For a large number of car owners, having to pay for car insurance can seem like having a chunk taken out of your income without having any tangible benefit.

photo credit

Of course, if you drive a vehicle, you’re required by law to have Compulsory Third Party Insurance, but there a fair few benefits to insuring your car beyond the basic requirements:

• Avoid Personal Liability
  Most important is the fact that car insurance will protect you against any personal liability if you’re in an accident; if the accident is your fault, can you imagine the costs you would incur if someone was seriously injured or even killed?
  This kind of incident can result in unimaginable settlement figures that could completely destroy your family financially and leave you with years of payments to meet.
  What’s more, if you are the one at fault, you’ll likely be left to foot the bill for any repairs that need to be made to the other vehicle or property; what happens if the other car is written off and needs to be replaced?
• “But it Wasn’t My Fault!”
  If you take the opposite situation where the other driver is at fault and you are the injured party, if you haven’t got insurance, you could be left with some significant medical bills. Suing the other person is always an option but they may be in a similar position to yourself and do you have the time or resources to file a legal claim against someone?
  Also consider the cost of repairing or even replacing your vehicle, the same principle applies here also.
• Peace of Mind
  Although this is not necessarily a tangible benefit, driving safe in the knowledge that you’ll be covered under all eventualities can provide you with great peace of mind; all it takes is one small mistake to bankrupt you and your family. Having a policy in place is a sure fire way of not having to worry about disaster scenarios, so you can become a more relaxed driver.
  Of course, this doesn’t mean that having your car insured enables you to drive recklessly, but it can help you to become a more level-headed motorist.

Unless you are in a very comfortable financial situation and want to take the unnecessary risk, purchasing a car insurance policy is really a no-brainer: it will cover you in the event of an accident regardless of whose fault it is, and it will enable you to drive with more confidence and security.

Hopefully by now you understand the importance of car insurance, so now begins the decision of what level of coverage is right for you.

If you’re still not convinced that you will benefit from purchasing car insurance or you’re unsure which kind of policy is best-suited to your vehicle and driving habits, be sure to speak to an advisor at Bartons Hyundai; with over 66 years of motoring experience, they’re sure to provide all the answers you’re looking for.

Cars are a vital part of everyday life. It is important they are looked after to ensure a safe and pleasant trip, every time.

photo credit

To help achieve these things, you should make sure that a car service is regularly carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s handbook. If you do not, there are a number of risks, including:

Breakdown

Breakdowns are a relatively common occurrence and can happen for a wide variety of reasons. However, it is also easy to avoid a breakdown with regular servicing and upkeep. A service can find a problem before it goes too far and prevent breakdowns.

Tyres

You should check your car’s tyres are safe and legal on a regular basis. Despite this, many people often leave it until it is too late. If you were to have your car serviced, as part of the service, your tyres would be checked to make sure they are legal and have no damage or punctures.

Better performance 

A car that has been regularly serviced will drive much better than one that has not been looked after and serviced by professional on a regular basis. For instance, the brake horsepower reduces over a period of time but during a service this aspect of the car’s performance can be looked at and corrected.

Increased resale value

When you come to sell your car, the potential purchaser will want to see the service history. A car that has not been serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions is unlikely to fetch as good a sale price as one that has been serviced regularly and correctly.

Fuel economy

With the cost of fuel these days, you want to get as many kilometres as possible from a full tank of fuel. By having your car serviced on a regular basis, the engine, tyres and overall performance of the car will work effectively which, in turn, leads to better fuel efficiency.

Whilst a service will cost you a few dollars it could, in the long run, save you money. If you own a Hyundai vehicle and need to book a service, talk to the experts at Bartons Hyundai today.

There are certainly a fair few types of fuel available, and being so spoilt for choice, it can often be difficult to figure out what the differences are and how they apply to different vehicles.

In this article we will provide a run-down of the various types of fuel on the market today, as well as help you to determine the right one for your vehicle.

photo credit

What is RON?

More often than not, vehicles will use unleaded fuels; these are the most common variety of fuel and they come as either standard unleaded or ULP, premium unleaded or PULP, ultra premium unleaded or UPULP, or E10, which is ULP blended with 10% ethanol.

All unleaded fuels have what is referred to as a Research Octane Number or RON number, this metric is used to gauge a fuel’s resistance to pre-ignition.

Understanding the RON of unleaded fuels is important in determining which is right for your vehicle because simply using a high-octane fuel is not enough to improve your vehicle’s performance unless the engine is specifically designed for this:

• Unleaded or ULP has a RON rating of 91 and is designed for use in all vehicles registered in Australia since January 1st 1986. It is also suitable for some pre 1986 vehicles; however the owner’s manual should be used to confirm the application.
• Premium or PULP typically has a 95 or 96 RON rating and is most commonly used in European cars.
• Ultra premium or UPULP is less-commonly used due to its RON rating of 98. Cars requiring a high-octane fuel like UPULP will usually be performance or high-speed vehicles.
• E10 can boost fuel efficiency by a few percentage points but it should not be used in pre-1986 vehicles due to the ethanol content.

If you are still unsure what the right unleaded fuel for your vehicle is, consider referring to the manufacturer’s handbook and you should find the recommended RON rating.

Other Fuel Types

Diesel is a highly-refined fuel with very low sulphur levels, making it suitable for heavier commercial vehicles and fleet cars, although it is becoming more widely-used amongst consumers with passenger vehicles.

Liquefied petroleum gas or LPG is a relatively low-cost fuel consisting of a butane-propane blend. You’ll need to own a vehicle that is specifically designed to take LPG; the alternative is to have your car converted to run a bi-fuel system that can tolerate standard petrol as well as LPG.

Last but not least is E85; this fuel is petrol blended with 85% ethanol and must only be used in vehicles which are specifically designed for it. This is not a particularly common type of fuel and it offers fairly poor fuel mileage so at this stage it isn’t really worth considering.

If you’re still at a loss as to what kind of fuel you should be using, Bartons Hyundai, with more than 66 years of experience in the motoring industry, will be more than happy to alleviate your concerns and answer any questions you might have.