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
+412 244 626

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY that you get to see over 500+ rare and collectable cars up close and personal all in one place at the same time!

This year celebrated 10 years of Motorclassica, The Australian International Concours d'Elegance and Classic Motor Show and we were honoured to be guests at this grand event.

The winner of the "Best of Show" was presented to this stunning ​1959 ASTON MARTIN DB 2/4 MK III

The winner of the Modern Classic Sports & Performance over 3L was awarded to one of our favourite cars at the show - the 1967 FORD GT500 SHELBY MUSTANG

Paint Protection Film or (PPF) as it's known in the trade has become increasingly popular over the last few years and with very good reasons.

Gone are the days of expensive dealer add-ons at the buying stage of a new car. PPF is available to anyone and even if your car is not brand-new, it's still an option you should consider. 
New legal requirements for car manufacturers means they are obliged to use water-based paints to help towards environmental preservation. These paints are less resistant on the surface to scratches or impacts. This is where PPF comes in.

What exactly is this film?
Our Auto Outsource team use Bodyfence brand Paint Protection Film, one of the best in the market.
It's a Polyurethane Film that is lazer cut to match your car make and model exactly so no cuts are made on car unlike some other brands and suppliers.

It comes in either gloss or matte finishes and is ultra transparent to the eye when applied correctly without altering the appearance of the car paintwork.

Why has it become so popular?
The Bodyfence brand has been developed with cutting-edge technology and will protect your vehicle against external aggressions:
-Scratches
-Stone Chips
-Abrasion
-UV rays
The best part, the film facilitates cleaning by preventing dirt from adhering to the paint. It will keep your vehicle in the best as-new condition which you will benefit from when it comes to resale value.
​PPF is also known for its "self-healing" properties. Should your paint become scratched, the Bodyfence Paint Protection Film will regenerate with the help of heat from the sun or hot water.

Should you like more information or discuss any recent jobs we have completed, please contact us anytime.
We can also email you a brochure to review over a coffee....
Something to definitely consider...

​One Large Car Insurance Company has recently (and quietly) removed your standard ability to "choose your own repairer" and instead, are now offering it as a chargeable Optional Extra along with windscreens and Hire cars. We suspect the others are likely to soon follow.

This is a fine print option that you are likely to miss when you next renew your car insurance policy..

We've read the PDS and found the key points for you:


Already Implemented Changes:

• When you take out a new policy or renew an existing Comprehensive Insurance Policy with one of the large Insurance companies, what was a standard inclusion of “choose your own repairer” is now an “added extra option” along with windscreens and hire cars.
• If you want this option, you must manually select it or let them know over the phone.
• The default status is now you will not have your own choice of repairer and this cost is not calculated or included in your renewal, hence it will seem cheaper up front.

What does this means for you?

• This change is not being marketed in the media. The marketing approach instead is telling customers directly that they are getting "greater flexibility to help save money on their policies”.
• Premiums are now around 10-13% lower across the board for everyone because of this exclusion of choice and service.
• Online this will seem that this company is cheaper than their competitors however you need to ensure you are comparing “apples with apples” and getting the same value and inclusions from each company. 
• If you add the choice of repairer option back onto your policy since now it’s been taken away, this company will charge approximately 10% extra based on your total Premium, bringing you back to roughly the same price as last year.

Should I just let my Insurance Company repair my car using their “network of preferred partner repairers”? What would be the consequences in doing so?

• We recommend that you shop around for a car insurance policy that allows you to select your own repairer at no additional cost or penalty to you. It is your right to demand where and who your car is repaired by.
• We find this new change a form of bullying and a misleading tactic to seem like they are helping their customers when instead they are just directing more work to their aligned shops. 
• Insurance companies already dictate what they will and won’t pay for with every claim. Now they want to dictate who repairs your car.
• Add in a repairer that is strategically aligned to work for an Insurance Company into the equation and this becomes a 2 against you battle.
• When using an Insurance Company’s recruited repairer, you may experience a rushed job. Pricing pressure from Insurance companies may mean that labour rates are cut and parts may be authorised to be repaired or second hand parts used instead being replaced with new to save money.
• Attention to detail can then be lost as there is nobody managing it with your interests placed first. You may struggle to fight them if you are not happy with the work delivered or cave in all together because it’s all too difficult.
• There is always a considerable amount of back log of jobs with these Insurance company preferred repairers. Often you will wait an extraordinarily long time (many weeks) before your car is even assessed let alone repaired. 

Why should I take your advice?
For 22 years we owned and managed an Independent smash repairer, working on jobs for private clients and car dealerships for both daily and prestige super cars.
We never aligned ourselves with Insurance companies out of principle. They would (and still do), cut labour time down to save themselves money, allowing only the smallest of margins with little time to do a quality job.

This kind of work does not give personal satisfaction, let alone make for a successful and profitable business. High quality work cannot be rushed or cheapened at the expense of the customer. To make any sort of profit with Insurance companies, repairers need to have large quantity of work directed through their workshops by Insurance.
High turn over and extremely low margins in this industry is a cause for concern. Something has got to give and it most certainly will be at your expense.

What makes Auto Outsource different?
Our experience over the many years means we know how to respond to the coercive tactics that some Insurance companies are trained to use on their customers.
Recently, one of our customers was told she could not appoint a representative. This is simply untrue.
PDS states that you can appoint a broker to represent you and manage your claim which is what we often do for our clients no matter which Insurance company they use. 
This allows you to get on with your day and not have to deal with it or stress about what to say to get the right result.

• For not at fault claims, we can provide you with a like for like accident replacement vehicle at no cost for the entire duration of repairs until we drop your car back to you. This is regardless of any delays incurred by Insurance. You will not be left without a car or have to pay for one.
• This is a chargeable extra on your standard Comprehensive policy and most insurance companies will only pay (up to) $75-100 a day in hire car costs. This normally gets you a very small car not a SUV or a luxury vehicle which makes life again, difficult. You will have to pay out of your pocket first, then claim for reimbursement.
• The catch also is, this cover is usually only for 14 days. Then you are liable for the cost of the hire car thereafter no matter if the repairer is delayed, has problems getting parts or any other cause of delay.
• Some Insurance companies will not repair undamaged areas of your vehicle to create a uniform appearance. For example, if the incident causes damage to the right door panel, then they will only respray the right door panel. They will not pay to ensure the work is uniform and blended either side in a seamless repair.
• We can manage and repair other areas of your car at the same time as managing the Insurance repairs to lessen the time without your vehicle. Often we combine other paint and panel repairs at the same time as Insurance repairs as well as get the car log book serviced, new tyres fitted and any other jobs the client requires.
• Our service and management covers; a personal inspection of your vehicle, quality controlled work, pick up and drop off your car at home or office and management of our trades and suppliers. 
• All our work is insured and we provide warranty for all work delivered.

Should you have any questions or concerns about this Insurance change or any other issue, 
please contact us anytime by email or phone so we can assist you.