All In A Days Work

Working in insurance I get calls daily from upset, scared clients who were just involved in an accident; and nearly every single one of them have no idea what to do. Everyone should be prepared and know what to do in case of an accident – and here’s a list of exactly what you need to know.

              This post is sponsored by Cars on Market.

Always Have Your Insurance Card with You.
Not only will the police officer ask for your proof of insurance (and trust me, if you don’t have it with you it makes the whole accident process even more stressful) but you will need to exchange information with the other party. Most of the time the at-fault party will want to provide the non-fault party with their insurance info to turn in the claim to their insurance company, but this will vary depending on state.

Use Your Cell Phone.
First off, having a cell phone to call the police is the most important – but secondly it is great for documenting damage to BOTH vehicles. This can be useful if there is any dispute about the amount of damages to the vehicles once the claims process starts. Also if the other party confesses to being at fault, its good to get that on video/or recorder as well.

Take Notes on Everything.
From the name of the officer and his badge number, to the color of the car that was involved in the accident with you. Get as much info as you can during the accident – note any passengers names and numbers, as well as witnesses and any other info that you may think would be useful to give to your insurance company.

Keep a Garbage Bag in Your Car for your Belongings.
Just in case your vehicle is totaled, its best to gather all your belongings before your vehicle is towed off to a junk yard or storage lot. These places can make it very difficult to let you come in and get your stuff until they get paid their storage/tow fees, Sometimes this can take your insurance companies days or sometimes weeks to get everything handled and if you need a car seat, your purse, or any other item in your car its best to get it now versus later.

Get Help, THEN Call Your Insurance Company.
You don’t have to call your insurance company from the scene; get all the info you need, photos, etc and once you have talked to a police officer, been inspected by a medic, get home and once you have some time to sit down and talk , call your local insurance agent and talk to them. Most of the time they will verify some information with you and then get a claim submitted so the claims process can begin  and you can get back to business.

If you don’t have full coverage and your vehicle is totaled, you can find places that will give you cash for your damaged car!

One of the few things I hate about summer, is having an older car and being stuck in traffic. It seems like it would never fail, we would have to turn off the AC (sometimes turn on the heat – yuck!). But it’s important to know what other steps to take in case your engine starts overheating not only to protect your car, but to keep you safe as well. Here’s what you need to do if your vehicle starts overheating:

What to Do.
Pull over  as soon as it’s safe to do so – most of the time when this happens, we don’t have any tools or anything on hand to be useful in keeping the car from overheating. Depending on how bad it is, how hot it is running, and how long you’ve been driving, it may be best to just turn off the car and call a tow truck. Even once problem with an overheating engine -if bad enough – can cause permanent engine damage. As I mentioned above, you can buy a little bit of time by  turning the heat on full blast which will provide some additional cooling through the heater core; but the best way to cool down an engine – is to shut it down.

If there is any steam coming out of your hood DO NOT OPEN THE HOOD! It can take 30 minutes for a hot engine to cool down, and the heat can be hot enough to burn you. Also make sure you NEVER open the radiator cap while the engine is hot – hot coolant can cause severe burns.

                                               This post is sponsored by Fullerton.

Warning Signs.
You don’t have to wait until the steam is coming out of the hood to realize your car is having problems –  my biggest tip would be to keep your eye on the temperature gauge. You can see an overheating problem starting if the temp gauge is running hotter than normal.

IF the temperature warning light comes on though – the problem is probably pretty serious. Or if you have a sudden burst of steam which usually means the radiator hose has blown. Do NOT continue driving if that happens; pull over right away, and call for assistance.

Preventative Measures.

The most common culprit of an overheated engine is low coolant in the engine. So making sure you do a regular vehicle maintenance check is a good idea. You can do a quick check by looking at the plastic tank under the hood, and making sure the coolant is at least at the minimum level mark. Make it a habit to check, and regularly top it off.

Some cars overheat for no reason however – so make sure that you follow a maintenance schedule from your vehicles manufacturer. The older the  vehicle the more likely is it to need maintenance , from replacing old coolant or worn belts, or hoses that can leak or cause a water pump to not operate properly.

Most engine coolant will last about 100,000 miles but older and higher mileage vehicles should have the radiator coolant checked and belts and hoses swapped out.

It is hard to predict when a car is going to overheat, but keeping up preventative measures and knowing what to do if it was to happen to your car – and may help you avoid some expensive repairs down the road.