Summer can leave your car overheated and you stranded.  Purple Ice helps prevent engine overheating my improving heat transfer throughout you cooling system.  It also lubricates water pump seals to help prevent leaking.  Military engineers praise it for keeping their Humvees cool in the scorching heat of the Iraq desert. 
www.coolerradiators.com
Price:  $16.49
Availability:  O'Reilly Auto Parts, Pep Boys or online at summitracing.com

Get a better look under the hood….
SquidBrite Light has three flexible legs that can be adjusted to offer stability on most uneven surfaces like car engines. The legs can even wrap around objects like poles or handles.  And the light itself is detachable from the stand, so it can also be used in compact areas. It has 20 ultra bright LED bulbs that can provide up to 10,000 hours of light. The light can operate with the provided cord or cordless for up to 6 hours.  SquidBrite has a heavy duty magnet so you can operate hand free on any metal surface.  The light has three levels of brightness, hi, low and flashing, which is a great for roadside emergencies. http://baccusglobal.com/Squidbrite_Worklight.html
Price: $30

Be prepared in the event of an emergency all summer long…..
Being on vacation and having a dead battery is a big problem, and nothing is worse than storing a jump starter in your car in case of an emergency, and then having it be out of power when you really need it.  The new PEAK Portable Power Systems prevent this unfortunate situation with our innovative Low Charge Alert.  When the system begins to run dangerously low, it will emit a low-frequency beep to let the user know it needs to be recharged. It’s really a great feature, so you don’t have to worry about being stranded.  The unit also has a built-in worklight, air compressor/inflator and a DC power source. The system is lightweight and stores easily in any size car without giving up too much trunk space.  It is available in three different amp levels.
www.peakauto.com
Price:  $60 - $130
Availability: Ace, Menards and Amazon.com

Cell phones make it so easy to stay in touch while traveling….
The Verizon Wireless has the new 8975 Push-to-Talk handset from Personal Communications Devices. With many states banning drivers from talking on handheld devices, this phone is really great because it provides safe, hands-free communication.  It supports Bluetooth technology and comes with a headset and hands free car hit and it offers voice activated dialing. The phone also has a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording capabilities so you can share your trip with friends and family.  It’s also web-enabled so you can send text messages, multi-media message and you can even blog about your trip via the chat application.
www.VerizonWireless.com , www.PCDPhones.com
Price: $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement

You want to keep busy Dads and Grads going, without missing a beat…. The newly redesigned Magellan Roadmate 1470 GPS device features a unique 4.7” color touch screen and ultra-thin design, offering powerful navigation in a compact unit.  The GPS is easy to use and gives you the confidence and peace-of-mind while on the road.  It has some great new features like AAA Tourbook, highway lane assistance, spoken street names, multi-destination routing and pre-loaded maps of North America. And it has OneTouch personalization, so that you can easily bookmark your favorite destinations and find them anywhere you go! It keeps all your favorites at your fingertips.
www.magellangps.com

For more of Lauren’s tips visit: www.laurenfix.com