Recent Hawaii Shipping News

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Make sure you have enough room
Check your blind spot
Conclusion
 

Make sure you have enough room

When you park on the street in a popular area in Hawaii such as Honolulu, pulling out of the spot can be dangerous if you do not pay close attention to what you are doing. Oncoming traffic and the cars parked in front of behind you make for a treacherous situation as you exit the space. Prior to pulling out the first thing that you will need to do is to ensure that you have enough clearance in front of you to pull out without making contact with the vehicle parked there. This seems obvious but is something people often forget or overlook.

You should always start by physically inspecting the amount of space in front of your car prior to even getting in. You should also check behind your car to see how far you can move back in order to increase the amount of space you have in front. If things are tight on either or both ends, you might need to “angle your car out” of the space by moving back a bit, cutting the wheel, pulling forward a bit and then repeating those steps until you are certain that you have the clearance to pull out cleanly. Many newer vehicles will have a parking assist system that will alert you when you are close to contacting something, make use of this if your vehicle has it.
 

Check your blind spot

Once you are absolutely certain that you have the clearance to pull out, turn the steering wheel so that your front wheels are angled so that you will pull out to the front left. Then, turn on your left turn signal so oncoming cars will know you are about to pull out. At this point, never start out of the space until you properly check your blind spot over your left shoulder. Not doing so can result in an accident that you will be at fault for. In order to check your blind spot, turn your head over your left shoulder from the twelve o’clock position to the eight o’clock position so that you can see all oncoming traffic behind you. Once you see that there is enough time and space without oncoming traffic for you to safely pull out, you can do so.
 

Conclusion

Pulling out of a parking space on the street may seem simple enough. However, if you do not take the proper care when you do so, you risk damaging another vehicle parked near you or, even worse, you risk getting into a dangerous and costly accident with oncoming traffic. Always ensure you have the clearance in front of you in order to pull out. Before you do begin to pull out, always check your blind spot as well.

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How to avoid getting pulled over
What to do if you are pulled over
Conclusion
 

How to avoid getting pulled over

Getting pulled over is obviously no picnic. It likely will end up costing you a few hundred bucks, might cost you points on your license and may even force you to spend a day in court. On top of that, if you are going somewhere and need to be there by a certain time when you are pulled over, you will almost certainly end up being late.

So, obviously the best option is to avoid getting pulled over in the first place. The clear and easiest way to do this is by always obeying all traffic laws. However, you also need to make sure that your car is always functioning correctly. This will specifically include ensuring that your headlights, taillights and turn signals are always working.
 

What to do if you are pulled over

If you do happen to get pulled over, there are a few simple tricks that could possibly prevent you getting written up with a ticket. The first is that you should always pull over as soon as you possibly can safely. The shoulder is fine as long as the officer has room between your car and the nearest lane of oncoming traffic. When you do pull over, immediately shut your car off, put your keys on the dashboard where the officer can see them, have your license and registration ready and place your hands on the steering wheel at ten and two so the officer can see them at all times during the stop.

You should always be courteous and respectful when you are talking to the officer. If you know why you got pulled over, be honest and admit it when the officer asks, “Do you know why you got pulled over?”. Finally, you should always keep spare bulbs for your headlights, taillights and turn signals in your car. In case one of the lights bulbs you are currently using burns out, you do not notice and get pulled over, you can tell the officer that you will replace it right now in front of them There is a decent chance that they will then let you off without a ticket.
 

Conclusion

Getting pulled over in Hawaii is the same as it is anywhere else, it is no fun. However, if you obey all traffic laws and ensure that your car is always in working order (particularly your lights), you will have the lowest chance of getting pulled over. If you do get pulled over, do so quickly and safely, have your license and registration ready and always be respectful (if you want the best chance of not getting a ticket).

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What are the risks?
What are the benefits?
Conclusion
 

What are the risks?

When you park under and/or next to a tree in Hawaii, the first thing you should consider is the risk of possible damage to your vehicle. Branches, leaves, and even fruit can fall from the tree and damage your car. If it is a particularly tall tree, the damage occurring from this can be even worse. Do your best not to park near any trees on windy days to avoid this.

You also risk insects and wildlife that are habituating on that tree from making contact with your car and getting it dirty or even leaving slight scratches. Finally, if you park next to a tree and have an unwitting passenger in your car, they can accidentally open their door too far and hit the tree leaving a dent and/or scratch. Always be sure that you give any passengers enough room in which to open their doors.
 

What are the benefits?

There are also a couple of benefits when you park near a tree in Hawaii. First, these spaces will be open more frequently due to the possibility of the negative effects previously mentioned. So, if you just need to park for the short term, you likely will not to worry about any of the negative occurring. Also, on particularly hot and sunny days, a tree can offer your car shade which will keep the internal temperature of your vehicle down while you are gone. This will allow you to run your air conditioning for a shorter period when you return to the car. Finally, if it is a busy tree with lots of cars parked on it, the tree can act as a landmark to help you quickly identify where you parked if you walked a long distance away initially.
 

Conclusion

Parking next to and/or under a tree in Hawaii does have both its pros and cons. The potential negative effects of branches, fruit and bugs falling on your vehicle are enough to typically try to avoid parking under a tree. However, if it is short term and there is a spot open near a tree it could work well. Parking under a tree can also provide shade for your vehicle which is valuable in Hawaii due to high temperatures and the potential for a very hot interior of your vehicle when you return. If you ever need a vehicle shipped to or from Hawaii, call our vehicle shipping experts for a free quote anytime at (808) 445-6695!

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A donut is only a temporary solution
Permanent solutions for your tire
Conclusion
 

A donut is only a temporary solution

If your tire goes flat and you need to drive on a donut you should be aware that doing so is only a stop-gap solution until you can get your tire repaired or get a new tire. Typically, you can only drive up to a hundred miles on a donut, at the very most. If you want to play it safe, you should not drive more than seventy miles on a donut.

You also should not drive too fast on a donut. Do not go over fifty miles an hour while you are driving with a donut on. Finally, avoid any hasty maneuvering while you are using a donut on your vehicle. If you do exceed these limits, your donut could go flat or blow out which will leave you with no options other than to get towed and or call AAA.
 

Permanent solutions for your tire

As we said, the only permanent solutions for your tire are getting it repaired or buying a new or used tire to replace the last one. Getting your tire repaired will ultimately be the cheaper option. However, a repaired or patched tire will quite likely not last as long as a new or used replacement.

So, you should weigh the risk to benefit by considering how frequently you drive as well as how far you drive. If you do drive frequently and longer distances when you do, a repaired tire might not last that long. In that case you should just get a replacement tire because getting a tire repaired several times could end up costing more than just replacing it in the first place.
 

Conclusion

When you are put in a situation where you must drive on a donut, do so at an absolute minimum. Your donut is only meant for a maximum of one hundred miles of driving. Any more driving than that on a donut and it could blow out or go flat too, leaving you stranded. Make sure you get the tire in question repaired or replaced as soon as possible. If you need any time of vehicle large or small, transported to Hawaii give Hawaii Car Transport a call at (808) 445-6695.

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When you should get your car serviced normally
Signs that you might need unexpected service
Wrapping up
 

When you should get your car serviced normally

Typically, you should get your car serviced after every five thousand miles of driving. A 2017 survey showed that, on average, US drivers drove 25.9 miles per day. This comes out to just under 10,000 miles per year. If that is about what you drive in Hawaii, you should be getting routine service for your car about twice a year. The 5,000-mile number is not a hard limit though. For example, if you drove 6,200 miles in a year, getting routine service once that year would likely be fine depending on how old your car was.

“Routine service” could include a bunch of different things. However, routine service for your vehicle will typically include getting your oil changed, your brakes being checked and serviced, your wiper blades being checked, tire pressure being checked, other fluids such as transmission fluid being changed and more. All of that combined would be quite a large undertaking for the layperson but for your mechanic, it will likely just be a couple of hours in the shop.
 

Signs that you might need unexpected service

There will also be the times that your car will need repairs and/or unexpected service. The problem is that you might not know what the signs of such necessity for maintenance will be. Fortunately, most of these cases will be brought to your attention by the “check engine” light. However, that is not always the case.

You should also be on the look out for things such as weird vibrations that last more than a few seconds or occur when your car is at rest. You should also take your car in for service if you ever see smoke coming from your car or smell something out of the ordinary coming from your car. Finally, if you have trouble starting your car on any sort of a consistent basis, it is time for it to be serviced.
 

Wrapping up

How often you get routine maintenance for your car depends on how much you drive it. Odds are that you will need to get your car serviced about twice a year based on national averages. There will also likely be the times you will need to take your car in for maintenance for unexpected issues. Any time your check engine light goes on, you should take your vehicle in for service. You should always be on the look out for abnormal activity from your vehicle such as smoking, odors or trouble with the engine turning over as those all could be signs that it is time for maintenance.

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What fog lights do
When you might need them in Hawaii
Conclusion
 

What fog lights do

Fog lights give you the best visibility and proper amount of light in dense conditions such as fog or smog because they have the widest beam of light as well as the lowest. Thus, they illuminate the road right in front of you best in denser conditions. Many cars no longer come equipped with fog lights, but some off-road vehicles will. You can always have fog lights added to many types of vehicles if that is your preference.

The ultimate difference between fog lights and regular headlights and high beams is that regular lights and high beams send light straight into the distance. This light doesn’t do well at all in fog or smog and actually reflects partially off the fog and can cause more harm then good. Fog lights help remedy this by shining their low beams of light towards the ground right in front of your vehicle.
 

When you might need them in Hawaii

You could obviously need to use fog lights in Hawaii in dense foggier conditions. The question is when and where you might encounter these conditions. In Hawaii, you can encounter these denser type of weather conditions when you have volcanic gasses mix with the regular air. This occurs during the semi-frequent minor volcanic emissions. This will lower visibility on the roadways a bit. Thus, fog lights could be pretty useful.

If you are off-roading on higher elevations such as in the mountains or near the volcanoes, this “vog” as it is called, can be even denser. In those cases, you should definitely be sure to use a vehicle equipped with fog lights. This is especially true if you are driving in these areas at night.
 

Conclusion

Fog lights can definitely be quite useful in certain situations in Hawaii. This is particularly true because of the phenomenon called “vog” where air becomes dense and hard to see through due to volcanic emissions. This is fairly typically in many areas in Hawaii. It is also more prevalent and more dense in higher elevation areas such as chain of craters road. A reliable pair of fog lights can easily help you stay safe in Hawaii. If you need any type of vehicle, including a motorcycle, shipped to Hawaii, please give us a call today for a free quote at (808) 445-6695!

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How long will it take to ship your car?
What else affects my shipment duration?
Conclusion
 

How long will it take to ship your car?

The amount of time that it will take to ship a car to or from Hawaii will obviously depend on where you are shipping your vehicle from. The longer the distance the longer the duration of the shipment will be. Shipments to or from Hawaii tend to take a bit longer than shipments within the continental United States because Hawaiian vehicle shipments also involve a trip on a ship in order to get it across the Pacific. Your shipment’s transit time may also be slightly impacted by which island you choose to ship to.

Regardless of your shipping needs, you will be given an estimated time frame when you get your initial quote which will help you plan accordingly. In general, these are a few estimated auto transport transit times when shipping to or from Hawaii:

• Shipping between Hawaii and Maine will take about 14 to 16 days.
• Shipping between Hawaii and New York will take about 11 to 13 days.
• Shipping between Hawaii and Illinois will take about 9 to 10 days.
• Shipping between Hawaii and California will take about 6 to 7 days.

What else affects my shipment duration?

We already know that distance is the biggest factor in your car shipment’s total transit time. However, there are several other factors that can affect the total duration of your shipment. The first is the time of year in which you are shipping your car. If you ship your car during a busier time of the year, your auto transport driver will be spending a maximum amount of time pickup up and loading/unloading other vehicles along with yours. Busier times of the year tend to be May through September as well as close to the holidays.

Other factors that can affect car shipping transit times include weather and traffic. If a major weather event such as a snowstorm occurs along your shipment’s transit route, your car delivery could unfortunately be delayed a bit. If there is a much higher amount of traffic along your shipment’s transit route, this can also cause a delay. Traffic delays are most likely from June through August.
 

Conclusion

When you are shipping a vehicle to or from Hawaii, it will typically take between a week and two and a half weeks. This is highly dependent on several things, the most important of which is the distance of your shipment. However, other things can affect transit time too including the time of year in which you are shipping as well as weather and traffic.

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What causes an engine to flood?
How to avoid a flooded engine
Conclusion
 

What causes an engine to flood?

A flooded engine is when an overabundance of fuel ends up in a vehicle’s combustion chamber. This throws off the balance of fuel and air which is typically supposed to be about fifteen parts of air for every one part of fuel. When a car’s engine is “flooded” this balance gets thrown way off and there ends up being more fuel than air. This causes engine components that are vital such as the pistons not to work which will prevent the engine from starting altogether.

Engine flooding is much more common with older vehicles that made use of a carburetor. However, it is still within the realm of possibility for modern vehicles with fuel injection engine systems to end up with a flooded engine. So, how can you avoid this from happening to your vehicle in the first place or at least fix it if it does happen?
 

How to avoid a flooded engine

It is not that difficult to avoid flooding your engine, especially when it is fuel injection. If you are just using your car for a few moments, such as moving it to a different parking spot nearby, let it idle for a couple of minutes once you finish. You should be prepared for the possibility of a flooded engine in more extreme weather temperature, whether it be hot or cold out. If your car does not start, never leave the key turned for more than a few seconds. Doing so can take a smaller issue with your engine and turn it into a flooded engine.

If your car’s engine does end up flooded, then there are a few things that you will be able to do. First, you should open your hood and wait at least twenty minutes before trying to start the engine again. Doing this will allow your engine time to dry out. If this fails, you should wait a longer period of about at least two hours and try again. If it is still flooded then, you will need to call a tow truck to take your car to the mechanic in order to fix or replace affected parts such as the spark plugs.
 

Conclusion

When it comes to modern cars with fuel injection systems, the possibility of your engine flooding has become much more remote, but it still is possible. This is why you should do things like letting your car idle for a few minutes after only using it momentarily or avoiding keeping your key turned for an extended period in hopes doing so will finally get your engine started. If you do end up with a flooded engine, let your engine dry out. If that does not work, it may be time to call a tow truck.

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What are interstate highways?
The reasons for interstate highways in Hawaii
Conclusion
 

What are interstate highways?

The United State has a large country-wide system of highways known as interstate highways. Their purpose is to provide the quickest travel both from one state to another as well as within states. This is because speed limits are typically at their maximum on interstate highways with the highest number of lanes and fewest number of exits. Having fewer exits discourages short distance travelers from making use of the roads.

Interstate highways actually serve a few other purposes too. They are primary evacuation routes in all states in the case of an emergency such as a hurricane or terrorist attack. They also serve as main transport routes for military mobilizations. They also make access to areas outside of cities much easier which helps alleviate population densities within the cities themselves by allowing people to easily move to suburbs and rural areas. Finally, in the case of an emergency with an airplane, many parts of interstate highways are wide and long enough they can be shutdown and used as a makeshift runway if airports are too far away.
 

The reasons for interstate highways in Hawaii

You might have wondered, if interstate highways connect different states, how can Hawaii have them since Hawaii is a chain of islands? Well, the name ‘interstate” doesn’t actually refer to the connection of different states that typically occurs with these highways. It refers to the fact that the construction and maintenance of these highways is funded by the federal government. Thus, interstate highways exist in all states in the contiguous United States as well as Hawaii, Alaska and even Puerto Rico.

As we mentioned above, these highways serve so many more purposes than just connecting one states road system to another. In the case of Hawaii, the military aspect of interstate highways is more important than it typically is. This is due to the fact that the United States military has a strong foothold and presence there because it is the closest US soil to countries in the south pacific. So, being able to quickly and easily mobilize the military there is very important.
 

Conclusion

Believe it or not there are several great reasons why Hawaii, a chain of islands, has interstate highways. The word “interstate” only refers to the fact that funding for the highways is not provided by each state but the federal government. Interstate highways provide quicker travel over long distances, they provide reliable evacuation routes and are important for the military which is particularly important in Hawaii.

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Classic cars and the Hawaiian backdrop
Advice for taking care of your classic car in Hawaii
Getting an existing classic car to Hawaii
 

Classic cars and the Hawaiian backdrop

Hawaii is a fantastic place to show off your classic car. The weather is usually perfect or close and the beautiful tropical landscape with lush mountains, palm trees and beaches make for a great picture taking opportunity with the car.

Many classic car owners and enthusiasts take a lot of pride in their rides and not everyone will get the chance to see their cars when they take them out for a ride. So, pictures are important for showing a classic car off. When it comes to a car picture the backdrop can make a significant impact. Most classic car pictures that you will see have been taken in train station or mall parking lots which can serve as a beautiful juxtaposition for a classic ride but do not compliment it well.

However, there are some pictures that you will come across where a classic car such as corvette will have a beautiful backdrop such as a gorgeous mountain ride. Hawaii has multiple options for incredible backgrounds for your classic car photos. You can take it to the beach in some spots and have the ocean in the background, you can park in front of some palm trees and snap a few photos, you can even get some pictures taken of you driving it around a lush mountain ridge.
 

Advice for taking care of your classic car in Hawaii

Unfortunately, there are some unique challenges to having a classic car in Hawaii. This mostly pertains to parking as well as inclement weather. In terms of parking in Hawaii, the streets can get crowded with cars. Parking can be scarce. Even if you do find a spot, you could be risking a scratch. You are better off keeping your classic ride close to home or away from crowded areas where parking is hard to come by such as Honolulu.

Inclement weather can damage your classic car both in the short term and long term. You should get your car waxed so that rain has a minimal effect on your cars finish. You should also consider keeping your car in a garage or covered. This is because the sun in Hawaii is quite strong and can slowly cause damage to the paint and finish. A phenomenon called “salt air” can do the same but much more rapidly. With salt air, the wind picks up condensation from the ocean and blows it inland. Some of this can stick to your car and quickly start corroding the finish.
 

Getting an existing classic car to Hawaii

If you want to get your classic car to Hawaii in order to take advantage of the photo opportunities or you just want to cruise around with the top down and enjoy the beautiful sights and weather, there is only one way for you to do that. You will have to ship your car to Hawaii. Fortunately, doing so is incredibly easy.

All you will have to do is choose a company, book your shipment, prepare for your shipment, make sure that someone is there for the pickup of your cars with your keys, and that you pick the car up at the port in Hawaii when it is dropped off there. You can call us today to learn more or to book your shipment at (808) 445-6695!