Want an easy way to keep you and your car safe? Use the beginning of the new year to overhaul your car and your insurance. Much like the switch between Daylight Savings and Standard Time serves as a reminder to check your smoke detectors, the start of the new year should be a time to look at what you can do to ensure there are no surprises that send your budget or your safety over the edge. Here are three things you should be sure to do each January.
Proactive Maintenance
Check over your car’s maintenance records to see what services might be necessary this year. If it’s been a while since the radiator was last drained, or if your car is due for service at a certain mileage, you’ll be able to better plan your budget for the year. Check the tread on the tires, if those are older. If your car has a lot of miles on it, check whether the engine uses a timing belt or a timing chain. Timing belts need to be changed when the car has accumulated many miles (the exact amounts vary by car manufacturer), while timing chains do not need to be changed.
Update Your Emergency Supplies
Go through the emergency supplies in your trunk and update anything that has expired or is about to expire. Replace water bottles that have been in there for a long time. Wash blankets and inspect shoes to ensure they’re all in good shape should you need to use them. If you don’t have emergency supplies in the trunk, this is the time to get some. In case you find yourself in a situation where you have to either stay in your car for an extended time (for example: if you’re stuck on a snowy highway), or where you have to abandon your car and walk, those supplies will help you. Remember to stock foods that won’t spoil if the trunk gets too hot, and include a backpack in case you need to leave your car and take the supplies with you.
Update Your Coverage
Talk to your insurance agent about upcoming changes for the year. If you have a teenager who will learn how to drive, for example, that will change your premium if you plan to add the teen to your coverage. New laws could change the legal minimums for coverage like liability. Plus, as your car gets older, your insurance premiums could go down. It’s always a good idea to see if auto insurance companies in your area will be adding new discounts, too.
If you’d like more information on getting your car ready for the new year, call your insurance agent. The company wants you and your car to be well and safe, and the agent will help you ensure that everything is ready for the next several months.
Proactive Maintenance
Check over your car’s maintenance records to see what services might be necessary this year. If it’s been a while since the radiator was last drained, or if your car is due for service at a certain mileage, you’ll be able to better plan your budget for the year. Check the tread on the tires, if those are older. If your car has a lot of miles on it, check whether the engine uses a timing belt or a timing chain. Timing belts need to be changed when the car has accumulated many miles (the exact amounts vary by car manufacturer), while timing chains do not need to be changed.
Update Your Emergency Supplies
Go through the emergency supplies in your trunk and update anything that has expired or is about to expire. Replace water bottles that have been in there for a long time. Wash blankets and inspect shoes to ensure they’re all in good shape should you need to use them. If you don’t have emergency supplies in the trunk, this is the time to get some. In case you find yourself in a situation where you have to either stay in your car for an extended time (for example: if you’re stuck on a snowy highway), or where you have to abandon your car and walk, those supplies will help you. Remember to stock foods that won’t spoil if the trunk gets too hot, and include a backpack in case you need to leave your car and take the supplies with you.
Update Your Coverage
Talk to your insurance agent about upcoming changes for the year. If you have a teenager who will learn how to drive, for example, that will change your premium if you plan to add the teen to your coverage. New laws could change the legal minimums for coverage like liability. Plus, as your car gets older, your insurance premiums could go down. It’s always a good idea to see if auto insurance companies in your area will be adding new discounts, too.
If you’d like more information on getting your car ready for the new year, call your insurance agent. The company wants you and your car to be well and safe, and the agent will help you ensure that everything is ready for the next several months.
No comments:
Post a Comment