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A new report by traffic information company INRIX highlights how fuel prices influence consumer driving patterns, congestion and public transit use and how to predict such changes for the future.

The INRIX National Traffic Scorecard Special Report takes an aggregate analysis of fuel prices, traffic congestion and an open survey of consumer opinions to create a predictive model for driving patterns. These results make implications that could potentially aid specialty-equipment manufacturers in developing strategies to understand fuel prices and their impact, ultimately selling car parts more suited to the market.

The study found that traffic congestion fell significantly during the first half of 2008, but was less dramatic in dense urban cities, such as New York City, Washington D.C. and Chicago. Nearly two-thirds of consumers changed driving behaviors. Of those, 69% took fewer driving trips; 34% made shorter trips; 9% carpooled; 8% began riding bikes or motorcycles; and 7% used public transportation.

In SEMA-conducted surveys, the results were similar. The most common strategies used to cope with high fuel prices were to drive less, combine errands or reduce recreational trips. The INRIX study showed a $4.50-per-gallon tipping point for road trips and leisurely driving with general consumers claiming they would significantly reduce the frequency of trips at this level.

Fuel prices are beginning to drop to lower levels, but in the instance that they begin to rise again, this level should be watched. When enthusiasts do drive, 64% claimed to change their driving habits.

“Although we can’t predict the future price of fuel, we can predict the potential impacts to traffic congestion,” notes Bryan Mistele, INRIX founder and CEO. “As a whole, the population appears to have made lasting changes to their behavior, which we expect to persist at some level even if gas prices revert to pre-2007 levels.”

The top cities with a negative correlation between fuel prices and traffic flow include Atlanta, Miami, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Springfield (Massachusetts), Daytona Beach, Orlando, Memphis, Charlotte and Riverside (California). Commuters in these cities reacted the most significantly as fuel prices increased.

Two other noteworthy details spring from this study. Atlanta, which topped the list, had a large swell of public transportation use. In order to meet the expanded demand, the city absorbed the rush by greatly expanding the capacity of public parking lots. In cities that heavily depend on vacation or leisure travel, such as Miami and Las Vegas, the decline in traffic congestion was attributed to fewer families being able to visit these destinations.

With any dominant social shift in behavior or spending fluctuations come consequential changes in the retail markets. Studies are suggesting that consumers are beginning to transform the way they view transportation and manufacturers of custom auto parts and accessories need to stay abreast of such shifts in order to stay competitive.

What is the first thing you look at when you get to SEMA? Do you start with the Ford, GM and other car makers booths? Spend some time outside looking at all of the muscle car and specialty stuff? Perhaps going through all the electronics? Maybe checking out a pair of 22’s!

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So this is prety basic but I better explain it to be safe. What does ‘post cat’ mean on an oxygen sensor.

Every car after 1996 has at least a few O2 sensors. Most have 4 of them. For most cars there are 2 located before the cat and 2 after. What does this mean?

The sensors determine the type of air going out of your exhaust and adjusts the air intake to improve performance and reduce pollution. Therefore the sensors have to be located in the exhaust. The middle of the exhaust is the catalaytic Converter that attempts to kill the last bit of pollution leaving your car. Thus the sensors are ‘Pre Catalatyic Converter’ or Before the cat and ‘post’ or After the Cat. They are usually not the same sensor.

Left and right is pretty straightforward. Just remember that these are as if you are sitting in the drivers seat. All auto parts are determined this way.

So in this economy and with the world upside down, everyone is trying to raise some cash. This is also true in the auto parts business. I have never seen so many offers of ’suplus’ parts. There are pros and cons to buying surplus parts.

Pros: You can get a really good deal on some car parts. If you are good with eBay or a parts house, you could resell them at a pretty good profit. The key is that you better know what you are doing.

Cons: The downside is that most of the time, people offering surplus car parts are selling pure junk. I don’t care if its $1, nobody wants 1980’s Tempo or Fiesta parts. Ford parts are just hit or miss. Mercedes parts though can often be valuable, because those cars are kept around longer.

My suggestion is to be very careful. I guarantee you are not the first person they offered these parts to. The big buyers have already turned them down, so it is probably junk. The best thing to do is to make friends with the surplus sellers. Tell them what you want and that you pay cash. They’ll be inclined to call next time.

Every manufacturer has different ways of coding their vehicles. If you are looking for BMW parts you often need to know the chassis code. For Audi Parts and Volkswagen Parts it is the Engine Code.

Where do you find the Engine Code? Typically there is a metal plate located under the hood. This will have lots of information about the vehicle. The engine code for Audi is typically a 3 letter code.

The engine code for an 2001-2004 VW Jetta Diesel is ALH. This ‘ALH’ engine is also used in the Beetle diesel engine and can be used to find parts. In 2004 they introduced the BEW Diesel engine. In 2004 it was a transition year. You would need to know this code since they sold both engines that year.

One of the best cars I ever had was a Ford. It didn’t look like much, but it had a V8 under the hood and was highly maneuverable. It would have lasted a lot longer if I’d known where to get the best Ford parts instead of taking it to a shop where they didn’t really know what they were doing. But these days almost everybody is able to get the discount auto parts that they need, because there is so much inventory available online. You still have to be careful though, and make sure you are dealing with experts like buyautoparts.com.

If you own a garage your reputation is only as good as the work your guys do, and that isn’t always about how they turn a wrench. It’s about how fast they can get parts. If you are looking for GM parts , or any other kind of car part you can find them at Buy Auto Parts. Just use the search function to find the year and model of your car, buy it through the secure shopping cart, and it will show up at your door. It is also the number one resource online for discount car parts.

If you find yourself in a situation where you need Honda parts and you need them fast, you may think that you have a lot of options. You can go to stores like Pepboys or even Walmart. They sell everything, including automotive parts and surely their prices will beat anything out there. Just drive down to your local store and pick up whatever you need. Not so. If you want the exact part, for the exact year and model of your car, you need to visit a site like buyautoparts.com. They stock thousands of parts, and can have them in your hands next day.

What kind of auto parts or car parts do you need, and how quickly do you need them? Those are the questions you need to answer before you decide who you’re going to do business with. You also need to look at price and reliability. At Buyautoparts, we know that you need an exact match for your year and model, and you need the parts yesterday. So whether you need BMW or Infiniti parts look at our site, choose what you want, buy online and we’ll deliver.

Wouldn’t it be great if you knew of a place where you could shop for discount auto parts but didn’t have to leave the house or your shop to do it? Well now you do. It’s called Buy Auto Parts and it’s a user-friendly website that will get you exactly what you need. That’s true if you are looking for BMW parts, Infiniti or Ford. Whether you bought it hot off the showroom floor or bought it used, we have you covered for great auto parts at great prices.