Not looking after your tyres properly can see you end up in a world of sorrow (Picture © TyreSafe)
Looking after car tyres is one of the easiest elements of motoring. Yet how many times do we look at our cars and not see the tyres? Wheels yes, bodywork yes, but generally tyres can be neglected and taken for granted, even though they’re the greatest contributor to our safety on the road. Continue reading
Track days are a great way of safely finding the limit – of both you and your car (Picture © Vauxhall)
Track days are all about letting drivers have fun in their car in a safe environment away from public roads. They’re not about going faster than the next person or overtaking lots of other cars, despite what some track day regulars might insist. They’re about developing your skills at the wheel and exploring the limits of your driving ability and those of your car. Continue reading
Cars might be ever more sophisticated but police still have to hunt out ones that have been stolen (Picture © Tracker)
You may think car security devices are a thing of the past. After all, less than 100,000 cars a year are stolen in the UK, a sixth of the number being taken illegally in the car-crime ridden 1990s. But a new breed of technically-savvy car thief is on the prowl.
They’re able to hack supposedly sophisticated electronic security systems in seconds meaning increasing numbers of new cars being ‘stolen to order’ by organised criminal gangs. Last month, the UK’s 10 most stolen cars were revealed by Tracker, a maker of car security devices. But even if your car isn’t on that list it could be vulnerable. The answer is to fit additional security. There’s a wide range on the market but only a limited number are recognised as being effective by the insurance industry. Here are the ones its official tester, Thatcham Research, recommends… Continue reading
No, that’s not an outboard motor on the back. It’s complicated test gear to prove the real cost of a roof box (Picture © What Car?)
With the Easter holiday in full swing and many drivers needing extra carrying capacity in their cars, a new investigation has proved that roof boxes reduce mpg. The test, conducted by authoritative magazine What Car?, tested a pair of popular family cars first without a roof box, then with one. Fitting the load lugger reduced economy by more than a third on one of the cars.
While roof boxes appear to reduce mpg, we’ve got some handy hints that drivers can deploy to help limit that decrease in economy. Continue reading
Easter weekend is a good opportunity to give your car some post-winter TLC (Picture © Autoglym)
Spring has sprung and the Easter weekend presents the ideal opportunity to work off some chocolate by doing a car spring clean. Now’s a good time to do it because winter equals salt on the road, which means the car’s bodywork will have been drenched with corrosive liquid for months on end.
Not only does giving it a good clean enable you to spruce up the bodywork, it also means you’ll be up close and personal with your car and able to check for any other wear and tear. As well as regular maintenance such as checking the fluids, here are six top tips for a car spring clean that your motor will really thank you for. Continue reading
The sign says it all (Picture © Potholes.co.uk)
Britain’s roads are getting worse with one in six of them classed as in poor condition. The result is a backlog of 13 years’ worth of required repair work. The most accurate survey into the state of the nation’s carriageways now shows the number of potholes being filled in England and Wales is up by a third to 2.7 million. And it reveals that the amount of compensation paid to drivers whose vehicles have been damaged by unavoidable holes in the road has rocketed. Here are the main findings of the 2015 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey of councils, produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA). Continue reading
Sensible drivers have breakdown cover and ring to be rescued
For some drivers, Friday the 13th really will be unlucky. They’ll be the thousands of car owners whose vehicles break down. Obviously cars are very complex machines with a lot of different components working together. At Green Flag we’re proud of our ability to get members’ cars going again when we attend breakdowns. And last year we helped out nearly 200,000 people. Here are the most popular reasons for calling out our technicians in 2014. Continue reading
Diesel cars have come on hugely since it was first used to fuel the Fiesta in 1984 (Picture © Ford)
Low emission diesel cars are just as friendly for the planet as battery driven or petrol-electric hybrids. That’s the message from car manufacturer trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Its campaign comes after new consumer research revealed that the majority of UK adults – incorrectly – blame cars and commercial vehicles as the biggest cause of air pollution in the UK. Continue reading
Having your car serviced regularly will ensure it runs reliably (Picture © IMI)
The importance of car servicing should never be underestimated. There have been various surveys suggesting that at the height of the recession, increasing numbers of drivers were trying to save money by cutting back on scheduled car maintenance. In Green Flag’s experience at the roadside, it’s evident that many of the breakdowns our technicians attend are the result of cars not being properly looked after. Here’s all you need to know about the importance of sticking to your car manufacturer’s recommended servicing intervals. Continue reading
Using a sat nav app such as Tom Tom on tablets can be a marriage saver (Picture © Fiat)
You may not have heard the term ‘i-sapping’ before, but the majority of drivers suffer from it. I-sapping is when mobile electronic devices are plugged into a car and charged from the vehicle’s battery. However, devices such as satellite navigation systems, smart phones and tablets can leave batteries drained if the cells aren’t in tip top shape. Continue reading
Snow can make for the most hazardous driving conditions (Picture © Renault)
Driving in snow presents car owners with one of their biggest challenges at the wheel. And with an arctic blast prompting forecasters to predict snow for the rest of the week, and some reports suggesting we’ve got a month of icy weather to look forward to, it’s time to be prepared for driving on slippery surfaces.
Research by tyre maker Goodyear showed that less than half of drivers, 48 per cent, ready their car for freezing conditions. Here are some simple steps to prepare for and then actually drive in snow. Continue reading
Wearing a ball gown to inspect your oil in a field might be taking things a bit far… But it’s still important to check it regularly. (Picture © Mobil 1)
If the engine is the heart of your car, the oil is its blood, but checking engine oil is a lot simpler than major surgery! Without oil your engine can’t function as the oil lubricates all the moving parts and ensures your engine leads a long, healthy and happy life. It’s a worry that surveys show the majority of drivers can’t and don’t check the oil level in their cars because if the lubricant level gets too low, an engine will literally grind to a halt. Continue reading
Scrapping an old car in favour of a newer model is a straightforward process (Picture © Ford)
Many of us imagine scrapping an old car involves taking it to a junk yard where a huge crane drops it into a massive machine that compresses a once-loved motor into a suitcase-sized cube. In reality, scrapping cars doesn’t involve a scrap heap at all: in Eurocrat-speak, worn out cars are subjected to recycling and energy recovery as part of the End of Life Vehicle Directive (ELV). And as of 2015, the law demands that an impressive 95 per cent of every new car must be recycled. Continue reading
Electric cars spend a lot of time doing this. That and other myths explained. (Picture © Nissan)
New research from the Government and Britain’s car industry claims 62 per cent of potential car buyers believe the electric car myths that surround battery powered and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The survey by Go Ultra Low reviews drivers’ attitudes to electric or Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs). It claims a third have considered purchasing a ULEV, while nearly a third believe it’s more expensive to buy, own and run a ULEV over five years compared to a conventional car. Here we bust some of the more popular electric car myths. Continue reading
As insurance fraud increases so does the popularity of in-car cameras
In-car cameras or dash cams as they’re more commonly known are rapidly becoming the must-have gadget for drivers. The increase in the number of ‘crash for cash’ scams, where criminals prompt prangs to make hefty compensation claims, is causing law-abiding drivers to fight back. Continue reading
Even a small drop in cost per litre can save big money when you’re filling up. (Picture © Ford)
If you go out of your way to find cheap fuel prices, you won’t be alone. Research shows that 42 per cent of drivers buy their fuel purely on cost. As proof, look no further than a Worcestershire garage that has run out of fuel three times in the past two weeks after its manager slashed fuel prices to just £1.09 for a litre of petrol. Continue reading
Give your car a good clean and work off the Christmas excess while you’re at it. (Picture © Autoglym)
Many drivers rarely give their car a second glance, but our motors do need a bit of TLC. So here are half a dozen ways you can clean and care for your car in the harsh winter weather Continue reading
Car maintenance such as topping up screen wash isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. But there are some things drivers really should be able to do to ensure their cars are as roadworthy as possible.
Filling up the screen wash is quick and easy and it could save your life.
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\\\\\\ Cars are getting cleverer with self-parking functions. But parking spaces are becoming smaller. (Picture © Nissan)
As cars are getting bigger, parking spaces are staying the same size, prompting an increase in the number of people claiming for low-speed damage. According to new figures, Britain’s drivers are having to spend between £500million and £760m a year on repairs. Continue reading
Puncture repair kits are increasingly replacing spare wheels
For drivers it’s a modern dilemma: to have a spare wheel or not. On the one hand there’s the risk of being one of the 23,000 drivers Green Flag attended in 2013 who were stranded at the side of the road because they didn’t have a spare wheel. On the other there’s the fuel and therefore tax you might save by not carrying the extra weight of a spare wheel that you might never use. Continue reading