Life Tips

Owning your own car is something that brings lots of joy and excitement to your life. Modern cars are highly advanced with lots of technology to make driving them fun. With Bluetooth connectivity for listening to music, to sat nav’s and driver assist functions, cars really do pack a punch in tech terms. Of course, owning a car is also essential in the modern world for getting about.

One thing that is also true when it comes to car ownership is the amount of stories you will hear. They often come from other car owners who will tell you about things you should or should not do in relation to the auto you own. Sorting out which to believe and which to ignore can be a tricky task if you are not a car expert. To make it easier, we have taken a look at common myths and truths when it comes to owning your own car.

True – glass coating your windows does work

Many people wonder if glass coating works for car windows but the truth is that glass coating really does a great job. When applied correctly it will aid dust and grime to slide off your windows and also make washing your auto easier. While there is doubt among some as to the effectiveness of glass coating, it is true that it works wonders. The key is to choose the right product which not only gives superior, long-lasting results but is also great value along with being easy to apply.

True – color does make a difference when selling

There is a good chance that you will eventually sell any car that you buy. As the general condition and mileage has an impact on its value, it is true to say that color also does. But why is that? The simple fact is that classic colors like white, silver, dark blue and gray are more popular with the general public. This means that you should get more for cars in these popular colors compared to something unusual like purple or orange. The same is also true around brands – a popular brand like BMW or Ford will command a higher resale value than lesser-known makes.

Myth – you should idle your engine to warm it up

One thing that many drivers still believe is the importance of warming up your car’s engine when first started by letting it idle. That is actually a total myth in the modern era where car engines do not need this to work properly. Modern fuel injection systems make the need for idling redundant. If you have a very old car then it could be worthwhile but for most people not driving something from the 1960’s, it is not needed.

Myth – you should change oil every 5,000km

Another myth lies in the frequency of how often you should change your engine oil. Of course, changing your oil regularly will not do any harm to your car but a rigid target of every 5,000km that some car owners insist on is not required. This is something that has carried over from previous years when engine oils were not as advanced, and engines were not as sophisticated as in the cars we drive today. Modern oils have greater viscosity to help avoid sludge build-up thus reducing the need for oil to be changed so regularly. If you drive a modern vehicle the oil will last for something like 15,000km before a change is needed.

Myth – bigger cars are safer in an accident

This myth is easy to believe as it seems to make perfect sense, and we all want to how to best look after our families. It now seems though that car size and weight is not the be all and end all when it comes to accident safety. The in-built safety features which modern cars now have are the most important thing and could mean that a well-equipped smaller car could afford better protection in a crash. It is thought that when you take away car safety features and look at weight or size only, the difference in protection is minimal.

Sorting the wheat from the chaff

As the above collection of truths and myths shows, it is not always easy to sort out what is right and wrong in the car world. The real problem lies in the fact that some concepts from motoring many years ago still exist today. That means that some outdated ideas are often presented as being true, despite the car design and production world having moved on.

To read more on topics like this, check out the life tips category.

If you love the idea of getting to complete magical quests in an interactive game that you can play with Alexa, it’s well worth continuing reading in order to discover everything that you need to know about playing The Magic Door.

Everything that you need to know about playing The Magic Door:

It’s well worth taking a look at the Alexa Magic Door map:

If you take a look at The Magic Door’s map, you’ll see that the magical world which you’ll get to explore features numerous different sections. A lush, mysterious forest, a beautiful garden, the bluffs, the sea and the mountains. There’s even a mountain which you’ll be able to explore, once you complete a couple of quests.

You may want to start off by triggering a simple, easy to achieve quest:

When you first start playing The Magic Door, you may want to start off by triggering a simple quest. For example if you talk to the friendly rabbit in the picturesque garden, you’ll trigger a quest, which involves helping your new friend collect the rest of his eggs. Which are hidden beyond the garden gate.

As you play The Magic Door Alexa will give you multiple choices which you’ll have to choose from:

Once you start playing The Magic Door, Alexa will start to present you with multiple choices, which you’ll have to choose from. As an example, the very first question that Alexa will ask you will be which part of the map you’d like to explore first.

The Magic Door features a wide variety of magical creatures:

As you explore The Magic Door’s map, you’ll start to come across magical creatures such as gnomes, witches, mermaids, wizards and talking mountains. Part of the fun of playing The Magic Door is seeing which magical characters you’ll bump into on your adventures. Just be sure to keep your wits about you as while the majority of the characters who you’ll run into are friendly, there are a few dangerous characters who you may run into.

Play through The Magic Door multiple times in order to complete all of the available quests:

After playing through The Magic Door for the first time, it’s a great idea to replay The Magic Door, to ensure that you complete all of the available quests. Some examples of some of the quests which you’ll get to complete include helping a friendly gnome find the key to his house and gathering the necessary ingredients in order to grow a magical fern plant, that will allow you to climb up into the clouds.

In order to explore different parts of the game’s map it’s a wise idea to start off each new game by heading to a brand new section of your game map. As you’ll be sure to run into different characters who’ll be able to present you with brand new quests.

So if you’re ready to play The Magic Door, it’s a great idea to make sure that you have The Magic Door downloaded. Once you’ve downloaded The Magic Door simply utter Alex open the magic door, in order to start playing The Magic Door.

When in Rome is a travel themed, trivia board game that has been designed to be played for 2-8 players. So if you enjoy testing your general knowledge and have been bitten by the travel bug, it’s a great idea to get your hands on a copy of When in Rome.

Everything that you need to know about When in Rome game:

When in Rome can be played in teams:

If you enjoy playing board games that allow you to work as a team, you’ll love the fact that you can play When in Rome as part of a team. As you can play a head to head game against a friend or family member or play When in Rome as part of a team of 2 players, 3 players or 4 players.

You’ll get to explore 20 unique cities:

The objective of playing When in Rome is to visit 20 different cities, in order to accumulate enough points and to collect enough souvenirs to out score your competition. At the end of nine rounds the player who has accumulated the most points will win the game. Some of the cities which you’ll get to explore include Mumbai, London, Cape Town and Tokyo. All of the questions which you’ll face will directly relate to each city that you visit. So you’ll also get to learn about each city that you explore.

There are 7 different categories of questions to conquer:

There are 7 different categories of trivia questions to conquer. Language and slang, art and culture, sport and games, food and drink, buildings and history, myths and legends and random and strange.

You’ll be able to trigger special events in each city:

One of the fun parts of exploring each city is that you’ll be able to trigger special story events, which can help you add valuable points to your player score or team score.

You can try to strategically sabotage your competition:

You will have plenty of opportunities to try and sabotage your competition. As an example, you may choose to make a friend in Tokyo, who’ll be able to sabotage your competition’s progress in Tokyo. Just beware that if you choose to try and sabotage your competition, they will be more likely to try an sabotage your progress in return.

There is a new Rome game which utilizes Home Echo’s Alexa:

If you own a Home Echo, you’ll be able to use Alexa in order to play a new, updated version of When in Rome. This new updated version of When in Rome features character voices from each destination that you visit. So you’ll actually feel as if you’re visiting destinations, that you may never have stepped foot in before. You’ll also have to try and decipher what some of the characters will ask you, as some individuals may have accents that may be tricky to understand. So make sure to listen carefully to each voice recording which you are played on your journey.

So if you love the idea of playing When in Rome, it’s well worth trying to get your hands on a copy of When in Rome as soon as you can. So can you invite your friends and family members over for a fun travel themed board game night.