How to Best Prepare and Maintain Your Vehicle on a Long Road Trip

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/09/04 in Auto Maintenance with Comments Off on How to Best Prepare and Maintain Your Vehicle on a Long Road Trip

Road trips are a fun way to see a lot of new places in a short amount of time. You can drive through small towns, winding countryside, and fun landmarks on your way to a big city. If you’re planning the road trip of a lifetime (across the country, perhaps) it’s important to prepare your car for the long haul ahead. Nothing is worse on a road trip than a broken down car in the middle of nowhere.

Check the following items off your list before setting off into the sunset.

Clean and Organize

You’ll be spending the next week or two basically living in your car. While the prospect sounds adventurous, prepare the inside of your car to avoid stress and lost items. Make a spot for trash, luggage, easily accessible snacks, maps, and phones.

Inspect Tires

Your tires take a lot of wear and tear when you drive long distances in a road trip. Inspect your tires to avoid a blowout on the highway. Look for uneven wear and thin treads. You can stick a penny upside down inside the tread. If you can see Lincoln’s entire head, your tread is low. Make sure the tires are properly inflated, as well.

Replace Windshield and Wipers

You may be holding out to replace a cracked windshield for a time when you have more cash to spare. But road trips have a tendency to throw small rocks up into your windshield. You don’t want a windshield to crack and break while you’re on a trip, so take care of that now. While you’re at it, replace your windshield wipers so you can drive safely in rainy weather.

Top Off Fluids

Your car can’t run properly without the help of a bevy of fluids. Check transmission fluid, wiper fluid, engine oil, and coolant to see if they need replacement or topping off.

Prepare for Emergencies

Always prepare for the worst when setting out on a road trip. Have an emergency plan in place in case you get stranded at night and need to be rescued. Have a tow truck number on hand, put a jack in your trunk, and keep extra car fluids back there, as well. If you encounter small problems, you’ll have the tools to fix them yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be able to easily contact a towing company to get you out of a bind. It’s important to find a company that is quick to respond, according to Big Lake towing experts.

When you prepare your car for a road trip, always talk with a mechanic to make sure big problems won’t happen while you’re away. When you’re prepared, you can properly enjoy your road trip without fear of a break down.

10 Interesting Road Rules in Canada

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/26 in On the Road with Comments Off on 10 Interesting Road Rules in Canada

Even though cars are used in (almost) the same manner all over the world, rules of the road differ from country to country. Most countries have similar rules, and all are built with the same purpose: to keep both the driver and other people safe.

When it comes to Canada, rules are similar: you drive on the right side of the road, speed limit in urban areas is 40km/h and it is compulsory for all inside the vehicle to be wearing a seatbelt. However, there are some interesting road rules in Canada which you might not know of. Here are ten such rules:

  1. In Montreal, you may not park a car in such a way that it is blocking your own driveway (even though it is, in fact, your own driveway).
  2. In the same state, if you have parked your car in the street, it is illegal to wash it there. You can, however, wash it in your driveway, just make sure you don’t block it in the process.
  3. Cars parked in public places must be locked, and their windows must be down to less than the width of a hand. (This one boggles the mind a little. What if it rains or snows, do people in Montreal just deal with wet interiors?)
  4. In Quebec, you are not allowed to turn right on a red light. Since it is expected and legal to turn right in Ontario, people travelling between these two countries must be careful, otherwise they’ll get fined.
  5. Riding a one-horse-open-sleigh, like the one in the Jingle Bells song, is legal, but you have to make sure you have the right amount of bells attached to the sleigh or the harness. That amount is two, and if you happen to have one, or none, you might be fined $5.
  6. In Toronto, it’s illegal to ride a streetcar on Sunday if you’ve been eating garlic. No need to throw away the garlic for good though, just save it until Monday.
  7. The strangest provincial law regarding the road comes from New Brunswick. To break the law in this Atlantic province, you simply need to drive on the road.
  8. In the Province of Quebec, you can be ticketed for driving in the passing lane even if you are not blocking anyone.
  9. Quebec law requires residents to have winter tires from Dec. 15 to Mar. 15. Ontario has no such law, which means if you’re driving from Ontario to Quebec in this period, you might get fined.The fine is up to $1,000.

Some laws are freaky and most often not practiced, while others are practiced frequently. Just because a law is outdated, don’t mean some law enforcement officer somewhere won’t give you a ticket for it. Obey the law, no matter how strange it might sound to you.

If you are interested in passing the Ontario G1 practice testthat is required before you can get your driver’s license, go to Apna Toronto to see more.

Six Things To Look For In Car Dealerships Before Buying

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/24 in Auto Buying Tips with 1 Comment

Many people go to car dealerships to buy a car without looking for anything specific in terms of what the dealership has to offer. This is a common mistake that many make. Here are six things to look for when going to car dealerships before buying.

A Negotiable Salesman or Dealership

Regardless of whether you are buying a new or used car, you want to get the best deal possible. The only way you will get a good deal is by being able to negotiate with either the dealer or car salesman present. Usually, car dealerships are mostly focused on turning over inventory. Meanwhile, salesmen are interested in hitting their quotas, which will bring them more money. Some more expensive cars and junk cars may not have much wiggle room in terms of price, but in many cases, one can lower the price simply by negotiating. If the dealership you are at doesn’t allow you to negotiate, you can almost certainly be assured that another will.

Reviews

Do your research before purchasing from any given dealership. Many dealerships have Yelp or Google pages that can help you in seeing if the dealership is good. Talk to others in the area who have worked with them and read online reviews.

Being Able to Get an Appointment with the Sales Manager

Meeting with the dealership’s sales manager shows to them that you are serious about purchasing the vehicle in question, and you know what you’re doing. Ultimately, it will also help you with getting a better deal on your next vehicle.

They Do Credit Checks

Serious car dealerships will do a thorough and reputable credit check through a company like NCC Direct, Inc. You will want to know your own credit history, as a less reputable dealership may try to rip you off by saying your credit is not worthy of a better interest rate.

Coupons

Many dealerships will accept coupons, most likely obtained online or in a circular. Even if a specific dealership doesn’t accept coupons, it doesn’t hurt trying.

Competitive Prices

Although this ties into coupons, it deserves its own category because you absolutely do not want to overpay. A good dealership will have competitive prices, whether that is reflected in the sticker price, or a policy such as price matching.

These are six effective ways to evaluate whether one should visit a specific car dealership. While thorough, this list is by no means exhaustive, and you should do all your research before buying a car.

Road Trip Safety: Six Tips To Protect Your Family And Your Car While On The Road

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/10 in On the Road with Comments Off on Road Trip Safety: Six Tips To Protect Your Family And Your Car While On The Road

There’s nothing like a good road trip for creating cherished family memories and seeing the country. Before you hit the pavement, it’s important to check a few items off of your to-do list. At a minimum, do the following if you’re setting out on a long-range road trip with the family.=

Do Your Research First

If there are kids and spouses and involved, a road trip shouldn’t be all about spontaneity. Pick stopping points for each night and throughout the day based on the progress that you’d like to make. Look for areas with varied lodging options and decent food close by.

Get the Car Tuned Up

Nothing turns a journey into a nightmare faster than a dead alternator or a busted CV joint. Take your vehicle to a mechanic a week or two before the trip and have them inspect it. A few bucks spent on preventative maintenance can save thousands down the line.

Learn to Pace Yourself

When planning your drive, be sure to give yourself plenty of breathing room in the timetable department. There will always be unexpected delays that eat up time. Factor in stops at rest stations for the purposes of stretching your legs and staving off highway hypnosis.

Bring an Emergency Kit

At a minimum, your trunk or cargo area should be stocked with a floor jack, a full spare tire and some road flares. An emergency tire patch kit as well as some flashlights are always great choices. While you’re at it, stock some non-perishable food items such as energy bars and water in case you get stranded for a short time. You should always have a car emergency kit on hand, especially while on a road trip.

Diversify Your Assets

The worst time to find out that your debit card has been frozen is when you’re hundreds of miles from home. Keep an array of cards on hand in case one is denied. Take out a few hundred dollars in cash and hide it in your car for worst-case scenarios.

Invest in Communications

Cell phone reliability varies greatly from region to region. A set of walkie-talkies will keep you in touch if you’re traveling in tandem with another car or stopped for the night at a camp ground. Install a few messaging apps on your phone in case you have to rely on public Wi-Fi for communication.

A little planning goes a long way when you’re embarking on a cross-country trip. A lot can go wrong when you least expect it, after all. For example, car accidents can ruin any road trip. A professional like Farhan Naqvi should be contacted right away if you were injured due to someone else’s neglect. Even with all the right precautions, you can’t predict what other truck drivers will do if they are being a careless driver. If you heed the tips laid out above, you’ll greatly improve the odds of an incident-free road trip.

An Objective Insight into Sustainable Transport

by Carsurfer Admin on 2015/08/05 in On the Road with Comments Off on An Objective Insight into Sustainable Transport

As much as we hate to admit it, the undeniable truth is that our world is heavily dependent on the fossil fuels that we are rapidly running out of. Our bad habits and frequent nurturing of those habits is what created this problem in the first place, but this is not the sole issue that is caused by this phenomenon. Burning of the fossil fuels creates gasses which are filled with substances bad for the atmosphere which would on its own be a significant problem. Luckily, there is a solution to this problem: sustainable transport solutions.

Alternative Fuels

Perhaps the easiest transition for you would be to switch from fossil fuels to biofuel. By switching to this solution you will not only do your part for the salvation of our planet but also encourage this ever developing branch of industry. The only problem with this solution is the fact that it takes a lot of fertile soil (which could otherwise be used for growing food), in order to produce enough biofuel for everyone. Therefore, this, although the easiest transition, perhaps isn’t the best one after all.

A Budget-friendly Switch

Still, the issues that we mentioned earlier are only the tip of the iceberg, as using this form of transportation also creates a significant hole in your home budget which is something that you should most definitely try to avoid. First off, there is no such thing as a free transportation (apart from walking or running), but the differences are sometimes so significant that they are simply hard to ignore.

Using Public Transportation or Carpooling

The benefits of these two forms of transportation are quite self-explanatory. Using a public transportation is more sustainable, more eco-friendly, and even more budget-friendly then traveling by car. However, some people are not that comfortable with the very idea of using a public transportation so another great idea here could be to carpool with your friends or colleagues. This way, you will achieve all the above mentioned goals while still going to work by car.

Walking or Bike Riding

These two solutions are best by far, there is no question about that. Apart from being extremely good for your budget (bikes are cheap and you are required to buy them only once while walking is a completely cost free activity), they are also great for your own health and that of our planet. These methods of transportation should therefore be used whenever there is a possible for such a thing.

Even some major regions in the world recognized the benefits of bikes replacing public transportation and tried to switch to this alternative method of commute. All it took them was some will and determination, as well as a short term investment in a sufficient number of bikes and facilities that support this type of sustainable transport. This way in some of the world’s greatest cities the public transportation was all but replaced by a better, greener alternative.

The Change Comes from Within

As great Gandhi once said, be the change you want to see in the world so with this in mind always be aware that there are many things you can do to start making the change. You do not have to walk to work or switch to biofuel, just getting a hybrid or an electric car would be a significant change. You do not have to walk or ride to job every day but every now and then you could make a bike day in your schedule. Always keep in mind that in this struggle, no effort is so small not to make a difference.

Do not wait for things to just happen around you but do all that is in your power in order to create a better world. As Ovid once said, our children shall reap the fruits of our labor. We owe it to our successors to leave then a better world than we have inherited from our parents. Switching to a sustainable transport solutions might be the first step towards this goal. This is an opportunity that we simply cannot afford not to grab with both hands.

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