The Truth about Car Dealerships

When buying a new car we all have to go to the car dealerships, these dealership only sell one brand so if we want to buy a new Hyundai we would need to go to a Hyundai dealership and if we want to buy a new Honda we would need to go to a Honda dealership and so on. With books we do not go to a book store that only sale Harry Potter books, there is all kinds of books at a book store. This goes for other products as well, clothing while there are some outlet and brand name stores, but there are also some store that sell a different variety of brand name from Nike to Adidas. Then we ask ourselves why can we not get a new car online or have a car store sales different brands of new cars? Here is the answer car dealerships have laws passed banning such practices, the truth is that car dealerships are separate businesses and they are not owned by the car makers.

Since the early days dealership associations have pressured the governments to pass franchise laws that pretty much give these dealerships a monopoly over new car sales. So it is illegal to sales new cars unless you are a car dealership and each dealership and their own turf on where they can sell. This mean that if a dealership own a turf it is illegal to open another dealership in that turf. It is also virtually impossible for car makers to shut down dealership, this is because there are also laws against it. Due to the lack of competition and oversight car dealership can treat us badly. It is also extremely difficult to change the laws because about 20 percent of state sales tax revenue comes from car dealerships. If car manufacturers were able to sale the new cars to consumers directly without the monopoly of car dealerships on average each car would be about $2000 cheaper. Unfortunately because of these franchise laws that is there to protect the dealerships the only way to buy a new car is by going to the car dealerships.

Winter Driving in Cold Weather

In colder climates driving in the winter has its challenges. When we say we hate the cold, in fact so do our vehicles. So the battery will need more power to start the car and at frigid temperatures the battery is also less effective than at normal temperatures. Modern cars do not need to be warmed-up for a long time about 30 seconds and it is good to drive, of course it is also recommended that you do not do any sudden or hard acceleration for the first 3 miles (5 kilometers).

When driving there are things to pack and things not to do, cruise control should not be used on slippery roads, as it can cause the vehicle to hydroplane and lose control. Going slow on the gas because you want to avoid sudden accelerations also it is recommended that you check your wiper blades to make sure that they are in good condition and switch to snow tires for the best performance. Make sure you have a snowbrush with an ice scrapper, an extra jug of windshield water fluid and for the washer fluid you want to make sure it is good for at least -20 F (-30 C). Bring an extra shovel and clothing will also help in case you get stranded on the road. It is also recommended to keep your gas tank full to reduce moisture in the gas tank and also can help with keeping a slower speed due to the extra weight, and in some very cold places some cars have a block heater. A block heater is in the hood of the car and you plug it in and it will keep the engine warm. On a final note just because the road looks safe does not necessarily mean that it is, during the winter we should be very wary of possible black ice. Black ice is hazardous because we cannot really see it, it is a clear thin layer of ice that is slippery.

As we see that driving in the winter time has its challenges. Also remember on a very cold say if you just start your car it will still feel cold for a while until the engine gets warmed up and the heater warms up the temperature in the car.