Car Colors: Personal, Regional, Fashionable. What color is your car and what does that say about you? Find out the most popular car colors.

(NAPSI)—The car color you choose may say a lot about you. In fact, according to a recent survey, it may indicate where you live.

For example, a classic choice could identify you as an American living on the East or West Coast. Despite an array of bright, vibrant car colors, U.S. customers on the coasts and customers in most European countries prefer the classic core colors—white, black, silver and gray.

Gray and silver are most popular in New York and Los Angeles. San Franciscans like white and Bostonians like black.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the U.S., customers have different preferences. Red is popular in the Midwest. Drivers in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh like green. And Phoenix and Miami customers like warm colors—orange and gold.

Across the ocean, tastes tend to be equally as diverse: French and Italian motorists like cream-colored vehicles, not a surprise given their café cultures. The Irish like silver. Customers in Denmark prefer black, while those in Belgium like gray.

Only one country in Europe has a top color other than white, black or silver: The Czech Republic chooses blue.

“The trend continues to be toward core colors—the classics,” said Susan Swek, Ford’s group chief designer for color and materials. “We strive to achieve the best black, silver, white and gray. We’re always working to make them even more appealing.”

Vehicle owners everywhere use color choice to convey messages about themselves, but color choices are also influenced by culture and fashion trends.

These findings are from Ford’s annual look at U.S. car-buying preferences as well as an international color study by DuPont.

Research also shows that white is the new red; dark grays, blacks and blues are also popular, mirroring fashion trends. Also, new paint technologies, such as tricoat pearl technology and tinted clear coats, keep colors fresh by adding a modern twist to classic hues.

Source: http://news.carjunky.com/automotive/Car_Colors_Personal_Regional_Fashionable_gas182.shtml

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The idea of basing car insurance rates on actual miles driven has been gaining ground for several years and has really gone into high gear recently.

For example, GMAC Insurance offers discounts to OnStar users who limit their mileage and agree to let the GMAC confirm it via the OnStar system's diagnostics reports. Progressive Insurance now markets its Snapshot plan in 27 states, offering the possibility of up to 30 percent savings. The company says more than 100,000 consumers have signed up for Snapshot to date.

After years of discussion about privacy and other policy issues, California has finalized pay-as-you-drive regulations and recently approved applications by the Automobile Club of Southern California and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance to offer the plans. Consumers can either self-report actual odometer readings at the beginning and end of policy periods or use a telematics device that plugs into the vehicle's onboard diagnostics port to do the job. Allstate recently debuted its Drive Wise program in Illinois, with plans for expansion to other states in 2011. At least one other insurer is conducting a pay-as-you-drive pilot program.

Pay-as-you-drive insurance appeals to consumers because it offers the possibility of lower rates. Insurance companies like it because telematics devices, which are required in most pay-as-you-drive plans, transmit accurate driving data and let insurers match the price of their coverage to the actual risk posed by drivers.

Telematics used by automotive systems like OnStar will wirelessly transmit vehicle information for such things as automatic roadside assistance or remote diagnostics, but the use of such technology has raised the hackles of some state regulators and privacy advocates. There's particular concern when the devices report more than just miles driven. The programs from Progressive and Allstate, for example, report mileage but also monitor driving behavior, such as when during the day or night a car is driven and the driver's acceleration and braking patterns. Additionally, Allstate's device takes note when a policyholder drives over 80 mph, and Allstate's Drive Wise site on the Web notes that such speeding can affect the policyholder's rating.

The number of miles driven by a policyholder tells part of the risk story, but so does driving behavior, says Richard Hutchinson, Progressive's manager of usage-based insurance. "If you drive a lot compared to average, you are a higher risk," he explains. "And if you drive aggressively, odds are you're a higher risk as well."

Hutchinson says Progressive measures aggressive driving through braking patterns."If you're aggressive, you are probably in closer proximity to other vehicles and trying to get around them, and so you have more braking events," he adds.

For consumers who are willing to be monitored, pay-as-you-drive plans permit individualized coverage for the first time, Hutchinson notes. This can be a real benefit for people who don't fit the profile of their risk group.

"The industry tries to identify people who are like you," he says. That can work, but it doesn't always. A teenage boy who's a cautious driver might still face high insurance rates because he's being lumped in with teenagers who speed and swerve. A careful teen driver could benefit from an insurance rate that's based on his actual driving patterns, Hutchinson tells us.

Progressive's marketing and privacy materials — as well as Hutchinson himself — take pains to say that the Snapshot device is only tracking "how safely, how often, how far and when" its customers drive, not where they drive. According to Progressive's Snapshot privacy statement, the device does not contain GPS technology and "does not track vehicle location or whether you're exceeding the speed limit." Hutchinson says, "We also don't know who is driving the car in which the device is installed."

In the case of the Auto Club of Southern California, the telematics device that members can use for mileage reporting can serve double duty. It does have GPS capability, so members can elect to use it for roadside assistance or to keep tabs on the driving behavior of a teenager in the family, says Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring.

He stresses that the GPS feature won't be used for insurance purposes. The Auto Club is "very respectful of privacy, and when we say we're only collecting mileage for policyholders, that's all it's going to do," Spring says.

Such assurances don't satisfy privacy advocates, who see in insurance companies' use of telematics the potential for privacy breaches.
"As privacy advocates, we are concerned about the slippery slope," says Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the San Diego-based Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "You're starting with benign information, but once you have the infrastructure in place, there's always the possibility of expanding it to other uses that are not quite as benign."

Pay-as-you drive plans that just use devices to report aggregated miles driven in a policy period are not as problematic as devices that are more "robust," Stephens says. "The level of concern is going to depend on precisely what data is being transmitted to the insurance companies."

GPS is the real sticking point, Stephens says. If a driver frequents bars or red-light districts, or travels to an abortion clinic, that information should stay private, he says. "Why should your insurance company need to know you were at an abortion clinic or if you go to a bar frequently?"

Such examples are exactly why Progressive doesn't use GPS, Hutchinson explains. "The most sensitive issue is location tracking," he says. "We've been at this for quite some time, and we've concluded there are arguments on the benefits of location, but concluded we didn't need it for purposes of rating risk." Not using location information takes the most serious privacy arguments out of the conversation, he adds.

To some, the privacy argument is utterly overblown. Most people use mobile phones with GPS every day without a second thought, says John Canali, an analyst with Boston-based Strategic Analytics, Inc. which researches and advises on automotive electronics and related technology.

And if pay-as-you-drive plans establish a good track record of not misusing the driving behavior collected, users will likely be less worried, he says. He notes that drivers were leery of automatic tolling systems such as FastPass when they were first introduced. "These concerns largely went away when consumers saw that the data was not being used against them to issue speeding tickets," Canali says.

Source: http://www.edmunds.com/auto-insurance/pay-as-you-drive-insurance-goes-into-high-gear.html

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Best auto dent repair company. Thoughts on Ford Cars of the Future that will Drive Away Allergies?

The time is coming when you'll be able to ditch your Claritin for a "Car-i-tin" of sorts. The Ford Motor Co. plans to leverage its existing SYNC infotainment system to monitor pollen alerts and local weather forecasts as part of its health management services geared toward helping the more than 60 million Americans plagued with asthma and seasonal allergies.

Anyone who suffers from asthma or allergies knows it helps to have a clear understanding of environmental factors and potential symptom triggers such as pollen counts in order to avoid an attack. To sniff out the best allergy prevention applications, Ford worked with experts, including medical device manufacturers, health care management service providers and Web-based medical alert services, to come up with a series of onboard "apps" and phone apps that can be synched up to your ride. Think of it as shnoz control.

"When drivers and passengers are essentially captive in the car, they can use the time they may not ordinarily take to handle their health issues," noted Gary Strumolo, Ford's global manager of interiors, infotainment, health and wellness research, part of Ford's research and innovation division.

Ford Motor Co. has plans to use its SYNC infotainment system to monitor pollen alerts and weather forecasts as a way of helping the more than 60 million Americans plagued with asthma and seasonal allergies.

To avert itchy eyes and runny noses, the cars will use a variety of tools, including Bluetooth wireless connections, that will allow the cars to share information with medical devices and perhaps even doctors, much the same as it already allows voice activated cellphone connections. Working off the same GPS technology that gives you driving directions and traffic reports, cloud-based applications -– software you can access without owing a physical copy -– will provide instant access to medical services.

Ford is also partnering with www.pollen.com, among others, to SYNC-enable its smartphone Allergy Alert app. This will provide drivers with location-based, day-by-day index levels for pollen; asthma, cold and cough and ultraviolet sensitivity, as well as four-day forecasts. Strumolo speculates the cars might even be capable of planning the healthiest routes to avoid smog and other environmental sensitivities.

Dr. Tania Mucci, senior internal medicine resident at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, thinks Ford is heading in he right direction. "A program that alerts patients when pollen levels are particularly high can remind them to implement some of those avoidance measures such as keeping windows closed and air conditioning on," she said. "Reminders to take medications when pollen levels are high is key because many allergy medications are most effective if taken before allergy symptoms are felt."

And this is just the beginning of Ford's health care cars. The company is exploring a variety of apps and services for diabetics, including glucose monitoring and real-time patient coaching, behavioral education and medication adherence support. Company officials are also figuring out ways to ease driver's stress.

"We already have a chair massage and parking assist feature," Ford's Strumolo said. "In the future the car may be able to monitor heart rate and other stress indicators and it might do things like change the music to help you mellow out."

Ford, which is apparently the only automaker with such "medical" cars in the works.

Source: abcnews
BY LIZ NEPORENT, ABC Medical Unit

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Researchers Show How a Car’s Electronics Can Be Taken Over Remotely.

With a modest amount of expertise, computer hackers could gain remote access to someone’s car — just as they do to people’s personal computers — and take over the vehicle’s basic functions, including control of its engine, according to a report by computer scientists from the University of California, San Diego and the University of Washington.

Although no such takeovers have been reported in the real world, the scientists were able to do exactly this in an experiment conducted on a car they bought for the purpose of trying to hack it. Their report, delivered last Friday to the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board, described how such unauthorized intrusions could theoretically take place.

Because many of today’s cars contain cellular connections and Bluetooth wireless technology, it is possible for a hacker, working from a remote location, to take control of various features — like the car locks and brakes — as well as to track the vehicle’s location, eavesdrop on its cabin and steal vehicle data, the researchers said. They described a range of potential compromises of car security and safety.

“This report explores how hard it is to compromise a car’s computers without having any direct physical access to the car,” said Stefan Savage of the University of California, San Diego, who is one of the leaders of the research effort.

Given that the researchers were able to do it, they are now trying to pinpoint just how hard it might be for others, he said.

The car security study is one of a growing array of safety concerns that are emerging as the Internet comes in contact with almost every aspect of daily life, be it through financial systems or industrial controls. Computer security researchers have long argued that wholesale computerization and Internet connectivity of complex systems present new risks that are frequently exploited first by vandals with malicious intent.

The new report is a follow-on to similar research these experts conducted last year, which showed that cars were increasingly indistinguishable from Internet-connected computers in terms of vulnerability to outside intrusion and control. That project tried to show that the internal networks used to control systems in today’s cars are not secure in the face of a potential attacker who has physical access to the vehicle.

Their latest study was the first time that independent computer security researchers have tried to show how potential attackers could hack into a car from a remote location.

As in their first experiment, the research teams bought a car they described as a representative example of a moderately priced sedan. (They declined to identify the brand, saying that advanced telematics are rapidly becoming commonplace within the automotive industry.)

“In the case of every major manufacturer, if they do not have this capacity in their mainstream products, they’re about to,” said Tadayoshi Kohno, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington.

For example, services like General Motors’ OnStar system, Toyota’s Safety Connect, Lexus’s Enform, Ford’s Sync, BMW’s Assist and Mercedes Benz’s Mbrace all use a cellular connection embedded in the vehicle to provide a variety of automated and call center support services to a driver. These subscription services make it possible to track a car’s location, unlock doors remotely and control other functions.

In their remote experiment, the researchers were able to undermine the security protecting the cellular phone in the vehicle they bought and then insert malicious software. This allowed them to send commands to the car’s electronic control unit — the nerve center of a vehicle’s electronics system — which in turn made it possible to override various vehicle controls.

“These cellular channels offer many advantages for attackers,” the report said. “They can be accessed over arbitrary distance (due to the wide coverage of cellular data infrastructure) in a largely anonymous fashion, typically have relatively high bandwidth, are two-way channels (supporting interactive control and data exfiltration), and are individually addressable.”

The researchers declined to speculate about the worse situations, such as interfering with a vehicle’s control system to make it crash. However, they noted that their research showed how a next-generation car thief might operate: instead of using today’s so-called smash and grab tactics, the thief might be able to simply dial up a parked car, unlock its doors and turn on the engine, then arrive on the scene and drive off.

In addition to the cellular telephone vulnerability, the report details similar weaknesses in other systems that allow remote access, including short range wireless networks like Bluetooth, network ports used for car maintenance and even internal CD players.

The researchers noted that their report was about potential vulnerabilities and said there was no evidence that the safety loopholes they discovered had been used by criminals. They also said they believed that the automotive industry was treating the threats responsibly and working to improve the security of modern automobiles.

“Everyone has taken this extremely seriously,” said Dr. Savage.

Source: nytimes

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Colors On Parade is the leader in environmental responsibility within the mobile automotive reconditioning industry.  From its inception, Colors On Parade sought not only a process that provided superior results, but also one that would endure as the cleanest, and most environmentally safe, system imaginable.

Careful attention is continually given to the type of equipment and materials used, the training of technicians, the amount of materials used, and the disposal of waste.  Because of our highly conscientious approach, an independent research lab confirmed that our out-of-doors method creates less impact to the environment than even fixed-site operations.

Consider one simple example:  Someone has badly scraped the corner of the bumper on a new car.  What are the options for repair? 

1. Remove and replace the bumper.  Bumper ends up in a landfill.  New bumper will be painted, using a large volume of paint-related material. Unused material will be discarded.
2. An independent mobile painter will use high volume spray equipment. Probably 50% of the material will be released into the atmosphere.  Paint and related chemicals will be discarded somehow.
3. A Colors On Parade franchisee will place a drop cloth under the repair area to capture any and all waste, preventing run-off into sewers and local water supplies. Our low-VOC (Volatile Organic Chemicals) paint will be prepared in an amount equal to the need. High-volume/low-pressure spray equipment will be used for 90% efficiency. Finally, an ounce or less of unused paint (on average) will be discarded in strict adherence to all national and local codes.

Wouldn't you choose #3?

Deeply ingrained in the Colors On Parade corporate personality and company policy is our determination to keep up with, and even establish, advances in caring for our neighborhoods, our neighbors, and our planet.  At the same time, the result is a beautiful and enduring repair for one of thousands of satisfied and loyal customers and friends.  We are certain that if you require our services, you will become one such friend.

"If you run your business to save a dollar instead of the environment, you may one day wake up to find you no longer possess either one."
Rob Lowery - Founder of Colors on Parade

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Take Your Keys. Nearly 20 percent of all vehicles stolen have the keys in them.

Lock Your Car. Approximately 50 percent of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked.

Never Hide a Second Set of Keys in Your Car. Extra keys can be easily found if a thief takes time to look.

Park in Well-lighted Areas. Over half of all vehicle thefts occur at night.

Park in Attended Lots. Auto thieves do not like witnesses and prefer unattended parking lots.

If You Park in an Attended Lot, Leave Only the Ignition/Door Key. If your trunk and glovebox use the same key as the door, have one of them changed. Don`t give the attendant easy access to your glovebox and trunk. Upon returning, check the tires, spare tire, and battery to be sure they are the same as those you had when you parked.

Never Leave Your Car Running, Even if You`ll Only be Gone For a Minute. Vehicles are commonly stolen at convenience stores, gas stations, ATMs, etc. Many vehicles are also stolen on cold mornings when the owner leaves the vehicle running to warm up.

Completely Close Car Windows When Parking. Don`t make it any easier for the thief to enter your vehicle.

Don`t Leave Valuables in Plain View. Don`t make your car a more desirable target and attract thieves by leaving valuables in plain sight.

Park With Your Wheels Turned Toward the Curb. Make your car tough to tow away. Wheels should also be turned to the side in driveways and parking lots.

If Your Vehicle is Rear-Wheel Drive, Back into Your Driveway. Rear wheels lock on four-wheel drive vehicles, making them difficult to tow. Front-wheel drive vehicles should be parked front end first.

Always Use Your Emergency Brake When Parking. In addition to ensuring safety, using the emergency brake makes your car harder to tow.

If You Have a Garage, Use It. If you have a garage, take the time to use it rather than parking outside where your vehicle is more vulnerable.

When parking in a Garage, Lock the Garage Door and Your Vehicle. By locking both the garage and vehicle doors, the chances of deterring a thief greatly improve.

Don`t leave the registration or Title in Your Car. A car thief will use these to sell your stolen car. File the title at your home or office, and carry registration in your purse or wallet.

Disable Your Vehicle When Leaving it Unattended for an Extended Period. Remove the electronic ignition fuse, coil wire, rotor distributor, or otherwise disable your vehicle anytime thieves may have extended access to it.

Replace T-Shaped Door Locks With Straight Locks. Some vehicle doors have lock assemblies at window level that flare out in a knob or "T" shape. A thief can use various tools to gain access inside the vehicle, grab and pull the lock. Straight locks prevent this.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Stolen cars/parts are more easily traced when vehicle VIN numbers have been etched on car windows and major parts.

Engrave Expensive Accessories. Engrave personal ID numbers on car stereos, cellular phones, etc., so the thief will have difficulty disposing of them.
Investing in Vehicle Protection

Ignition Kill Switch. Splice an inexpensive toggle switch into your ignition wire. The trick is hiding the switch well. Keypads, pressure pads and more expensive "immobilizers" and "passkeys" can also be used.

Fuel Kill Switch. The valve that halts the fuel supply is closed. Visible Steering Wheel Lock. Prevents the steering wheel from being turned.

Floorboard Locks. Devices that disable the gas or break pedal.

Gearshift Locks. Disables shifting of the transmission.

Tire/Wheel Locks. Prevents the vehicle from moving.

Hood Locks. Prevents the thief from gaining access to your security system and battery.

Armored Collar Around Steering Column. Protects the column and ignition.

Electronic Security Systems. Audio alarms sound loud warnings when doors/hood/trunk are opened. Optional sensors include glass breakage, motion, tampering and towing. Panic buttons and automatic engine disable features are also recommended.

Vehicle Tracking This is done with a transmitter hidden in the car that allows police to track the vehicle.

Drive safely!

Article From www.carjunction.com

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We hear a lot of terms about our cars and many of us you use those terms loosely and sometimes it means little to our daily lives and sometimes it costs us money.   Your saying to yourself “well thank you captain obvious what else can you point out that I already know?”  Well let me help with that a little better.

One of the biggest terms we hear today when looking at cars and reading about them is Uni-Body frame construction.   In the old days a car was built on a square tube frame and then fenders, quarter panels, roof and etc were then bolted on to that.   It made for a very strong car but made the car very heavy and when it came to handling sometimes it made for a lot of twisting and torque through the frame.

When cars began to evolve to small engines  we wanted performance out of them and safety. Manufactures had to engineer a lighter yet stronger frame to meet  these wants and needs.  They looked into their crystal ball and saw the past as the future.  Yes the Volkswagen Beetle of the old days.  It was stamped from 2 pieces of metal sheet in what looked like two halves of an egg and then welded down the center.  The power train and wheels  were added and it made for a fast quick assembly with a lot less parts and made the car fairly strong with no  under frame. Fast forward 40 plus years and we have the modern unibody construction that almost every modern car built in the last 10 years uses.

Today there is two ways of doing this : 1 the standard uni-body assembly very similar to the old VW Beetle and the modern Hyundai, Kia,  some Toyotas, Nissans and so forth and 2:  uni-body double wall construction such as those used on the Porsches, Mercedes, Lexus, upper models of Toyota, Nissan, GM, Ford , Chrysler and other upper end cars.  So you say where does this affect me in the pocket book well in two places when you buy a car and when you need to get the body repaired.

Single wall uni-body construction is the less expensive of the two for simply the fact that there is less metal in it and less time in engineering and construction.  This means that it helps keep the manufacturing price down and is very commonly used in basic A to B cars.  Is makes for a very strong frame that is light weight and will also give you a very nice fuel efficient car with a small motor.  The down side is that while this panel is fairly strong there is still body flex and that can reduce tight handling ability and if you damage the quarter panel of the car you have actually damaged the frame.  Frame damage when listed on the history of the car can reduce its resale value by a lot and may even lower its ability to be sold.

Double wall construction creates a slightly heavier frame but much stronger.  The primary part of the frame is the inner frame webbing and then outer body panel such as the roof panel, and quarter panel is then spot welded to this webbing.  Because there is two panels or double wall construction it makes for an extremely strong frame and that begins to show why many of the finest sports cars and luxury cars would use it to maximize the horsepower and handling.  It also allows for the fact that if the quarter panel or roof or fender is damaged repair to them does not constitute frame repair especially where a panel section must be welded in.

If your car is damaged even in a so called none collision accident such as a parking lot how the damage is repaired can heavily effect the resale value.   Because your car is most likely a uni-body frame if any welding and or sectioning is done to that part of the car even if it is a body panel, that constitutes frame damage and that is reported as frame damage on the history of the car.  If the damage is smaller and the dent can be extracted, filled, shaped and refinished that does not constitute frame damage and does not have to be reported as frame damage.  That does not mean that every repair on the body of a car can be done this way but you need to be sure that when you can you may want to consider it.  Exception to this is when your car is a double wall uni-body construction.  In that case the body panel repair, replacement or sectioning is not considered, normally, frame repair.   However repair may be cheaper and give you faster and less area of repair reducing the paint repair and making better retained value of the car.

Now you have a basic understanding of your cars construction and sometimes repair may be better than replacement.   Colors on parade is a possible source for you on non collision repairs when it comes to dents in your quarter panel, c pillar, etc.   Colors would in that case extract the damage as much as possible, then shape and contour the damage, then prime, blend, and finally clear the panel with three coats of high solids automotive urethane clear coat giving you a repair as close as possible to original manufacture standard without sectioning and welding.

Happy Driving

Sean Sander

Area Developer SWFL

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With the passage of Assembly Bill Number 511, Nevada welcomed Google's driverless cars to its roads.

No word on when we can start to see Google's automated Priuses and Audi TTs cruising around without human input, but it should be soon.

Skeptics should have a look at the video below for an explanation behind the car and see one in action. It's pretty amazing.

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Colors On Parade with news on big auto repairs that put drivers at financially risk

One in four American drivers could not pay for a significant car repair, according to a survey by the American Automobile Assn.

“Many Americans rely on their cars for their livelihood and losing access to them could be financially devastating during an already troubling economic time,” said Marshall L. Doney, AAA vice president of automotive and financial services.

“It’s important for drivers to not only continue to maintain their vehicles, but also have a financial emergency plan in place should they be faced with a sudden unexpected auto repair bill,” Doney said.

AAA judged a significant automobile repair bill as one reaching $2,000 or more. The survey also found one in eight motorists would be unable to pay for a repair bill of $1,000. And, 25% of those surveyed also admitted to neglecting repairs and maintenance on their vehicles in the last year because of the economic climate.

That’s a bad move, AAA automotive experts said, because it can greatly increase the likelihood of the need for a costly, major repair later.

While repair costs can vary greatly by make, model and type of repair, a transmission repair can be $2,000 to $4,000, while an engine repair can exceed $5,000. Major brake repairs may range from $350 to $1,000, and a new set of tires can run from $300 to more than $1,000, the association said.

Source: Los Angeles times
Written by

Jerry Hirsch

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