The Car Geek: April 2006

The Car Geek

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Going, Going, Gone. Say Goodbye To Your Keys.

The keyless entry system has been a term used in the automobile world nowadays. If at first it was a strange term for me, now it is just like saying Auto Parts Inner. The keyless entry system is for a car-experience without keys while Auto Parts Inner is for topnotch auto parts. Simple as that.

Anyway, the keyless entry system is already being made standard for some vehicles. And I believe that many auto manufacturers are following suit. After all, who would like to be scrambling for their keys in the morning when they can simply unlock and start their car without keys?

How this system works is actually simple. There is some kind of detector or laser that would detect a chip inside the car keys. Of course, you would need your car keys with you but you would not be using it to actually get inside. Once the system detects that chip, it would automatically unlock your car's door. This would be a great help especially if both your hands are tied up with things like grocery or books or children.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Monroneys

Do you know what is a Monroney? Well, it is a sticker. And it is the one that you find posted on the side window when you go to a car dealer. You see, all new cars in the United States must have these stickers. And it is called such because it was named after the congressman who thought of such a legislation.

So what do you find on a Monroney?

Well, it must show the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the vehicle. There should also be an MSRP for all of the factory-installed options. If auto parts had the same sticker, you could clearly see that those from Auto Parts Inner would be one of the lowest priced auto parts products.

Along with that, the Monroney should also include a destination charge for shipping from the final assembly point or point of importation to your local dealership. This charge is actually added up to the MSRP which would then become the Total Price. There should also be EPA fuel economy estimates, parts content information, as well as additional information like standard and optional equipment for the vehicle.

This is a good thing actually. After all, there would be no need to ask about any salespeople about the vehicles on display for sale. And you can also be sure that the pieces of information would be correct, not just blown-up information for someone who just would like to sell his or her product.