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If you have a fairly recent BMW you will need to keep an eye out for low flying birds using your car as a toilet! There has been a lot of publicity recently about lime damage caused to BMW paintwork because of lime in the pooh, according to BMW. They go on to say that they will not pay for any re-sprays as a result of damage caused by bird’s mess as the damage is caused ‘as a result of outside influence’. Not good Read more »

The renowned Graham Hill car review of the week looks at the new Mercedes CL Coupe, one of the last cars to be given a much needed makeover. We had a really cheap deal on some CL 500’s about 2 years ago which caused a massive stir and lots of enquiries so it just shows that what some saw as a bit of a relic still has some life in it and improved immensely by the makeover. The CL 500 is the 2dr coupe version Read more »

There’s all sorts of confusion about the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% next January. The increase affects vehicles in different ways. If, as a business, you buy a car outright you cannot claim back any VAT at all, there is a 100% block. Even if the car is a pool car and only available for use by employees for occasional personal use (and not necessarily used by them) the 100% block will be applied. Even if an employee Read more »

So do you know what clay is? No, dopey, not the stuff you make teapots out of , clay that you use on cars! OK I hadn’t heard of it either but apparently its amazing at cleaning car paintwork after the car has been washed but before you polish it (what’s that then?). It’s one of those secret products that valetting companies use to turn your 5 year old car into something that looks as if it has just come out of the showroom. Read more »

It was over 2 years ago that I started to write articles claiming that the motor industry would be transformed by the creative use of video. In the US, where buyers can travel hundreds of miles just to view a used car, only to decide that they don’t like the wheels fitted or the colour of the interior, badly wasting our diminishing oil supplies, they came up with an ingenious way of taking videos of the car, as directed by the Read more »

Over the years I have put forward many reasons why you should opt for Dealer HP over a personal loan (contrary to all advice given in the media). Your legal rights are so much greater when you take HP. If you have read my book An Insider Guide To Car Finance, or been a regular reader of my newsletter, you would know the reasons that I put forward. However, I have just uncovered a new one that you may Read more »

Warnings have been issued about dealers and manufacturers who refuse to carry out warranty work because the vehicle hasn’t been serviced by a main dealer. This is illegal and flies in the face of the revised EU Block Exemption rules that came into force in 2002. In a case taken up by What Car a lady, Nocola West, had a Vauxhall Astra that developed a radiator fault that ended up putting water in the gearbox. The dealer Read more »

Autoglass carried out a survey to see what distracted motorists most. Whilst not top of the list and it depends who and when the survey was carried out children in the car distracted a high number of drivers, in fact 36%. The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) reported that back seat brawls reduced reaction levels of the driver to that of those driving on the drink drive limit. Direct Line commissioned the study which Read more »

Just off on holiday abroad? Well if you are thinking of hiring a car you should arrange it before you leave according to Holiday Autos. They are reporting an increase of around £100 per week in some resorts as the rental companies attempt to offset the effects of the recession onto holidaying Brits. For example a 7 day hire in say Palma Majorca.now costs an average of £247 compared to £142 12 months ago and £93 in Read more »

This week the renowned Graham Hill in depth car review is focused on the new Mini alternative, the Audi A1. The Audi A1 is better. So there you have it, all you need to know when making that vital decision between the cars although I would say that personally I still prefer the shape of the Mini and the fact that it is built in the UK and although engine for engine the Audi is more powerful and economic than the Mini Read more »