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Tips to Help You Prepare For International Travel

1. Check with the State Department to make sure your destination is safe for American citizens.2. You purchase your ticket. Usually airfare and hotel together is cheaper than getting airfare and accommodations separately.Of course, if you use a consolidator to get a better airfare, you would certainly want to consider this option. Sometimes you can save $500 or more just by purchasing your ticket through an online consolidator.3. Next, you want to purchase travel insurance. Regardless if the trip is to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, you still want to purchase travel insurance which will cover your expenses should there be events which would prevent you from traveling.Purchasing travel insurance for cruises is also a good idea. Between the weather and sudden political upsets, you can never really be sure if your International destination will be safe during your travel dates.Example: The upset in Egypt, could not have been predicated and caused financial loss for both travelers and travel suppliers.4. Purchase lightweight luggage with a travel lock.5. You can find travel coordinate (clothing) which can fit into one small piece of luggage and provide you with 7 to 12 different outfits. One, skirt, one matching jacket, blouse, shorts, long skirt, lightweight jacket, etc. All with matching colors, to create different coordinates.6. Stop the newspaper and the mail. The entire neighborhood doesn’t need to know you are away.7. Purchase an electrical timer. Set timer to turn on around 7:00 PM each night. If possible, leave the car parked in your driveway. Catch a shuttle to the airport. And please, remind your children NOT to post the families travel plans online!8. Learn the currency exchange rate.9. If traveling alone, carry the email address of friends and instruct them to expect to hear from you each day that you are away. Also plan what should happen if you don’t check in.10. Carry ALL prescription drugs in the original medicine bottle. Place these items in your purse. If you are male, get a man bag, or a bag which goes around your waist. Do NOT put important medicine in your luggage, unless it is liquid and you have no choice.11. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you are a female and traveling to a Muslim country, wear a scarf over your head to avoid bring attention to yourself, especially, if you are traveling alone.12. Always be aware of your surroundings. If your environment looks or feels funny, don’t argue with yourself, make haste to change your environment.

How Tuning Can Turn a Good Car Into a Great Car

Car tuning is a term that refers to modifying a motor vehicle to enhance its looks and performance. For some car enthusiasts, nothing brings more joy than transforming an average vehicle into one that stands apart from the crowd. They are willing to spend money — sometimes a lot of money — to tune a car beyond factory specifications for their own satisfaction and driving enjoyment. Car tuning is done primarily to make a vehicle more personal, more fun to drive, and more visually appealing.

Many cars have the potential for tuning. Vehicles such as the Toyota Supra, Subaru Impreza, and Mitsubishi Lancer are sometimes known as “tuner cars” because they are frequently bought for the purpose of making expensive modifications. But just about any car that’s in good condition and still retains some value can be improved through car tuning.

There are many ways to personalise your car and tailor it to your own driving preferences. Car tuning can involve modifying the body styling, suspension, engine, tyres, interior, audio system, and more. You can spend anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds to tune your car.

Generally speaking, drivers who start off tuning one part of the car don’t stop there. That’s why it’s best to look at the car as a whole and plan vehicle modifications that will work together. For example, if your main interest in car tuning is to boost the engine output, you should also consider the benefits of upgrading the suspension or replacing the tyres.

The most visible type of car tuning is exterior body tuning. A body styling kit may include front and rear bumpers, spoilers, side skirts, hoods, air vents, and more. Aerodynamic modifications are intended to reduce wind resistance. Other body modifications can increase downforce, which lets the car hug the road during cornering at higher speeds.

Body styling goes through trends and fashions, just like anything else. Some car tuning professionals say that the big body kits aren’t as popular today as in the past, and they suggest sticking to more subtle effects such as installing new lighting, adding a lip to the bumper, putting in bigger brakes, or lowering the car. At the very least, a body kit should complement the original car, not clash with it. For instance, try to avoid mixing Japanese style mods with a European style car.

Interior tuning and audio tuning make the inside of the car as comfortable and attractive as possible. Interior modifications might include removing the front seats and replacing them with bucket or racing seats, or changing the shift knob and other interior hardware. In addition, many car owners choose to install an aftermarket audio system for more volume, clearer reception, and better sound quality.

Suspension tuning is one of the most frequently performed types of car tuning because the quality and the adjustment of suspension components are critical to the way your car handles. The work involves replacing or modifying the springs, shock absorbers, sway bars, and other related parts. The right set-up will improve steering and control, allowing you to enjoy both sporty performance and driving comfort.

Tyres strongly influence a car’s handling and performance and they have to be replaced from time to time during the life of the car. This makes them an obvious choice for tuning. Factors such as grip, rolling resistance, and cost have to be weighed when you’re choosing new tyres.

Engine tuning covers any type of modification to enhance engine power and operation. Replacing factory components with high-performance aftermarket parts or installing new turbochargers and air filters to improve engine “breathing” are just some of the options.

But perhaps the most common method of tuning today’s electronically controlled engines is to modify the engine control unit (ECU). This procedure is referred to as remapping or chip tuning, and it involves changing the factory settings to allow the engine to produce more power and torque.

Remapping the ECU is the easiest and most reliable way to boost power, according to many car tuning experts. After an engine remap, you can expect smoother driving and greatly improved throttle response. With more available power and torque, acceleration is fast, linear, and lag-free. A remap will increase engine by anywhere from 15% to 30% in a turbo diesel car.

Many countries have regulations about car tuning and vehicle modifications, so make sure you know what is or is not permissible where you live. You should also inform your insurer about any modifications to your car. Otherwise your insurance may be invalid.

Most vehicle modifications should really be left to the professionals. For the best results, find a company that offers personalised car tuning packages or services. Don’t try to make it a DIY project unless you know what you are doing.

Overheating Car – Causes and Short – Term Solutions

Overheating of the engine not only occurs in the summer, but can also occur in daily driving. In particularly, high-speed running cars, engines, and air-conditioning systems can cause boiling phenomenon when the water temperature is too high. It’s dangerous to overheat the engine. It may hard luck that what can damage the engine. When driving on highways at a higher speed, or when climbing a car, if the pointer of the water temperature gauge enters the red zone and stays high, appropriate measures should be taken at this time. Here’s how to handle the engine overheating.

There are many causes of overheating, including insufficient coolant, cooling fan cooling the coolant has failed, thermostat failure, and coolant temperature sensor failure. If you deal with it improperly, it can lead to an expensive engine failure. Therefore, timely detection and proper disposal of overheating can effectively reduce losses.

What is the effect of engine overheating on the engine?

1. Reduced aeration efficiency, resulting in a drop in engine power.

2. The propensity for pre-ignition and deflagration increases, which disrupts the normal operation of the engine; at the same time, it also causes early damage due to additional impact loads on the parts.

3. The normal gap of the moving parts is destroyed, so that the parts can’t move normally, or even damage.

4. The mechanical properties of the metal material are reduced, causing damage to the part’s deformation.

5. The deterioration of the lubrication condition exacerbates the friction and wear of the parts.

How is the engine overheating caused?

First, poor engine cooling: Poor engine cooling can cause the water temperature in the tank to be too high. When longer the water tank is used, the more internal scale will build up, resulting in poor heat dissipation in the radiator. The water with too high temperature will not release heat, and it will evolve into a “pan”. In addition, the ventilation hole of the radiator is also a common cause of poor heat dissipation. If the external blockage is not ventilated, use a water gun to clean it up. If the inside of the radiator is blocked, then clean it with a cleaning solution.
Second, the cooling system is not working properly, resulting in poor heat dissipation. At this time, check the tightness of the fan belt and whether the fan blades are deformed or broken.

Third, the thermostat automatically adjusts the amount of water entering in to the radiator according to the temperature of the cooling water, so as to ensure that the engine works within a suitable temperature range, which can play a role in saving energy consumption. If the engine is overheated, check that the thermostat is working properly. Starts at 70°C and fully open at 83°C. When the height of the fully opened valve is not less than 9 mm, the thermostat can be put into the water for heating inspection. If the thermostat can’t be opened or the opening degree is not enough, the thermostat needs to be replaced.

Finally, be careful not to shut down the engine when the engine is overheated. If the fan belt and coolant circulation are normal, do not turn off the engine and wait for the engine to cool. Normally, People tend to feel that the engine cools down more easily after the flame out. Actually, after cooling off, the cooling fan and coolant circulation will stop, which will make the engine hotter. There are two spiral fans on the side of the engine compartment bumper. One is a cooling fan that cools the engine while the engine is working, and the other one is an air-conditioning fan that is used when the air conditioner is turned on. Therefore, if the fan belt is not broken when the car is overheated, it is better not to turn off the engine, but also to turn on the air conditioner at the same time, so that the engine cooling rate will be faster.