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DEKRA, Germany’s equivalent to our AA or RAC, has voted the Vauxhall Insignia as Europe’s most reliable car. The findings came about following 15 million inspections of 230 different models so a pretty significant survey. DEKRA is highly regarded for its independent inspections and testing. The Insignia came out on top with more than 96% failure free. Good news for GM as their Corsa topped the chart last year. In second and third place came the Ford Fiesta (95.8%) and the Toyota Prius (95.6%). So surprise surprise we have made the Insignia our deal of the week. Do you run an Insignia, has it been reliable for you? By Graham Hill

Monday 20^th December has turned out to be the worst day for insurance call outs this winter. Claims rose by 60% on the day. The treacherous conditions led to 500 separate cases being registered with the AA making it the second busiest day of all time. The busiest was 561 registered last January. On a normal Monday there are 330 calls. According to the AA drivers were slipping and sliding all over the place, running into lampposts, bollards, running up kerbs and colliding with other vehicles. And Read more »

Warranty Direct, the aftermarket warranty provider has calculated the average winter breakdown bill to be £408. When they carried out the exercise they found that the most frequently claimed items were ignition coils, thermostats, fuel injection pumps, and central locking motors. They stated that ignition coils were the most likely of the components to fail in winter with there being a 283% greater chance of failing in the winter than in the summer. The most expensive to fix are automatic torque Read more »

In 2008 there were 14 million sat navs in use in the UK, by now it is assumed that over half of all cars on the UK roads (30 million) now has a driver with a sat nav. According to psychologist Dr Victoria Bourne, writing in Fleet News, research shows that up to 78% of accidents are caused by distractions. The question is – are sat navs more distracting than a mobile phone? A secondary question is – are sat navs less distracting than a paper map? The reason why the safety experts and police are Read more »

After years of warnings in my newsletter and on my blog the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has acknowledged that there are crooks offering leasing online who con consumers and small businesses out of money. I have had countless letters and emails over the years from those that have leased vehicles saying that they have lost money by trusting online leasing providers who had great web sites and extremely friendly and helpful phone support. They certainly Read more »

As you know, I try to report some of the most dopey things that happen in the motor industry. This week insurance companies come under fire. As I have reported on several occasions there is a strong move towards having two sets of tyres, one set for the summer and another set for the harsher winters we seem to be experiencing. For some it seems to make sense and I must say in the last dumping of the white stuff I’m sure that if I had winter tyres fitted I would have been able to drive my care Read more »

If you are into your apps there’s a new one from Toyota that keeps a check on your driving through a glass of water. Not real water but an app glass of water for your Apple device. You put your iPhone into the cup holder (get it) and it shows a glass of water which you must attempt not to spill. Clearly the smoother your driving the less chance there is of spilling it. The app records key information such as journey distance, time, fuel returns and water spilled. As a result Toyota claims that drivers could save as much as 10% of their fuel. To get the app log on to www.aglassofwater.org What do you think, worthwhile or just another novelty? By Graham Hill

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• Graham Hill Gadget Of The Week – Amazing! (thebestcarfinanceblog.co.uk)

The latest re-call of cars has come out of VW both of which have involved fuel pipe faults that could cause fires. The recall includes 370,000 cars consisting of Jettas, Jetta estates and Golf models sold between 2007 and 2009. A small plastic tab could cause a fuel pipe leak. The second fault is on the 2.5 litre Beetle. A clamp in the power steering system could pierce the fuel supply line. I was starting to wonder who on the planet would own a 2.5 litre Beetle and it was then announced that all Read more »

In Derbyshire police are looking for volunteers to point hand held guns at offending motorists. From March 2011 trained locals will be out in force on key stretches of road, clocking those exceeding the limit and passing on details to the police. There are similar ‘community speedwatch’ schemes cropping up all over the country so there could be one coming to you soon. The police cannot prosecute motorists found speeding but they send a letter warning them about their driving which they believe has the necessary effect. By Graham Hill

After a short respite it seems that the GATSO’s that were switched off earlier this year, due to withdrawn grants to run them, are set to be switched back on. The 72 cameras in Oxfordshire that were switched off in July will be switched back on in April 2011. A new agreement, adopted by 24 police forces, will mean that they will be given a portion of the cash collected from drivers who attend awareness courses in lieu of points on their licences. Whilst this will again cause those who are against Read more »