Helen Hecker asked:




If you want to get rid of negative credit you can easily take a few steps to completely turn it around and see a significant improvement in your credit score. Thousands of people face the same problems and assume it takes a credit professional or credit repair service to do it for them. These offline and online credit services don’t come cheap and often people spend their hard-earned money trying to fix negative or bad credit.

First of all you may not know what is actually on your credit report today. You may assume you have bad credit based on your payment history in the past or you haven’t had the courage to get a copy of your credit report even though it’s free. Many resist this because of the fear of what they think they may find. However you may be surprised. There may be entries on your credit report that are totally false and can be easily corrected or there may be entries you can easily change with a little documentation.

Really it’s not that difficult to get these corrections taken care of on your credit report. You can actually take care of it pretty fast and it won’t cost you a dime other than a first class stamp. In actuality you can do a better job than any credit repair clinic because you’re in the position to actually add some positive credit marks to your report if you know how to do it and I’ll explain below.

Okay these are the 3 simple steps to repair your credit history.

1. First get a copy of your free credit report if you don’t already have a CURRENT copy. Everyone is entitled to a free credit report every year according to federal government laws. You can get an absolutely free annual credit report online instantly at the approved Web site: type in ‘annualcreditreport’ and then a dot and then com. You’ll be able to print it out as soon as you provide identification.

You can also call 1-877-322-8228. When you call you’ll get an automated service. Know what phone number you’re going to use as that is a requirement in the process. However it will take about 15 days to get the report. You can also write but instant online or calling is easiest. This free service is sponsored by the three credit reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Now you must know that you won’t get your credit rating or score when you get the report. There is an additional charge to get a score. However if you recently applied for credit and were turned down, call the lender and ask what your score is. You can usually find out that way for free.

Once you have your credit report in hand, sit down and note any negative items or anything that doesn’t seem right to you. You may find a few mistakes, sometimes even with your birth date or other personal information. These are easily corrected. There can be some totally false information such as credit information for someone else with the same name or similar name.

2. Write a dispute letter. It’s easy to write a dispute letter. If you’re not sure how to do this, sit down and pretend you’re writing a letter to a friend. It does not have to be fancy and it can be in your own handwriting if legible or typed out. Don’t make it too hard. Make a list of the bad credit marks or wrong information that you want to dispute. Make sure to keep it as short as possible and don’t add any fluff. Get the facts as you know them. If you have any documentation to include to ‘back you up’ then add this or include copies with your dispute letter.

When the credit bureau gets your letter they will do an investigation and will either verify the item in question and remove or fix it – or they will be unable to verify the negative credit information to remove it.

If they notify you that they are unable to verify any negative credit mark thus not removing it, then you can still dispute it by sending another letter asking how they arrived at their decision. This is called a ‘method of verification’ or sometimes ‘procedural request’. If the dispute is regarding a creditor the credit reporting bureau and the creditor must both provide you with adequate proof of their decision. Otherwise they are required by law to remove the negative credit mark from your credit history.

3. How to get positive credit marks on your credit report. This is simple to do over a period of a few months to start building a positive credit history. Get department store and/or gas credit cards and use them. Pay them off on time. Make note that these usually come with higher interest rates so compare rates first. Pay a little more than you owe and pay a little early. Paying online ensures that your payment arrives and is not lost in the mail.

Keep a bill calendar and write on it when payments are due and another notation on the calendar a few days before so that you make the payment online early. If you wait till the last minute, the Web site may be down for maintenance or their may be other network issues. But in any event make sure to make the payment before it’s due. Try to get an installment type of loan or automobile loan through your bank or credit union.

Be aware that if you try to buy a car or other vehicle that the car dealer will contact several lenders to get the best interest rate and EACH one of these will contribute a mark to your credit report. This can affect your credit score, also called FICO. So try to get a pre-approved loan before you head to an auto dealer. If you can do this over a few months you will build up a recent and good credit history fast. No credit repair service will be able to build up this positive history for you.

For additional help removing or erasing negative credit you can easily get a good credit repair guide that will help you read and dispute the report and will cost pennies as opposed to a credit repair service which can cost you significantly. And a service can’t do it as well as you can or add positive credit marks to your credit history. Sit down now if you already have the credit report right and do a quick letter before you start dwelling on it. You can do it! And YOU can do the best job. The faster you take action the sooner you’ll see a turnaround.

Terry Z. Voster asked:




Why scour vintage auto salvage yards for classic car rims with which to enhance your classic motor vehicle. Why not paint your own tire rims? This used to be the guise of only the professionals. Now as an amateur you can accomplish a professionally appearing job.

First things first you will need paint with which to paint your own rims. Duplicator is the first choice. Duplicator will offer you a full range of painting colors to match your style whether it comes in the ranges of classic silver, white or gunmetal.

Choose your color first. Of course you may have already purchased paint. Alternatively you may be lucky enough to find your color factory prepared – in which case the work is done already for you. As well the ever important cost factor may be less.

Many vintage vehicles will empty the pockets of a succession of owners before being completed as a final project. It is often quoted that many vintage vehicles will go through a succession of an average of 3 avid classic auto enthusiasts before completion.

The initial step in the process is to sand down your rims giving the surface a rough texture. This roughing of the metal surface of the tire rims is done in order that the paint has something solid and substantial to adhere and stick to firmly. It’s your choice about how much metal you wish to remove and abrade which of course depends on the condition of the rims, in terms of the quality of the original metal, its thickness and depth, and as well of course the current condition and quality of the metal of your auto rims. As a working material you can choose 300 grit sandpaper. Of course it all comes down to personal preference and expertise which in many cases goes back to our very training and mentors in our individual craft. Generally as long as the metal rims have had no major damage along their lifetimes and you sand evenly, the surface should be more than adequate for the paint to adhere to properly.

Now that you have passed the two steps of purchasing your paint product as well as sanding and preparing your rims you are now off to the races – or on the way for preparation for your next classic auto meet. It is most essential that the surfaces are clear of any residual sanding dust. This step is often glossed over. Its good enough is the standard line. Down the road you may find that paint will “flake” off your carefully laid project of wheel customization. Be more than perfectly sure that the surface is totally clean of sanding dust. Clean that wheel one more time just to be sure.

My rims are masked with newspaper and standard auto body shop masking tape. Obviously you do not want to turn your tires into the very colors that you are painting your rims with. You would not want white or classic silver colors sprayed onto your tires. It is the experience of many professional Autobody paint shops that spray from other auto painting jobs can accidentally make its way over amazing distances. In addition ensure that the lip has been masked off well. Carefully apply your masking tape on the “lip” areas to protect this from being painted or overpainted as well. Of course it never hurts to initially pump a little air into the mask to clear out any older residual paint traces as well, from previous jobs.

After the time period spent to ensure that the rims are dry, and of course you have masked off those areas that you do not want overpainted or sprayed you are ready for the major step. Put some newspapers on the ground, pavement or concrete in your shop. Place those rims, one at a time, on top of the newspaper. The newspaper covering will ensure that those surfaces will remain free of markings and paint damage/

You can now apply the first of perhaps several coats of paint. It all depends on your preferred final appearance and levels of quality desired. You can let the paint dry well and apply the next coat of paint as desired.

Watch out for the stares and jealous looks at your next Car Show & Swap Meet

Anthony Fontanelle asked:




Honda Motor Corp., the world’s second largest Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer, presents the new Honda Civic Type-R. The Type-R philosophy will be shaking the European-dominated “hot hatch” sector, as the company continues to provide more than just cars loaded with quality parts like the Acura CL belts. The sporty concept targets to attract the young and active crowd.

The new Honda Civic Type-R looks far from its Civic four-door siblings. It comes with a bonnet line that flows from the steep sloping front window. There is also a rounded backside that has been adorned with a rear boot fin. The clean lines were designed to help the wind dynamics of the vehicle, though it may hamper the driver’s rear vision.

The Type-R philosophy was mainly focused on delivering a driving experience comparable with ones in racing cars. It is intends to make the driver part of the machine through providing high levels of feedback from the vehicle, including sound, steering response and handling.

Aside from being fast, Type-R vehicles offer excellent performance in gear changing, braking, steering and handling. They were designed to provide authentic driving experience, which won’t be affected by driving assisting systems or other features like the sound proofing that could diminish the driving involvement. For such reason, the Type-R Honda will not be sustained with luxury equipment, such as sat-nav, hands-free telephones or leather interior. Instead, it will only get the features that will make it look and feel more like a racing car.

The new Honda Civic Type-R will be powered by a 2.0 L DOHC i-VTEC engine that has 148 kW of power and 193 Nm of torque.

The interior looks more like the main control room of a spaceship. The double layered dashboard comes with strategically placed red illuminated dials that sweeps around either side of the steering wheel. There are also red start button, digital speedometer and large dial in the center with tacho on the perimeter and other meaningful info glowing red – creating a futuristic feel.

The coupe concept gets decent cabin spacing. It provides a high degree of convenience, flexibility and passenger accommodation. The Civic Type-R has been equipped with Honda’s “magic seat” system that allows the rear seats to be folded – creating a full flat rear cargo floor – eventually increasing the usable boot space from 485 liters to 1,352 liters.

Overall, the Civic Type-R is masterpiece for involvement and a win over an 8,000 r.p.m. redline. It is an impressive package loaded with character and keenly priced for $39,990. Unlike most of the Honda vehicles imported to Australia, the new car will not be delivered from Thailand, but from Honda’s UK plant in Swindon.

Evander Klum asked:




The subsidiary of BMW the producer of high quality BMW 530 parts in Thailand is hoping to expand its BMW Premium Selection which is an approved used car programme intended to cover all BMW authorized dealers nationwide by 2009. The said programme is expected to increase sales of new cars and at the same time improve the brand’s image.

Krisda Utamote, the General Manager for Sales and in charge of the programme said that the BMW Premium Selection is being offered at all certified dealerships in Bangkok however not in the province where there is a small used car market.

The BMW Premium Selection programme is very important since it boost the resale prices of BMW cars and lowers down the leasing rate for new cars. And to cover more areas, BMW Thailand plans of launching the said programme at one or two of their dealers in the provinces next year but they have not decided yet which dealers to choose.

Still in connection with BMW’s expansion in Thailand, new authorized dealers were open in major cities including Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phitsanulok, Khon Kaen, Hat Yai, Phuket, and Chon Buri.

BPS is a global brand which guarantees the automaker’s standards in the used-car sector. The vehicles that are qualified to join this programme have to undergo a 72-technical point inspection that would be conducted by BMW-trained technicians. Similarly, the histories of all cars submitted are to be meticulously inspected and recorded. Cars that are to be accepted on the programme must be less than seven years old or with mileage less than 100,000km.

There will also be other premium services offered such as a comprehensive 24-moth or 40,000-km warranty regardless of which comes first, 24-hour roadside assistance, test driving and individual financing.

As part of BMW’s customer service, all of its BPS cars are updated regularly which customers can view at the used-car section at bmw.co.th. Mr. Utamote said the main objective of the company is to provide customers with quality, service, and reassurance that would justify their decision to buy the used cars from BMW dealers. It was in the year 2004 when BMW Thailand has first launched the BMW Premium Selection programme and since then it has been able to increase sales of BPS cars by 15 to 16 percent annually.

For this year, BMW Thailand aims to sell around 1,900 cars which is below the 2,800 units previously achieved on the same period last year. The low projection for this year is attributed to the poor economy. However, next year the company is expecting to increase its BPS car sales by 17 percent of new BMW car sales by increasing the volume of BMW’s 3, 5 and 7 Series.

David Warren asked:




When looking for the right auto glass company, there are several things that must be considered. Price is important, but quality is also very significant. There is no point in getting the lowest price on auto glass services if the services are not of good quality and the repair does not last.

Auto glass repair should be done right the first time, and this is true of windshield repair and of any other type of glass repair that is conducted. In addition, many glass companies offer commercial glass work and window replacement, all of which should be handled professionally and within the estimate that was given.

There are several ways that a person can tell whether a glass company is professional, and a consumer should do his or her homework in order to ensure that the glass company he or she selected is the right one for the job, whatever that job may be.

When a person needs auto glass repair, he or she generally wants it done quickly. While some of these kinds of repairs come about from vandalism, acts of God, and other factors, most of them are windshield repair issues that come from rocks flying up and cracking a person’s windshield.

Sometimes, these can be repaired. Other times, they must be replaced. In either case, however, it is important that the company that will be doing the work be reputable.

There are even some companies in some states that will replace a person’s windshield for free if he or she meets certain specific insurance requirements. Not all companies do this, though, even in states where this service is offered based on insurance deductibles, so it is best to ask questions and receive a written estimate for any work that is to be done to a vehicle.

If it is not a vehicle that needs repair, perhaps it is a home where a window has been broken or a commercial glass job where a storefront must be repaired or replaced because something has happened to the glass. It may be old and leaking, allowing water in, or it may have cracks, chips, or other broken areas.

These kinds of things should be repaired quickly. Not only are they unsightly and problematic if it rains, but they can also be dangerous for the employees and customers of a business. A lawsuit could result if someone is injured because the glass in a business was unsafe.

Any business that needs commercial glass work done should get an estimate from a glass company and make sure that company is reputable and legitimate, so that the work can get done right the first time and any unforeseen problems will be taken care of quickly.

Gregg Hall asked:




Going to a car dealer to buy a car is a scary experience for some and angry one for others. If you know a little more about the inner workings and structure of the average car dealership you will be less likely to be so apprehensive and you will be equipped to know what to look out for and what to expect.

Like any other business a car dealership has its own little hierarchy and pecking order starting with the salespeople who often come and go weekly due to the stress of twelve hour work days and pressure over sales quotas to the sales managers who are like the ringmasters in a three ring circus cracking the whip on the salespeople. Then we have the general managers who manage the entire operation and watch over the money flow coming in from every department.

If you are older you can probably remember dealers throwing your car keys on the roof of the dealership, cars with no window stickers and going to used car lots where they had rolled back the miles on the cars. In the 1960′s laws were passed that make these practices illegal, it doesn’t mean they don’t still happen. It is now mandatory to have the window sticker on a new car and all used cars must have an “As Is” sticker in it or the dealer my be subject to a huge fine.

With salespeople you are basically dealing with three different types. Some dealerships have the old guys that have been selling cars for 50 years when the price was whatever they wanted to sell the car for. If they have stayed in the car business this long they have evolved and are usually more professional and have a large stream of repeat business. Next you will have the young newcomers or “green peas” as they are often called who are like a cat in waiting to pounce on the next person who arrives at the dealership. These salespeople tend to come and go quickly. Next, many dealerships will have some military people usually retired who are taking up the car business for extra income. You also see many dealers hiring more and more women now.

What usually happens when you come to a dealership is that they have someone who watches the lot and they mark down the salesperson’s name and a description of you so they can make sure they keep track of what is going on. The dealers want the salesperson to control the sale and bring you inside before you leave. Indeed there are many dealers who will tell the salesperson that if they do not bring the prospect in to the dealership and allow a manager to speak to them that they will be fired.

Now you know why some of the salespeople you have tried to escape from were so scared!

Michle Zhang asked:






Double din dvd Navigation + 7 inch touchscreen + Bluetooth + dual zone + Steering Wheel control

Qualir Recommendation:

Newest 2 Din 7″ DVD GPS Player Fully Touch Screen Control, NO BUTTONS on the faceplate High definition digital screen Steering wheel control You can enjoy music and radio while navigation

Key Features:

Built-in GPS navigation receiver 7″ wide TFT LCD touchscreen Motoried&slide-down front panel Steering wheel control Entertainment Dual Zone Built-in Bluetooth iPod control Support e-book

TV tuner Radio tuner Anti-shock SD, USB port? NO RDS function NO CDC function



Detail Specifications

GPS

Operating system: Windows CE 5.0 GPS Processor: SAMSUNG S3C2440A-40 Max. main frequency: 400MHZ. RAM Memory: 64MB Memory Size: can expand to 4GB Display output: CVBS or S-VIDEO output GPS receivers channels: 20 Precision: 10m, 2D RMS 5m, 2D RMS, WAAS enable Supported Maps: Finean, IGO, ROUTE66, GET 5, PAPAGO and so on. Voice Guidance Cruise: Yes GPS languages: English, Deutch, Franch, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian……and so on, totally 19 languages GPS antenna: 1 GPS antenna interface on the back GPS dual zone: YES. You can enjoy music and radio while GPS navigation

DVD Player

Formats played: DVD/VCD/CD/MP3/MPEG4/CD-R/WMA/JPEG. Media: this dvd player reads all popular media including DVD/DVD-R/DVD+R/DVD-RW/DVD+RW/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3/MP4(DIVX)/VCD/SVCD/US

Screen

Size: 7 ” 16:9 TFT LCD wide touch screen Number of Pixels: 480*234 (R.G.B), higher definition due to the RGB signal OSD language: English Touch panel: yes Brightness control: yes Night mode: Shiftable between day and night modes. Picture adjustment (brightness, contrast, color, settings)

Bluetooth

Version: V2.0, Support AD2P (Bluetooth Stereo Music), can play stereo music through Bluetooth Built-in microphone:yes Received call: yes Dialled call: yes Missed call: yes

TV tuner

Digital TV or Analog TV: Analog TV tuner (you can choose built-in DVB-T to enjoy digital TV, only $58.89, but make sure DVB-T is available in your region before you buy it. This one is available in “England,Germany,France,Italy,Spain,Turkey,Portugal,Greece,Russia,Czech, China, Holland,Australia”?If you are American or Canadian, ATSC digital TV may suit you. ) Video format: PAL/NTSC/SECAM Video output: D/K B/G I M/N TV antenna:2 TV antenna interface on the back, you can add a TV antenna to your cart (just $8.00) , but if you choose digital TV, you do not need the TV antenna.



Can seve up to 100 channels. ATSC: no

Radio

Radio Frequency: Europe, USA1, USA2, Japan, Russian AM Frequency range: 522-1620 (Europe/China), 530-1710 (America) FM Tuning range: 87.5-108 (Europe/China), 87.5-107.9 (America) FM Medium frequency: 10.7MHz RDS: NO (RDS is short for Radio Data System, which is used in Europe) Preset stations: 24, 8 for FM1, FM2 and AM respectively. Stereo/Mono Switch (for FM): Yes Radio antenna interface: 1 radio tuner antenna in, on the back

iPod control

YES You can buy a iPod holder (with FM transmitter function) too



USB

Interface: 1 mini USB interface. Support hot plug. Position: front Random / Repeat Play: YES

Video in/out

1 Back video in, press the Backsight to switch to the rear monitor status when you are reversing. With rear view camera, you can know the back circs by seeing directly from mainframe when backing the car. If you are interested in rearview camera, please visit Rearview Cameras. If you add a parking radar to the camera, then you can see the distance and the video image at the same time, which make your driving safer. Only $54.99



1 AUX video in 1 video out

Audio in/out

2 pair of RCA out: Front-L out, Front-R out, Rear-L out, Rear-R out

SD

2 SD card slots, one for GPS SD, the other for storing MP3, MP4, WMA, AVI, JPEG files. Max. capacity: 4G

Motorized slide-Out Face

YES

Detachable Control Panel

No

Entertainment

Dual zone:

YES. (With “Entertainment Dual zone” function, passengers on the backseat can enjoy DVD TV Music Radio from the headrest monitor connected with the front mainframe while it is playing or navigating.)

E-book compatible:

YES. Support txt files.

AUX in

AUX R IN, AUX L IN, AUX VIDEO IN

Games

NO

DTS

NO (DTS is short for Digital Theatre System)

Steering wheel control

Yes

Button Sound:

ON/OFF for sound of screen buttons

MOS-FET Amplifier

YES, Max 4*45W (Stereo) EQ

POP, ROCK, JAZZ,NORMAL

Portable HDD Compatible

YES. (The size must less than 20GB)

Built-in speaker

NO

CDC(CD Changer)

NO

Subwoofer output

NO

Anti-Shock

YES

Operating Envioroment

Voltage requirment: 12 V DC (allowable range: 10.8-14.5V) Max. consumption of current: 15A Temperature: -20? ~ +70?

Auto Memory function

YES. All the kinds of adjustable parameter and postion can auto memory and can aotu restore

ISO connector

Usually, we only offer power wire with ISO connector for European customers, please specify during online checkout process if you are not European custoemrs.

Accessories

Manual (Language: english) Remote contorl (Battery included) GPS antenna Digital TV antenna (Must choose builtin DVB-T) Power cable Tool for Mainframe USB connector iPod connector

Packing

Installation Size: 178*100*186mm (L*W*H) Unit Dimension (L*W*H): 178*180*100mm Qty per Export Carton: 4pcs Unit Packing: (L*W*H): 335*268*180 Export carton (L*W*H): 63cm*28cm*28cm/4PCS Unit Packing (G. W.): 4.2kg/4.6kg Export carton (G. W.): 17.5kg

Warranty

12 months

Other features

CE&FCC, FDA approval

Note

In order for your safety, drivers are not recommended to watch TV or DVD while driving.



For more information of this item, please check http://www.autodvdgps.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=165

Vikram kuamr asked:




Rim sizes are an important part of selecting auto wheels and truck wheels if you are looking to maximize the performance and handling of your vehicle. It is not until recently, however, that modifying one’s vehicle to include the ideal auto wheels and truck wheels has become more commonplace. This has come about as a result of more drivers becoming more educated about their vehicles and the modifications they can make in order to maximize their utility.

 

Of course, a large part of this is due to the popularity of ‘hip hop’ culture that heavily emphasizes the importance of image and appearance, in which the appearance of one’s vehicle also plays a part. Shiny alloy rims and large auto wheels and truck wheels are all part and parcel of the popular image of hip hop culture, and the youth of today have become enamored of that image. While this certainly has no bearing on the practical side of modifying your original auto wheels and truck wheels, the increased exposure of such matters to the public has helped greater numbers of drivers learn of the possibilities.

 

As with any other accessory for your vehicle, you will find a whole range of possibilities and choices when it comes to wheel rims and sizes of auto wheels and truck wheels. The sheer amount of choice may prove overwhelming to some drivers, so it is better that you first obtain an understanding of the different options available to you and how they will affect your vehicle. This will help you narrow down your choices and help you make the best choice possible.

 

If you drive a compact car, your ideal wheel size should lie somewhere within the 13 to 16 inch range, with ideal sizes increasing as the size and weight of your vehicle increases. For truck wheels, ideal rim sizes should fall within the 25 to 30 inch range, or even larger if you often travel over ill-maintained roads.

 

When it comes to rims for your auto wheels and truck wheels, you need to ensure that you do not settle for anything less than top quality. This is because the rim of a wheel is the part of it that has to support the rest of the wheel and absorb the punishment of impacts from the road and other stresses. Purchasing rims made of inferior materials could result in them buckling or collapsing when subject to the stresses of the road, landing you in a major accident.

 

When it comes to rims for auto wheels and truck wheels, the two materials you should consider are alloy and chrome. Alloy is the material most often used in wheel rims, being strong, light and fairly inexpensive. Many cars come originally outfitted with alloy wheel rims.

 

Chrome rims are heavier and more flashy than alloy rims, and they are the favored wheel rims of those who take great pride in the appearance of their vehicles. Being heavier, this also gives them added strength, making chrome rims superior to standard alloy rims. If you wish to purchase chrome rims for your auto wheels or truck wheels, however, you must be prepared to pay more than you would for standard alloy rims, as chrome rims do not come cheaply.

 

Jeff Cook asked:




Now that Cash for Clunkers has been in play for six weeks, we see definitive tremors spreading throughout the auto market. There is no doubt however that CARS has stimulated new and used auto sales beyond everyone’s wildest expectations.

But dealers are nervously sitting on more than $2 billion in expected government reimbursements and still don’t know just how much they are going to collect – or when.

In addition, burgeoning inventories of fuel efficient vehicles have been rapidly depleted and now dealers cannot rid themselves of yesterday’s hot sellers. It seems to some we have merely moved the chairs around on the decks of the Titanic.

However, if you are one of the roughly 1 million consumers looking for a new car in the next four weeks, you are in great shape. Especially if you are one of the 750,000 looking to do something besides a clunker deal.

I spoke with a colleague at a Ford store in north Texas yesterday and he had some surprising news. “We just cannot get enough Ford Rangers,” said Heath Shields, Sales Manager for Holiday Ford in Whitesboro, Texas. “If you had told me that, 6 months or a year ago, I would have called you crazy.”

Ford factories are now working 24/7 to produce enough new Rangers, Focuses and Escapes to keep up with the sudden CARS demand. Toyota and GM are reporting similar activity.

The result? Dealers like Shields are sitting on a larger than normal supply of

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