Motability (car inspections) Helps Keep the Disabled on the Move
No commentsBy Freshoutsourcing
Most cars weren’t made with the disabled in mind. Dexterity in both of our hands and feet (in a manual car, at least) is required for driving, some measure of strength and flexibility is needed for boarding and wheelchair stowage is a problem. While special adaptations are available, along with wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), the costs involved may be prohibitive. The UK government has, however, taken steps to change this and thanks to its Motability Scheme more disabled people in the UK and their families now have the opportunity to lease or buy a car tailored to their needs.
The Motability Scheme is currently the UK’s foremost car scheme for disabled people and the idea behind it is simple: disabled people exchange part or all of their government allowance for the car of their choice among 4,000 vehicles. Motability’s Contract Hire program is far and away the most popular, providing customers with a new car of their choosing every three years and a worry-free policy. It includes insurance, personal accident coverage, servicing and maintenance, comprehensive breakdown assistance from RAC, replacement tyres free of charge and free replacements of windows and windscreens. Alternatively, the Hire Purchase scheme is available. In order to be eligible to participate you must be a recipient of the Higher Rate Mobility Component (HRMC) of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS).
Adaptations are also part of the deal, many of them offered at no additional cost as part of the Contract Hire scheme. Some of the most popular adaptations make the driving controls easier to manipulate while others facilitate wheelchair stowage and getting in and out of the car. These include push/pull hand controls, radial accelerators, steering wheel balls, left foot accelerators, easy release hand brakes, infrared controls, electric boot hoists for wheelchair stowage, rooftop wheelchair stowage compartments and swivel seats.
Your dealer can arrange for the installation of many adaptations at the commencement of your lease by means of the Motability Managed Adaptations Programme (MMAP). However, if the adaptation you need isn’t available via MMAP or if you need to add an adaptation sometime in the middle of your lease period these costs won’t be covered by the program.
If a WAV is what you require this can also be provided via Motability, no matter whether you are looking to drive from your wheelchair or transport passengers who use wheelchairs. Over 500 different WAVs are available, each of them standard vehicles that have been converted, and their lease agreements usually have a five year duration. Your WAV will be equipped with either a ramp or a lift to enable you to get in and out, and the floor will be lowered or the roof raised in order to provide the necessary space.
A wide range of car makes and models is available, as well as a lot of great deals. Some, like the Toyota iQ 1.0 3dr, feature low carbon dioxide emissions and an advance payment of 0. From small to estate vehicles, Hondas to Mitsubishis, manuals to automatics, you’re sure to find one to suit your budget, style and needs.
Rick Meyer is a keen fan of Japanese cars and comments on the motability schemes such as Honda, Ford, and Mitsubishi.
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Finding Affordable Collision Estimating Software
By Eric25 Seidel25
In the auto repair industry, there are many different companies that provide collision estimating software. While a good estimating software system is a must for businesses that specialize in collision repair, the costs of these programs are sometimes steep for the smaller and mid size collision repair businesses. There are several options available for shop owners to choose from when purchasing an estimating system for their shop.
Most of the collision software programs that you find today will place OEM auto part prices on computer software that is then downloaded on their customers computers which then allows them to generate estimates. Most of these programs are only available on the computers that the software is downloaded on. This means that when you are going to prepare an estimate, you need to access that computer which has the program installed on it. You will also find that most of these companies charge around $150 to $300 per month to use the software. You are paying to use the service as well as keep getting updates when the software changes. If you are one of the smaller or mid size auto collision repair shops, you have to decide if you can afford the cost of this service.
If you are looking for collision estimating software that is more affordable, there are other options available. There is a collision estimating software provider called Web-Est, LLC that caters to the smaller and mid size repair shops and is accepted by all insurance companies. How their service differs from most of the other companies you will find is that their program is available online. With their standard service, you can log on to their website and prepare your estimates from any location that has an internet connection. They also make this service affordable for businesses. The standard service fee is only $99 per month compared to the other companies charging $150 to $300 per month. This service also provides a graphic interface where you can point and click to the OEM parts that are needed rather than looking them up. This software not only saves you money but also saves a huge amount of time. We all know in this todays world that time is money.
All of the collision estimating software companies will have programs with unique characteristics and features that are beneficial to the shop owners and their technicians. Finding the right software and knowing how to operate it is the key to success.
Eric Seidel is author of this article on Collision Estimating Software.
Find more information about Collision Repair Estimating Program here.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, And Alternates In A Lexus RX 450h
By Garrett36 Pierson36
The advance Lexus RX 450h is the new hybrid by Lexus and presents the absolute Lexus ownership experience. The ride in the car is smooth and controlled. The new car has been enhanced in a lot of ways from the prior model, both in terms of style as well as performance. The Lexus RX 450h is an SUV style vehicle and lies in the normal-size category in terms of luxury. The style of the Lexus RX 450h and the interior manifests well the luxury associated with the vehicle.
For the people who go for for an upscale SUV, which is also environment friendly, the Lexus RX 450h is one of the most appropriate cars in the market at present. The two versions of the Lexus RX 450h that are offered are the front wheel drive as well as the all-wheel drive. The car comes in one trim level and there is a combination of equipment that is standard. Other than the standard equipment, there are a lot of options available, which are there to suit a wide range of people.
Then it comes to the options provided for the Lexus RX 450h, there are several different packages and a client can effortlessly customise the car according to their own choice and wish. In the sports package, there are 19-inch wheels despite of the standard 18-inch wheels. In this package, there is also the sport-tuned suspension.
For those who look for a touch of luxury in the Lexus RX 450h, there is also the premium package available, which renders leather seating to the car in combination with a sunroof as well as a power tailgate. In addition to that, an iPod interface is also given in the premium package option for the Lexus RX 450h.
For the people who look for an upscale luxury vehicle, there is the luxury package. It has enhanced leather seating rather than normal leather seating in the premium package. In addition to that, there are also 19-inch wheels and there is the leather or wood steering wheel. For extra comfort, there are extendable front seat cushions. Apart from these features, there is also the side-monitoring system in the luxury package for the Lexus RX 450h.
There is also the Navigation package, which is added to the premium package on the purchaser’s demand. The navigation system is hard drive based and provides real time traffic updates. Besides these features, enhanced speakers and Bluetooth rendered with a back-up camera are also part of the navigation package.
In addition to the complete packages, individual options are also available. Some of these consist of the park assist, the pre-collision system, LED headlights, and the dual screen entertainment system. Apart from these aspects, there is also the Mark Levinson stereo system, which is a premium feature in itself and is becoming tremendously popular.
All these are extra features, and the consumer can have any of these in the Lexus RX 450h by paying a premium price. There are many options in the Lexus RX 450h for safety purposes, leading the vehicle one of the safest and secure ones in the market.
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Danny Green is an auto engineer and has written various books, for more information about the Lexus RX 450h, visit his recommended site http://www.lexus.co.uk/
Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 10:30 pm and is filed under automotive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
