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Iconic Bridges to Cross in Your Rental Car

The meeting of land, sea and sky: there’s a reason why bridges have captivated the minds of humans since the beginning of time. No matter what country you’re from or where decide to travel to, there are guaranteed to be many awe-inspiring overpasses for you to drive across during your visit.
Here are our favourite bridges from around the world to cross in your rental car on your next getaway.

Brooklyn Bridge, USA

Film fanatics should not miss this spectacular structure, recognisable from blockbuster hits like I Am Legend, The Avengers and Godzilla. As the first site in the world to use steel-wire suspension technology and one of the oldest overpasses in the US, the Brooklyn Bridge has linked New York’s Manhattan and Brooklyn neighbourhoods since its opening in 1883. Visitors can drive, cycle or walk across this modern marvel.

Stari Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Diving fans may recognise this iconic overpass as a tour stop on Red Bull’s Diving World Series. In fact, this bridge has a reputation for diving, with an annual competition each summer and a local tradition that involves young men jumping from the structure into the frigid waters beneath (something only experienced divers should attempt). This icon was reopened in 2004 after being destroyed in the area’s war in 1993, but the original foundation dates back to 1566.

Millau Viaduct, France

Standing at an impressive 343-meters high, this bridge is the tallest in the world (and spanning a length of one-and-a-half miles, this is no short car ride across either!). Here, you can park your rental to check out the viewing area or even dine at the Michelin-star restaurant in the visitor centre.

Charles Bridge, Czech Republic

You’ll have to park your vehicle and walk this pedestrian-only beauty, but it’s worth it. Built over the Vltava River and constructed between 1357 and sometime at the start of the fifteenth century, this Gothic masterpiece is one of Prague’s top tourist attractions. The walkway is decorated with 30 different statues in the baroque style, and connects the iconic Prague Castle to the Old Town.

Before You Go

Before you are ready to drive off to see some bridges, make sure you are ready with your rental in terms of insurance. Car rental excess insurance is an extra feature that can be purchased to protect you in case anything happens to your vehicle while you are out on the road.

If your hired vehicle should be stolen, damaged or written up, you will likely be held responsible by the rental company for these costs – unless you purchased car hire excess insurance ahead of time. With this coverage, the insurance company will reimburse you for any excess damage fees charged by the rental company. Car hire excess insurance should always be purchased when renting a car to protect yourself against sneaky excess fees.

No matter where your travels take you, there is sure to be some magnificent bridges for you to visit during your next getaway. Don’t forget your camera to snap some photos of the iconic monuments as you drive across!

Author Plate

Sam Walker is a specialist insurance expert at LowerHire, a company that offers low-cost single trip and annual multi-trip car rental excess insurance policies. Travellers can rest easy knowing they will be fully protected against any hidden hire car costs and look forward to a stress-free rental experience.

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The Benefits of Mobile Windshield Repair Services

Accidents are unexpected and unfortunate events that can affect and damage your car, especially the windshield or the front glass of your vehicle, which receives the hardest blow during the accident. Irrespective of whether your vehicle has suffered a minor shape or a deep crack, it is always advisable to hire windshield experts if your car windshield gets damaged. Reaching out to windshield experts without any delay will be the best choice as a windshield is an important safety component present in your car

Visiting a windshield repair shop in person can become a problematic situation if you have a busy schedule. There is also a great deal of safety risk associated with driving around with your vehicle having a damaged or cracked windshield. If you are facing the same problem, you need not worry anymore, as you can simply opt for a mobile windshield repair service instead of driving to an auto repair shop to quickly repair your windshield.

What are the Benefits of Mobile Windshield Repair Services?

There are plenty of advantages that car owners can get by opting for Mobile windshield replacement Services.

Time-Saving
Quick replacement of a cracked or damaged windshield is crucial in the present day, where time is essential. Car owners may not have the time to drive their cars to a local auto repair shop amid their busy schedules. This is why mobile windshield repair or replacement service comes to your rescue and helps you save time. Instead of driving your car to the shop, you can call a mobile windshield repair service and save your time driving to and fro from the auto glass repair shop. Mobile windshield repair services come with a team of technicians to your location and help you to get your windshield repaired quickly.

Extremely useful at times of emergency
The second most important benefit of hiring a mobile windshield replacement service is that they are handy and provide great convenience. If your windshield gets damaged midway on the road or street, then mobile windshield replacement services will be the best choice in times of emergency. These services help you to save yourself from the danger of driving a car with a damaged windshield.

Professional technicians will repair your windshield.
Mobile windshield repair services are extremely helpful since they come with professional technicians in no time and help you to do the work quickly. With these services, you will find no difference between the repair services provided in the center. Mobile windshield replacement companies maintain well-equipped technicians with proper knowledge, the right tools, and expertise so that they can fix your cracked or damaged windshield quickly.

Safer
Driving a car with a damaged windshield is a safety hazard that should be avoided at any cost. Large chips or windshield cracks can cause you an obscure vision. A damaged windshield will not offer the right integral support to your car’s roof, which increases the chance of an accident. Depending on the extent of crack or damage, the windshield may shatter completely, thereby ensuring you and other passengers. So instead of driving a car with a damaged windshield, it is always the best option to hire mobile windshield replacement services.

We are a top-notch company that has been providing mobile windshield replacement services for a long time. We are well known for providing extensive windshield or car glass repair and replacement services. We have a team of windshield experts who will provide guaranteed windshield replacement services at your doorstep. We provide hassle-free and good service within a short period.

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8 Simple Tips To Prolong The Life Of Your Car’s Lead Acid Battery

Tip 1: Do a monthly inspection of the battery terminals to make sure they are clean and corrosion free Extend the lifespan of a car battery of the first problems most people have with their car battery is the build-up of corrosion around the terminals.
Corrosion destroys the connection between the battery and the vehicle and many batteries are replaced due to too much corrosive build-up.

But oftentimes, this can be easily treated by simply pouring a small amount of Cola or a DIY anti-corrosion paste (one part water to three parts baking soda) over the corroded areas.

The acid in the Cola or the alkaline properties in the DIY anti-corrosion paste will eat the corrosion away.

After the corrosion is gone, use a clean damp rag or sponge to clean up the remaining residue and moisture.

Be sure to let it dry, then rub some petroleum jelly on the terminals to prevent future corrosion.

*note: see our safety tips at the end of this article before disconnecting/reconnecting your battery.

Tip 2: Do not operate any car accessories (radio, lights, or electronics) before turning on the car ignition and driving the car When the car is on, the car alternator generates electricity and charges the car battery after the battery has a voltage drop.

Leaving Car Lights On While Car is Off Drains The Car BatteryBut if the car is not on, and you are using the car’s electronics, you are just relying on the car battery to power those electronics.

This is detrimental to the car battery because car batteries are not meant for this type of use.

Instead, car batteries are meant to provide a sudden burst of power for ignition. They’re not made to provide prolonged power for electronics and other devices (that’s what a deep cycle lead-acid battery would be for).

Using your car battery as a battery that powers electronics, instead of a battery that just gives you a burst of power for ignition, will damage the battery and greatly shorten it’s lifespan if it’s repeatedly used in this fashion.

So avoid operating any car accessories or electronics while the car is off.

Tip 3: Make sure the car battery is secure and has good battery cables Prolong the life of the car battery has to be secured at all times. If a battery is jostling around it will be impaired and could short circuit.

This will ruin the battery – and even cause damage to your car while creating a safety risk.

The same could happen if you have bad battery cables (or they’re not connected properly). So check your cables and make sure they have a secure connection as well.

Tip 4: Insulate your car battery from extreme changes in temperature Protecting your car battery from large changes in temperature will help maximize the battery’s lifespan.

To do this you can use a car battery insulation kit.

Car Battery Insulation KitNewer model cars already have these kits installed typically. But if your car doesn’t have one, you can easily install one yourself.

Just make sure it fits your car’s battery compartment. Generally, the companies selling these battery insulation kits will have a form on their website where you can put in your car model and year, and it will tell you if your battery will fit their kit – like here (top of page).

These protective battery sleeves are usually made of plastic or an acid resistant, thermal resistant material.

These car battery insulation kits will insulate your battery and protect it while still allowing proper ventilation.

Tip 5: Fully charge your car battery at least once a week (use a car battery charger or interchange batteries if you have to) Your car battery drains even when the car is off.

This happens because the current is drawn from the battery by car accessories (radio, lights, etc.) or the car computers.

This is why people come home from long vacations and find their car battery dead.

But to prevent this, you can use either a car battery charger or a solar battery charger.

Car battery chargers (regular or solar) will maintain the optimum charge level of your car battery when the car is not in use.

They do this by providing enough power for the car accessories and car computer, so they don’t continuously draw current from the car battery when the car is off.

As you can imagine, these chargers are very useful …especially if you go on a trip or leave your car unused for a while.

They’re also useful if you go on a lot of short car trips (like to work and back each day) and never give your battery a chance to fully recharge. Repeatedly doing this will dramatically shorten your battery’s life – unless you use a car battery charger or interchange batteries, leaving one at home to fully charge.

The most important thing to remember with this tip is …make sure you fully charge your car battery at least once a week because it will greatly increase the life of your battery. Do this with a charger, interchanging batteries …or just going on a car ride long enough to recharge the battery.

Tip 6: Check your car battery’s water level Most car batteries indicate if there is a need for water.

So check the car battery water level indicator regularly and if the water is needed, refill the battery with distilled water (and that’s important, ONLY use distilled water to refill your car battery).

Tip 7: Do NOT overcharge your car battery Never overcharge your car battery. Lead-acid batteries release oxygen and hydrogen gases when they’re overcharged.

This causes two problems:

It can be explosive. It also breaks down the composition of the water in the battery – which shortens its lifespan. Tip 8: Check your car’s alternator If the car battery is not charging – check the car’s alternator you’re doing everything we’ve recommended in this article but your car batteries are still dying early, you’ll want to check your car’s alternator (or get a mechanic to check it).

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