Automotive | All About Automotive

(NAPSI)-Just as people can change their clothes to match weather conditions, car owners now have the option of matching different materials and designs for car covers to the environment when protecting a car against the weather.

Here are some options:

Let the Sun Shine

Some areas of the country see 200 or more days of sunshine each year. Unfortunately, exposure to ultraviolet rays and radiant energy from that much sun can cause a car's paint colors to fade, and the clear coat to cloud, crack, dry out and deteriorate.

Also, heat trapped inside a car can dry out and deteriorate vinyl, leather, plastic and rubber. It can also break down foam padding and adhesives and can "cook" audio components, tapes and disks.

Vehicle owners in areas where these conditions occur may want to look for a car cover that offers a high UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) rating. Covers with the Evolution® Fabric label are said to offer the highest UPF rating possible. The fabric is the first to offer a UPF rating.

Rainy Days and Mondays

While an occasional rainstorm won't destroy a car's paint job, corrosion begins any time a car is subjected to extreme moisture, as it can be in some of the rainier areas of the country. Moisture can seep into tiny cracks and dings and work against the paint from the inside out, separating the paint from the metal and causing the metal to oxidize.

Experts say the best car covers for wet and rainy conditions are made of fabric with a microporous film middle layer that provides a water-stopping barrier but allows evaporation of trapped condensation, such as Noah® Fabric made by Kimberly-Clark.

Snow, Beautiful Snow

If you live where there's a lot of snow, you know what a hassle it can be to clear away frost, ice and snow from a car before driving away.

Using a car cover when your vehicle is parked outside lets you avoid that time-consuming de-icing routine-not to mention the danger of driving with a frost-covered windshield.

In less than a minute-the average time it takes to put on or take off a car cover-you can be ready to drive away. In snowy climates, many look for covers with the Block-It® Fabric label to make sure the cover is designed to protect a car from the wet winter elements. For more information, visit www.block-it.com.


Some car covers now offer protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays. This can protect both the car's interior and its paint job.

By Carjunky

(NewsUSA) - A minor accident in a parking lot, a too-close encounter with another car's door.

Small dents and scratches hurt cars' resale value, but few owners make repairs.

When damages cost less than their deductible, many drivers would rather pay out-of-pocket than see an increase in their insurance rates.

Other car owners simply feel too busy to take their vehicle to a collision repair shop, where they might be expected to leave their car for several days.

The average driver keeps their car for nine years. Minor accidents are on the rise, and yet, dent and scratch repair work remains stagnant.

Many people simply cannot pay increased insurance premiums or take precious time from their busy schedules. So, minor dings, dents and scratches remain eyesores on people's cars.

But new companies have perceived a need and taken steps to fill it. One company, "Collision on Wheels, We Come to You!," started out as a traditional body shop. Since becoming a mobile body shop on wheels, the company has become a national franchise.

The company sends qualified technicians to people's homes, where they provide same-day paint, scratch, dent and minor collision repairs. Their technicians use the same equipment found in any indoor body shops and use protective covers when it rains or snows.

Collision on Wheels uses high-quality, environmentally safe paints. Technicians can repair most minor dents, scratches or abrasions within half a day.

The company does support insurance claims. Although many repairs cost less than deductibles, car owners often choose to skip the paperwork, adjustments and other hassles for the sake of a dent-free car.

Collision on Wheels provides a great option for busy Americans who have little time to visit a traditional body shop. Repair of small dents and dings before selling or turning in a lease can also increase resale value.

Small accidents happen. The good news is that a scratch or dent that happens in two seconds doesn't mean having to leave your car in a body shop for days anymore. With services like Collision on Wheels, drivers can get body repair and paint service from their home or office.

(ARA) -- Know anybody who has trouble parking their car in the garage, not knowing how far to pull up before bashing the bumper against the back wall? Or anybody who leaves his/her car too far out and has the garage door grind down on its back end? Park-Zone is an inexpensive device offering a simple, yet high-tech solution to this daily problem.
In the often-crowded home-garage environment where depth perception is so difficult, parking a car can be quite a headache and lead to expensive bumper damage. Now, homeowners can use Park-Zone by Exeter Technologies, which offers a convenient, high-tech solution to this daily parking dilemma.

Park-Zone looks and acts like a space-age traffic light. Upon a vehicle's entry into the garage, the green light illuminates, indicating that the driver can proceed. Next, midway through the garage, an amber light cautions the driver. Finally, the red light comes on, signaling for the driver to stop in the 'park-zone.'

"It uses green, yellow and red lights to guide drivers as surely and smoothly as if they were docking a passenger jet," says "TIME." Exeter Technologies' Sr. Managing Director Arman Rousta reaffirms, "Park-Zone will work on any vehicle, no matter what you drive -- it can be a simple sedan, even an SUV or a Mack Truck. A number of fire houses are using Park-Zone to park their fire trucks."

"You ought to have one of these if you're having problems parking. I used to scratch my front bumper regularly against the back wall. I'm very happy with Park-Zone," says Orthello Byers of Bellaire, Texas, who has been using Park-Zone for a few months now.

Taking a look at how cars have evolved over the years, you may notice that bumpers are no longer two pieces of durable rubber protruding from the ends of a vehicle; rather, they are an element of aerodynamically designed automobiles, made of fiber glass or some other fragile material. Studies show that even the most minor scratch will cost you at least $300 to repair!

In an independent study, brand new cars [different models] were chosen to hit garage walls while parking at merely 5 MPH. No bumper went undamaged, as the cost or repairs ranged from $3,000-$7,300! Ridiculous as it may sound for a bumper, that is reality.

Park-Zone is mounted on the back wall of the garage and operates on 4AA batteries that will last for up to one full year. The ultrasonic sensing unit connects to the traffic light display via a standard telephone cord. To calibrate your own park-zone, simply park your car at the desired distance from the back wall of the garage. Push the injection button on the display unit, and through a simple calibration in a matter of seconds, Park-Zone presets the distance at which the red light turns on every time.

"Users will find that Park-Zone's ease of installation and operation makes it an extremely simple, yet very effective high-tech gadget," states the inventor of Park-Zone and, Chairman and Principal of Exeter Technologies Inc., Dr. Michael Yaron.

They call it Park-Zone. Drivers will call it peace of mind.

Special Features

The "brain" of the device is an ultrasonic transducer Made in the USA by the Polaroid Corp. The Sensor emits repeated sound waves that reflect off of surfaces and travel back to the sensor as an echo. After detecting an object, the sensor transmits a signal to the display unit.

4AA batteries will last for up to one year. The all new Platinum Edition Park-Zone offers the choice of either using batteries, or plugging the unit into the wall via the included AC Adapter.

The special "watchdog timer" offers special modes of operation. While the car is parked in the garage, Park-Zone enters the "Home-Mode," pinging (emitting sound waves) less frequently. When the car is away from the garage, Park-Zone enters the "Away-Mode," pinging more frequently anticipating the arrival of the car.

Default Modes:

If another object or human should pass by the sensing unit, Park-Zone will differentiate between them and the vehicle and automatically revert to whichever mode it was previously in.

When batteries are running low, the red light will flash repeatedly for up to two weeks to remind you to change them.

If the telephone cord is improperly connected to either the sensing unit or display unit, the solid red light will remain illuminated.

With a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $79.95, $89.95 for the Platinum Edition, Park-Zone is available at The Sharper Image, Brookstone, K-Mart, Caldor, The Herrington Catalog, AAA Catalog, Amway and numerous other locations.

For more information, contact Exeter Technologies Inc., Yogesh Shyam, One Penn Plaza, Suite 4025, New York, NY 10119, (888) EXETER1 [888-393-8371], Fax: (212) 760-0470, email: yshyam@exetertech.com, or visit www.park-zone.com and www.exetertech.com. Courtesy of Article Resource Associaton, www.aracopy.com