More Than A Number

Perhaps every guy’s dream is to have the Batmobile, however, in knowing that you have to be Bruce Wayne in order to get one will ensure that you settle for a car that is obtainable in real life. And once you do, almost any self-respecting male will treat his car like his ‘baby’.

So, when it comes to taking care of the vehicle, regular maintenance is also considered important. Tires, for example, wear out unevenly. What this means is that the front tires wear out faster than the rear ones, and therefore should be rotated [read: swapped] as soon as the odometer readings are anywhere between 9500 to 12000 kilometers to ensure that they wear out evenly, and this in turn will not hurt your wallet and will most definitely, ensure that the car is safe to drive. And these three reasons should be enough motivation to add this maintenance task of rotating your tires to your list of things to do.

Now, before you get out a jack and get started, you must remember that the right way to swapping the tires is to move them from rear to front, on the same side of the car. Not criss-cross or from left to right in the front or rear end.

For this procedure, you have to ensure that the car is complete off the ground and for that, you need four jack stands and your spare tire. After this is done, you can switch the tires, by removing both tires on the right side while putting the back tire on the front, and the spare on the rear. For the left side, switch both tires from rear to back. Finally, lower the car off the four jack stands one wheel at a time, and you can be on your way.

General Motors Co. said last week that it was ending its partnership with eBay Inc on which the automaker sold new cars through California dealerships. This move comes in the automarkers plans to shift focus on broader, national marketing programmes.The contract, which ended on September 30 was cancelled not due to lack of participation, according to the automaker and the auction website. Spokesperson for GM John McDonald said the programme on eBay had been a success as it helped the company improve strategies to reach car buyers who typically did not consider GM products. He said they would take their learnings from eBay and apply to their new digital and social media marketing strategies.

On eBay’s auto marketplace, California car shoppers were able to negotiate prices with a dealer or purchase vehicles at fixed prices and the pick it up from the dealership. Though General Motors and eBay did not disclose how many GM products were sold on eBay, its auto marketplace received around 1.5 million hits, generating around 15,000 leads for dealers. The programme had around 227 California-based dealerships participating.

GM’s spokesperson indicated that the company would focus on its new, national marketing campaign as well as its money-back guarantee programme, which enables dissatisfied customers to return vehicles within 60 days. One car dealer who runs four GM dealerships and sells used cars on eBay said he did not sell many new cars through the GM’s eBay programme. According to him, very few people chose the ‘Buy Now’ option, and opted to come down to the dealership to make the purchase.

Currently known as the Infiniti G35 in the United States and other areas of the world, the Nissan Skyline has actually been a popular car in Japan dating all the way back to 1957. It is a popular choice for clients of Japanese used car exporters, as the Skyline model currently isn’t available globally. Today, the Skyline is available in several options, including the 4-door sedan, the 2-door coupe, and the 2-door convertible. Although it hasn’t been made since 2002, the popular Nissan Skyline GT-R sports car was based on the Skyline range of vehicles. The Skyline name didn’t originate with Nissan — these cars were originally sold by the Prince automobile company, which merged with Nissan-Datsun in 1966. With the amazing number of vehicles moved through the unique Japanese auto auction system, many are able to find a Skyline that fits their specific needs. Going through Japanese used car importers that have access to these auctions is a great way to get the car you want.