Dashcam Discounts on Car Insurance

For awhile now I have been trying to convince my wife to get a Dashcam (aka Dashboard Camera) for her car that records her driving - and records what happens during an accident, likely proving that other drivers were at fault.

For car insurance purposes Dashcams provide the insurance company with a way to make the other person end up paying for the damages. (And consequently the other insurance company.)

For providing proof of who was at fault during a car accident, even if the owner of the dashcam is at fault, it justifies raising their insurance premiums - however statistically the people who buy dashcams tend to be rather safe and conscientious drivers. They know they are being watched by their own dashcam, and thus behave responsibly.

Thus it makes good sense to offer a discount to car drivers who use routinely use a dashcam. (At some point in the future, all cars might automatically come with a dashcam, just like they all come with seatbelts and other safety features.)

Also, Dashcams reduce the likelihood of people committing insurance fraud. So that is a bonus reason for insurance companies to provide a discount.

However not all companies provide a discount to owners of dashcams.

eg. TD Insurance does not provide insurance.

TD Insurance does provide a discount if the car owner has an approved after-market anti-theft system or an approved anti-theft etching system.

But nothing for Dashcams.

Which is disappointing because TD Insurance is my wife's source of car insurance.

So either I need to convince TD Insurance to provide a discount for Dashcams... or I need to convince my wife to switch to a car insurance company that does provide a discount and equitable insurance coverage.

There is another problem too.

So far very few companies in Canada do actually provide discounts to drivers who have a dashcam. A few do, but it isn't anywhere near an industry standard.

Which means consumers need to be doing a better job of ASKING for a discount.

And then saying "Oh, you don't provide a discount to people with dashcams? Oh. I guess I will find a different insurance company."

As it currently stands I am thinking of contacting TD Insurance to ask the following:

"Hello! I am trying to convince my wife to buy a dashcam. She is already a TD customer. Does TD Insurance provide a discount to drivers who have a dashcam?"

I already know the answer is no. But when they say no, I will say: "Oh. Okay. I will tell her to switch companies then. Goodbye!"

It is then implied that TD Insurance just lost a customer.

If enough people do what I am talking about, insurance companies will suddenly realize they should be providing a discount. It makes sense since it is in their own best interest to save costs. Even a small discount makes sense.

There are many Dashboard Cameras available on the market. I have not reviewed any yet, as I obviously still need to convince the wife that we should buy one in the first place.

Utility Task Vehicles and Winches

The best site will provide comprehensive information about all winches available


UTVs, once rarely seen anywhere, have really taken off in popularity, and can now be seen just about anywhere where off-road activity takes place. Hunters and fishermen, among others, love the flexibility this vehicle provides them in getting to prime locations previously difficult if not impossible to access with standard vehicles. Others utilizing the UTV in other activities enjoy the ease and functionality the UTV brings them, with the wide variety of options available to customize their vehicle to make it look and feel just as they like it to.

Buying a standard UTV without special options is a nice buy in itself. But perhaps one aspect of UTV ownership that buyers really appreciate is the chance to customize their vehicles in a great number of ways. Among other items, owners can add or upgrade the following to their UTVs to make their UTV more comfortable, functional, and easier to operate. These include: lights, mirrors, seats, windshields, wheels and tires, doors, audio, storage, mounting brackets, harnesses, lift kits, snow plows, and perhaps one of the most utilized accessories, winches.

UTV winches are really essential pieces of equipment for those riders that take their UTV off-road, off beaten paths and into the brush. They can be used for a number of different applications, and based on the owner's needs and preferences, come in a wide variety of different sizes and equipment options.

UTV owners interested in getting a winch for their vehicle may have any number of questions about winches, and what would be best suited for their specific needs regarding the UTV they'll be putting it on. At this point, it would be best for them to go online and find a company that is reputable, proven, and specializes in selling superior, top-of-the-line winches and other UTV accessories. One premier company, Side By Side Stuff, offers all this and more.

There is no "one size fits all" winch for any of the great number of UTVs out on the market. Shoppers should investigate closely on a company's website the winches that are available in their own given UTV category. The best site will provide comprehensive information about all winches available, from leading winch manufacturers, which includes the features of the winch, as well as options available. Pictures and up-to-date pricing will also be listed, as well as shipping information and payment options.

Dukes of Hazard AutoTrader

I love a great car commercial - especially anything with the Dukes of Hazard. :)

Note - I have never used AutoTrader, I just really like this commercial. They should make a Dukes of Hazard movie (with the original actors starring, not that horrible film with the younger actors).



I was going to post a 2nd video on here, a documentary about the making of Dukes of Hazard (the show, not the ad above), but the video was disabled for embedding. Boooooo!

So instead here is a videos about many of the jumps made during Dukes of Hazard.

In case you are wondering the car is the 1969 Dodge Charger.

Enterprise Car Rentals + 2014 Jeep Patriot

By C. Moffat and D. Eze

We recently took a vacation and decided to get a car rental for the trip. Hence why this is a review of both Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Toronto, and also a review of the 2014 Jeep Patriot - as that was the car we took on the trip.

#1. Enterprise - 3.5 Stars out of 5

The prices were fair, on par with similar car rental companies, the biggest difference however was that we requested a compact economy car for the trip and they instead gave us a free upgrade to a Jeep.

The free upgrade was nice, but the gas bill was larger for obvious reasons.

Also we got insurance with the rental, and originally the tab was supposed to be $161 + HST for the car (so the total should have been $181.93), but apparently the insurance for the Jeep was more expensive and they conveniently neglected to tell us that the insurance costs more for the Jeep... so the total ended up being about $242.

So $60 more than. The service was good, but we do feel we got ripped off on the price of the insurance.

#2. 2014 Jeep Patriot

We loved the Jeep.

Power, comfort, air conditioning, all the gadgets you could want on a car, and we were able to figure out how to lower the back seat without needing the instruction manual. We needed to lower it so we could fill the space with 3 coolers, camping gear and more.

So yeah, easy to figure out and spacious inside there. We had more than enough space for all of our stuff and could have brought two large German Shepherd dogs with us too if we had been so motivated.

Further below are photos of us with the 2014 Jeep Patriot after filling up the gas tank to 75% at the gas station (if you don't fill it up to the level you received it with then Enterprise charges you $2 per litre for the difference). And yes, like all SUVs the Jeep Patriot is thirsty... but we don't care because it was otherwise awesome.

Conclusions

We enjoyed our vacation, we enjoyed the Jeep - we are wishy-washy on Enterprise since they overcharged us on the insurance - but overall we are not overly angry at them since their service was otherwise excellent. Just wish they had warned us that the insurance was going to be a lot more.

You can really tell we liked the Jeep because we had big goofy smiles on our faces. :)

The most awesome Volkswagon commercial of all time

Lets face it, you can't beat a kid dressed as Darth Vader for humour.

This is NOT an endorsement of Volkswagon cars, but it is very amusing advertising.

Attack of the Snowmen Car Commercial

I love the commercial below.

True, it is a car commercial for the 2014 Nissan Rogue - and this post is in no way an endorsement for the SUV itself - but it is a ringing endorsement for the good people in marketing who made the commercial.

Someone should make a mock apocalyptic movie called "Attack of the Snowmen". I think it would be hysterical.

They could even make a sequel called "Attack of the Snowmen 2 - The Icepocalypse!"

Consumer Tips to prevent Vehicle Theft

Aside from your home, your car is the biggest investment that you make in your life and whether it’s a luxury car you take pride in, or just what gets you to and from the loss of such a large personal investment is devastating. While there are many ways to minimize theft, being aware of the most targeted models is important when choosing your next car.

The top 10 most stolen car models are:

DODGE TRUC CARAVAN
HONDA ACCORD EX 4DR
CHEVROLET / SILVERADO
FORD TRUCK F350 SUP
DODGE TRUC RAM 1500
CHEVROLET SILVERADO
GMC TRUCK / SIERRA 1
HONDA CIVIC LX 4DR
FORD TRUCK F350 SD

In other words trucks are the most stolen vehicles in Canada since most of the top ten vehicles are trucks (and Chevrolet Silverado is on the list twice...? Not sure why.). And it is usually the result of someone leaving their truck for "a few minutes" and leave their keys in the ignition. Trucks are also easier to break into and easier to hot wire and typically don't have any anti-theft features.

Most vehicle crime is opportunistic and therefore preventable. Here are some helpful tips to help prevent your car from being targeted:

Know where your keys are at all times.

Never start your vehicle and leave it running with the keys in the ignition unattended.

When you take your car in for service make sure that you’re taking it to an accredited repair facility that you are familiar with.

Be careful about loaning your vehicle to people, their actions can have implications on your insurance.

Make sure to always close the garage door at night and that vehicles are locked. Check to make sure that you haven’t left anything valuable in your car, and make sure your sunroof is closed.

If you’re out shopping don’t leave any cash lying around in the car, make sure that your wallet, keys and purse are all out of sight or safely locked in the trunk.

At times thieves will target specific types of cars and gain access through an unlocked door in the house in order to take the keys of your vehicle and drive away. Make sure that all of your house doors are locked at all times.

The cost and time spent on repairs, buying a new vehicle and replacement of stolen items can easily be prevented by following the above tips. Having theft insurance helps too, but basically you're just begging to have your car stolen if you are careless.

Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller

Jeremy Clarkson's Thriller is a review of various cars that are meant to give you a thrill when you drive them. Some of them do and some of them don't. Watch the video above to see what I mean.

Automotive Insurance Vs Leasing / Renting

I want to take this moment to point something out.

If you live in a city and don't actually drive that often you can save a bundle of money by renting or leasing... Simply because you don't to pay for insurance quite so much.

This is especially true if you are young and male.

Example - A friend of mine has his car in his wife's name just so they can save on insurance. Because it is in her name they only pay $3000 per year on auto insurance. If the car was in his name the insurance would be $5500 per year.

However lets pretend for a moment that they took the subway / TTC to work and they only drove two days per week... Well then they would save a huge bundle of money on the following things...

Auto insurance.
Car repairs / maintenance.
The cost of purchasing a car.
Renting or leasing thus can be a huge money saver.

It is true that you can later sell the car... And then buy a new one, which is another problem because then your insurance goes up because its a newer / more expensive car. If you buy a new car every 5 years you will end up spending a bundle on new cars, replacement parts, automotive insurance, repairs...

Thus if you don't really drive that often it really makes huge economically sense to rent or lease only when you actually need a car.

Chinese Rip Offs: Good or Bad???

I love China. Wo ai Zhongguo.

But one of the fun things about China is how they copy everything from Gucci bags to specific brands of cars. Where else can you get:

#1. A rip off of the famous "In-N-Out" burgers from California at a restaurant called "CaliBurger".

#2. Fake Apple products from a fake Apple store in southern Yunnan province.

#3. Dairy Fairy (Dairy Queen)

#4. Pizza Huh (Pizza Hut)

#5. Jambo Juice (Jamba Juice)

#6. Obama Fried Chicken (Kentucky Fried Chicken)

#7. Fake Dior sunglasses.

#8. Fake Armani jackets.

#9. Fake Gucci bags.

#10. Fake Apple iPads.

And so forth... basically any big brand name you can think of there is a fake or ripped off version of it in China.

Including cars! Check out the following videos with clips from Top Gear's trip to China.







So... coming back to the title of this blog post, is all this ripping off of products a good thing?

Well... if you're just looking to get a Gucci bag and can't afford one, absolutely. Ripped off fashion is no big deal.

If you're looking for a cheap car, yes, by 2020 you should be able to buy a pretty good Chinese rip off. Right now they suck, but in 8 years they should be pretty decent.

Even the fake electronics is getting to be pretty good.

As long as you aren't buying fake birth control pills or fake medicine, you should be fine.

Just remember you get what you pay for. Cheap junk is more likely to break, but for certain items it won't be that big of a deal. Real Levis Jeans still rip anyway, so don't be surprised if the fake Levis rip too.