The Manuscript is Done…and talking about car troubles

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Sorry for the blog delays over the past couple of weeks…I was spending crazy amounts of time revising the manuscript for final submission…and as of last Wednesday, it is done!  What that means is that sometime around the holidays, the Turbo-Mom’s Guide should be available…hopefully just in time for Christmas!

 I met some lovely ladies over the weekend since I have now officially changed hair salons and was encouraged by their interest in the book.  I started speaking with them about this week’s topic…how not to get swindled when dealing with car problems.

 One of the things that I find tough as a mom and a woman is dealing with car issues. Yes, I can change my own wiper blades and air filters, check the tire pressure, etc., but when it comes to getting my car serviced, I am always nervous that it will end up being far more work and expense than I expected.  And unfortunately, usually it is. 

So now I have found a device to help combat that.  It is called CarMD and can be found at www.carmd.com.  For around $100, you get a diagnostic device for your car.  All you do is plug it into your car’s connector (the CarMD website will help you locate it), and it spits out codes diagnosing problems.  The device also comes with software to decode the codes, so you know what you are looking at.  It is exactly what your mechanic would do, except now you can have the same technology. So when you take your car to the mechanic or service center, you can be sure that they catch and fix the real problems.  It works on all types of vehicles that are from model year 1996 or newer. 

The other use I have found for this device comes when you are in the market for a used car and you want to find the potential problems before you buy.  This way, engine or transmission problems not visible to the naked eye won’t make their way into your driveway!  What a good way to become a more confident and informed  consumer without having to learn about every detail of your car!

Have a great week!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: cars
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Best Site for Saving Yourself Headaches

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

After we’ve found what we’ve been looking for, whether a car, a lawnmower or a tax preparation service, we often hesitate before handing over our cash.  Am I making the right choice?  How likely is it that something will go wrong?  How will I know if there is a recall? And what if what I am buying hasn’t been reviewed by Consumer Reports? With all of the items that make up our households, figuring this out can be a daunting task.

Enter www.consumeraffairs.com and give yourself some peace of mind (or something to worry about). www.consumeraffairs.com screens and publishes complaints and problems from everyday folks as well as recall information on just about everything.  They have an easily searchable database so you can zero in on your item without wasting a lot of time.  And if you check the site before you buy, you could save yourself some money and aggravation as well!

This site is a comprehensive resource for checking up on a company and product before you buy. Or, if you have experienced a problem, you can see if others have been in the same situation and if they have been able to resolve it or not.

 If you sign up for their newsletter, you will receive an email once a week talking about all the current consumer issues–whether its subprime mortgage scams or exploding Fords or vitamin shams–to keep you in the know!  Also, they include a list of recalled items from cars to toys to power tools.  This way, you can get your item fixed or replaced before anyone loses a finger–or worse!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

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