Car clocking, buying stolen – what used car buyers must look out for

Car clocking

Digital mileage counters were supposed to stop clocking. They haven’t

Car clocking is on the increase. One in four used cars are sold with outstanding finance. Thirty stolen cars are sold every day. Scam emails from the DVLA. Dodgy V5C log books. Despite all the checks in place, the used car buyer has never been more at risk. We outline the threats and how you can combat them.

Car clocking

The practice of rewinding a vehicle’s mileage to boost its value increased by 10 per cent in 2015, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). In the last eight months of 2015, the LGA claims that millions of miles were wiped off car mileage clocks by dodgy car dealers.

How do you spot car clocking? Continue reading →

James Foxall 1 Comment

Car safety jargon buster: Know your ABS from your AEB and ESC

Car safety jargon buster

Everyone knows what airbags do but not so many understand SRS

Car owners are being confused with the initials car companies use for their safety devices. These acronyms, such as ABS and ESC are bandied about to describe vital safety equipment. But recent studies have shown showed that car buyers are being left so puzzled by the acronyms that safety is now only the 10th most important factor when it comes to buying a car. It’s considered less important than colour, appearance and brand.

We’ve devised this handy car safety jargon buster to help owners and car buyers figure out what the kit they already own or might be about to buy does.

Car safety jargon buster

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Wild thing: Car travel with pets – how to keep them safe on journeys

Car travel with pets

Pets can bring an enormous amount of pleasure to their owners. But car travel with pets can be as stressful for the humans as it is for the animals. Whether it’s with man’s best friend or a family feline favourite, travelling with pets in a car requires careful planning to keep people and pets safe.

For those that haven’t driven with pets in the car before, this beginner’s guide is aimed at covering all the basics for national and international travel. If any seasoned travellers have more tips for keeping pets safe in a car, please share them in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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Buying bangers: All you need to know about buying older cars

Buying bangers

Just because a car’s a bit older doesn’t mean it has to be scrapped. Read our tips on how to buy an older model.

Buying bangers isn’t for everybody but it might just make sense. You might need a cheap car quickly. Or perhaps you’re fed up with pouring money into new cars that seem to lose their value quicker than you can make the monthly payments. Continue reading →

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Quiz: See how many of these British road signs you can identify

Quiz: Can you identify all of these British road signs?

Our proud nation produces more than its fair share of proud drivers: car owners who like to think they’re handy behind the wheel and know it all when it comes to the rules of the road. But how many of us really know the true meaning of the huge number of British road signs that we have to identify to stay safe?

After all, it may be decades since you took your driving test, and years since you last looked at the Highway Code.

So why not step up to the challenge and try identifying these 10 common British road signs?

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In-car games: I-Spy beats iphones. Old favourites are best for long drives

In-car games

Keeping kids smiling when you’re on a long trip can be a challenge

Old-style in-car games such as I-Spy are the most popular ways to occupy kids on road trips. They beat smartphones and tablets, which astonishingly, are among the least popular choices to keep young passengers happy on car journeys.

New research by YouGov for garage rating organisation Motor Codes tallied with a recent study by Green Flag which found that travelling together is an opportunity to spend quality time with the family. The increasingly popular driving holiday is seen as a time for families to ditch technology in favour of entertainment that encourages creativity, learning and laughs for the whole family.

Looking out of the window and playing age-old observational in-car games such as I-Spy were cited by more than 60 per cent of drivers as the best way to keep youngsters entertained. This was the particular favourite of 18 to 24 year olds and over 55s.

Great in-car games to play with kids

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Expert advice: How to stay safe driving at night

Driving at night

The roads might be quieter at night but they can also be more dangerous

When we’re heading off on our summer holidays, many of us choose driving at night because the roads are quieter after dark. It can make for a quicker, cheaper and less stressful journey. But it can also be more dangerous.

According to government figures, around four out of 10 road accidents occur after dark. Considering there are generally fewer cars on the road at night, that’s a significant proportion.

Around 90 per cent of the information we use when driving is processed through our vision. When it’s dark, our ability to see things obviously decreases. That means it takes longer to spot pedestrians and other road users, road signs and traffic signals. So here are some tips for staying safe on the road when you’re driving at night.

Clean up your act

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Digital tech puts future classic cars at risk of disappearing

Future classic cars

McLaren has to use a 20-year-old computer to keep its F1 supercar running (Picture © McLaren)

Many future classic cars are in danger of extinction because the technology that helps them run is disappearing. The vehicles are the so-called digital generation: cars from the mid-1980s onwards that feature electronic components. The problem is such a serious one it has been flagged up by the Federation Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA), the worldwide old car conservation body.  Continue reading →

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Quiz: Do you know what all of these common French road signs mean?

Quiz: Do you know all of these common French road signs?

British holiday makers and France go together like a slice of camembert on a freshly baked baguette with a glass of Bordeaux wine. A staggering 17 million Britons visit France every year, and whether they’re living it up in the City of Light or unwinding in Provence, one thing is certain: millions use their car to explore la belle France.

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Used car tourism: Second-hand car buyers travel for cheaper prices

Used car tourism

Car dealers visit auctions all over the country to get the best price. Now private buyers are travelling too (Picture © BCA)

Used car tourism is on the rise with car buyers being urged to travel to take advantage of the regional variation in car prices. Popular used cars can be more than £1000 cheaper depending on where you buy them across Britain.

Used car valuation service CAP HPI has revealed that it found a three-year old Audi A1 selling for £1600 less in Nottingham compared to a similar model in the south east of the country. The result has seen an increase in drivers travelling from one part of the country to another to take advantage of cheaper used car prices elsewhere, according to one expert.

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Hire car tips: Advice that can save money and hassle on car rental

Hire car tips

We’ve prepared these hire car tips after research found drivers planning to rent a car this summer are likely to face a disappointing experience. Almost one in 10 travellers have arrived to collect their hire car only to find that none are available. One in five have had to queue for more than half an hour at the rental company desk. And nearly one in five said they found the process of collecting a hire car a stressful experience.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Almost a third of drivers were unexpectedly given a better car than they expected. The findings are the results of a YouGov survey. It discovered that Continue reading →

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Expert advice: Simple car checks for a super summer holiday

Simple car checks

You don’t want your summer holiday spoilt by car trouble. Our simple car checks can help prevent it

Every summer, millions of British drivers set off in the car for their annual holiday. It’s an exciting time, but sometimes in the rush to get away simple car checks can be overlooked. And for thousands of drivers, the holiday is ruined by unexpected problems with their car – most of which could have been avoided.

I know the problems that strike drivers’ cars most frequently. So follow these simple car checks designed to prevent your car conking out when you need it the most.

Have your car serviced

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Mum and Dad’s taxi service is worth up to £28,000 a year

Mum and Dad’s taxi service is worth up to £28,000 a year

It’s a common grumble amongst parents across Britain: life can feel like it’s a constant cycle of Mum and Dad’s taxi service. Now research reveals how much time the typical parent spends ferrying their kids around – and the numbers could cause a family squabble.

A total of 2000 parents who drove were asked to share their driving history. On average every month, Brits clock up nearly 12 hours at the wheel, make 47 car journeys and travel 250 miles. In London, that would be the equivalent to £28,000 a year in taxi bills.

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Which is the best cross channel ferry route?

Best cross channel ferry route

The cross channel ferry route you choose will doubtless be influenced by multiple factors. For most people, cost – or lack of it – is the priority. But there are other things to consider that could save you money in the long term.

Although every geography student knows Dover-Calais is the shortest route across the channel, Calais isn’t actually that convenient for accessing much of France. So what you save in cheap ferry fares you might pay for in fuel and tolls because of the longer land journey. Throw in that Calais can become jammed up through grieving French workers or migrants and it might be worth looking at alternative ways of crossing the channel. Here’s your choice.

Dover-Calais car ferry Continue reading →

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Five brilliant European drives that will thrill you this summer

Brilliant European drives

You don’t have to do the Stelvio Pass in a classic car to appreciate the views

British drivers are being encouraged to embrace motoring abroad after Green Flag outlined five brilliant European drives. The campaign comes as research reveals that 32 per cent of Brits avoid driving abroad. The language barrier, local drivers, and reading road signs puts us off driving in foreign countries.

Nick Reid, head of transformation at Green Flag, said: “Europe is such a beautiful holiday destination, it is a shame to see how many of us are avoiding taking road trips on the Continent.” Have a look at what you might be missing with our five brilliant European drives.

Stelvio Pass, Italy

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How to check if your car needs manufacturer recall repairs

Recall repairs

Vehicle makers’ franchised dealers will carry out recall repairs free of charge (Picture © Mercedes)

A new service has been launched for drivers to check if their car needs to go in for manufacturer recall repairs. This work is called for when specific parts or systems prove faulty on a large number of similar cars. Recently, Vauxhall had to issue a second recall for its Zafira family car’s electrical components causing fires after the first fix proved ineffective. And in 2009, Toyota had to recall around nine million cars world wide, including 180,000 in Britain, because of a problem with unintended acceleration.

To enable drivers to check if their car has been subject to a recall, data company HPI has unveiled a new service to enable drivers to have someone carry out a recall check on their behalf. You simply enter the vehicle registration and HPI does the detective work for you, for £2.99. But it will only save you about 10 minutes and there are cheaper alternatives.

How to check for free if a car has been recalled

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Hiring cars abroad: drivers urged to ‘know before they go’ as complaints surge

Hiring cars abroad

Drivers are being urged to plan their car hire carefully to avoid problems

The number of drivers grumbling about problems hiring cars abroad is on the up. Complaints against car hire companies in 2015 increased by almost 7 per cent compared with the previous year. The rise has been reported by the UK European Consumer Centre (UKECC), the UK-based consumer advice organisation that people complain to if they’ve had a bad experience with foreign based companies.

The increase comes despite the big five hire car companies ‑ Avis-Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt – pledging to conform more closely with legislation designed to protect consumers. However, the number of complaints has dropped compared to the year before. Andy Allen, UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) director, said: “Complaints about car hire the previous year (2014) rose by just over 23 per cent, so it’s good to see that the rate of increase of car hire complaints has started to drop but disappointing that the figure is still rising at all.”

What the car hire companies promised Continue reading →

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Find your car’s true pollution thanks to new on-road tests

Car's true pollution

You might think you know how polluting your car is from official figures. On-road tests will be more accurate

Finding your car’s true pollution would have been nearly impossible as recently as a few months ago. But now you can discover the true emissions  – harmful and otherwise – pumped out of its exhaust pipe. It’s courtesy of a company called Emissions Analytics which tests cars’ real-world performance for emissions and economy.

By measuring their miles per gallon and pollution output on the road, rather than in a lab like the official figures do, Emissions Analytics can build up a picture of how cars really perform. Just as you’ve probably found out for yourself that your car’s real-life economy differs from that claimed by its manufacturer, so its carbon dioxide (CO2) output is different too. Now, as well as your car’s true output of nitrogen oxide , you can find its real carbon dioxide output, as well as its genuine miles per gallon in every day motoring.

Which were the worst cars for real CO2?

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Driverless cars: Queen’s Speech will help make them reality in 10 years

Driverless cars

Some Volvos now have Pilot Assist which takes complete control at low speeds (Picture © Volvo)

Driverless cars will be a reality within a decade and a proposed new bill that’s part of the Queen’s Speech will pave the way for it. The Queen has revealed legislation that will be introduced to allow driverless cars to be insured with regular policies. The government hopes it will result in cars that are autonomous (control themselves) becoming a common sight by 2025.

Currently, the insurance industry believes 94 per cent of crashes are caused by human error. Driverless cars would cut this figure significantly. Independent organisation Thatcham Research, which works with the insurers to assess how expensive cars are to repair, has put together this timeline on how we’ll move into a world of driverless cars. Continue reading →

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Expert advice: choosing engine oil for your car

Choosing engine oil

Your car needs engine oil. You need to choose the right kind

Cars are now so sophisticated that choosing engine oil has never been so important. Some require different oils to others. Get this wrong over a period of time and you could cause irreparable damage to your motor. On top of that, the engine oil you choose can make a difference to fuel economy and how long your car can go between services without performance deteriorating or vital components getting damaged.

On the upside, advances in engine oil technology mean that modern engines will cover ever greater mileages in their life time. Here’s my guide to choosing engine oil that will achieve that. Continue reading →

Mike Shaw 3 Comments