Save Money In 2014 - Find Every Discount For Your Insurance Policy

People in Arnold, MO start out each and every New Year with several meaningful changes or plans to make “this year” better than the last. Some plans will probably involve better diets, lifestyle changes, read more, exercise more, journal more, spend more time with our family, and greater focus on how to be more fiscally responsible.

It’s hard to argue with being more responsible with where you spend your hard earned dollars. Insurance costs to protect our vehicles can be a major expenditure for lots of people.  It is just common sense to complete a yearly review where and how these controllable dollars are spent.
Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, MO, also serving the folks of Oakville, Imperial, and Jefferson County, offers a couple of tips to help ensure your auto insurance premium dollars are spent in the most effective manner possible.

1.   When you have a clean driving record with no mishaps and no violations in the last three years you might qualify for a substantial “safe driver” discount. If you don’t see a discount of this type on the declarations page that comes with your renewal, ask your agent or insurance provider.

2.   Assuming you have good or very good credit you may qualify for additional discounts.  Ask your agent or insurance provider.

3.   When you have your auto and homeowner policies with the same insurance company you most likely qualify for another type of discount. Confer with your agent or insurance provider.

4.   If you have young drivers on your policy who are good students, generally a B average or higher, you may qualify for more discounts.  There's also discounts available for taking part in safe driving programs. Check with our agent or insurance provider for availability.

5.   If your vehicles have special accident avoidance systems you might qualify for further discounts.

6.   If you own vehicle(s) whose mix of age, miles and current physical condition has deteriorated to a point of lower value it might be time to consider self-insuring these vehicles. This means getting rid of collision and comprehensive coverage. This action necessitates careful consideration and should definitely include consultation with your agent or insurance provider.

7.   Changing the amount of your collision and/or comprehensive deductibles could be a choice to control your premium costs. Picking out a higher deductible for either coverage will lessen your premium. But it’s imperative that you understand this move will increase your financial exposure should a major accident occur.

8.   Many insurance companies are offering installed driving performance monitors that provide you a deep discount on your insurance for safe driving.  Consult your insurance agent on availability.

9.   If you've relocated, taken a new job or married or divorced during the past year, it may impact your car insurance.  Make sure you update your policies accordingly.

10.   One more tip to every insurance consumer would be to make sure you have a “what if I have an accident" pack in your glove box. This kit should contain a pencil, a pad of paper to write down accident details and witness contact details, your agent’s contact info, your current insurance card, a plastic camera, and emergency contact information with names and numbers of people identified as the people to call in case you’re injured.

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair hopes to be sure that everyone traveling in Oakville, Imperial, and Jefferson County are ready for the road in each and every way possible. If you live in Arnold, MO or the surrounding area and would like to have your questions pertaining to auto body repair answered, call Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair at 636-464-6080 or visit our website: www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com.

Why Should You Consider CARSTAR?

Whenever your vehicle needs to be repaired, you need a repair facility that you can rely on to help you stay informed throughout the complete process, offer superb customer service, deliver your vehicle on time and get you back on the road with the best quality repair.

That’s why a lot more people Select Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri for their motor vehicle repair needs than any other body shop. Across Oakville, Imperial, Jefferson County, and Arnold, MO, we provide national scale, consistently high-quality vehicle repairs and the industry’s finest customer satisfaction ratings, and most repairs are backed by a limited five-year nationwide warranty and service guarantee.

When you Select  Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair for your car repair, you’re choosing to be a part of North America’s biggest network of auto body shop owners.  That means you get the national training, quality standards and resources of the network, in addition to the personal service and community involvement of our local Arnold, Missouri area.  We feel this unique combination provides you the highest quality vehicle repair possible and supports a vibrant locally owned and operated company in your community.

Certified technicians are trained to work on all makes and models and get involved in ongoing education programs on the newest vehicle technologies and materials. Working with Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair allows you the peace of mind in knowing your car or truck will be repaired right and with the utmost attention to your needs. It's just one of the many ways we help minimize the disruption to your life.

We use high-quality parts and products to restore your vehicle to pre-accident condition. And, we do a 50 point quality interior and exterior inspection, a whole test-drive and a complete detail, to assure our workmanship meets your high standards before we give your automobile back to you.

Whenever you need auto body repair, Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri is here to help. We offer helpful assistance twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, and will walk you through each step of the process.   We can call your insurance company, have your motor vehicle towed for repairs and get a hold of a friend or family member for you. Call us today at 636-464-6080 or visit www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com.

Prevent Pandemonium For Perfect Performance

Drivers have to cope with a lot more potential distractions nowadays than they had about ten years ago, and those attention-stealers are accountable for crashes that cost money and lives. Thankfully, people who observe in close proximity the destruction brought on by in-car diversions have put together some suggestions for handling and avoiding them.

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri is in the industry of correcting mistakes many people make on the highway. It used to be that all a motorist had to distract himself was a single AM radio. Now, you'll find sufficient high-tech electronic gadgets built in to fly a space shuttle, and they can all diminish a driver’s concentration.

Following these tips can significantly lower the possibility of a crash and make a trip more enjoyable for those involved.

•   Choose a rigid no-text policy – According to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the possibility of an accident is twenty-three times higher for those who are sending and receiving text messages when driving. A vehicle moving at fifty-five miles per hour will go over the length of a football field in the 4.6 seconds it takes to type or receive a message. Driving while texting is comparable to driving while inebriated. The appeal of a text message is that it'll be waiting for you whenever there's time for you pull over and read it.

•   Restrict or get rid of cell phone use while driving – A study by Australia’s Monash University Accident Research Centre discovered that the utilization of handheld devices like a cell phone enhances crash and injury possibilities by four hundred percent. If a passenger is on board, let that individual carry out the conversation whenever you drive.

•   Use a hands-free device, but strictly for essential calls – Carnegie Mellon used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see brain activity of individuals answering a number of true/false questions whilst replicating driving your car on a computer screen. They uncovered a thirty-seven percent decline in the brain’s capability to judge spatial relationships (like between the automobile at speed and other things) when the “driver” focused on responding to questions. This information indicates that any conversation with someone not in the passenger compartment reduces the driver’s reflexes when driving.

•   Program GPS receivers before beginning a trip or errand – Portable and in-dash GPS devices are immensely helpful for getting us where we would like to go, particularly those that call out the step-by-step instructions. They're only useful, however, if the driver doesn't try to input information when in motion. Most GPS devices show a legal warning against this action before they are used.

•   Master a car’s devices and adjustments before you leave the driveway – Modern cars have a large number of buttons, switches and handles that may need activating when you're out, and a motorist ought to be familiar with them to avoid distraction. Adjusting the windshield wipers, headlights, radio settings, climate controls, seat height, steering wheel angle and emergency flashers can easily disturb the driver for enough time to trigger a major accident.

•   Save meals for the rest stop – Americans have perfected the art of eating and driving, which is the reason why cars created for the USA market frequently have more cup holders than seats. Based on the findings of the NHTSA, a driver’s morning cup of coffee and muffin are practically as distracting as a mobile phone conversation.

•   Keep children and pets in authorized seats or locations – Crash-test engineers have established the most secure placement for kids of various sizes and ages in vehicles. Following applicable federal and state laws also decreases a parent’s potential for distraction while driving because the child is less inclined to get injured or into trouble in a moving vehicle if restrained. Letting animals freely roam within a vehicle isn't just a terrible idea; it is illegal in many states as legislators crack down on distracted driving.

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri, also repairing vehicles in Festus, Imperial, Oakville, and St. Louis, want you to realize that there are lots of ways to decrease the amount of dangerous distractions within a vehicle. These tips target just a few which are simple for people to fix. Anything a driver can do to concentrate on the highway will only increase the likelihood of a safe arrival.

For more tips on safe driving and collision repair, visit www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com. CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts offers high-quality, reliable repair service in thirty-two states and ten Canadian provinces. Just call 1-800-CARSTAR when you want to have a vehicle repair, and they will send a tow truck, get a hold of your insurance company, arrange for a rental car and fix your car.

There Isn't A Magic Wand For Everything...

At first sight, a scratch repair pen may seem like a wonderful idea. What’s not to want about making fast repairs to your car’s finish simply by drawing a line across the damage? It just so happens, the results aren't always like what you see on the TV commercials. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri, also serving folks in Festus, Imperial, Oakville, and St. Louis, are pleased to offer these fascinating test results.

For instance, we discovered that they won't work on anything but small exterior scuff marks. And, they'll often make the damage look even worse.

Marketed as a simple way to avoid expensive auto body shop expenses, manufacturers claim that anybody can get professional results from the pens, which cost ten bucks or less. We sampled three to find out if the claims were true.

What We Tested

The Simoniz Fix it Pro ($10), DuPont Pro Fusion Color ($8), and Turtle Wax Scratch Repair Pen ($10) are available everywhere online or in auto parts stores. Advertised to work with any color paint, they have a durable clear coat similar to the protective outer layer applied to brand new vehicles straight out of the factory. But what their packaging does not make entirely clear is that these pens are purely for surface scratches inside the clear coat. If the harm gets into the paint below, you are out of luck.

We also discovered that the pens are difficult to use, and that it is quite difficult to achieve the thin, even line required to nicely fill scratches without overdoing it. With applicator tips which are as wide or wider than an average scratch, our sampled products make it extremely difficult to avoid applying too much filler, and leaving a visible residue that is more noticeable than the harm you are attempting to repair. And eliminating that residue may need sanding and buffing it out, and maybe even some touch-up paint.

Generally speaking, these items will not help on any scratch that is deep enough to feel with your fingernail, or if you are able to see primer or bare metal. For that sort of damage, you will need more than clear filler and a stable hand. The only method to fix damaged paint is by using more paint.

How We Tested

For our assessment, we took the same lab-grade black test panels we buy for car wax testing. These boards are painted and clear coated with automobile finishes. We used them on a couple of automobiles with light scrapes: a silver Toyota Sienna minivan and a dark blue Honda CR-V.

We established scratching for the test panels with a key and a bolt, and then used the products according to manufacturers' instructions on both of the panels and the pre-scratched vehicles. This included washing and drying the damaged area, shaking the pen thoroughly to mix the contents, dabbing the tip on paper towel to get the product flowing, and carefully drawing the pen across the surface of the scratch. After applying the products, we moved the trial samples to the roof of our building where they were allowed to weather for four straight weeks.

The Results

All three of these products loaded the scratches, and we saw no really big distinction between them in either convenience or effectiveness.

From some angles, the repairs looked every bit as good as marketed in the TV advertisements. But some angles revealed a ridge of extremely noticeable excess clear coat. The results had the appearance of an amateur job, at the very best, and generally the repair was much more obvious than the initial scratch. The Simoniz and DuPont products advise wiping off any surplus with a paper towel, but we discovered that this only made things appear worse, as it smeared the paint over the intact surface.

Our advice is that you save your cash and skip these quick fixes for minor damage or try some sort of cleaning polish instead.

For deeper scratching, a visit to Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri might be your best bet.

The Sky Is Falling: How To Handle The Danger Of Spring Hailstorms

Warmer weather is here, meaning hail storms are working their way across the nation, leaving dented, dinged and damaged vehicles in their path.

Is your car or truck ready to confront nature itself this spring?  Do you have the right insurance to recuperate from any problems?  And how can you make sure that your vehicle is restored to its pre-storm condition without making a huge dent in your pocketbook?

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair sees large amounts of vehicles that have been damaged by hail storms every year. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair in Arnold, Missouri offers these tips to help vehicle owners the damage left by any recent spring hail storms.

After getting hail damage, the first thing to do is speak to your insurance provider prior to consulting a repair center.  In many cases, if there's a very big storm, the insurance companies will call in what’s known as a Catastrophe Team.  If you are going around town and you are getting a lot of estimates, regrettably, it'll just be a lot of wasted time for you.  The insurance providers are going to want you to go and have their Catastrophe Team take a look at it, begin the claim process, and then you can bring it to Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair or any body shop, and they’ll work with the insurance company from there to make sure that all the dents get fixed on your car.

Even if you do not think your vehicle was battered too badly, it is essential that you get it looked at as quickly as possible. There can be a lot of damage that you cannot see when you are just visually looking at it.  Once you get it under some of the right kind of light, and you really take a good look at it, there are a lot of dents that you will not see until you possibly go to trade your vehicle in, and then you’ll be stuck with a lot of hail damage.  Your best chance is to get a claim processed, and get it into a qualified shop, and have them really look over the vehicle carefully.  Once you get it under  florescent lights, what you thought was only ten or fifteen dents ends up being fifty or one hundred dents.

Check Your Coverage

The time to take a look at auto insurance isn't whenever you hear the hail smashing brutally into your car.  Read your policy now so that you can understand what is covered and what isn't, what the deductibles are, if you have rental coverage and what to do whenever the storm hits.

Comprehensive coverage shields against most harm from natural disasters.  Two other choices to consider are gap coverage – which pays the difference between what you owe on your loan and what your car is worth -- and rental reimbursement.

One thing that you should be aware of – if you filed a previous damage claim and received a check from your insurance company, but did not have the vehicle repaired – the insurance company will deduct that amount from your estimate for the storm damage, and charge you a second deductible, too.

Protect Your Vehicle

When you know that a hail storm is on the way, get your vehicle to some higher ground or under cover.  If you don't personally have a garage at home, find a covered parking garage to protect your car.  If you have to park your car outdoors, park it on the highest ground possible away from trees and phone poles.

For hail storms, cover your car in an old blanket and a car cover that you can get from your local automotive retailer – before the storm hits.  This will give some protection for your hood, roof and rear deck-lid. If a storm comes up without warning, look for an awning at a service station, the drive-through at the bank or self-serve car wash to get under for immediate protection. On the highway, try to find cover under a bridge or viaduct.

Get Your Car Repaired without Despair

Dealing with the aftermath of a big hail storm can be traumatic, particularly if you have had damage to your home, too.  Getting your car up and running again shouldn’t add to your stress, if you are ready for the repairs.  To help with this process, Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair offers these tips:

•   Copy of your vehicle registration, title, insurance card and driver’s license and put those copies in a safe, dry place.
•   After the storm clears, record any damage with photos or video.
•   Know where you’d like to have your car fixed ahead of time so you do not have to make a sudden decision.

When you choose a body shop for repairs, don't forget:

•   Check out the shop, their track record, business or trade associations they are a part of and if their technicians are I-CAR educated.
•   All reputable repair facilities will provide a warranty of some sort for the work that they complete…also make sure that it is written down and well explained to you.
•   Only trust your vehicle to a well-established body shop business operating before the storm. Beware of fly-by-night operators trying to make a fast buck off of the storm.  If they are set up in a location that isn't permanent, don’t trust them with your vehicle.
Once your car arrives at the body shop for repairs, there are a few things you should keep in mind to get that top-quality repair:

•   Review the estimate in detail, but keep in mind that it is for the visible damage and what it will take to return the vehicle to its pre-accident state. If the estimate does not cover the whole extent of the damage, a Supplement will be created, submitted to your insurance company for approval.
•   Get a detailed assessment of the parts to be changed and whether they are OEM, new or refurbished, and in what condition the car will be in whenever it is returned to you.  Most insurance policies specify pre-accident status, so your seven-year old minivan may not come back looking brand new.
•   Get a timeline of when the work is to be done and when the job is going to be completed.
•    Detail the payment terms and methods, with down-payment, final payment and costs for any follow-up work.
•   Ask the store manager for regular updates on the progress of the work, and require approval for any work done outside the original estimate.
•   Do not allow yourself to be pressured to accept the completed repair if you don’t think it is repaired properly.  Get in contact with your insurance agent for guidance.

While your car is in the body shop, it’s a good time to have other dents repaired in addition to ones from the hail storm.  It is often more cost-effective and your car will benefit in the end.
For more tips on dealing with an accident or having your car repaired after a collision, visit www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body Repair offers quality, reliable repair service.  Just call 636-464-6080 when you need a vehicle repair and they will send the tow truck, contact your insurance company, arrange for a rental car and repair your car.

Make Sure That Your Child's Safety Seat Is Installed Properly

If you find yourself bringing home a baby, shopping for a child safety seat for a child that has outgrown a previous one or finding a replacement child safety seat for one that has been damaged in a wreck, selecting the actual seat for your child is really just half the task.  The most confusing obstacle is still ahead – getting it mounted properly.

NHTSA, the National Safety Council and Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body in Arnold, Missouri offer these techniques to help moms and dads ensure that their child safety seat is put in as safely as is feasible.

•   Always ensure that the baby is rear-facing. While the view might seem boring to you, it ensures that the infant will be in the safest possible position if an accident occurs. The rear facing position decreases the probability of neck/spine trauma compared to that of a baby facing forward.  While some experts advocate keeping the child rear facing up until his or her 6 month mark and or twenty-two pounds, there is absolutely nothing wrong with waiting a bit longer.
•   Use the right seat for your kid's age, body weight and height. If your vehicle has leather seats, get a couple of non-slip rubber shelf liners or find yourself a "seat saver" to put under the car seat. It'll keep your vehicle seat clean and stop the car seat from sliding all about. Still, depending on your child safety seat, a seat saver may have the ability to interfere with the installation process, so hold on to the receipt.
•   Read the car and the child seat manuals with extreme care, and always adhere to the car seat manufacturer's advice. If you have questions for them, call them up and ask. Your local dealer might not be up to speed on your personal installation questions.
•   Rear-Facing, Infant-Only Seat — LATCH Install -- Many parents of newborns like the type of infant car seat that comes with a separating base component. The base stays installed in the car while the baby carrier itself can be taken out and snapped back in again at will.  Infant seat bases generally have flexible LATCH connectors — essentially belts with hooks at the ends.  Locate the lowest anchors in the second-row window seats. Be sure the child safety seat lays flat against the seat's bottom and back, in between the lower anchors.  Hook the LATCH attachment that is the farthest away from you onto the anchor. Then, if possible, climb on top of the seat, putting your knee on top of it. Using your weight to compress the vehicle seat to the greatest extent possible, hook the other attachment to the anchor and pull out any slack. If you cannot get on top of the seat, use all the strength that you have to push down on the seat while hooking on the second attachment.
•   Rear-Facing, Infant-Only Seat — Standard Shoulder and Lap Belt Install
What if your vehicle or the car seat in it is an older model and does not feature LATCH? Or what if the car's seat cushions or anchor placements make LATCH installation unlikely? You are able to still do a standard shoulder and lap belt installation that is very safe. First, thread the vehicle's lap and shoulder belt through the appropriate slots, called the "belt path." If you have a convertible car seat that goes from forward-facing to rear-facing, be careful to choose the proper path; it will be clearly marked.

Plug the latch plate into the buckle, then, employing your weight as above, tighten up the belt. Be sure that all of the slack is taken out of both the lap and the shoulder. Generally, using a locking clip will give you a more secure installation. A locking clip is an H-shaped bit of metal that comes with all new car seats or can be ordered from the manufacturer. To use one, plug in the seatbelt, make it as tight you can, then unplug it again while you also hold the belt tightly. Wind the locking clip around the belt very close to the latch plate, then plug it back in. You may have to jump down on the seat a couple of times to get it closed. This will not be easy, but it'll give you a rock-solid installation.

Keep in mind that a rear-facing infant car seat needs to sit at a 45-degree angle to prevent the baby from slouching and to keep their respiratory tract open. Check your instructions to see if your seat has an angle adjuster; if so, use that. If not, a small piece of a swimming pool "noodle" placed under the seat is the best way to get the same angle. Why a noodle? Well, you could use a tightly rolled towel, but towels seem to compress over time, whereas the material in pool noodles does not. If you do end up using a towel, check it from time to time to see that the angle has been kept.

The experts at Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body in Arnold, Missouri, who also serve the people of Oakville, Imperial, Jeffco, and Jefferson County, make every effort to give you a high-quality, reliable repair for every customer and want to extend that dedication to the youngest passengers in our customers’ cars. Anyone who's ever placed their bundle of joy in a car seat know what trust you place in that seat.  They want to help empower parents to protect their kids, whether during daily driving or after an accident.
For more information on the CARSTAR Child Safety Seat program, visit www.auto-body-arnold-mo.com.

There’s Snow Time To Waste!

Winter weather may have a big impact on the well-being of your vehicle, even once the snow, ice, rain and challenging traveling conditions turn into a thing of yesterday. These easy guidelines from Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body in Arnold, Missouri can cure wintertime problems and help people protect and preserve their second-largest investment. CARSTAR is America’s trusted accident center and specialist in car exteriors.
From the salt, sludge and road debris that feeds on your paint and exterior to the scratches and marks that accompany driving your car on tricky roadways, Ol’ Man Winter is hard on your automobile. Just some straight forward techniques from Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body professionals can really help motorists beat wintertime scratches quicker than they set aside their winter coats and get their ride prepared for spring, whilst helping the visual appeal, performance and enduring value of their automobile.

The trick is having your automobile meticulously cleaned out and fixed, getting rid of saltiness and fine sand that may cause decay and hurt a car’s finish, then assessing minor denting that will develop into major headaches if kept in disrepair. Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body in Arnold, Missouri, which also serves Oakville, Imperial, Jeffco, and everywhere in Jefferson County, offers the following tips for removing winter grime.

1.    Give your vehicle a good scrub-down with car wash soap to clear away winter salt, sand, dirt and grime without worrying about stripping wax protection.
2.    Thoroughly clean the engine bay to eliminate any harmful residue. Turn on the motor for several minutes, then squirt water through the entire engine compartment with a hose and nozzle. Spray the underbody of the vehicle and all the wheel wells to eliminate salt and sand.
3.    Get rid of the tar and debris with an adhesive and wax remover. Simply rub it on with a microfiber cloth, leave it there for several minutes to weaken dirt, old wax and tar, then wipe off.
4.    Wash the wheels and tires to eliminate brake dust, saltiness and highway grime.
5.    Restore tires to brand-new finish with a tire restorer. All you have to do is spray it on and wipe it off for a deeply black shine.
6.    Give the car a very good protective coating of synthetic polish that chemically ties with the clear coat finish which keeps the car’s finish looking great.
7.    Lube the door, hood and trunk hinges, locks and other moving parts with a spray lubricant that lubricates, permeates, displaces liquid and resists deterioration.
8.    Get the glass clean in and out for gleaming car windows.
9.    Clean up and preserve the upholstery with a leather and vinyl restorer, that revitalizes the natural gloss and supple feel of the factory finish.
10.    Clean the car’s carpet to get rid of wintertime salt and dirt.

Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body professionals remind drivers there is just one other component of the spring cleaning process. That is examining for external damage, as a result of winter road debris, potholes and icy conditions, which could leave dents, dings and scratches hiding beneath your car’s cold weather coat of gunk. They encourage carrying out a complete review of the vehicle from fender to fender and that you pay attention to any new problems. Never forget – ordinary scratching and modest dents can quickly become rust spots and even bigger problems if not dealt with.

The certified technicians at Steve's CARSTAR Auto Body in Arnold, Missouri can provide a detailed “spring cleaning” plan for your vehicle, including paint touch-up, dent and scratch repair and more, all at a reasonable cost.