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Archive for May, 2010

An Australian man has just won a settlement in a landmark age discrimination case against an Irish car rental company after being charged an extra fee for being over the age of 70.

Anthony White tried to hire a car in Ireland 2 years ago when he was in his early seventies and was charged a EUR25 fee. He was also told he would not be able to rent a car on his next visit as he would be over 75.

White took his case to Ireland’s Equality Tribunal who ruled in his favour that the policy amounted to age discrimination. Irish Car Rentals Ltd has since changed the rule and says the decision will now be made on a case-by-case basis involving assessments of age, health, driving record and insurance coverage.

A senior driver surcharge is pretty common with car rental companies – you may have read a previous blog here about it (Too Old to Drive A Rental Car?) Some suppliers charge extra if drivers are over a certain age, others have a maximum age limit for renters and some require additional documentation (like Irish Car Rentals are now doing). The surcharge is applied to cover higher insurance premiums as older drivers as seen as higher risk.

Does this case mean we may see an end to senior driver surcharges? Is it age discrimination to charge older drivers more as they are seen to be a higher risk?

In that case, surely it is also age discrimination to charge someone under 25 a young drivers fee since they too are seen as a higher insurance risk and more likely to have an accident?

In the case of Mr. White, he has been driving for 50 years and felt it was unfair to blanket all older drivers.

I do agree with this and think the company’s new policy is fair – it depends on each individual’s circumstances and not their age. Will other car rental companies follow suit? We’ll have to wait and see.

Final thought – one article I found about this was entitled “Old Man wins age discrimination suit against Irish rental car company” – “Old Man”? Surely that is age discrimination in itself?!

As people become more aware of environmental issues and conscious of their actions, demand for hybrid cars, to buy and rent, has risen.

A hybrid car is a car which can run on two or more fuel sources – most commonly an engine and an electric motor powered by batteries. The motor and batteries help the engine work more efficiently which means you spend less on fuel and emit fewer emissions.

The Toyota Prius is probably the most well known hybrid car. It first went on sale in 1997 and since then, more than 10,000 Prius’ have been sold in Australia. The Australian Government’s Green Vehicle Guide website rates all new vehicles based on greenhouse and air pollution emissions and fuel consumption. The Prius is currently the top performer in all 3 with a fuel consumption of 4.4L per 100kms.

To give you an idea of what this means – a Hummer H3 Adventure has a fuel consumption level of 13.2L/100km, Toyota Rav 4′s fuel consumption is 9.6L, a Mercedes Benz C Class C180K is 7.6L and a Honda Civic 1.8L sedan has a fuel consumption of 7.2L. According to Toyota, a Prius has up to 50% less consumption than a comparably-sized family car and that one tank of fuel could theoretically get you over a whopping 1000km!

While hybrid cars are still quite expensive to buy – a Toyota Prius 1.5L petrol/Electric combination CVT will set you back $37,400 (from www.toyota.com.au), renting one may be within your budget.

DriveAway currently have Hybrids available to rent in France and the USA, but with car rental suppliers adding more ‘green’ cars to their fleets, this is sure to grow over the next few years.

Renting a hybrid does cost more than renting a similar sized non-hybrid car (due to supply and demand and the fact that hybrids are more expensive for the rental company to buy), but you will save money on fuel and of course, it’s better for the environment. Click here for more details.

Almost everyone loves to listen to tunes in their car. Whether it’s the oldies or the latest hits, music can convert a hard lonely stretch of tarmac into sheer bliss. That’s the reason why so many people upgrade the audio systems in their car or go for fresh systems in case the car does not come pre-installed with car audio equipment. But when you do go shopping, it is important to buy the right car audio equipment for you and your car.

When buying your car audio equipment, the first thing you need to get is the head unit. In truth, this is just a fancy name for a CD player. There are many options to choose from. CD players can play audio CDs to DVD formats depending on the kind of CD player you choose. These players are available at your local stores, audio equipment shops and even online shops. Make sure that you buy units that can play all the audio formats that you have in mind. Some CD players also come with radios.

After choosing a head unit, the next thing you must consider getting is a decent set of speakers. Generally, there are two main speakers one positioned at the front of the car and one at the back. Each speaker is divided into two parts, one works for the highs and one for the bass. The speakers you buy should be able to produce a crisp sound instead of the airy notes that are often produced by preinstalled car speakers. Sound test your speakers before you settle for them. The entire speaker set is also called a channel.

If you want to enhance your channel, you should consider purchasing a good set of amplifiers. Amplifiers are added to the system to provide extra strength to the sounds produced by your speakers. If you still want to enhance your car audio equipment, then you should add subwoofers. They provide a much deeper bass than what other speakers with in-built woofers can produce. Once you have these in place, you are ready to rock!

There are a multitude of brands that offer excellent car audio equipment. Sony, Kenwood, JVC, Panasonic, Pioneer, Alpine and Clarion are the most popular brands. But, don’t go by brand names alone; buy pieces of equipment in keeping with your budget. Remember that you are going in for a luxury item, and that it is more practical to get the best equipment that your budget will allow. Before purchasing a set of car audio equipment, it is always good to do some research. Consult with people who are using a product or visit websites that carry reviews of products you want to buy. Make an informed decision rather than purchasing on a whim.

If you spend a considerable amount on your car audio equipment, it is only natural that you should invest some amount of money and time in the proper care of these. A security system is a must, and since you can easily find a nifty security system at a low budget, there is no reason why you should not protect your investment. Also, as far as possible, select audio equipment that is camouflaged so that it does not attract thieves. If the cost of your unit is high, you may even consider getting a comprehensive insurance cover on your car audio equipment. A little precaution will keep you and your car audio equipment singing and in sync for many years!

Car accessories and Car audio

Almost everyone wants to have the best car in the world and people even customize their cars in order to make them stand out of the crowd. Apart from the modifications, there are a number of car accessories which enhance your experience and makes your car stand out of the crowd.

Car audio system is the sound fitted in an automobile. Saxochina provides the most innovative car audio system.

Find the best deals on car audio and car audio accessories when you compare prices at Price Grabber. Get deals on car speakers, amplifiers, subwoofers, cd and mp3 players and all car audio accessories. Visit our site Saxochina.com for Car Audio Forum dedicated to Car Audio Equipment and Car accessories and all subjects related to Car Sound and Audio.

Saxo Technologies International Co., Limited is a company dedicated its activities to the manufacturing and marketing of all car accessories Ornamental, Utility and Electronic.

The company is a part of a group engaged in the Research and production of Electronic goods from the year 1983.The group is in to Electronic Production, Tool room, Metal Fabrication and Garments. The main customers for our product are from Europe, Middle East Africa and India. The company is dedicated in after sales follow ups with service point of view.

Every proud car owner is protective about a least the music system that is fitted in the car. There are many choices available in the market. If you love your car try not to go for the cheap products from the gray markets-which sell imported car audios. Ideally one should buy from a recognized dealer. One of the main reasons is that the dealer will be available in case something goes wrong in the warranty period itself.

Get deals on car speakers, amplifiers, subwoofers, cd and mp3 players and all car audio accessories.
Visit our site Saxochina.com for Car Audio Forum dedicated to Car Audio Equipment and Car accessories and all subjects related to Car Sound and Audio.
The Vision of the company is to adopt latest technological benefits to modify car interiors in a luxurious manner, maintaining excellent quality, attain customer enlightenment and emerge as the world leader brand. Our main strength is our professional approach and our dedication towards our customers. We are proud that most of our buyers are repeaters for a long span.

Alpine has a strong reputation for offering high quality audio performance, from input to output, and offers you a distinguished acoustic performance and balance. Alpine boasts an extensive range of Audio, Navigation and Multi Media products including the much talked about PLAY LOUD ‘Bass Engine’ stereos, V amplifiers and ‘DVD Car Navi’ GPS Navigation systems. Other products include CD, MP3, MD & Cassette Players, CD Changers & Packages.

Alpine Car Audio are famous worldwide for their CD changer range that are without doubt the best aftermarket CD changers available anywhere. They are built to last! From the stylish robust casing to the high quality electronic components used inside they give skip-free, superb quality sound playback from CD, MP3 or, CD-R/RW (copied) discs. Their classic CHM-S630 ’6 disc’ changer is fully compatible with many Factory Fitted radios with the aid of a CD interface.

Autoleads are leaders for in-car audio accessories. Autoleads manufacture unique installation accessory products that are highly regarded within the motor industry, that offer the motorist greater flexibility when choosing and installing car audio equipment. Their product range includes Harness Adaptors, Fascia Adaptors, Steering Wheel Remote Control Adaptors and Telephone Mute Leads.

Becker is an industry leader at producing in-car Navigation systems, CD players and CD changers using pioneering technology. If you are attending important business meetings or looking forward to driving to your holiday destination, then Becker Car Audio has the product for you. A fascinating combination of a navigation system, CD player and RDS Tuner, in one unit, offering the latest information technology, which guides you to your destination anywhere in 18 European countries. As fitted by Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Land Rover, BMW, Ford, VW and Ferrari.

Blaupunkt known worldwide also as Blue Dot or Blue Spot are real innovators in the car audio field. In 1932 they produced the first ever car radio, and were also the first to introduce the stereo car radio, the car CD player and RDS car radio. More recently they have produced the Radio Phone and Dynamic Navigation Systems. Blaupunkt Car Audio have an excellent range of in-car products including CD, MP3, MD, Cassette players, and Navigation Systems. Their robust CDC-A03 CD Changer is compatible with many Factory Fitted Blaupunkt car radios.

Clarion have recently had great success with their award-winning in-car navigation systems and their DAB (Digital Audio broadcasting) system that are becoming more popular each month as more and more quality radio stations are launched. Clarion Car Audio also produce an excellent range of high quality Car Audio products including CD, MP3, MD and cassette players with the very popular Clarion DC628 CD Changer being directly compatible with many Factory Fitted car radios.

Connects 2 are a respected worldwide manufacturer and supplier of car audio installation and multi-media accessories. Their Connects 2 range boasts the very popular and unique range of CD, MD & MP3 changer interfaces that enable Factory Fitted radios to operate and control CD, MD & MP3 changers, offering you an alternative to expensive dealer CD changers.

Also in the range you will find radio harness, fascia and steering remote control adaptors that allow fast and seamless installation. New products in the range include multimedia interfaces and iPOD icelinks that connect Apple’s iPOD to your factory radio giving you your very portable CD changer from MP3.

Grundig manufacture the MCD-46 CD changer, the choice of Fiat, Seat and Skoda that has a great reputation for its robust stylish design, compact size and ease of installation into any available space in your boot, under a seat or in your glove box.

The Grundig MCD-46 compact CD changer is recommended and fitted as standard by Fiat and is directly compatible with factory fitted radios as found in Fiat Brava, Bravo, Marea and Tipo models. It is also directly compatible with some SEAT and Skoda models with Grundig radios fitted as standard.

The Grundig MCD-46 is equipped with a high vibration resistance and is resistant to road impacts and vibrations.

JBL Whether you are looking to upgrade a factory sound system, or looking to build a world-class competition system, JBL car audio has got you covered. Amplifiers, subwoofers and loudspeakers. JBL speakers can be found in many US sporting arenas and restaurants such as Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood and are used on tour by many top music artists.

JVC continues the tradition of offering seamless mobile entertainment, with many variations in style and function for mobile entertainment. JVC Car Audio has the products to meet your lifestyle and is the Manufacturer of the much talked about EL CHAMELEON range of car radios. Their range of car audio is topped by their claim to make the smallest 12 Disc CD & MP3 Changers available in the world.

Kenwood along with Sony are probably the UK’s most popular brands of car audio and in-car entertainment products due to their comprehensive range, superb quality, excellent styling and competitive pricing. Creator of the world famous ‘MASK’ system, (now with removable security fascia) that has won high acclaim as an anti-theft system.

Kenwood Car Audio recently released radios that have variable colour illumination to co-ordinate with any dashboard lighting that you care to install it with. Kenwood have an excellent range of products including CD, MP3, MD & Cassette Players, CD Packages, CD Changers, Amplifiers, Subwoofers, Speakers, AV/DVD, plus many more.