Tires have a lot of information written on their sidewalls. It might not look like a lot at first, but each character has a meaning and communicates relevant information. Here is a breakdown of how to read a tire and what each character means.

Let’s use this as our tire example: P225/60R16  97S

Service/Tire Type – The first part of tire size explains the type of vehicle or service that the tire is designed for. Our example has ‘P’ which stands for PMetric and indicates that this tire is designed for a passenger vehicle. Other tire types are:

LT = Light Truck

ST = Special Trailer

T = Temporary

If there is no letter at the beginning then the tire is a Euro metric tire.

Tire Section Width – Next we have tire width. Our example has a width of ‘225’ which means that the tire measures 225 millimeters from sidewall to sidewall.

Aspect Ratio – After the / we have the aspect ratio which refers to the height of the sidewall. It tells you the sidewall height as a percentage of the section width of the tire which in our example is ’60’. This means that the sidewall height is 60% of the section width (225 millimeters in our example) which makes the sidewall height 135 millimeters.

Construction – The letter after the aspect ratio indicates the tire’s construction. In our example, we have the letter ‘R’ which stands for radial. This is the most common type of automotive tire with the other types being:

B = Bias Belt

D = Diagonal

Wheel/Rim Diameter – Next we have the wheel diameter which in our example is ’16’. This measurement is in inches which means that this tire will fit on a 16-inch wheel. There are some cases where this number can be expressed in millimeters (390 for example), but in most cases, it will be in inches.

Load Index – After the wheel diameter we have the load index which in our example is ’97’. This tells you how much weight the tire can support when properly inflated. The number itself doesn’t tell you how much weight it can support, but it corresponds with a certain carrying capacity. A load index of 97 means it can support 1609 pounds.

Speed Rating – This indicates the maximum speed at which this tire can be driven on when properly installed. In our example, we have a speed rating of ‘S’ which equates to a maximum speed of 112 mph (or 180 kmh).

The ‘Pictures’ view of the InspectARide app has a drawing of a vehicle with several camera icons around it. This section is set up to make it easy for you to get a picture from each of the main views of the vehicle (driver side, front, passenger side, and rear). All you have to do is simply tap on one of the camera icons and it automatically pulls up your camera so you can snap a picture. Once you take the picture you have the option to take the picture for the next view which makes this process really fast!

If you don’t have a use for taking a picture of each view, no problem. You can simply leave the camera views blank, or if you prefer, you can go into the app ‘Settings’ and uncheck the box for ‘Show Car Layout’ to have this feature turned off.

We wouldn’t have cars if we didn’t have companies that manufacture them. Let’s take a quick look at when, where, and who founded some of the largest car manufacturers in the world:

Ford
When: June 16, 1903
Where: Dearborn, Michigan
Who: Henry Ford
Interesting Fact: Ford is the largest family-controlled company in the world.

Toyota
When: 1933
Where: Japan
Who: Kiichiro Toyoda was the son of the founder of the Toyoda Loom Works company and made the decision for the company to branch into automobiles.
Interesting Fact: The first Toyota built outside of Japan was in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia.

Volkswagon
When: January 4, 1937
Where: Wolfsburg, Germany
Who: The German Labour Front
Interesting Fact: Volkswagen means ‘People’s Automobile’.

General Motors
When: 1908
Where: Flint, Michigan
Who: William C. Durant
Interesting Fact: Shortly after forming, General Motors purchased the Buick Motor Company and rapidly expanded by purchasing other companies including Cadillac, Catercar, Elmore, and more.

Hyundai
When: December 29, 1967
Where: Seoul, South Korea
Who: Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company
Interesting Fact: Hyundai first began selling cars in the United States in 1986.

Honda
When: 1948
Where: Japan
Who: Soichiro Honda
Interesting Fact: The world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959.

Vehicle titles can have different designations or branding. These designations are designed to provide information about the history of the vehicle. What the terms are and when/how they are implemented varies across jurisdictions (states, territories) but one that many people are familiar with is a ‘Salvage Title’. Let’s take a look at what a ‘Salvage Title’ is.

What is a Salvage Title?

While the specific requirements vary, a vehicle will be considered totaled by an insurance company if it needs repairs that would cost more than some percentage of the value of the vehicle. This typically falls between 75% to 100% of the vehicle’s value. An example would be if a vehicle valued at $10,000 was in an accident and had enough damage that it would require $11,000 to be repaired. This vehicle would be considered totaled. Insurance companies then sell these ‘totaled’ vehicles to auctions, salvage yards, repair facilities, etc, and these companies can then make the necessary repairs and sell the vehicles. There are various designations of a Salvage Title that are used in different states. An example is in the state of Ohio where once the vehicle has been repaired it can then be inspected and if it passes and shows that it is roadworthy it will be issued a Rebuilt Salvage Title.

There are other reasons why a vehicle would get a Salvage title and here are some of them:

• Flood damage
• Hail damage
• Theft recovery
• Vandalism

Should Someone Buy a Vehicle with a Salvage Title?

There are people on both sides of the fence on this question and some of these people have very strong opinions.  There are a lot of cons of buying a vehicle with a salvage title and one major pro. The pro is that the vehicle will be cheaper and this has obvious appeal. Some of the cons are: (1) If the vehicle wasn’t repaired well (this is often the case) you’re more likely to have issues with it (2) Some insurance companies won’t insure them and the ones that do will most likely not see the car as having much value in the case of an accident (3) Many dealerships won’t take Salvage Titles on trade-ins so when you go to get a new car you may have to sell it to a private buyer (4) It is hard to get a good return when selling a vehicle with a Salvage Title. In other words, there is no right answer to this question, but if someone is considering buying a vehicle with a Salvage Title they better make sure they know what they are doing.

One of the options available in ‘Settings’ in the InspectARide app is ‘Auto Open Note’. This option is all about saving time. If this is checked, then anytime you select a rating for an item that is set to go to a summary then the program will automatically open the ‘Note’ section for that line. An example of this is with our Basic template which comes with the software by default. Any item you mark with the ‘Poor’ rating is set to go to the summary. This means anytime you mark an item as poor the ‘Note’ section will pop up.

The time savings come in from the fact that most of the time (if not all of the time) you assign a rating that is set to go to a summary, this particular item has an issue or something that needs to be talked about. Since this is the case, instead of having to tap on the ‘Note’ button to pull it up so you can talk about what the issue is, the program does it for you. You tap the rating, tap on one of your common notes and you’re ready to move on.

Now, this is something that many inspectors use but some prefer to have it turned off. That’s not a problem. To turn it off simply go into ‘Settings’ and uncheck the box and you’ll be all set.

Companies that do pre-purchase inspections on vehicles know the importance and value of what they do. However, many car buyers decide not to get an inspection and some don’t know it’s an option. Here are some of the top reasons why pre-purchase inspections should be done:

• Get True Condition of Vehicle – Having an automobile professional inspect the car will help determine the actual condition of the car. It takes an experienced eye to uncover certain issues and your average car buyer does not have the necessary experience. Some things are obvious like scratches, dents, torn fabric, etc, but often times sellers will take care of the obvious things to make the car look great while major problems could still be present.
• Learn More About its History – Major accidents, flood damage, etc can be covered up in a way that the common consumer won’t pick up on, but an experienced inspector/mechanic can. You don’t want to spend a lot of money on a car that had previous flood damage or was in a major accident without knowing it. These vehicles are worth substantially less and can oftentimes have hidden damage that can cause issues in both the short and long run.
• Get an Objective Opinion – The seller wants to sell the vehicle and the buyer can get ‘blinders’ on and overlook things that maybe they shouldn’t. Now, an inspector’s job isn’t to tell you whether or not to purchase the vehicle but getting their report on the condition of the vehicle can help buyers make a better decision. Seeing a vehicle’s issues in a professional report can be an eye-opener.
• Gain Negotiating Leverage – If you find a few things that need to be repaired, this puts you in a better position to negotiate the best price possible with the seller.
• Avoid Costly Mistakes – Cars are expensive. You don’t want to buy one that is going to be a money pit especially if you could have avoided it by getting an inspection done for a fraction of the cost of the vehicle itself.

When should someone get a Pre-Purchase Inspection?

Some would argue that it is always worth it to get a pre-purchase Inspection on a vehicle and there is some wisdom in this thinking. However, if we had to lay out the circumstances where it makes the most sense they would be:

1. The vehicle is being sold as is with no warranty.
2. The buyer is purchasing a vehicle that they don’t have the opportunity to see in person.
3. The buyer doesn’t know much about vehicles.
4. The deal seems too good to be true (there is almost always a reason for a ‘great’ deal – it’s better to find out what that reason is ahead of time)
5. You don’t know/trust the seller or you have reason to believe they may be hiding something.

There is no exact definition for a classic car. People, organizations, states, etc all define classic cars differently. How it is defined may not seem like a big deal to some, but it does play a role for purposes such as antique vehicle registration and insurance. Let’s look at a few examples of how it is defined:

• Classic Car Club of America (www.classiccarclub.org) – “fine or unusual motor cars which were built between and including the years 1915 to 1948. All of these are very special cars that are distinguished by their respective fine design, high engineering standards, and superior workmanship.” They were usually quite expensive when new with relatively low production figures.
• Antique Automobile Club of America (www.aaca.org) – A vehicle that is 25 years old or older is a classic car.
• State Farm Insurance (www.statefarm.com) – A motor vehicle ten or more years old, which is rare or of special historical interest because of exceptionally fine workmanship or limited production. A classic motor vehicle 25 years old or older is covered as an antique.
• The state of Ohio – an antique or historical vehicle is defined as any motor vehicle that is at least twenty-five years old.

While the exact definition varies, the common theme is that a classic car is an older car that has qualities that make it worth preserving or restoring instead of junking.

What Really Makes a Car a Classic?

The one theme that runs consistently through every definition of what makes a car a classic is an age. This makes sense in that for something to be considered classic it needs to be older. You don’t see something made yesterday and called a classic. Time needs to pass by and change needs to happen. Of course, how much time varies but there does seem to be some consensus that the vehicle needs to be at least 25 years old to be considered classic.

Age by itself, though, is not enough. For example, a 1991 Honda Civic is 25 years old, but would anyone seriously consider it a classic? Probably not. What else then is a factor? Words like fine, unique, unusual, and rare typically are used to describe a classic car. The cost of the vehicle when new and how many of the vehicles were produced are contributing factors as well. The car needs to be desirable and have an appeal that goes beyond that of a normal functioning car.

One point that some people make when defining a classic car is that there is a difference between a classic car and a collectible car. There are examples of vehicles that were built within the last 10 years that meet some of the requirements of being a classic in that they are rare, expensive, unusual, and/or desirable but that doesn’t make them a classic.

From the beginning, we knew that being able to add markups to pictures you add to your reports was important. We debated whether to release InspectARide without it, and we were so excited to get the program in the hands of inspectors that decided not to have it in the initial release with the understanding that it would be added in shortly after.

The most recent update of the app now includes this option and it works great! You can add arrows, circles, boxes, and text directly to your pictures and it couldn’t be easier to do. You have 16 colors to choose from so you’ll be able to pick the perfect color for each markup on each picture. You can add an unlimited number of markups to each picture. Now when you include pictures in your reports you’ll be able to point out exactly what you want to show in each picture.

We’re just getting started with this app and there is so much more to come – Stay tuned!

 

This week we’ve released a new version of the portal! This includes a completely redesigned interface that adds functionality and is easier to use. This update has been several months in the making and we’re excited to get it in your hands. You’ll find that it’s easier to navigate and mobile-friendly!

Some of the changes include:

• Mobile friendly
• Better navigation allows you to get where you want to go fast
• New ability to search previously completed inspections to find exactly what you want
• Improved Template Editor makes creating templates easier and faster
• Ability to add signature lines to your templates
• Ability to add markups such as circles, arrows, and text to your pictures
• And more!

 

A “lemon” is a car that has been determined to have issues beyond repair. Each state has its own set of requirements for what qualifies as a “lemon”. These requirements can include:

• Number of miles driven/time of ownership – The defects have to happen within a certain period of time/number of miles driven. In most states, this falls between 12-24 months or 12,000 – 24,000 miles.
• Substantial defects – Defects must be substantial and impact the actual operation of the vehicle.
• Reasonable repair attempts – The manufacturer is given a reasonable number of attempts to repair the defect. Depending on the severity of the defect, they may only have one chance to repair it or up to 3-4 attempts.
• Number of days in the shop – The vehicle has been in the shop for a certain number of days within a year. This is typically 30 days.

Do Lemon Laws apply to used vehicles?

Most states only have lemon laws in place for new vehicle purchases and not for used vehicles. In fact, only 6 states have lemon laws for used vehicles while another 13 have limited protections. A common condition in almost all jurisdictions is that the used vehicle must have included an express written warranty for lemon laws to apply.

More Information

Check out this breakdown of Lemon Laws on a state-by-state basis to learn more about Lemon Laws in your state: http://www.autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_Lemon2.html