Boyd Autobody & Glass Articles

How Quicky Do Vehicles Lose Their Value?

It's said that vehicles lose half their value the moment you drive them off of the lot. While that might be an anecdotal estimate at best, the truth is that cars devalue every time the odometer clicks past another number.

Managing Your Vehicle's Depreciation To Minimize Loss Over Time

Just because your car will constantly depreciate doesn't mean that you can't manage its depreciation and help to minimize the loss of value over time. Here are some tips to do that effectively.

Keep the inside of your vehicle clean. You probably keep the cup holders wiped clean of coffee rings, but a key area where cars can deteriorate on the inside is completely unseen: Carpets in the foot-wells build up with...

As Canadians, we are forced to drive in varying conditions

Each of the four seasons presents us with different driving conditions. In the summer, our roads can be extremely hot (with many potholes and pedestrians) and in the winter, our roads can become slippery sheets of snow and ice.

Learning to drive in each of the four seasons is a must for Canadians.

So how do you drive more safely in the winter? Here are some top tips to help Keep a greater distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. In the summer, your vehicle might be able to stop on a dime but in the winter, your vehicle takes much longer to stop as ice and snow reduce the friction of pavement. It gets even worse around intersections. By maintaining a...

We all know that driving safely is smart… but the truth is, we sometimes forget to do it

We know that by driving safer, we reduce the dangers to ourselves and others but when we're in a hurry it's easy to forget that truth.

So here's a reason that drivers will want to be safe drivers: Safe driving costs less. Period.

The riskier you choose to drive, the more costly it becomes. The safer you choose to drive, the cheaper it is. Let's count the costs:

Unsafe drivers get tickets for speeding, running red lights, following too closely and other motor vehicle infractions. These tickets cost money to pay for, plus they can also increase the amount of car insurance you pay (depending on what province you're insured in) Unsafe...

Just three short years ago, Transport Canada released some shocking statistics that should be a wake-up call for all Canadian drivers

Their studies found that there were over 124,000 collisions on Canadian highways in 2009 that caused injury or death.

At Boyd, we want to see this number go down. We believe it can if all Canadians commit drive a little more safely. We also recognize that it's hard to make a lot of big changes. So we're encouraging everyone to make small changes… just to improve one driving skill each month.

This month, we are encouraging people to turn safely. Turning sounds like something you do but it is an entire skillset on its own: You need to judge distances, brake and accelerate in a controlled...

So how can drivers drive more safely?

With thousands of collisions taking place every year on our roads, it's no surprise that many groups are trying to raise awareness and inspire people to drive safer: Governments, insurance companies, charitable organizations, and your friendly neighborhood Boyd Autobody & Glass shops are all trying to inspire drivers to be safer on the roads.

One of the key ways that drivers can be safer is to have a healthy respect for the unexpected

Here's what we mean: When we drive, we are bombarded with information every single second. We filter what we can and pay attention to the stuff that seems to matter most. Often, collisions happen because something out of the ordinary occurred and we didn't have time...

Driving in Canada Means That We Are Sometimes Driving In The Worst Conditions Imaginable...

During the winter, Mother Nature throws a variety of collision-causing conditions at us -- icy roads, piles of vision-impairing snow banks, and whiteouts. With winter on its way, it's a good time to pause and remind ourselves how to drive in these conditions rather than wait for that first snowfall and crunch of a collision to jog our memory!

Be Prepared! Pack the appropriate gear in your vehicle (like survival gear for longer trips and salt or sand plus a shovel for in the city). If you never need it, great. But the one time you do need it will make it worthwhile. Winter driving requires extra...

According to Transport Canada, there were about 124,000 collisions causing injury or fatality in 2009 (the last year that statistics were available as of this writing)

It's not likely that this numbers has decreased in the three years since it was published.

At Boyd, we think something should be done about that. Since most collisions are caused by drivers (instead of road conditions or vehicle conditions), we believe that improving safe driving skills can help to drive that number down. If we all agree to improving one skill each month for a year, we'll have all re-learned twelve skills essential to safer driving.

This month, the skill we are looking to improve is the skill of signalling. Let's face it: Over time, our ability to...

Preparing for the Change in Seasons

It won't be long before the days get cooler, the leaves start changing colour, and the geese are seen flying to Orlando to spend the winter at Disney World.

As summer winds to a close in the next few weeks, there is still time for one last "hurrah"; a weekend to make memories with a friend or loved one that will keep you going through the cold, dark winter months.

Here are a few tips to enjoy one last end-of-summer weekend road trip

These iseas won't break the bank or require that you burn up any more vacation time, but will put the finishing touches on a great summer.

• The explorer. Get out the map and sit down with your travel partner and find a place that is a three to six hour...

In Canada, we face the most extreme weather

Winter can be as low as -40 C (even colder with the wind chill) and summer can be as high as +40 C. That's an 80 degree difference, which is hard on the roads and our vehicles. It also creates new challenges for us in each season, since we have to get used to the quirks and challenges of driving during that season. In summer, we face the blazing hot and blinding sun. In the winter, we barely maintain control on snowy, icy roads.

But what about the spring?

As short of a season as it is in Canada, it still presents its own unique challenges. Here are some top tips to driving safer in springtime.

Remember the temperature differential between day and night. The day time can be sunny and warm,

When automobiles were first invented, they didn't have a lot of safety features on them

As more vehicles appeared on the roads and as speed limits increased, more safety features were introduced: Seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, heads-up displays, hands-free calling, safety glass, rearview cameras, and more.

What does the future look like?

How will advancements of the future change how our vehicles keep us safe? Here are some ideas. Obviously not all of these will definitely appear in our vehicles but some of them might. Who knows, maybe someone reading this article will be inspired to make vehicles even safer.

Vehicles that shut off prior to collision: One problem with collisions is not the initial collision but the...