In 1980’s the BMW and General Motors began creating and developing what was called “smart Keys’. This made it difficult for thieves to take the cars. There were glitches that needed to be worked out but over the years it has come a long way.Technology is moving fast and over the last few decades, the automotive industry has changed the most. This change has taken place because of the electronic aspects of how the vehicle operates with electronic ignitions and auto-start up options. About half of the late model vehicles on the road today have electronic options that do require computer chip keys to start.Automotive locksmiths have an important part in the automotive industry because they have become certified in this particular area. They own a stock blank computer chip key, or transponder key as part of their necessary equipment. If you lose or damage your key, they can duplicate it. Because there are different electronic codes, which are in different type of vehicles, this blank key will allow them to program the electronic codes into the blank key so you can use them.The ignition key is made up of a computer chip that has copper wiring. This wiring is embedded inside a plastic head or a rubber head. It uses standard Radio Frequency Identification or RFID in order to communicate between the chip and the ignition. The ignition, when turned on, will signal the vehicle’s computer, which will then signal the key. The key will use these signals to begin emitting a code that contains 32 digits to the computer on the vehicle.The computer will then decipher the signal to make sure that it is a legitimate signal and then begins the process of starting the ignition. If the signal was not valid or if the chip key malfunctions, the vehicle will not turn on. A copy of the computer chip can be duplicated to match the teeth on the ignition key however, if there is not computer chip found in the head then it is not able to communicate with the computer in the vehicle and the key will just be able to unlock the door and manually start the vehicle.Chip keys are out there because automobiles become stolen. The price to assure one’s vehicle or at least reduce the risk is very expensive. This new technology makes it impossible for thieves to get into a vehicle with ease. By the time that they do get in, the vehicle alarm is triggered or they may be caught. Vehicle insurance is a requirement and the cost of the insurance is increasing because of this crime. Automotive locksmiths have the ‘know how’ and the techniques to program and cut keys of any model. Most of the Chicago automotive locksmiths have the latest gadgets and equipment to laser cut keys, program immobilizer and transponder keysA computer chip transponder key is a more secure way to prevent theft. The new computer chip key ignition system provides a wireless ID that only the vehicle can respond to. There are no batteries to keep up with so you never need to worry about a malfunction. The consumer benefits from this the most because of the security it provides. With a demand for high end automotive locksmith in Chicago, it is easy to get a spare key cut and programmed when you need it. Next time you are fretting over a misplaced, lost or broken key, just call an emergency automotive locksmith and get back on road within a few hours!
Give Your Automotive Sales Leads the Attention They Deserve
One of the great achievements in the automotive business is the ability to get repeat and referral business. It’s really great to reap the benefits of a job well done for years to come. However, no business can survive solely on repeat and referrals alone. In order to generate new business, especially in the car business, new automotive sales leads must be generated and/or purchased.Third party generated leads are popular in the automotive business. Every now and then, you may want to do a spot check of your current lead sources, their effectiveness, as well as checking other sources that may be available. Many dealers turn to Google for the answer to their questions of what automotive sales leads are available. They may do some brief keyword play and try “new car leads” or “lead source providers”. Even if you throw the word “quality” into the mix, no search engine ranking can guarantee the quality of a third party lead. However, something you may want to search for is “Dealer Chat Leads” or “Automotive Sales Leads”.Dealer Chat is the new kid on the block when it comes to automotive sales leads. This is most likely due to the fact that dealer chat is a relatively newer technology. Many dealers are technologically driven and have jumped onto the opportunity to try something new a few years back when dealer chat was released. Other dealers weren’t so sure about this new lead source and held tight to their reservations.Some of these reserved dealers have moved on to use dealer chat to generate high quality automotive sales leads. Others are still on the fence about the idea. Sub-prime and vehicle specific leads have been around a lot longer. Third-party leads are very beneficial to a number of dealers. Despite the reports and feedback that many dealers will give to support third party leads, try to take a logistical view for a moment; where do third party leads come from?The easy answer: Third Parties.When lead source providers “acquire” their leads they sell to you, they really cannot guarantee the prospective customer was looking for a vehicle when they submitted their information. They may have been filling out an online survey, or playing the newest Facebook online game. Somehow, they’re asked if they’d be interested in a car, they click yes, fill in their information, and here comes the lead delivered to you.Let’s assume this is the kind of lead you receive in your inbox. If you do contact the prospect on the first try, you’re quite lucky. From there, if your luck is going strong, they may be able to be talked into an appointment. If your luck is really going well, you might just get a sale. This is all assuming that the prospect deep down, somehow, was in the market for a vehicle.The tune changes when the lead is generated from your own website by engaging the visitor using dealer chat. Since they’re on your website, the chances are very good they have a vehicle related question. From there, you’re much more likely to generate a high quality automotive sales lead that will hopefully result in a sale.Time and time again, research shows that automotive sales leads generated from your website have a much higher closing ratio than those of third party lead sources. Plain and simple: more sales for you.The key to capturing these website leads is having dealer chat software on your website. Staff your virtual showroom just as you staff your lot; with knowledgeable people who are ready to answer questions and give the proper attention necessary to make a prospective customer feel appreciated.No matter where you decide to get your automotive sales leads; from a third party or from your own website via dealer chat, just be sure you’re giving visitors what they want; attention, credibility, and a great experience. That’s the stuff that sells cars.
Why Did Automotive Software Change in Recent Years?
In recent years, all automotive software not only changed inside cars, the complete automotive industry had serious changes and had to change to completely new systems. All these new systems came about in a very short period of time and is constantly in a cycle of change.Everything which happens in the world has bad and good within it, so no changes come without any problems. The quick changes of software in cars results in the technicians not keeping up with the new technology. On the other hand, it has made cars safer for humankind and the environment.Just take all the new emission control laws which have come about in recent years. The car manufacturers had to develop new software and the programs in cars which take over the control processes, this is done specially to make the gasses which get released from any vehicle more environmentally friendly.Then something else also happened which forced the software and there programs in the motor industry to change drastically. As everybody knows the world economy suffered one of its worst recessions in recent years. This recession caused banks and financial institutions and even motor dealerships to change their software and programs regarding the sales of cars to suite this situation.We as the public felt this was unfair because it became more difficult for us to get credit from banks to buy a new car. All of these changes caused cars sales to drop to drastically low figures globally.This caused all logistical planning and movements of cars globally to undergo re-planning, which resulted in all manufacturers having to modify their software and programs for controlling these movement and schedules. All this unpredicted changes caused the complete automotive industry to suffer massive decline in sales.These changes started with the production schedules and all the automotive production planning software became outdated and new planning and programming had to take place, for all the changes which came along with the recession. Manufacturers had to change software and programming in cars to make it more affordable to the public, without damaging their brand’s quality standards.All technicians who were working at the dealerships had to upgrade their scan tools in order to be compatible with all the technology changes in cars. Some of this scan tool software couldn’t handle these upgrades and the dealerships and the technician had to replace their diagnostic equipment at a price.They had no other choice than to replace their equipment in order to remain compatible with these major changes which took place in the automotive software field. All of the major banks had to change their software which was controlling their motor finance departments. The banks had to look into the ways by which they were giving credit to their customers in the past.Most of the major banks in the world concluded that they were allowing credit without proper control through their systems. Therefore, the banks had no other choice than to change their software and programs on their systems. These software and programs are responsible for controlling their policies and rules regarding clients and the criteria they will require before qualifying for credit from them.This in term caused the car dealerships to adapt their software and programs in their sales departments to adhere to the new rules and regulations laid down by banks. This brought along major changes in both party’s software as the old software wasn’t up to standard any more in order to be able to handle the new systems which came along due to the recession.Who would ever have thought that something like a world recession could cause the automotive software field to undergo drastic changes such as these? The good which came out of it all was that all parties concerned in the automotive industry had to revise their programs and software in order to be compatible once again.So the recession resulted in all rules and regulations having to be once again converted in order to adhere to a universal law once again, this resulted in more accurate control in the automotive industry and thus was once again good for the greater good.The only negative aspect which came along with all the changes that had to take place in the automotive software field was that all people directly involved with the new automotive software had to adapt and learn the new software. But was that truly negative?