Great Info Tips

I read a very interesting article in Reader’s Digest from February 2008 regarding used cars and airbags not deploying when there is an accident. This article told me about deception for consumers with garages or car owners purchasing used airbags on Ebay or elsewhere then placing these in cars before selling them. Sometimes old cans, crushed newspapers, and whatever was handy at the time are placed in the spot where the air bags originally were when the car was damaged in an accident. Used cars can be checked through companies such as CarFax or AutoCheck, but those records might not be totally up to date when the buyer wants to purchase the car. Only a registered specialty trained mechanic can replace airbags. There are also some states that will let the owner “wash” the title to make it clean. Standards are not universal in the United States. It’s more of a buyer beware tactic.

Airbag fraud is widespread. There is a way to detect if the car you intend to purchase has an airbag. When the lights on the dashboard go on when you start the car the light comes on showing AIRBAG. Of course, this can also be disconnected so the airbag light doesn’t come on at all. That should be an alert for the consumer. You can have a certified airbag mechanic check to see if the airbag is new. You can find such a mechanic by Googling :ASE Blue Seal Recognition Program. If the cover on the steering wheel or dashboard looks newer than the rest of the dashboard chances are the car has a salvaged airbag. A word of caution: Don’t open the airbag compartment yourself as you could be injured or damage the airbag system.

Lawmakers are are trying to pass legislation to require that totalled, flood damaged and stolen cars be permanently recorded in vehicle history databases. Insurance companies will be required to update reports constantly for any cases where airbags were deployed. The bill was to have been discussed in the Congress in Spring of 2008. People need to be aware of this as too many as dying needlessly when airbags do not deploy when there is an accident.