Posts Tagged ‘bay area’
Three Gas Saving Tips to Vastly Reduce Your Monthly Gas Expenses
March 23rd, 2012 | 
Author: Whether you drive a gas guzzling Hummer or a gas sipping Prius, every time you fill up at a Bay Area pump, your eyes go wide as you realize just how much of your salary gets siphoned into the pockets of the gas and oil companies. Short of trading your car for a skateboard — and who
wants to do that? – what can you do to cut costs without altering your driving habits or needs?
Here are 3 core ideas to implement TODAY: Read the rest of this entry »
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Defending Your Life Through Smart, Defensive Driving
When you attended driver’s ed in the Bay Area or elsewhere, you probably learned early on that the best drivers are defensive drivers. We all – or at least most of us – remember this idea. But when some idiot in a speeding Camaro cuts us off on the freeway, our impatience and rage often overcome us, and we may do stupid things that put us at great risk for accidents.
Being a defensive driver means adopting a set of smarter, more cautious driving habits and behaviors. In some ways, it’s easier to define defensive drivers as doing the opposite of aggressive drivers.
image source: http://ow.ly/9lv5h
Aggressive drivers do things like:
- Cause conflict on roads
- Scare or intimidate other drivers by driving fast or driving while under the influence
- of alcohol, narcotics, or medications
- Tailgate
- Blast music
- Ignore traffic signs
- Generally don’t pay sufficient attention to other vehicles and pedestrians
- Change multiple lanes without signaling
- Etc.
Defensive driving is the opposite – being conscientious, aware, and in control of your vehicle. Defensive driving involves more than just adopting good habits – it involves paying attention to the strange or dangerous actions of others and meeting these with appropriate responses. For instance, say someone veers into your lane and cuts you off. You may beep at them – not to provoke a fight, but to alert the person of your presence. Being a defensive driver doesn’t mean being a wallflower or milquetoast. It means “advocating for your driving rights” in the safest, most sensible, and most compassionate way.
To really fine tune your skills, consider taking a refresher driver’s ed courses or studying “best driving habits” online or elsewhere. It may sound silly to pay so much attention to your driving. But think about how many miles you spend behind the wheel. Auto accidents kill over 40,000 people every year and injure millions more. So it’s really worth it to spend some time thinking about how to make your driving as safe as possible
– not just for you but for other drivers.
We’re Here to Help!
If you have been in a collision, and you need help fixing your car, connect with the team here at Shattuck Auto Collision Center. We’ve been serving the East Bay, Oakland, and Berkley areas since 1965. Learn more about us at www.shattuckauto.com, or call now for help with minor and major collision repair at 510-848-6281.
7 Urgent Actions to Take After Your Bay Area Car Accident
image source: http://ow.ly/8YBDI
- Deal with the logistics of the aftermath of the crash (i.e. getting your car towed away
- and repaired; filing a police report, etc)
- Attend to medical concerns, be they simple bruises and lacerations or more serious
- problems like concussion or broken bones;
- Help others around you, including injured passengers or other drivers who got hurt;
- Deal with interested third parties, such as the police, insurance adjusters, your own
- insurance company, and possibly a Bay Area accident law firm;
- Deal with the emotional, logistical, and financial confusion created by the accident;
- Face long-term challenges, such as rehab or a personal injury lawsuit.
1. Check for injuries.
2. Call the police and file a police report.
3. Exchange information with all relevant parties.
4. Collect witness statements.
5. File an insurance claim.
6. Connect with an attorney.
7. Find an auto shop near you.
What is Paintless Dent Removal (PDR)? Awesome Science Fiction…or Awesome Reality?
When customers first learn about PDR, they are often blown away by its advantages:
- Lower cost (generally)
- No new paint required
- Ideal for fixing large bumps and dings (e.g. damage caused by hail or rocks)
- Fast turnaround time (often under an hour)
- No risk of incorrect matching of colors;
- No risk of over spraying paint;
- Depending on the tools, techniques, and auto technician skills deployed, PDR can eliminate dents without sanding, filler, or painting over the dent.
Paintless dent repair was once the province of a few specialized auto shops. Today, it is being
heralded by large auto insurance companies, repair shops, and a growing legion of satisfied
customers, all of whom swear that the process marks a watershed event for the repair industry.
This isn’t to say the traditional body shop techniques are irrelevant. Indeed, paintless dent repair
is not necessarily the only or best solution.
PDR may not be appropriate in the following conditions:
- If the paint on your car or truck is cracked;
- If you have a dent near a panel’s edge;
- If you are trying to repair an older vehicle (made before 1990);
- If you have an extremely large dent or complicated damage.
PDR requires patience, proper technique, and powerful technologies. Your technician will
massage the warped metal back to normal using specialized tools — similar to how a masseuse
might massage away a knot in your back.
If you are in the Bay Area, and you want to learn more about paintless dent removal or discover
other tips, tools, and techniques to solve your auto damage problems, connect with the team
here at Shattuck Auto Collision Center.
We’ve been serving East Bay, Oakland and Berkeley for nearly five decades – since 1965. You can reach us at 510-848-6281 or www.shattuckauto.com. Contact us for more information or to schedule your repairs now.