Recent Puerto Rico Shipping News

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Types of illegal car modifications
The penalties for having an illegal modification
Wrapping up
 

Types of illegal car modifications

There are legal car modifications and then there are illegal modifications. Legal vehicle modifications include certain types of window tinting, lowered suspensions, spoilers, sound systems, neon-colored lights and larger exhausts among others. Illegal car modifications include under-body lights, loud exhausts, the removal of emissions, darker tints/driver and windshield tints, as well as nitrous.

Many of the illegal modifications will not be enough to get you pulled over on their own. This is especially true in Puerto Rico where police tend to be much more lax in terms of traffic enforcement. However, if you get pulled over for something else such as speeding, your illegal car modifications could end up causing you to get hefty additional tickets. These modifications can also prevent your car from passing a routine inspection. We suggest that you stick to legal modifications, even if you can typically get away with illegal modifications for an extended period in Puerto Rico.
 

The penalties for having an illegal modification

Penalties for illegal modifications on your car can range from smaller tickets to possible jail time depending on circumstance. As we mentioned, these modifications can also prevent you from passing an inspection which will put you in constant danger of getting a ticket as well.

Typically, if you get a ticket for something like illegal tints you will have to pay somewhere in the area of a hundred dollars. Now, if your car does not pass inspection because of a modification, you will only face a fifty or a hundred dollar fine if you are pulled over without a current and passed inspection sticker. However, if you cannot pass an inspection, you will not be able to get your car registered when the time comes. The penalty for no registration will be at least a hundred dollars (likely more) and you will face higher insurance rates which can cost you several hundred dollars a year for a few years. As we said, it is highly recommended to stick to legal modifications only.
 

Wrapping up

Some modifications to your vehicle will be legal in Puerto Rico and some will not. If you are not sure about whether a certain modification may or may not be legal, you can always consult with a mechanic. You should skip any illegal modifications because they can end up costing you a bunch in fines and fees as well as indirectly cause your insurance to increase.

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What types of vehicles to use premium gas in
The benefits of using premium gas
Wrapping up
 

 

What types of vehicles to use premium gas in

All gasoline for vehicles has an octane rating. An octane rating measures the engine’s capability of avoiding issues due to an incorrect combination of air and fuel. The more of a disparity there is in that combination, the more something known as “knocking” will occur. Knocking is noise that you will hear when the air and fuel ratio is not right in your gas tank.

The vast majority of cars will take regular gas which has an 86 or 87-octane rating. You can choose to fill these cars with premium, which has a 91 or 92-octane rating, but the difference in your car’s performance will be negligible. Think of it this way, when your car only requires regular gas, the engine will perform nearly perfect. By choosing premium gas over regular gas, you will only be improving engine performance very slightly because there is nearly no room for improvement on “nearly perfect”. The point is, when your car takes regular gas, the additional cost of premium is really not worth it.

However, there are vehicles in which it is recommended to fill up with premium. These vehicles could possibly perform well enough with regular gas to drive but there is enough room for improvement where premium becomes the better choice. These cars tend to be high-performance vehicles such as luxury cars or high-end sports cars such as corvettes. However, some “regular” cars could also require premium gas based on their engines. This includes the Buick Regal, MINI Cooper and Fiat 500L. In the end, check your owner’s manual so that you can be sure about your own specific car.
 

The benefits of using premium gas

As we said in the previous section, premium gas will do the most to reduce engine knocking. However, with regular engines, regular gas will do just that too. You will also see slightly better fuel economy with premium gas. Premium gas will also help with things like engine torque but only in high performance vehicles. Finally, the price of premium varies much less than regular gas, so you will not need to worry about ever-changing gas prices, premium will always be expensive.

Your takeaway should be that it really does not much make much sense to use premium gas unless your car requires it or is some sort of a high-performance vehicle. In fact, some regular car engines will develop issues if you put premium gasoline in.
 

Wrapping up

Whether or not you use premium gas for your car should come down to the recommendation in your vehicle’s owner manual. If your car typically can use regular gas, there is not much added benefit at all choosing to use premium instead. However, if your engine requires premium gas, make sure that you use it. If you need any type of vehicle transported to or from Puerto Rico, please give us a call today at (904) 322-7644!

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How to drive safely through a school zone
Penalties for not driving safely in school zones
Wrapping up
 

How to drive safely through a school zone

Driving safely and with caution is of paramount importance when you are driving in a school zone. Children often cross the street without warning, do not look both ways if at all and are much smaller so they are considerably more difficult to see. If you hit a child when you are driving through a school zone, get ready for jail time, lifelong guilt, and a costly civil trial too.

The first and most obvious thing you must do when you are driving in a school zone in Puerto Rico is to obey all of the speed limits which will be noticeably lower. You must also stop when a crossing guard or crossing light signals you to do so. Finally, never pass a school bus that has its stop lights and sign deployed. All of these typically apply from about 6 AM to 6 or 7 PM Monday through Fridays when school is in session.
 

Penalties for not driving safely in school zones

If you are caught not obeying traffic laws in a school zone, the penalty will always be more severe than if you were driving on a regular street or highway. If you are caught speeding in a school zone in Puerto Rico, the fine will be at least two hundred and fifty dollars with the possibility of arrest depending on how fast you are traveling. For second offenses fines will be higher and a license suspension will possibly occur.

If you hit a child in a school zone, you will inevitably get convicted of vehicular homicide which typically carries a penalty of ten plus years in jail depending on the details of the crime. Either way, you will spend at least several years in prison and likely get ordered to pay the victims family a very large sum in civil court as well.
 

Wrapping up

You must drive through any school zones with the utmost caution and safety at all times. This includes driving at or under posted speed limits, stopping when signaled by crossing guards or crossing signals and not passing active stopped school buses. If you do not obey these rules, the punishments will be severe and cold include high fines, jail time and a license suspension.

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Parking in Puerto Rico
Animals and pedestrians in Puerto Rico
Final word
 

Parking in Puerto Rico

Parking in Puerto Rico can be difficult in areas like San Juan and Carolina because of the small streets and higher density of population in those areas. Chances are that you will routinely need to reverse and/or parallel park into a spot in order to avoid walking several blocks to your destination. That is why a backup camera will definitely come in handy if you are planning on driving during an extended stay in Puerto Rico.

Without a rearview camera, you will still be able to maneuver your car just fine when traveling in reverse, but it will be considerably more difficult and anxiety-inducing. In addition to a lot of spaces on the street being taken on a regular basis, there is a lot of active traffic regularly in Puerto Rico. So, if you are in the middle of parallel parking, there are likely going to be impatient drivers behind you. Thus, maneuvering into your space as quickly as possible is advantageous and much more possible with a backup camera.
 

Animals and pedestrians in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is also notorious for many sudden animal and pedestrian crossings. If you are going in reverse and you have your head turned backwards you will have a blind spot behind you to the opposite side that your head is turned to. You also will not be able to see a small child or animal that is shorter than your rear window if they are within a few feet of the rear of the car.

A backup camera will eliminate the risk of not seeing a pedestrian or animal as you drive in reverse. As an added benefit, you can also spare yourself the literal pain in the neck by having to turn your head much less with a rearview camera.
 

Final word

A backup camera can be an extremely big help in Puerto Rico where parking spots are scarce, traffic is dense, and pedestrians and animals cross the street without warning on a regular basis. It will help you easily and quickly parallel park as well as drive in reverse when needed while completely minimizing the risk of striking a pedestrian or animal crossing the street at the time. If you need a vehicle of any kind transported to the port at San Juan, give us a ring for a free quote whenever you want by calling (904) 322-7644!

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Towing something securely and safely
Towing tips
Wrapping up
 

Towing something securely and safely

There should be no shortage of care taken whenever you are towing something with your car in Puerto Rico. If you do not take the proper care, you can be creating a dangerous situation for yourself and any other drivers around you. For our purposes, we will discuss towing something from the perspective of towing a trailer of some sort because it is the most common form of towing.

First, you need to be sure that the ball on the hitch is not too big or small for the coupler that you are going to be using with it or else the trailer can easily become detached during transport. You must also make sure that the trailer’s brakes and brake lights are working correctly before you start towing it. You will also need to check the tire pressure of the wheels on the trailer. Before you start towing, always ensure that the locking lever is in the locked position and that the pin is in. Finally, when you are actually in the process of towing, take extra caution on the road and always drive at a safe speed.
 

Towing tips

A truly safe and successful tow will take a bit more than just paying attention and being careful. You should leave no stone unturned when it comes to the care of what you are towing as well as your safety. Use the following tips to make your tow in Puerto Rico go as smooth as possible.

Always remember to grease the bearings of the hitch. When you are in the process of towing, occasionally check and make sure that the trailer is riding level because if it is not your ride could be going more smoothly. You should also make sure that your emergency brake is working because if something goes wrong, you will likely need to use it. Finally, be sure you have a working trailer jack with you at all times because if your trailer is too heavy a typical jack may not work, and trailer tires are more likely to go flat than regular tires are.
 

Wrapping up

When you are towing something in Puerto Rico, you must take extreme care so that so that whatever is in your trailer does not get damaged and that you do not end up getting into an accident. Make sure you take the time before you actually start towing anything that you do things like check your emergency brakes and making sure that the pin is securely in the hitch. If you are in a pinch and you need your car towed or shipped, you can always give us a call at (904) 322-7644.

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What gas costs in Puerto Rico and why
The importance of fuel economy in Puerto Rico
How you can use less fuel
Final Word
 

What gas costs in Puerto Rico and why

Gasoline prices in Puerto Rico are usually pretty high. You might be fooled by hearing that the average price of gas since 1998 until now was seventy-three cents per liter. That’s because gas is sold by the liter in Puerto Rico, not the gallon. So, there approximately 3.79 liters in a gallon. That means the average price for gas in Puerto Rico since 1998, per gallon, was $2.77.

That is fairly high by comparison to most US states. The reason for this is that the supply is more costly because of the cost of getting gas to Puerto Rico. It is also because public transportation is quite limited in Puerto Rico. Thus, more people need to gas up their cars per capita than most places. Hence, demand is higher which justifies a higher price.
 

The importance of fuel economy in Puerto Rico

So with the price of gas being a bit higher in Puerto Rico, it is clear that fuel economy is more important than it normally is. Fuel economy is how cost-effectively gas is used by your car. So, you obviously want to have a car that does not use an unnecessary amount of fuel in Puerto Rico.

You want to own a car that gets about thirty miles per gallon of gas, or higher if possible. Electric cars and hybrids tend to have a much higher fuel economy than even that but the cost of charging them will end up undoing some of the benefit of the great fuel economy.

Some cars that have a good fuel economy include Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Honda Insight, Ford Fusion and Lexus UX.
 

How you can use less fuel

You should not choose a car solely based on fuel economy. Odds are that you already own a car. Here are some ways you can use less gas without getting an entirely different car:

• Use the A/C sparingly – It can get hot and humid in Puerto Rico but try and keep your car cool by parking in the shade or by using a sun reflector. This way, you will need to use your air conditioning less.
• Pay attention to your tires – Your tires are actually quite important to fuel economy. If they are not inflated correctly it will increase resistance which will make your engine work harder. Also, if you do not get your tires aligned and rotated, they can wear much more easily which will increase fuel consumption.
• Go easy on the pedals – Simply put, accelerating hard and braking suddenly wastes gas. Doing it infrequently will only waste a negligible amount but if you do it consistently, it will add up quickly.
• Keep your windows closed on highways – When you are driving faster, having your windows open will decrease aerodynamics which will increase the amount your car’s engine needs to work. Thus, if you keep your windows closed on highways, you will burn less gas.
• Make less trips – Try to combine your trips. If you need to make trips to three different stores, make one trip rather than taking your car out three times.

Final Word

If you are in the position where you can choose a new car, you should definitely consider buying a car with a better fuel efficiency. It will save you money and trips to the gas station as well. However, most of you will likely already have a car. So, do what you can to decrease your fuel usage such as closing your windows when you are driving at higher speeds.

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Puerto Rico’s climate
Other convertible advantages
Final word
 

Puerto Rico’s climate

Puerto Rico’s climate is always warm and many times it is quite hot and humid too. This means that you will frequently be in need of ways to keep cool when you are inside, outside or even driving. It is summer throughout the year with temperatures typically ranging from about seventy degrees to about eighty-five degrees depending on the time of year and your exact location. It is always pretty humid in Puerto Rico as well. The average humidity in Puerto Rico is typically between sixty-five and eighty percent depending on the time of day.

When driving, many people will automatically use their air conditioning rather than opening their windows and/or sunroofs. The issue with this is that using your car’s A/C will lower its fuel efficiency by an average of three miles per gallon. However, lowering your windows can cause a pull on your vehicle that will make the engine work harder which will lower the fuel efficiency even more depending on how fast you are driving. That is likely the prime benefit of having a convertible in a warm climate such as you have in Puerto Rico, you can keep cool without sacrificing much fuel as a result.
 

Other convertible advantages

Keeping cool while maintaining fuel efficiency is not the only advantage of driving a convertible in Puerto Rico. You will also have more headroom. If you are the type to go sightseeing, you will have the most clear and panoramic views of the areas you are touring. In terms of a better view, this will also help you a bunch with driving and maneuvering your vehicle as you do things like change lanes or parallel park.

You obviously will also have the versatility to put the top up at any time both quickly and with ease. Finally, having a convertible will give you a much more stylish look as you are driving anywhere with the top down.
 

Final word

Puerto Rico is constantly in a state of summer temperatures and humidity. Having a convertible is a great way to keep cool without sacrificing much fuel as you would be doing by using the air conditioner or rolling with windows down in a typical car. That is only the main benefit, there are several others such as having more headroom as well. If you need your convertible moved to or from Puerto Rico, call Puerto Rico Car Transport today at (904) 322-7644!

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Parallel parking on Puerto Rico’s crowded streets
Advice for parallel parking
Conclusion
 

Parallel parking on Puerto Rico’s crowded streets

In Puerto Rico, parking can be quite hard to find in the city areas like San Juan and Bayamon. It is the same situation as cities in America like New York or Los Angeles. Odds are that you will find yourself in a situation where you will need to parallel park in order to get a spot. That is why if you are not too good at parallel parking you should take the time to practice iif you live in Puerto Rico.

If you try and parallel park without the proper experience, you could end up bumping into another car and causing damage which you will be responsible for paying for. At the very least, if you do not know how to properly parallel park in Puerto Rico, you might end up missing out on quite a few available parking spots and having to walk several extra blocks or you could even end up paying for parking.
 

Advice for parallel parking

Parallel parking gets easier with the more experience that you have but it always should be done with extreme caution. The detail of making your job of parallel parking as easy as possible goes much further than just being careful. First, always make sure the spot you have found has more than enough room for you to park and not just enough. Next, you should be sure that your turn signal is on to alert the drivers who are behind you that you are in the middle of parallel parking and not just illegally double parked.

You must always also first check to ensure the spot in which you are about to parallel park in is a legal place in which to park. So, read all signage and check for things like fire hydrants as well. Finally, if you have a rear-view camera, absolutely make use of it. If not, make sure you have a clear view through your rear window because you will need to use it as you park.
 

Conclusion

Parking in populated city areas in Puerto Rico can be quite scarce. Unless you plan on walking, using rideshares, public transportation or always paying for parking, you will need to parallel park fairly often. Before you do attempt to parallel park, make sure that you are well practiced because you do not want to end up bumping into someone else’s car when you are doing so. Finally, always parallel park with caution, use your signal and pay close attention to what you are doing as you park.

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Where you might need to make a three-point turn
Making a three-point turn in Puerto Rico
Wrapping up
 

Where you might need to make a three-point turn

You could possibly need to make a three point turn almost anywhere you drive depending on traffic and on the specific circumstances so you should always be well practiced as well as confident in your ability to do so. Three-point turns are used when you need to turn around in a tight space and will not be able to make a U-turn.

This can definitely be useful in Puerto Rico where roads can be both narrow and full of parked vehicles. However, before you chose to make any three-point turns at any time you should know that three-point turns should only be made on narrow two-lane roads without other actively driven vehicles nearby.
 

Making a three-point turn in Puerto Rico

Being careful and alert when you are making a three-point turn is the most important part of the whole process. As we mentioned, be sure it is not an area that is busy with traffic before starting the turn. You also must watch out for pedestrians and, in Puerto Rico, you must watch out for animals of all kinds such as dogs, chickens and even horses.

When you are in the process of making a three-point turn in Puerto Rico, you must constantly be making use of your rear and side-view mirrors so that you can be watching where you are reversing. As you are driving forward in the process, obviously keep your eyes on what is in front of you. If you are coming close to an object or car, you can always cut that part of the turn short and make it a four or five point turn instead as it is better to spend more time turning safely than to strike a car or object.
 

Wrapping up

Three-point turns can end up being a very useful part of your driving arsenal in Puerto Rico. This is due to the often-narrow roads and lack of space with a high number of parked vehicles. Always be sure that you are being safe when you make a three-point turn by being alert and keeping your eyes in the direction in which your car is always moving. If you ever need a vehicle transported to Puerto Rico during any time of the year, you can call us now to book your shipment, get a quote or ask any questions that you might have at (904) 322-7644.

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The consequences of road rage
How to avoid a situation where you or someone else can experience road rage
Final word
 

The consequences of road rage

Road Rage is when you do something dangerous while driving out of anger as a result of something that another driver did. Road rage is extremely dangerous and has resulted in serious injury, death and people going to prison. It goes without saying that you should do absolutely everything in your power to avoid getting too upset while driving as well as doing anything you can to avoid any other drivers that you think might be suffering from road rage.

As we mentioned, the consequences of road rage can be severe and grave. Road Rage can lead to drivers driving into other cars on purpose, drivers getting out and damaging another’s vehicle by hand or drivers trying to physically fight other drivers by hand or with a weapon. These sorts of situations can lead to death, brain injuries, imprisonment, neck injuries, paralysis, back injuries, fractures and more.
 

How to avoid a situation where you or someone else can experience road rage

The vast majority of the time it is quite easy to avoid getting into a road rage incident. However, there are possible occasions where it will be more difficult to avoid a road rage incident. Regardless, do not ever let anger ever get the best of you when you are driving.

In order to avoid a road rage incident there are several things that you can do. The first is that you can use your car horn wisely and sparingly. Nothing leads to immediate anger quicker then someone leaning on their horn or honking multiple times when they could have just given a quick courtesy honk. Then there are the seemingly obvious things like not driving too aggressively including cutting someone off. You should also never follow someone too closely. Finally, always be patient. For example, if someone is driving too slowly realize that they might be new to driving or lost rather than getting upset with them.
 

Final word

Road rage is never productive and often leads to terrible situations and even worse results. In Puerto Rico, road rage can be fairly rampant due to the way that many drivers will ignore basic traffic laws. However, you can do what you can in order to minimize the chance of possibly being involved in a road rage incident. This can include laying off of your horn, being patient with other drivers and not driving aggressively yourself. If you need a car transported to or from Puerto Rico, you can get a free quote 24/7 by visiting our homepage.