AutoTerminal.com Africa re-launches Flash Auctions!

AutoTerminal.com Africa re-launches Flash Auctions!

Get more bang for your buck with our new and improved flash auctions!

Good news! We have re-launched our online flash auctions so you can enjoy the fastest way to buy pre-owned vehicles at the best prices. Plus, we’ve extended the auction time from four hours to eight hours every week so you can send in more bids and increase your chances of winning!

Check out what we have in store for you:

• Auction time extended from 14:00 – 22:00 Durban time every Wednesday.

• Full unsold inventory will be up for auctions each week.

• No reserve.

• All reasonable offers will be accepted!

To buy from our weekly flash auctions, login to the AutoTerminal.com Africa website, click on the “Flash Auctions” link under “Features” and you will be redirected to the flash auctions page. Click on the “Go Straight to Auction” link to proceed.

Hurry and take advantage of our newly improved flash auctions. So send in your offers now!

Check out our Vehicle Clearance Sale! Everything must go!

You are encouraged to send in your offers on our entire inventory in Durban. - All your offers will be considered! - All offers will be sorted out and the highest bidder prevails! - All units are ex-bond Durban, inclusive of Ocean Freight and Port Charges! This Special Promo is only good until the end of this month, so hurry and send in your offers NOW! Click here to view our downloadable stock list. Click here to fill out our online Offer Form.

Useful Tips when Driving Abroad

Terrorism, crime, and diseases are foremost on the minds of travelers as soon as they get hold of their tickets. However, the chance of falling victim to these threats is but a small fraction compared to the risk of being injured or killed in a motor accident.

This article is not meant to scare potential travelers. But the facts just cannot be ignored: according to the World Health Organization, motor vehicle mishaps are the largest cause of injury and death in travelers, with an estimated 1.26 million people dying each year on the world’s roads.

Unfamiliar driving conditions, hazardous roads, and poor policies are just some of the factors that make driving abroad dangerous.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider when driving abroad is to learn about the road culture, or in other words, familiarize yourself with the foreign driving environment. You can do this by finding out important things like, for example, what street signs mean, the rules about right of way, acceptable blood alcohol levels, stopping at checkpoints, etc.

Knowing the road culture can help you drive safely. Make sure you know the rules of the road in the country that you are in and obey them. Many rules and traffic regulations will be the same as in your country, but some will not be. Try to anticipate that the rules will be a lot stricter and that being a tourist will not exempt you. Also make sure that you know the common hazards involved that might include poorly lighted roads, unlicensed drivers, and even animal crossings.

When opting to rent a car, try to get the kind you usually drive or one that you can drive comfortably. Make sure that the car you are driving is roadworthy and that necessary safety features are in place such as seat belts and airbags. When bringing children, you might also want to consider bringing your own child car seat. It is also important to test every feature of the car before you drive off the lot: turn signals, wipers, hazard lights, locks, high beams, etc.

Plan your route and make sure you have an up-to-date map. Do not drive too far without a break. Take a break every two hours and, if possible, change drivers regularly. If you must continue, pull over, have some coffee and take a brief nap (30 minutes or less). When you wake up, walk around briskly for a few minutes.

Overtaking is a difficult and potentially dangerous maneuver. Make you are safe while overtaking. One thing to remember is always make your own decision to overtake, not relying on the judgment of your passengers.

Another important thing to consider is driving a rented car in countries without strict regulations regarding the position of the steering wheel or driver seating position, or to put it simply, driving a right-hand or left-hand drive car on the “opposite” side of the road. There are many dangers associated with this but chief of them is having difficulty seeing what’s ahead of you while driving. It’s always a better idea to err on the side of safety and just opt to drive a car with the correct steering wheel placement.

In other words, enjoy your vacation and be safe. Especially when driving.

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Posted for sale used auto
Global distributor of for sale used vehicles specializing Toyota, Honda, Ford, Nissan in various models like sedan, SUV, pick-up, van and even trucks.

How old are your vehicle’s tires?

It is not enough for tires to look good, be properly inflated, and have a good amount of tread. It’s a good idea to check the age of your tires.

Because tires are the most underappreciated part of a vehicle, drivers often neglect how old their tires are as long as they still look good. This might be true especially for spare tires—some could be up to a decade old or more. A very old spare tire, believe it or not, could deteriorate to the point of having its interior rotted. One can just imagine the disastrous effects this could lead to when driving at extremely high speeds.

In tires, the rubber materials that hold the belts together will eventually degrade and lose its elasticity. It will get to the point where the tire can no longer hold together. Research shows that tires six years or older tend to break down. And it’s not just the spare tire in your trunk that can be dangerous. Even tires bought from the shop or the showroom can be just as dangerous – who knows, these might have been sitting in a shelf for more than a decade waiting to be sold.

How old is your tire?

Useful Facebook Forum

Do you know the best way to import used vehicles into Africa?  You should.

Seeing the road ahead:

How to steer clear of poor visibility

Poor driving visibility is another problem which is taken lightly by most motorists. The problem is aggravated by a lot of environmental factors that increase poor visibility even for drivers who may have excellent eyesight. Here are some of the most common factors and some tips on how to neutralize them.

5 factors that increase the instance of poor visibility

1. Very few governments the world over are strict when it comes to testing the eyesight of those applying for a driver’s license. Even the UK which has one of the most stringent eye exams for new license applicants don’t require a re-test until the driver reaches the age of 70;
2. Many motorists today are unaware that they have vision problems and more than half of those who wear corrective glasses and contact lenses admit that they take them off while driving;
3. Very few drivers regularly check if their windshield wipers and washers are fully functional before driving the vehicle;
4. When driving during twilight, there is a short period of time when our vision is very poor while we try to get accustomed to the darkening environment;
5. Natural conditions such as the sun’s glare, dust, rain, snow, etc.

10 tips on how to improve visibility for these situations

1. Take the time to have your eyesight checked regularly, even when the law does not require it;
2. To relieve or prevent the strain of eye fatigue, move your eyes from time to time and refrain from staring too long at a fixed point. Some contact lenses can actually increase the chance of eye fatigue. It is better to wear glasses instead of contacts while driving;
3. It is a good practice to keep a spare pair of spectacles in your car;
4. To reduce glare from the lights of incoming traffic and even from the sun, light tint and anti-reflection coating can be applied to your spectacles or even your windshield;
5. Of course, never wear tinted glasses or visors after dark or during conditions of poor visibility such as heavy rain, fog or snowfall;
6. When taking medication, ask the doctor whether such medicine may impair your vision or slow down your reflexes;
7. Keep your windows clean. Make sure that your defogger and windshield wipers work and that windshield washers are filled correctly;
8. Be wary when driving during twilight and turn on your running lights for other people on the road to see you better;
9. When driving at night, adjust your rear view mirror to avoid the beam of the headlights from the vehicles behind you from hitting your eyes directly;
10. And last but certainly not least, if you have someone sitting in the passenger seat, let that person help you watch out for road signs and incoming hazards.

When it comes to the problem of road visibility, you can’t be too complacent. Regularly test your eyesight, slow down when necessary, always take care and don’t be embarrassed to ask help. Just remember, as Dave Barry says:

The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.

Required documents when exporting used vehicles out of South Africa

These are the required documents and official forms when exporting vehicles from Durban to the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Please note that BLNS member countries like Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland may enjoy lower excise taxes and fees due to being part of a common customs union.  Nevertheless, the same forms and documents are required.

Some countries like Mozambique require pre-shipment inspections by subcontracted service providers such as Intertek.  Be sure to know your country’s procedure regarding this.

Documents / Forms	Issuing Agency	Additional Info
IE 91 – Application for Export Permit	International trade Administration Commission (ITAC)
Export Permit	ITAC	This is issued if application was successful
DA 550 – Bill of Entry/Bill of Export	Customs and Excise (C&E)
F178 – Request for Bank Clearance	buyer’s bank	Required only if value of vehicle exceeds SA Rand 50,000
CNV – Change of particulars of notice in respect of motor vehicles	local vehicle registering authority	CNV forms can also be downloaded from www.enatis.com
RPC for Export Purposes – Request for Police Clearance	local vehicle registering authority	Form must be completed by the SAPS
SARPCCO Clearance Certificate – Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation	Local police agency in the country of export
SAD500 – Customs Clearance Document	C & E	VIN/ Chassis number indicated on the form must match that on the vehicle
IRCC – Industrial Rebate Credit Certificate	Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)	This requires a proof of export such as a bill of lading or consignment note

Botswana Customs Duties for Motor Vehicles

Botswana Unified Revenue Service: www.burs.org.bw

If you want to learn more about customs duties and taxes on importing motor vehicles into Botswana, you can get loads of information from the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) website.

To see the tax rates of different motor vehicles, see this PDF file.

Although not related to this blog’s subject matter, it is worth mentioning that the site also offers an interesting feature – the Tax Calculator where you can conveniently compute your income tax, whether you are a resident or non-resident of the country.

New and Used Parts and Accessories for Africa

IBC Japan can supply both second hand and brand new vehicle parts and accessories to countries in Africa

Here are some of the most popular replacement parts and accessories included in the special promo by IBC Japan:

Air Intake	- Air Cleaner Cap
Body Mechanical	- Glove Box
Body Electrical	- Antenna
	- Cable
	- Headlamp Assembly
	- TV Tuner
Drive Belts	- Belt Valve
Engine Mechanical	- Engine Insulator
	- Computer Engine Control
	- Valve Intake
	- Valve Exhaust
	- Chain Guide
Others	- Bush Set
	- Locker
	- O- Ring
	- Tensioner
	- Valve

It’s buyers’ market for used cars – retailers

By Natasha Joseph

AutoTerminal.com Africa - premier distributor of new and used quality RHD and LHD vehicles from Japan, USA and Thailand

The soaring inflation rate and high petrol costs may have put the brakes on the market for new cars, but the prices of used cars have been “driven down quite significantly”, says the Retail Motor Industry (RMI).

People looking to purchase used cars are entering “a buyers’ market”, says RMI CEO Jeff Osborne.

“There’s a huge value in used cars; there’s never been a better time to buy,” said Osborne. “There’s a surplus (of used cars) that dealers need to sell.”

He said there was a great deal of “consumer choice” when it came to the variety of cars available on the second-hand market, and that prospective used car buyers were in a good position to negotiate with dealers for lower prices.

Pierre Carstens, manager of Auto-Pedigree in Bellville, said that because the dealership specialised in one- or two-year-old cars, it was “doing fine”.

“Our prices are lower than new cars, and people are going for something close to new,” Carstens said.

Heinie Brink, a salesperson with Burchmore’s Car Auctions in Milnerton, said the company had seen “an increase in vehicles coming through for auctions”.

“There are more people on the floor (at auctions) looking for bargains, using the repossession market,” Brink said.

Osborne said that although banks had been repossessing up to 6 000 cars a month over the past nine months, this number seemed to be “stabilising” as more people entered into restructured payment plans with their banks before being threatened with repossession.

Absa’s managing executive of vehicle and asset finance, Marcel de Klerk, said the company had repossessed 1 360 vehicles in August, and had repossessed, on average, between 1 300 and 1 400 vehicles each month this year.

A number of these vehicles were “high ticket cars”, indicating that their owners fell into a high income bracket. This indicated that not only South Africa’s “middle market” was hard hit by the rising cost of living, he said.

However, De Klerk said, there had been “a definite stabilisation” in the number of people falling into arrears with their car payments since April, and this trend had been consistent up to August.

“I firmly believe (repossessions) will start to decline by the end of the year,” he said.

He said Absa was restructuring clients’ accounts and only granting vehicle finance to people “if they can afford it”.

“The last thing we want to do is repossess. The bank and the client lose money. The motor industry will remain under pressure. I don’t see an increase in sales until 2010.”

Osborne said that even the new car market appeared to be stabilising. It was 20 percent down from the same period last year, but this seemed to be “levelling off”, he said.

“We sincerely hope it won’t drop more, and we’re not expecting a recovery (of sales) inside of a year.”

natasha.joseph@inl.co.za

Source: http://www.iol.co.za

This article was originally published
on page 6 of Cape Times on September 02, 2008