have insurance.
— Your car. If you drive an older
model, its value might seem low
compared to the cost of collision
coverage. In this case, you may
decide not to buy collision insur-
ance.
— Your personal finance. Colli-
sion and comprehensive coverages
are available with a deductible.
pay a specified amount - the first
$50, $200 or $500 - of damage to his
car in each loss and the insurance
company agrees to pay the remain-
der. By eliminating the cost of
processing small claims, the com-
pany can provide such coverage at
a lower price. You must decide
whether you prefer full coverage, a
small deductible at a higher price
or a higher deductible at a lower
price.
Once you’ve made these deci-
sions, talk with several insurance
representatives before selecting a
policy. You might ask friends to
recommend insurance agents or
companies.
Ask about financial responsibility
laws and or minimum auto insur-
ance requirements in your state.
The insurance representatives will
ask you some questions about your
car, how much you drive and your
driving record to determine what
the cost of your auto insurance will
be.
Before settling on a policy price,
ask about discounts. Many insur-
ance companies offer discounts to
drivers with good driving records,
young drivers who have passed
approved driver education courses,
students who do well in school, non-
smokers or motorists who insure
one or more cars on the same
policy.
Some companies offer discounts
to drivers who participate in car
pools or who add anti-theft devices
to their vehicles.
Make a list of the companies you
contact and note various price quo-
tations and coverages.
Consumers should compare costs,
quality and coverages when choos-
ing an insurance policy. As you are
deciding which policy best suits
your needs, ask questions about any
portion of a policy you don’t under-
stand, Golonka said.
Are you insured?
you can be doomed without it.
By ERIC JUDE
Copley News Service
Today’s car drivers want to put
tires on their cars that last longer
and ride better, according to studies
conducted by The Armstrong
Rubber Co., a manufacturer of
replacement, passenger automobile
tires.
Economy-minded consumers are
looking for durability - once they
make an investment, they want it to
last. But drivers also are looking for
fun in driving, and tires are playing
a more important role than ever for
consumers looking to achieve opti-
mum handling and performance.
Several manufacturers recently
introduced new premium tire
designs, and market share figures
for premium tires have more than
doubled ' in recent years. In 1981,
premium tires accounted for 7 per-
cent of the replacement tire market
and 6 percent of the original equip-
ment tire market. By 1983, the
figures were 14 percent and 13
percent respectively, and they were
expected to reach 18 percent and 15
percent respectively in 1985.
When asked to rank those factors
thought most important when pur-
chasing a replacement tire, 59 per-
cent of the consumers in the study
rated durability as extremely
important,” giving it the highest
ranking. Handling was the next
favorite choice, being rated
extremely important by 35 percent
of the respondents, followed by
price, 29 percent; mileage war-
ranty, 26 percent; fuel economy, 15
percent; and speed rating, 9 per-
cent.
Warranties also are becoming
more important, according to the
study, since they give consumers a
measurable way to compare differ-
ent tire brands and designs. Of the
consumers questioned in the survey,
48 percent were ‘‘extremely inter-
ested” in receiving a full replace-
ment warranty.
By KAREN CALDWELL
Copley News Service
Servicing the various filters in a
car is a rewarding job for two
reasons: The actual job of cleaning
.or changing filters is really simple,
and filter care is necessary to
ensure a normal service life for a
car’s mechanical components.
Following the ‘how and why” of
air and oil filters as described in
Driver, a traffic safety magazine
for the military driver.
Qil filters are necessary because
one of the oil’s primary functions is
to clean internal engine surfaces.
By using an oil filter, solid and
chemical oil contaminants are
trapped in the filter elements and
do not go back into the engine. It’s a
good idea to change the oil filter
each time you change the oil. Other-
wise, in less than 5 miles, the
contaminated oil left in the
unchanged filter will mix with the
clean oil and you’ve compromised
the purpose of the oil change.
In order to change the oil filter,
you’ll need an oil filter wrench and
a five-or six-quart container for the
oil you’ll be draining out.
Even though some filters are
accessible from the top of the car,
the engine oil drain plug is always
located under the car, so you may
need some sort of vehicle lift.
First, remove the oil drain plug
located on the engine’s oil pan. For
thorough draining the oil should be
hot. A 15-minute drive prior to
draining should work fine. Be care-
ful, though, as driving will make all
engine parts hot, including the oil
pan and drain plug.
After the oil has stopped flowing
from the drain hole, the oil filter
can be removed - simply slip the oil
filter wrench around the filter canis-
ter and apply pressure counter-
clockwise.
Lubricate the rubber gasket on
the new filter with clean engine oil.
After oil has stopped draining from
the filter mount on the engine block,
install the new filter.
By JOHN SINOR
Copley News Service
that mattered.
outside.”
it did, it didn’t work.
carburetor in front of the tank.
boy.
rumble seat.
imagination.
18 passengers.
in 1948 for having
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