Top up your fluids before hitting the road (Picture © Prestone)
The weather drives the breakdown business and the heat of summer provides its own very special challenges for cars and technicians alike. Continue reading
Low oil pressure is a common cause of breakdowns (Picture © Mobil 1)
The nature of breakdowns changes between winter and summer. In the winter we’re called out to faults that tend to be relatively easy to find and fix. In the summer, faults are more serious because the heat tends to place more stress on critical components.
Here are five of the typical faults we see in hot weather. Continue reading
Nearly half of towing related crashes happen in summer (Picture © TyreSafe)
Thousands of the drivers who tow caravans and trailers will end up being stranded by the roadside this summer. According to figures from the Highways England, there were nearly 5000 towing-related incidents in 2013 with almost half happening between July and September.
The primary causes of accidents and breakdowns include overloading the caravan or trailer, a mismatch with the towing vehicle, burst tyres and poor towing technique. Highways England spokesman Andy Withington said: “We encourage anyone towing during the holiday season to prepare before they set out and take a few simple steps once they are on the road to avoid becoming involved in an incident.”
Highways England’s advice is to: Continue reading
View out to sea from Beachy Head (Picture © VisitEastbourne.com)
Where: Sussex, where the South Downs roll into the sea
When to drive it: Any season
Essential stop: Brighton Pier and Chichester
Perfect stay: Crab & Lobster, Pagham Harbour
If your idea of a great drive requires a good view, then the perfect drive in Sussex has to begin at one of the most majestic coastline vistas of all: Beachy Head. Continue reading
Basic errors can mean an abandoned holiday. (Picture © TyreSafe)
It’s frequently the simplest things that catch people out. Sam Jackson explains how many of the drivers Green Flag helps to get on the road again could have avoided the problem or minimised the impact if they hadn’t made the simplest of errors. Here are some of the most common mistakes drivers make when travelling abroad. Continue reading
Driving abroad involves much more than simply coping with being on the wrong side of the road; there are some standard laws that must be obeyed, regardless of your destination. For example: you must have your driving licence, insurance and vehicle registration documents wherever you travel. And cars must be equipped with GB stickers and headlight beam converters.
It’s also a good idea to carry your passport. You will need identification if the police stop you. But although we’re supposedly one happy European family, other laws and rules differ from country to country. Whether it’s equipment you need to pack or regulations you must obey, it’s a minefield of legislation out there. Follow this quick and easy country-by-country guide so you don’t get caught out. Continue reading
Basic checks to help make for a happy holiday (Picture © Europcar)
Assuming you’ve prepared properly for driving abroad you’ll have all the kit and paperwork you need for your car. Green Flag’s Sam Jackson runs through the things to remember when you land on Continental soil.
Driving slowly and steadily is the key to not getting stuck in mud (© Volvo)
Rain and festivals go together like Dolly Parton and a guitar. Whatever the weather this year, rain means festival sites become mud baths with quagmires for car parks. Follow the Green Flag guide on how not to get stuck in a rut.
Inspect under the bonnet before going on holiday (© Comma)
Driving to your holiday destination is a brilliant way of seeing places and meeting people that you wouldn’t ordinarily come into contact with. But taking your car abroad can lay you open to trouble if you’re not fully prepared. Here Green Flag’s Sam Jackson gives seven tips for a trouble free motoring holiday. Continue reading
Car parking (© Ford)
Every year millions of parking tickets are issued in the UK. And that means drivers are forking hundreds of millions in fines. But there’s good news for anyone who’s had the little plastic packet stuck to their windscreen: a significant proportion are successfully challenged.
Buyers are urged to buy only EuroNCAP five-star cars such as the Volvo XC90
Drivers can’t do anything about lowering the cost of fuel, but they can drive more economically to save money. And so it is with car insurance: by law, we must all be insured, but there are proactive steps drivers can take to reduce the cost of cover significantly. That is good news, because insuring the car is estimated to make up around 15 per cent of an average driver’s yearly running costs, according to CAP Automotive, the vehicle valuation experts. Here are a dozen top tips to follow which can help reduce your insurance premium.
Parking ticket on windscreen (© ronfromyork / Shutterstock)
We asked four motoring experts what they thought of the Government’s four-fold increase in fines for speeding on motorways. Continue reading
If you care about your car, or more to the point, about how much it will be worth when the time comes to sell it, you need to know about what will devalue it. From smoking inside to letting kids run riot, there are many ways to inflict lasting damage that will put buyers off your motor. Here are the top 10 that drivers would do well to avoid.
shutterstock / Fotosenmeer
Breaking down could make your bank holiday weekend memorable for all the wrong reasons. But the vast majority of breakdowns are avoidable. Less than five minutes spent checking your car over at home could save you the time and potential hassle of breaking down by the side of the road. Continue reading
Drivers who want to sell their car privately and successfully need to know how to write a clear and concise advert for potential buyers. The wording of a classified advert is likely to dictate how successful they are at attracting people’s attention. Prospective car buyers don’t want to read a literary masterpiece: they’re looking for something that describes a car to suit their requirements. The more relevant an ad is – to both the type of car and typical owner – the more likely it is that someone will take an interest and enquire.
As well as showing off the car you’re selling, you’re also showing off yourself as a responsible owner who’s (hopefully) cared for that car. The more honest and straightforward you can be, the more likely people will consider what you’re offering to be a good buy. And the more potential buyers you have, the more likely you are to sell the car and maximise its value.
Where: Cumbria – Bluebells, Romans and railways
When to drive it: Spring
Essential stop: Allen Banks
Perfect stay: Crown Hotel, Wetheral, Carlisle
In our Great British Drives series we’ll be showcasing fantastic family days out by car. In this first piece we go to the north Pennines, Cumbria and Northumberland for a 70-mile round trip that takes in some of the most dramatic scenery in the British isles, along with a few attractions to keep the kids amused… Continue reading
There are approximately two million new car and seven million used car sales every year in the UK. For most of those drivers, the greatest dilemma is how to is sell their old car to help fund buying the new model.
Our guide to selling a car examines the best options for shifting your current car so you can replace it with something newer and shinier.
The particles produced by diesel engines are killing 7000 Britons a year. Experts want diesel engined cars banned from cities. But talk to enough people and you’ll find an argument to justify almost anything. Continue reading
The £54.85 MOT test is often seen as an annual expense drivers could do without, but it’s an important safety check that must not be ignored.
We’ve already shown how to cut the cost of the test by conducting your own pre-MOT inspection. Another way of ensuring you pay a minimum for your car’s yearly health check is to consider the many locations that can carry out an MOT test today. Here are the options drivers can choose from.
Owning a new or used car is more attainable than ever thanks to the increasing acceptance of finance agreements. However, using credit to buy or own a car means consumers are exposed to a world of jargon and acronyms, which can be daunting at best and confusing and misleading at worst. We’ve already outlined the most common ways of using finance to pay for a car. This guide explains the most common terms and abbreviations so that car buyers can easily figure out the difference between their GAP and GMFV along with other common finance jargon. Continue reading
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