Protecting Your Classic Car

Many people for many reasons enjoy classic cars. Maybe it is the nostalgia or the fact that they are rare – whatever the case, if you own a classic car or vehicle that is worth more than it originally sold for when it was brand new, then you will want to make sure it stays protected as well as properly insured.

To start, don’t leave your car out in the sun. Cars left to the elements of weather fade and crack, paint peels and it isn’t pretty. There is no quicker way to devalue your vehicle than to leave it exposed. Another danger of leaving your car out in the weather is hail damage. In some states, hail damage costs over 1 billion dollars a year. While body shops can help you remove the dents and dings from hail damage with a technology called paintless dent repair or PDR, it is always best to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place, if possible. But of course one can’t keep their classic car protected on a constant basis, driving it is part of the joy in owning it. For this reason, you want to make sure your classic car is also properly insured.

Insuring your classic car is going to be a different than insuring your regular driving around car. When you buy a classic car insurance policy, you are essentially purchasing protection for the value of the vehicle as a collectible.

With this type of policy comes certain stipulations or requirements. These stipulations include:

* A decent driving record.
* At least 10 years driving experience
* No teen drivers on the policy or drivers with poor driving records
* Secure and out of the weather garage
* Proof that you have another car for daily transportation
* Collector vehicle insurance is sometimes limited by the age of your car, and if your car is too young it may not qualify for a particular policy.
* Limited mileage. You probably don't want to drive your creampuff car all the time, and your insurance company doesn't want you to either. Mileage limits have increased recently, though, so if you can live with 250 miles a month you're probably okay.

Once you are approved you want to make sure the policy’s worth is what you intended. Review these terms:

1) Actual cash value:

This is what you usually get with ordinary insurance, and is based on replacement cost minus depreciation.

2) Stated value:

The insurance company pays up to the stated value of the car, but may not guarantee the full stated value. And deductibles of up to $1,000 usually apply.

3) Agreed value:

In most jurisdictions, those who provide collector car insurance or classic car insurance are allowed to insure for a value that you and your insurer agree upon. And for most autos, there is no deductible. If your $100,000 vintage Rolls get trashed, you get a check for 100 grand, plain and simple - which is exactly why collectors use special classic car insurance coverage.

Last, after you have purchased your insurance, do a periodic review of your coverage limits, because classic car prices are rising. What you insured your classic car for ten years ago may be a fraction of what it's worth is today. And if you are restoring a vehicle, ask your agent to give you appropriate insurance.

Once your car is properly protected physically and through insurance, you are ready to show it off and of course enjoy the ownership of something unique.

David Etienne is the founder of FIX-A-DENT, the premier provider of Professional Paintless Dent Repair services in the United States. Established in 1991, FIX-A-DENT continues being the leader in Paintless Dent Removal (PDR), technologies, practices, and techniques. For more information, please visit http://www.fixadent.com

Caring For the Car You Have

Having a nice vehicle can sometimes make us feel good about ourselves and in our own mind, creates value and importance. But just as important as having a new vehicle is taking care of the vehicle you have.

During these financially difficult times, buying a new car can be too costly and can even break us when we could simply take your existing car and have it fine-tuned. This can include making sure the engine is in perfect working order to checking out the vehicle’s body and assessing whether it has dents or dings that could be repaired. A well-maintained car that is spotless can make you feel as good as a newly purchased vehicle.

Americans today are spending 15% to 20% of their take-home pay on car payments– this doesn’t take into account the other costs of a vehicle like gas, insurance, tags and maintenance. Why do people spend so much to have a new car? Sometimes it is due to crafty car salesman, other times it is peer pressure. The problem is, once you have committed to a car payment, you are stuck with it– no cutting back on it as with other expenses such as eating out and groceries. You have to make the payments or let the lender repossess your car. The later is hardly an option, as you would still owe the difference between your loan balance and whatever the car brings at an auction, plus your credit becomes nearly ruined.

So what can you do to avoid becoming over your head in debt with a car payment? First, ask yourself whether you need a new car or can you make an investment in your existing car and bring it up to almost new condition. Remember how car loans work. The first part of the loan you are primarily paying the interest while the second half of the loan is applied to the principle owed on the car. What often happens though is that people will trade in their car in the middle of a loan when little has been paid toward the principle, which leaves them upside down. An upside down loan means you will owe more than the car is worth after up to three years, therefore if you try and trade it in, you won’t get back as much as you owe. This is followed by the need to roll that debt into the new car purchase and the cycle starts again.

Another reason you should just keep the car you have and care for it is that cars are more dependable these days and can be driven past 200,000 miles. If you are tempted to try and justify the cost of repairs on your old car in order to buy a new car – do the math. If your new car is costing $7,000 a year or $530 a month – putting $1,500 into your car in one payment, even twice a year, is still cheaper. Most people’s vehicles run fine; they just don’t feel it looks as good as it used to. If this is the case, take your car into a body shop and ask for an estimate. There are new methods for repair small dents and dings in your car including what is called paintless dent repair. Such repairs don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Follow this up with having your car washed and waxed – this will make a world of difference. Last, have the inside cleaned and detailed. With just doing these few things your car will be as good as new and you will feel even better about yourself than what a new car might have to offer.

David Etienne is the founder of FIX-A-DENT, the premier provider of Professional Paintless Dent Repair services in the United States. Established in 1993, FIX-A-DENT continues being the leader in Hail Damage Repair Austin (PDR), technologies, practices,techniques and Paintless Dent Repair in Austin Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.fixadent.com

Paintless Dent Repair

If your car has received dents, dings, or creases as the result of a fender bender, shopping cart collision, or hail damage, paintless dent repair, also known as PDR, is typically the best solution for the repair of the damage. Not only does paintless dent repair restore your vehicle to its original state, it does so affordably and quickly. Paintless dent repair is cheaper than than most work performed at a body shop, and can often be done while you wait. Additionally, paintless dent repair is approved by most insurance companies for reimbursement.

Paintless dent repair does not require sanding, bonding, filling, or paint. Instead, it relies on the use of special tools which take advantage of the fact that most auto bodies are made of metals which have “memory”. The memory of a metal is its tendency to seek out the original shape or curvature it originally had when it was manufactured. The use of high strength metal in manufacturing as well as resilient paint finishes contributes to the effectiveness and simplicity of the PDR process.

Paintless dent repair is suitable for most vehicles manufactured after 1990 and works well for large or small dents so long as the surface of the paint has not been cracked. As paintless dent repair takes advantage of your car’s original finish, there are no issues with respect to matching of paint, and your vehicle is restored to its original condition.

While most dents can be fixed in a short time “while you wait” (and some PDR companies even offer mobile service in which they come to your location), more extensive damage, such as hail damage, which involves numerous dents can take more time. Even so, the PDR process is still typically quicker and cheaper than more traditional, body shop repair processes would be.

Paintless dent repair has other advantages as well. Not only is it more affordable and quicker than traditional body shop work, it is environmentally friendly. No harmful paints, sprays or solvents are utilized. Paintless dent repair also preserves your car’s original finish, which helps maintain its value (cars which have their original finish on them resale for a greater amount than those with aftermarket finishes). Body shop work typically involves a depreciation of the value of a vehicle. This is simply not the case with paintless dent repair.

Paintless dent repair provides a host of advantages over other means of automobile body repair. If your car has experienced dents, dings, or hail damage, it would be wise to investigate the options provided by PDR.


David Etienne is the founder of FIX-A-DENT, the premier provider of Professional Paintless Dent Repair services in the United States. Established in 1993, FIX-A-DENT continues being the leader in Paintless Dent Removal (PDR), technologies, practices, and techniques. For more information, please visit http://www.fixadent.com

Fixing Dents and Increasing Your Cars Value

We all have them, well most of us. Small dents in our vehicle, dents that possibly came from parking lots, grocery carts, hail – you name it. And then there are the big dents, small collisions with the garbage can or a tree. However you acquired your dents, you can be sure that each and every one of them takes away from the value of your car. Try using the Kelley Blue Book and you will quickly discover a rating system based on your car’s condition. The difference in price between your cars condition of Fair to Excellent is sometimes quite significant.

There are other ways you can determine the increased value of your car when fixing dents. For starters, it just makes your car look better. A car that looks good is naturally worth more money than an identical car that has dents or dings marring its appearance. A car's value is higher when it remains closer to its original brand-new condition. A dent-free car also shows that you have maintained and cared for your car. When trying to sell a vehicle, this is an important impression to make. A car that has numerous dents and dings gives the impression that the car has been abused and/or neglected.

Fortunately, there are many ways to remove dents from your vehicle, which include a simple paintless dent removal processes to having the body shop to an all out dent removal.

If you have never heard of paintless dent removal or PDR, it is the process of removing small dents (usually the size of a dime, quarter, or half dollar), which often occur on a car's exterior as a result of door dings or hail damage. Technicians use specialized tools to push the metal back into its original shape from behind the dent and depending on the location of the damage, sometimes the panel is accessed by removing trim pieces, through window openings or by removing inner panels.

The paintless dent removal has become a popular solution for consumers and auto body repair shops due to the many ways it can save the consumer money. First of all, it takes much less time to repair a car with this system than it does when a car has to have pieces replaced or has to be repainted. With the paintless system, there is no sanding, body filler or repainting necessary.

Another benefit of paintless dent removal is that insurance companies recognize its value and therefore often refer customers to shops that provide this service. Insurance companies see how the process is efficient, cost-effective and a value-added service, which in turn keeps premiums down for their clients.

Last, because the paintless dent removal system is a process that takes less time than a full auto body repair, you do not have to be without your car for as long of time. If the repair is small enough, sometimes a repair technician can come to you. This of course means you don’t have to drive your car to a shop, leave it, have someone drive you back home and later drive you back to the shop to pick up your car.

Whatever system your auto body technician chooses in repairing your car’s dents, one thing is sure, the beauty and value of your car will be improved, which means more money and savings for you.


David Etienne is the founder of FIX-A-DENT, the premier provider of Professional Paintless Dent Repair services in the United States. Established in 1993, FIX-A-DENT continues being the leader in Paintless Dent Removal (PDR), technologies, practices, and techniques. For more information, please visit http://www.fixadent.com