OKAY...There are probably more than just seven lessons learnt but we've narrowed it down
to make a good read over coffee....and in no particular order....because life doesn't come in any order.

Lesson 1
Hang out people who are genuinely happy for you when you succeed. Their company, friendship and genuine support is rare.
Some people truly want to see you fail so use this as fuel to prove them wrong.
Be your own cheer leader and ultimate fan! Write down achievements and when you are feeling
down or full of doubt, refer to this list to spur you onwards and upwards.

Lesson 2
Cash flow is king. If it's not coming in, you'll dig yourself into debt and start
using your own personal savings which is not ideal.
Make sure nobody owes you money and jobs are paid for up front or on completion.

Lesson 3
Don't work for free. Your time and experience is worth money and you need to be compensated for it.
There are small things you can do that are complimentary, just ensure your client knows about it.
This helps build rapport, respect and loyalty.

Lesson 4
A bad paying customer is a bad customer full stop, so let them go. If it takes two months to get
paid, it's not worth having them as a customer to being with - refer lesson 2. Find another client to replace them with and long term you'll be thanking yourself for it.

Lesson 5
Outsource the work you are not a specialist in and don't love doing. See what we did there? We outsource our bookwork to an accountant, laundry to the drycleaner, so why do everything yourself and spread
yourself thin and possibly make mistakes and costly ones at that. 
The relief of the time saved and the burden off your shoulders feels great and allows you to do more valuable work with your time.

Lesson 6
Make time for yourself to have fun and relax. Working 15hrs a day for yourself is not fun.
Schedule in time to have lunch, have a break, catch up with a friend, read a book - recharge so you
are at your best self mentally and physically.

Lesson 7
You have one life and you must enjoy what you do otherwise change jobs or do something else that
makes you happy. There is no point working just for the money and being miserable or hating what you do. 
Being in business for yourself means you get to decide how to spend your time - and that is the greatest reward and goal we are all trying to achieve in life.

We have our heart in our business and our business in our heart. This will never change.
Thank you for your support from the very beginning, right now at present and into the future.

Giulia, Pedro and Team Auto Outsource Pty Ltd

To say it can be confusing is an understatement.
Why does it need to be so hard?
Here is our quick guide to the car code lingo:

VIN Number
What is it: Vehicle Identification Number. Simple enough.
Commonly found: Windscreen, driver's door, rego paper
Fact: No two vehicles in operation have the same VIN
Used for: Registrations, Insurance, Warranty claims and recalls

Compliance Plate
What is it: ID to state the car has passed the approval of Australian Design Rules which includes comprehensive testing and crash testing.
Commonly found: Engine bay although most cars have random hiding places for this plate.
Fact: Since July 1, 2021 the Compliance Plate ID has become redundant thanks to the introduction of the Register of Approved Vehicles.
Used for: Safety. Every Australian vehicle on the road must have this plate, there are very few exceptions.

MY
What is it: "MY" is the Model Year and not always the same year it was built but the year of the cycle the car is in from the manufacturer.
Commonly found: in the VIN plate, rego paper, dealer paperwork
Fact: It's very common to see a car ,for example built in 2019 but labelled MY20.
This could be related to an update for that model since the MY19 edition.
Used for: ID to know what specific model the car is because they can vary slightly.

Build Date
What is it: "Build Date" is exactly as it reads, the month and year the car was built and released off the production line from factory.
Commonly found: in the VIN plate, dealer paperwork, service book
Fact: Most cars are built one year, e.g. October 2020 or 10/2020 but do not land at our ports in Australia until the next year say, May 2021 or 05/2021 which makes it confusing for the owner who receives it a few months later in 2021.
Used for: ID to know what specific version the car is. Some models are released twice yearly with slight differences.

The Year
What is it: "The Year" is the most technically confusing and potentially misleading term we see.
This is the year it is manufactured. Often the year it was complied or the "MY" is used in its place, adding to the confusion.
Commonly found: in the VIN plate, dealer paperwork, service book
Fact: The most confused term used in automotive industry. You can have a Mercedes-Benz, complied in 2018 or be a MY18 model but built in 2017 so technically this should be listed as a 2017 car.
Used for: ID to know what specific age the car is. Pre-owned vehicles often list the year incorrectly so be aware.

Still Stuck?
We are always happy to take your call or answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Our clients use our service to take away the stress involved in managing their cars.

That is a question we commonly get asked. Should I sell my car or keep it?
It all depends on (what) car you have to start off with.
It may be rare or common but in demand.
You may need or want the funds now or be willing to sit and hold for an uptake in the market which may or may never come.

Here are some points below to think about that may help you decide which way to go..

When is a good time to sell ?
Since NSW and Victoria have been in a lock down, it has been difficult for people to inspect vehicles in person. 
Now that lockdowns (are somewhat lifted) for NSW at least, you may find an increase in interest.
Buyer hesitancy in a lockdown market is quite high compared to the last two years.
Even though there is movement, there is nowhere near the same amount of buying and selling.
Keep in mind that many buyers do purchase sight unseen if the car is rare, hard to find or in extremely good condition so time would then be irrelevant.

Does the odometer really matter ?
Yes it does. 
A car that has done 98,212km vs 103,243km always looks better even though there is barely 5,000km between them.
Plus the 100,000km mark puts people off as this is often the threshold of a major service. Also consider that buyers search for kilometers using the low to high sort feature and you don't want to be the highest one on the market. If you are, you need to price accordingly, which means heavily discounted to compensate for the high km's.
The only time it rarely matters is when it's a classic collector car. As a rule, a high kilometer car is never looked at favorably.

Will I get a good price ?
Think about the condition of your car, its age, kilometers and inclusions. We recommend to list at a reasonable price rather than a ridiculous one, as you may scare off people with a price that is too high. 
A reasonable price is something you are happy to let the car go for plus or minus some points for negotiation.
If you are too firm, then you may take a lot longer than average to sell.
Check on your competitors and see what they are listing for.

Will my car increase in value?
There are a number of classic and rare affordable vehicles that are increasing in value YoY.
It depends what you want to do with it. A sit-and-hold approach means keeping the car for a number of years say between 1-5 years and then sell. Expect some models to return 15-30% but keeping in mind the future cannot be predicted.
Due to shortage of stock recently in the marketplace, some pre-owned cars are selling for the price they were purchased for simply because there is no stock available.

Still Stuck?
We are always happy to take your call or answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Our clients use our Private Sales Concierge service to take away the stress and labour
involved in listing, managing and dealing with the public.

We are all driving less now. Often not by choice.
So what happens when your car is driven less than once a week for a continued period of time?

Battery Health Concerns!

What can I do about it?
Consider investing in a battery charger commonly known as a "trickle charger". This is a car battery charger that is specifically designed to be left on a car for a long period of time. It re-charges the battery and keeps it on constant supply. It slowly adds charge (in a trickle) to the battery preventing the usual  depletion of charge users experience without it. 

Why do I need one?
It prolongs the life of your car battery and avoids having to replace it sooner than you should.
Imagine you have your car sitting in your carport or garage for weeks on end, decide to use it one day and it won't start. Error messages are common and a lot of faults are related to a low or dead battery. 

How do I know which one to get?
There are many brands, types and models on the market. 
Contact us so we can help match the right charger to your model vehicle as there are different ones to suit different cars.

What features does it have?
Most trickle charges have an automatic cycle that turns off the charger when the battery is at its optimum capacity and turns it back on when the battery level drops.
It also prevents battery malfunction by not allowing your battery to become sulfated, which commonly happens when a battery is discharging for a long time.
​Sulfide damages a battery and renders it useless if too much of it forms inside the battery.

How do I use it?
We can provide installation and a demo on how to use it. It's very straight forward and easy to use once the connection cable is installed into your vehicle.
All chargers come with a 2 year warranty as standard.

Do you use them?
We absolutely use trickle chargers for all our client vehicles that are in our care for extended periods of time and for our motorcycles that are used seasonally.

We all tend to neglect our car when we are busy. The above photo is an extreme example but we've all done it at one point. 
It's always somehow forecasted to rain when you intend to get it washed, typical and true for most of us.

​But here are the reasons why your car left dirty will cost you...

1. The car will end up with layers upon layers of dirt, grime, acid rain and environmental fall out sitting on top of the expensive paintwork you worked hard to purchase.
2. Those same layers will find its way into all the crevices, railings and moulds, making them brittle and more susceptible to deterioration faster than designed.
3. Have you ever seen a “wash me” message in the dust on a car? Funny at first until you realise that
this causes scratches on the paintwork and glass. Small dust and dirt particles are tiny abrasive elements, scratching at the slightest touch of a finger, hand or a cloth. 

When it comes to the re-sale of your car, the paintwork condition is what most buyers look at.
If you take the steps to make sure it's not left dirty, you will be rewarded when it comes to trade in or sale time.

What you can do:
-Take it to your local hand car wash, make sure they use PH neutral liquids.
-Every 3-6 months, your car should be hand waxed by a professional.
-Consider a treatment like ceramic paint protection which lasts for years.

All these help to reduce the amount of car washing needed, so it pays for itself in the long run
and keeps your paintwork healthy.

You can also engage our professional automotive management services to take complete care of your vehicle with a proper customised maintenance program for your daily drive or collection. 
​Your time is valuable.

If this raises any questions, we'd love to help answer them:
info@autooutsource.com.au

The September 2020 data has been released from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council
and the news is not good.

Over 50,000 vehicles (including motorcycles) have been stolen across Australia between 2019 and 2020.
We have put together a list of things you can do to prevent your vehicle from being a target and what to do if this does unfortunately happen to you.

Insurance
It's an obvious start, but not having the right cover will mean that you'll have to outlay the full replacement cost of your vehicle if theft is not included. Check the fine print before you purchase or renew your vehicle insurance.

Keys
Allocate a safe and hidden place for your keys. Make this a daily habit to secure the keys away. Often thieves will break into houses looking for car and motorcycle keys.  Some insurance policies will not pay out if your vehicle was stolen with your own key.
It's also illegal to leave your vehicle unlocked or running with the keys in the ignition or fob in the console whilst unattended.

Windows
It's an easy thing to do. Park the car and leave the window open a little to get fresh air. A slightly open window can be enough of an enticement for someone to break in and steal your belongings or worse, the entire vehicle. Get into a good practice of closing all the windows before you lock your car. Some makes like Mercedes-Benz have a press and hold window close feature on the key fob!

Parking
Try to park your vehicle in well lit areas in the evenings. Dark places are a magnet for thieves. If you do not have a garage and street parking is your only option, park your vehicle with the wheels turned towards the kerb to prevent illegal towing, another means of theft.

Tracker
Our vehicles are the second largest investment after property. For just 0.80 cents a day (which you cannot even buy a postage stamp for), you can have Geo Fencing, Theft Recovery and Monitoring of your asset 24/7.
There are no external antennas, making it harder for thieves to track back to the device to compromise it, or to cut the antenna which could stop it from transmitting.

Your Vehicle Has Been Stolen. What Now?

Some insurance companies stipulate you must report the incident to the police within 24hours.
Check your fine print on what is required of you as a customer.

If you do have a car tracker installed, your Theft Recovery GPS tracking system will provide immediate alarms to notify you the owner and the monitoring centre that a theft is in progress.

Alert the police to the fact you have tracking data and live position updates.
Never try to recover the vehicle yourself. Allow the law enforcement to handle the recovery for you.

If you would like to know more about our supply and installation of commercial grade trackers contact us for a quote. You can download the PDF Product Specs here

Okay, so we might not have the same collection as this photo above by owner @ccourjon, however our cars are pride of joy, often sitting pretty in the garage, almost staring at us longingly to take them out and go for a run.
But lately we have not been able to go anywhere. And the stress is too great to risk a joy ride for sake of copping a fine.

Here are the top things to do, to care for your car when you're not driving it:

BATTERY: Make sure there is constant battery power. Known as a "Trickle Charger" these devices plug into the wall and slowly trickle power to your battery, almost like life support.
There are different makes, models and types on the market so please contact us to either get you one and install it professionally or recommend you which one to get. 
The return on investment on one of these pays itself after you realise you need a new battery because you haven't used your car in a number of weeks/months.

TYRES: After about a month, some tyres can show signs of a flat spot. If you can't get your car off the ground, move it into a different spot so the tyres can rotate.

PRESSURE: Ensure the tyres have correct pressure using the PSI plaque specific to your car. This usually can be found on the driver's door frame. Contact us for help with this if you're unsure.

SERVICE: Even though you're not driving the car, time passes by and a simple oil change is imperative to maintain your engine and prevent damage. 

@auto_outsource
info@autooutsource.com.au