Recent Hawaii Shipping News

Just arrived in Hawaii? Here are some quick tips to help you get settled in after your big move.

Slow down

Learn to live slowly! Everything takes longer in Hawaii, everyone walks, talks and speaks slower. Learn to enjoy the slow paced relaxed lifestyle.

 Explore

Learn all the highways, and major city throughout Hawaii.  The roads can be confusing and may lead you driving in circles.  Learn what each city look like and familiarize yourself with how long it takes to drive around.

 Change your license plates

You can go to a satellite city hall it only takes a few minutes. You’ll need Hawaii car insurance and a safety test, which you can get at almost any gas station.

 Change Your Driver’s License

Kalihi is the only place in the island where you can go to do so. When you do get your license you’ll feel more like a local.  Once you have one you can get a Kamaaina or local rate on some restaurants throughout Hawaii.

 Change your area code

Change your cell to an 808 area code. Its Hawaii’s only area code, it will give you an even more local feel and your new friends in Hawaii won’t have to dial long distance.

Go out to eat

Find a restaurant that you like and go back again another day. After two visits you’ll be a regular and the benefits are countless, you will even make new friends! It will make you feel more at home, you’ll be amazed to see how having a routine helps you to settle in.

 Go for a swim

Enjoying the amazing warm ocean! If People who get in the water tend to appreciate Hawaii much more. There are tons of water sports and hobbies to enjoy at the beach in Hawaii. Hop in water and celebrate your big move!

Owners of Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, BMW, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru, and Mitsubishi are recommended by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to act promptly on recall letters to replace Takata airbags.

Over 8 million vehicles have been recalled in the U.S. due to defective airbags that are likely to explode in a crash. Hawaii Drivers are alarmed since Investigators are looking into high humidity as a possible cause.

According to Toyota Hawaii, there are possibly 13,000 Toyota and 170 Lexus vehicles affected in Hawaii.

Local car dealerships throughout Hawaii have been bombarded with calls by nervous customers inquiring about their vehicles.

“If it is one of those models and those model years, the recommendation is to immediately stop having anyone sit in the front passenger seat,” said Rick Ching, president of Servco Automotive.

Officials believe the malfunction lies in the passenger front seat. In response dealers are temporarily disabling front passenger airbags.

The three dealers on Oahu indicated that the replacement process usually takes anywhere from one to three weeks. Please call your local dealer with your Vehicle Identification Number to verify if your vehicle needs to be fixed.

Kelley Blue Book recently listed the ten most affordable cars. Although many have low sticker prices, their considered most affordable because of their resale values, fuel economy and costs to insure.

2014 Hyundai Accent
Price: $14,645 – $16,395
Fuel Economy: 27 mpg City, 38 mpg Highway

The Hyundai Accent is a practical buy because it combines a low starting price with great fuel economy and a comfortable interior. The Accent is available in several trims: GS or SE on the hatchback and GLS on the four-door sedan. A six-speed manual transmission is standard; a six-speed automatic transmission is optional.

2014 Toyota Prius c
Price: $19,080 – $23,360
Fuel Economy: 53 mpg City, 46 mpg Highway

The Toyota Prius c has a higher price than most of the other cars on this list, but it makes up for it with fuel savings and reliability.The Prius c is available in four trim levels: Prius c One, Prius c Two, Prius c Three and Prius c Four. All trim levels employ Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, a hybrid technology that unites a 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine with a powerful electric drive motor to generate 99 combined horsepower.

2014 Toyota Corolla
Price: $16,800 – $21,300
Fuel Economy: 28 mpg City, 37 mpg Highway

The Toyota Corolla is one of the most popular small sedans on the market. People love it for its reliability, fuel economy and low starting price. The Corolla is available in four trims: L, LE, S, and new LE ECO. The powertrain for the L, LE, and S trims is a 132 horsepower, 1.8-liter dual VVT-I engine, matched with a six-speed manual, four-speed automatic, or new continuously variable transmission (CVTi-S). The LE ECO includes a 140 horsepower, 1.8-liter engine with Valvematic, combined with the CVTi-S transmission.

2014 Scion xD
Price: $15,920
Fuel Economy: 27 mpg City, 33 mpg Highway

The boxy Scion xD boasts a big cargo area, funky looks and good fuel economy for under $15,000.The xD is powered by a 128-hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with either a standard five-speed manual or an available four-speed automatic transmission. Every xD is equipped with 16-inch wheels, air conditioning and cruise control, as well as power windows, exterior mirrors and door locks with remote keyless entry. The rear seats are split 60/40, and can be folded down flat for increased cargo carrying capacity; they can also be reclined up to ten degrees, as well as moved fore or aft up to six inches for increased leg room.

2014 Ford Fiesta
Price: $14,100 – $21,400
Fuel Economy: 28 mpg City, 36 mpg Highway

The Ford Fiesta is an attractive, economical and fun to drive little sedan or hatchback.The Fiesta is offered in three trims, S, SE, and a Titanium model. For 2014 there is the addition of the new ST trim to the hatchback lineup. Power comes from a 120-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. An advanced six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission is optional. The ST gets a turbocharged, direct-injected version of the 1.6-liter that offers nearly 200-hp, mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

2014 Nissan Versa
Price: $11,990 – $16,890
Fuel Economy: 27 mpg City, 36 mpg Highway

The Nissan Versa is among the lowest-priced cars on the market right now. The Versa sedan is powered by a 109-hp 1.6-liter four cylinder engine that can be equipped with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.

2014 Toyota Yaris
Price: $14,430 – $16,540
Fuel Economy: 30 mpg City, 37 mpg Highway

The Yaris is yet another car from Toyota that made the Kelly blue book list. It’s not the most engaging thing to drive, but it’s spacious and reliable. The subcompact front-wheel drive Yaris is available as a three-door or five-door hatchback. The Yaris is powered by a 106 horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, which is mated to either a five-speed manual transmission, or a four-speed automatic.

2014 Scion iQ
Price: $15,665 – $17,850
Fuel Economy: 36 mpg City, 37 mpg Highway

The Scion iQ is a great car if you live in an urban area, as it can park almost anywhere, zip in and out of traffic and gets great fuel economy.
The iQ is powered by an efficient 94-hp 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine, paired with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Every iQ is equipped with 16-inch wheels, air conditioning, a leather shift knob and steering wheel and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, as well as power windows, exterior mirrors and door locks with keyless entry. The standard Pioneer sound system features HD Radio technology, 6.1-inch LCD touchscreen, Bluetooth audio streaming, MP3 capability and a USB port, along with a regular auxiliary jack for various types of portable music devices.

2014 Chevrolet Spark
Sticker Price: $12,170 – $16,385
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg City, 39 mpg Highway

The Chevrolet Spark is a cute, capable and practical small hatchback. The front-wheel drive Spark is offered in LS, 1LT, and 2LT trim levels. Power comes from an 85-hp 1.2-liter engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission, or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Notable features offered include: MyLink infotainment system, heated front seats, air conditioning, power windows, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth, OnStar, cruise control, and leather wrapped steering wheel.

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV
Price: $26,685 – $27,010
Fuel Economy: NA

The Chevrolet Spark EV is the only electric car offered by General Motors. It can travel about 82 miles on a full charge.The front-wheel drive Spark EV is offered in 1LT, and 2LT trim levels. The power comes from a 100kW electric motor and 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Standard features include: MyLink infotainment system, heated front seats, automatic air conditioning, power windows, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth, OnStar and cruise control.

According to The Hawaii Auto Outlook, at the height of the recession, it was believed that it would take at least 10 years for the vehicle market to return to pre-recession levels.

However it stated that 26,922 new vehicle registrations were filed during the first and second quarters of 2014, compared to a much lower 23,968 that were filed last year.

Vehicle registrations in Hawaii rose 12 percent, and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association expects them to continue to increase by 7 percent during second half of the year.

Toyota is Hawaii’s most popular vehicle followed by Honda and Nissan. American-made cars Dodge, Jeep, Ford and Chevrolet are the least popular.

The Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association expects the year to top out with 53,400 new vehicle registrations.

A new fast-charging station is due to open in South Kohala nearing the end of this summer.

The Kailua Kona Nissan dealership has been selling their Nissan Leaf, an electric car which has is gaining popularity in sales.

Kailua-Kona has a few charging stations however they only allow a car to travel about 15 mile. This makes it difficult for electric car drivers to get around the island since it is so large.

The new station will allow vehicles to be charged much faster. It will allow cars to go 60 miles after being plugged in for only an hour. It has been installed at the Shops at Mauna Lani.

Electric car owners are excited since they believe the development is long overdue. They will be able to drive a further distance after charging in a much less time.

Federal safety regulators are working on technology that can be used in cars to detect alcohol by touch and breath, in order to reduce alcohol related accidents.

Nat Beuse an associate administrator for vehicle safety research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the alcohol detection technology is one of several systems his agency is studying.

Little is known on how it would work or which suppliers are involved, but Beuse believes an alcohol detection system integrated into vehicles would reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by drivers under the influence.

Throughout the last couple of years NHTSA has been making efforts to advocate technology solutions in response to the numerous accidents caused by drinking and driving.

The agency states they were awarded a $2.2 million contract from safety products supplier Takata Corp. to develop a device that can measure a driver’s sobriety.

The technology is still being developed and hopes to be available for implementation by 2018.Federal officials are unaware as to how the device will work. If Alcohol is detected, the vehicle could possibly be disabled or an alert will be issued, the decision is still undetermined.

Recently automakers have been integrating touchscreens into vehicles for safety reasons. Tech companies have been designing safer ways for customers to stay connected to their favorite apps behind the wheel. Google’s Android is working on a platform called Android Auto that allows maps, music, and personal phone functions to be accessed through a larger screen in the car which is their response to safety precautions.

Patrick Brady, Google’s director for engineering of Android, says, “You get the best of both worlds. You get the connected apps and services on your smartphone, with the physical controls that were optimized for driving in your car.”

Many drivers struggle with their phones while driving since the screens are too small and the interface and menus are complicated. “We had to take an experience that was designed for a smartphone and break it down to its bare essentials,” Brady says.

Android Auto will encourage a more convenient driving experience. The system allows quick voice based access to Google maps, text messaging, and apps like Google Play Music. It will be fully compatible with the dials, knobs, and buttons on your dashboard and steering wheel. Since everything you see on screen is actually directed from your smartphone, Google says the in car experience will be even better.

Nissan has debuted a new kind of paint that repels dirt, dust, and even mud, keeping cars bright and shiny.

Nissan is looking to offer this paint as an aftermarket application so that practically any car can have the capability.

The paint is called Ultra-Ever Dry, it was created by UltraTech International Inc. According to Nissan, the paint is both hydrophobic and oleophobic meaning resistant to water and oils. This is achieved by creating a protective layer of air between the paint and the environment.

So Far Nissan Europe is the only company to explore Ultra-Ever Dry’s automotive applications. There’s no word on if or when it will be offered elsewhere.

Ford is recalling 100,610 vehicles in North America for safety defects.The company announced the six different recalls today.

• Their largest recall of 92,022 vehicles, involves the Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Police Interceptor sedans. The improper seating of the right-hand halfshaft could disengage over time, making the vehicle inoperable. The vehicles also have potential to roll unexpectedly if they are parked without the parking brake on.
• 2,124 2014 Ford Escape SUVs. Their glass roofs have an improperly cured bond that could cause the roofs to leak or separate.
• 5,264 commercial stripped chassis. Corrosion in the electrical junction block could cause the vehicles to short circuit, and start a fire.
• 197 2014 Ford Fiesta subcompacts. Their fuel tanks could be missing an adhesive layer, which could cause a fuel leakage and can lead to a fire.
• 635 2014 F53 motor home stripped chassis. The brake calipers may be made incorrectly which could hinder braking performance.

Ford will begin notifying owners affected by these recalls this month.