Canadian Car & Insurance Review

We sometimes publish guest blogs on topics we think you might find interesting. Today, we are publishing on TV shows and medicine. This is part I.  If you have ever watched the " The Good Doctor " with its awkward lead character Dr. Shaun Murphy, you probably wondered how accurate is its depiction of life at an average American hospital. The short answer is: "about 50% accurate, with a lot of leeway given for dramatic effect." The long answer is the show aims to mix interesting, once-in-a-lifetime cases with a fast-paced interplay between a limited number of main characters. Medical accuracy is a necessary casualty in this mix. This is quite common among medical TV shows. For example, a common critique of Grey's Anatomy was the fact it never showed nurses doing anything, while the main MD characters did everything RNs would do. To get a more in-depth look at these inaccuracies in the show, let's look at some of the major inaccuracies: Medical ina...

Let me start off by saying this: snow tires are a must if you live almost anywhere in Canada. The more northernly, the more imperative that you get a set. They can save you money on car insurance , but most importantly, they will provide you with added safety during our arctic winters. Here are a few tips to follow: 1. Know your tire This is important. Know what type of tire you currently have. You can do by going to your current car and reading the numbers on the tire. Generally, they'd be something like this: " 205/65 R16 " The first number is the width (205 in our example), the second number is the aspect ratio (so the height is 65% of the width), and the third number after the R is the diameter of the wheel. 2. Downsize The conventional wisdom is that you downsize your tires when you buy new winter tires. The reason being smaller tires offer more grip on the road and lower your vehicles centre of gravity for added stability. What swayed more to downsizing w...

When you go buy your Toyota from a dealership, you are inevitably going to be offered the chance to buy an extended care plan. The plan varies by model, but the pitch is quite often similar: you are making an XX thousand dollar investment and what's an extra thousand dollars to protect that investment. In fact, some of the salespeople will attempt to crunch some numbers in front of you to convince you that you will save money when buying the plan on regular checks. If you are smart, you will have declined the plan. If you already bought it, you can always request a refund. Here is why you should do so. Most of the money you pay for the plan goes to the salespeople and the dealership. It costs the dealership between a fourth and a third of the price of the plan to acquire it from Toyota, then they triple or quadruple that price and sell it back to you. The services you get are likely very minimal over the years. For tips on  saving on auto insurance  and much more,...

G2 Road Test Route Maps If you have not already done so, check out our  article  on tips for passing your G2 road tests! For the Oakville G road test (G2 exit), click here . It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in  Oakville . We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the test, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the  Oakville  road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. Oakville This map is G1 exit road test (aka G2 road test) for Oakville Save hundreds of dollars on driving lessons by using our maps with  ...

G Road Test Route Maps If you have not already done so, check out our  article  on tips for passing your G road tests!  We also have the route for the  G1 exit (aka G2) road test in Newmarket . For G2 exit (aka G) Route 2 click here , for G2 exit Route 3, click here We will post maps of some of the routes taken so that you can practice those routes. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. If you would like to contribute a route, please do so in the comments and we will post it here. Newmarket This map is G2 exit road test (aka G road test) for Newmarket Save hundreds of dollars on driving lessons by using our maps with  GPS coordinates ! Get access to this map and all others for this test center! G Road Test for Newmarket Written directions Route 1 1. Head north on Harry Walker Pkwy S toward Gorham St 2. Turn...

  Orillia G Road Test Route Maps For tips on passing your road test in Orillia, check out this  article ! It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in  Orillia . We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the exam, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the  Orillia  road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. Orillia This map is G2 exit road test (aka G road test) for Orillia. Save hundreds of dollars on driving lessons by using our maps with  GPS coordinates ! Get access to this map and all others for this tes...

G Road Test Route Maps (route 1) Before you practice the route, learn about all the tips to pass your G road test in Oakville! Another route for Oakville was reported in 2018. You can check it out here . It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in  Oakville . We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the test, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the  Oakville  road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. For an alternative route, reported by test takers in 2018, check out our map here . Oakville This map is G2 exit road test ...

G Road Test Route Maps If you have not already, do check out our  article  on tips for passing your G road tests before checking out the maps below. For the Port Union G 2 road test (G1 exit), click here . For G2 exit (aka G) Route 2 click here. For Route 3 click here. We will post maps of some of the routes taken so that you can practice those routes. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. If you would like to contribute a route, please do so in the comments and we will post it here. Port Union This map is G2 exit road test (aka G road test) for Port Union. We also offer the same map with  GPS coordinates  so you can practise as many times as you want. Port Union G2 Exist Road Test Written Directions Follow Rylander Blvd and Durnford Rd to Sheppard Ave E Head north toward Rylander Blvd Turn right at the ...

G Road Test Route Maps If you have not already, do check out our  article  on tips for passing your G road tests before checking out the maps below. For the Etobicoke G1 exit road test (aka G2 road test), click here  for route 1 or  here  for route 2. It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in  Etobicoke . We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the exam, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the  Etobicoke  road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. Etobicoke This map is the G2 exit road test (aka G ...

Brampton G Road Test Route Maps Before you practice this route, we recommend you read this  article  on tips for passing your drive test in Brampton. For the Brampton G2 road test (G1 exit), click here . For Route 2, click here . For route 3, click here It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in Brampton. We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the exam, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the Brampton road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. Brampton Save hundreds of dollars on driving lessons by using our maps wit...

G Road Test Route Maps Before you practice this route, read this  article on tips for passing your G road test in Windsor. This the first route. For the second possible route, click here . It is always a good idea to be familiar with the route taken for your driving test in  Windsor . We have posted the map below as well written as directions for the route reported by test-takers. This route is one of the most commonly taken for the exam, but it is possible you might have slight variations on the route. Driving instructors and schools are familiar with the routes and will charge you money to take you there. We figured we'd put them up for free here as a public service. Ultimately, the most important thing you need to do for the  Windsor  road test is learn how to take a  road test  regardless of route. Windsor: Route 1 This map is the G2 exit road test (aka G road test) for Windsor: route 1 Save hundreds of dollars on dri...

The Basics In Ontario, we have a graduated licensing system: you start with a written exam to get your G1. This allows you to drive in the presence of a driving instructor or an experienced G license holder (in other words, someone who has had their G for 5 years, uninterrupted). After that, you get to do your G1 exit road test. This allows you to get a G2. A G2 allows you to drive all by yourself. The only difference between a G and a G2 are: You must have zero blood alcohol level (generally a good thing to follow, even if you are a G) Everyone in the car must have a working seatbelt If you are under 19 years of age: In the first six months after receiving your G2 licence, you can carry only one passenger aged 19 or under.  After six months with your G2 licence and until you obtain your full G licence or turn 20, you are allowed to carry up to three passengers aged 19 or under. And from a practical standpoint: Insurance rates are generally lower for a G holder com...

Part 2 of a two-part series on saving on Ontario auto insurance. Check out part 1  here . This is the second part of our series on Canadian car insurance in Ontario and factors to get the cheapest possible rate. Here are more factors to consider: Driver's Education Course : professional opinions vary on the cost-benefit analysis for a driver's ed course. As a rule of thumb, it is definitely a good idea to take a course offered by your local driving school to get your insurance down. This is especially true if you are a young driver. For older drivers and recent immigrants, it is a good idea to check if your insurance company will offer discounts prior to enrolling in these courses. Many times, the discounts don't extent to adults. After you take the course, go to your ServiceCanada office and ask for a driver's abstract (driver's history). It will cost you $18 CAD. Scan and send this to your insurance company and hopefully, they will get the rate down.  Profes...

Part 1 of a two-part series on saving on Ontario auto insurance. Check out part 2 here . Let's be honest here: auto insurance in Ontario is a pure tragedy. We boast some of the highest rates anywhere in Canada despite having a rather saturated insurance market. You would expect some of the cost will be driven down, but unfortunately, that's not the case. Basis for the high insurance rates are a bit unclear: Ontario does not have a particularly high accident rate on per capita basis. If we look at the 2014 statistics from the Department of Transportation , we will see that Ontario is not even close to the top in terms of fatalities or injuries. Here is one graph we can make from the data: Ontario falls on the low side - in fact, it is the lowest in terms of fatalities. In any case, an exploration into the reason behind the costs is likely not very useful to you as you are searching for reasonable car insurance. Here are some factors that impact your insurance rates. Som...

Toyota's newest car, the Compact High Rider or CHR, has finally made its way to Canada. This crossover has been available in Asia and Europe for a couple of years, but it's making its grand debut to the North American market this year. The new car is apparently aimed at the urban explorer or hipster, with its slick design and convenient features. We thought we would give this car a quick review of its design and features. Pros : Slick exterior design : the look is sure to get a second look on the road. Add to this a variety of colours or combination of two colours, and the car is definitely one of the best looking for cars in its price range. Just throw in an additional $700 CAD for a two-colour design.  Great interior design : Toyota has been touting its "Diamond" design for the car's interior. Admittedly, the car does have a slick interior design that follows nicely with the car design. That said, it's a fairly limited feature in utility and not too ...