Car Insurance - Modifying Cars

Modifying cars has become big business in recent times. Movies, television programs and video games have helped to popularise the hobby, and as a result has helped to increase sales for many who sell the materials required for modification.

Enthusiasts make use of the internet and specialist sections in high street auto shops in order to purchase the parts necessary for souping up their vehicles - both inside and out.

Every part of a car can potentially be modified, either to improve performance or to add a touch of style to their vehicles. Many enthusiasts will spend a lot of money on buying parts and decals for their cars and motorbikes, before wheeling their vehicles to gatherings and rallies in order to show off and pick up hints and tips for future modifications.

But modification doesn't just have to apply to souping-up cars for show. Many classic car enthusiasts will spend time and money on restoring older cars to their former glory. And with a wide range of online shops and enthusiast websites out there, it has become easier to find parts and handy hints.

If you are looking to make modifications to your car, you also have to think about how it will affect your car insurance quote. Many insurance companies will have reservations about covering certain modifications due to an increase in risk of both theft and potential accidents. However there are a number of specialist insurers out there that cater for car modification enthusiasts, taking the time to compare car insurance quotes before deciding whether the work will be worth it.

So, whether you're looking to add a snazzy design to make your vehicle look good from the outside, or add filters to the engine to make it go that little bit faster, it's always best to double check with your current insurance policy to see if any modifications to your vehicle will be covered by your current policy.

Specialist Car Insurance Schemes Will Save Classic Car Owners a Fortune!

Despite the recession, perhaps because of the recession more and more car drivers are purchasing the classic car or performance motor they have always dreamed of owning and driving when they were younger. It may have been because they could never afford it, or more likely due to other commitments such as having to purchase a sensible family estate car for the wife and three children, that they are now making up for it - big time!

Times have changed and due to the economic crisis and a change in the attitude of a generation, sports cars and classic cars are all the rage with the baby boomers, who can now be seen driving around town in cars they once pushed around as dinky or matchbox toys when they were little boys and girls.

Those big kids who would once maybe invest in shares on the stock exchange are now putting their investments into tangible property, and classic cars and performance motors have become the investment collectors portfolio of choice. Consequently as demand for expensive cars rises, the supply of car insurance responds, and there are now some excellent money saving opportunities on the market that were only available to a privileged few before the advent of online  underwriting.

For those of us who have eventually realised our dreams and secured that prized classic car or souped up modified sports car we always wanted, it is important to protect it with a comprehensive policy from an independent insurance specialist.

Specialist car insurance providers will save you money by presenting to you unique cover options, which have been specifically incorporated into the policy wording for your specific vehicle.

These bespoke policy types are known as classic car insurance schemes and are often initially drawn up by an underwriter, in request to a large pool of insurance presented by a classic car club club or society. Each manufacturer will have multiple members clubs and there may be many schemes for a particular car model.

Hence the policy wordings of classic motor and sports car insurance schemes often contain elements that are specific to a particular car make, type and model. These schemes often include additional benefits, such as helplines and approved specialist repairers who are on hand as part of the claims package.

Specialist car insurance schemes also provide cover for high performance, prestige, classic or sports cars in particular, and you could certainly save money by taking out a policy from a scheme associated with your car, rather than standard motor insurance from a insurance comparison supermarket.

If your car is not a regular everyday standard road vehicle, but is special with accessories and modifications, or it is worth over £10000 you may find yourself subjected to higher premiums from the standard motor insurance providers.

Wholesale insurance companies argue that handling claims and arranging specialist parts for replacement and repairs, tend to be much more difficult to arrange and expensive and the result is higher premiums. Many mainstream car comparison insurers do not want to cover you period, so they will try to exclude you and dissuade you by offering highly weighted premium quotes and expensive cover.

Worse still if you are forced to claim, you may even get sent to the wrong type of repair workshop by a standard insurer, when your motor or classic car requires specialist tools at the main dealer or makers garage!

You could be paying much less for your classic cover by switching to a specialist provider of classic car insurance. In certain circumstances, for example where your existing policy provider is charging you for unnecessary elements of cover, or does not really want you as a client as your profile does not match the optimal risk profile for their book of insurance business, you could save hundreds if you switch to a classic scheme. Additionally schemes more frequently than not offer exclusive discounts not found at the mega insurance supermarkets.

The benefits of these schemes are that you buy a product that is totally suitable for your individual situation and designed around your exact personal requirements and your classic or performance car's particular insurance cover needs.

Auto Body Kits

If you're wondering what the best way to give your car a customer look is, you should think about a car body kit. You can restyle your car into something more personal and unique. This will make your ride the only one of its kind.

You can pick a body kit that is already complete usually including the front and rear bumpers and side skirts. As many manufacturers have these complete kits for most cars and SUVs'. If you want an even more personal design, you can consider selecting all you components separate and building your own style. You can go beyond your standard body kit parts and add even more including fenders, vertical doors, quarter panels, hoods, and spoilers. The possibilities are endless.

There are body kit designs for lots of different people. You can get race inspired kits to a more conservative body kit with a high class executive design. No matter what you choose there are many brands that carry all types of these designs including.

- Extreme Dimensions - Vis Racing - AIT Racing - Wings West - Buddy Club - Razzi - Mimo USA - Seibon

All of these brands have prices points for anyone. Most fiberglass body kits are on the less expensive side but can be a little more fragile, and don't hold up the elements as well either. Although you can repair fiberglass you may want to consider urethane if you need a more durable body kit or live in harsh weather climates. Urethane body kits are a little pricier, but tend to be more flexible and can hold up to more abuse in harsh weather and temperature changes. Some brands even have created their own blend of materials to create an even more durable body kit such as Extreme Dimensions Duraflex material, and AIT Racing's formulated resin material.

If you plan to install a body kit yourself you need to make sure you are prepared to spend the proper time necessary to install your kit, and that you actually have the skills to do it well. If you don't, then your fitment may not be correct and your kit won't look as good as it should. If you can take it to a professional you probably should. But do your research on body shops to make sure that they are also experienced in installing body kits.

Once you have your Body Kit selected, installed, and painted you will be ready to hit the road in style. Nobody will be able to compare their ride to yours, as you will now be the dominating force on the road in your area.

The Evolution of the Auto Industry

Of course the idea of an automobile can be dated all the way back to when the wheel was first invented; however, I am going to place you back to when major progress was made to the auto industry. The first automobile was built in France by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Not long after came the first automobile patent in the United States which was granted to Oliver Evans in 1789. Evan produced his first self-propelled automobile in 1805. Although self-propelled, this vehicle wasn't anything like how our vehicles work today. Finally, in 1870 an inventor by the name of Seigfried Marcus put an internal liquid fuel engine in a horse carriage which made him the first man to propel a vehicle by means of gasoline. As were finding out today this may have been our biggest mistake as a civilization due to global warming concerns. However, when directly eyeing the auto industry, this was necessary to jump start the idea that has effects each and every one of us everyday.

Karl Benz built his first automobile in 1885, was granted a patent in 1886, and began producing automobiles in 1888. Notice the last names if you are not familiar with the history of the auto industry. In 1889 Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach designed a vehicle from scratch rather than using a horse carriage fitted with an engine. By the 1900s, mass production on vehicles was under way in France and the United States. The first company formed to exclusively build cars was Panhard et Levassor in France. Next came the United States auto industry startup called Duryea Motor Wagon Company founded by brothers Charles and Frank Duryea.

Oldsmobile had a production line up and running in 1902 and would dominate this era of automobile production. By 1903, Cadillac, Winston and Ford were all producing cars in the thousands. A few years later in 1908 the Ford Model T was introduced and became the most widely produced and available car of the era. In 1910 the Mercer Raceabout debuted as the world's first sports car. Slightly over a decade later the Austin debuted and was the most widely copied vehicle ever and served as a template for cars around the world. Later in 1934 the Citroen Traction Avant was the first mass produced vehicle with front wheel drive. Finally, Oldsmobile introduced the first automatic transmission in 1940 and no longer than 10 years all automobile manufactures were offering the same technology. 1950 and 60's was when the auto industry had the ability to really focus on the wants rather than the needs of consumers. The classics we love to see are in prototypes. 1962 hits and the first super car was introduced as the Ferrari 250 GTO. 1964 sets a mark and Ford releases the Mustang that became the best selling and most collected car of its era. In 1977 Honda introduced the Accord and it went on to become the most popular car of 1990s. A huge win for Chrysler, their 1983 release of the minivans were introduced and pushed station wagons out of the market. Many of these vehicles lasted decades and many can still be found today. More recently, Toyota has recently surpassed General Motors in leading worldwide auto sales and now holds the number one selling brand in the world.

As for the future of vehicles, manufactures are moving towards hybrid and hydrogen automobiles. Hybrid automobiles use a mix of technologies such as combustion engines, electric motors, gasoline, and batteries. Normally, the vehicles run on batteries that are found in a pack in the vehicle, and once the battery is dead the gasoline kicks in. Hydrogen automobiles generally use the hydrogen in one of two methods; combustion or fuel-cell conversion. Hydrogen can be obtained through various methods utilizing natural gas or coal. One can almost say history repeats itself, simply with a different goal. As noted at the beginning of this article, a gasoline powered engine was a major jump start to the auto industry. Now we have most everything else we can want and need, and the main focus is finding the best way to power the vehicle again that can both be environmentally safe and cost effective. This is because fossil fuels have been the number one proven cause of global warming, the supply is inevitably going to diminish, and the price is definitely not going down.