Preparing Your Motorcycle for the Off Season

Although Pismo Beach, CA is usually warm, it gets cold enough in the winter that riding a motorcycle can be too chilly for some. If you’re not going to be riding, Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc recommends winterizing your motorcycle with these steps.

Change out Your Oil

Older oil collects contaminants that corrode the interior of a vehicle. Frequent oil changes should be a part of any vehicle’s maintenance, but doing it as part of winterizing keeps your motorcycle from sitting in as many corrosives.

Fill the Gas Tank

Many of the active elements of gas will evaporate in just a month or two. This leaves behind gas that doesn’t do its job and a residue that clogs the interior. Filling up the tank and adding a fuel stabilizer prevents that from happening, plus you don’t have to stop by the gas station in the spring.

Remove and Charge the Battery

Even though it’s extra work, charging your battery over the winter will improve its performance and lifespan.

Give Your Bike a Thorough Cleaning

Before you stick your motorcycle in the garage, treat it to a wash. Dirt and other inconspicuous residues can damage paint, tarnish chrome, and cause rusting. Once you’ve got the motorcycle clean and in its resting location, cover it up to preserve your work.

Check Your Insurance

When you don’t plan on driving your motorcycle, you don’t need the same level of insurance. Check with your insurance to make sure you have a reduced rate and to see if they have a lay-up policy that covers hazards like fire and theft without temporarily unneeded road coverage. Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc in Pismo Beach, CA is happy to help our customers with any questions about their policy or help new customers find one that works for them.

California Flood Insurance: Maintenance Tips to Help Flood Proof Your Home

When you live in California, flooding can be on your mind. Flood insurance is a good way to ease some of that pain.  You can also take some measures to floodproof your home so that you won’t have to make a claim.

At Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc., we want Pismo Beach, CA residents to manage their homes so that when floods arrive, the crisis isn’t as big as it looks.

Use these tips to floodproof your home.

Elevate Your Boiler

When you have boilers and air-conditioning units in lower levels of your home, invest in ways to elevate them. These are areas that flood damage will find first. Build a platform or bring the elements higher so that risk is minimal with flood damage. 

Install a Sewage Water Backup System

A sewage water backup system will prevent a major and costly disaster. This will prevent any sewage damage from entering your basement. When a basement floor backs up, this device could save you. This will often get you some reductions on your home insurance premium as well.

Exterior Changes

You can add swales and depressions to runoff areas outside your home in order to prevent floods and backup. A contractor that is experienced in exterior flood protection can help you, and this investment will be worth the cost. This is an investment that only needs to be made once, with maintenance every year, and it will pay for itself in time.

Get a Quote

When you have a home in California, flood risks are on your mind. Flood insurance can help you in this crisis when home maintenance tips can not. At Neff & Associates Insurance Services Inc., we want Pismo Beach, CA residents to have the coverage they need in order to feel more secure in these crises.