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There has been an increase in the number of employees who have either opted for cash for cars or been expected to use their own cars for business in exchange for a cash payment. Either way there is a responsibility on the employer to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and properly maintained as well as properly insured for business use. There is a grey area for employers who, in the event of an accident, in Read more »

Whilst the number of new cars fitted with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), also known as Electronic Stability Program (ESP), is increasing, following a push by inventors Bosch and the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO), to inform car buyers of the benefits, more private buyers are having the safety device fitted than fleet buyers. Department for Transport research suggests ESC equipped vehicles are 25% less Read more »

From the 1^st April 2010 the new showroom tax is being introduced to severely penalise the most polluting cars. In addition the annual road fund licence (tax) increases also. In essence the showroom tax includes the first year’s road fund licence. The bandings run from A to M with A representing cars with CO2 emissions of less than 100 g/km with M representing cars emitting 265 g/km or more. For vehicles emitting Read more »

My Mercedes is being a bit of a pain. Since I got it a year ago the dealer has had two tries at sorting out two warning lights that came on unexpectedly, one related to the tyre pressures and the other the ESP system. I asked if I could drive the car safely and they pointed out that as the warning lights were orange and not red, as long as I checked my tyre pressures all should be ok till I could get the car in for repair a Read more »

According to the Auto Trader Compare survey BMW drivers are the worst on the road, however, if you look at the number of insurance claims compared to the number of cars insured a different picture emerges. It would seem that whilst BMW drivers are pretty adept at annoying other drivers they manage to avoid accidents, according to the survey results published by car insurer swiftcover.com. The Read more »

Auto Trader Compare, the insurance comparison site set up by Autotrader, the UK’s largest motoring website, carried out a survey to find out which drivers are considered to be the worst amongst motorists. The worst drivers, as voted by a massive 59% of respondents, are BMW drivers. They are accused of  various bad driving habits including – driving too fast (68%), overtaking in dangerous situations (66%), Read more »

I’ve pointed out the importance of correct tyre pressures in the past but during the recent bad weather many motorists are believed to have dropped their tyre pressures in order to increase the grip on roads covered in ice and packed snow. It is important, if you did this, to re-inflate to the correct pressure. In fact, according to compressor manufacturer Ring Automotive, you should check your tyre pressures Read more »

I’m not sure how useful this information is or what real conclusions can be drawn but I found it interesting so am passing it on. Under the Freedom of  Information Act the BBC obtained data regarding MOT failures and Business Car  analysed the figures to identify which cars had the highest pass rates and which cars had the highest fail rate. The statistics are based on 2004 registered cars that were MOT tested for the Read more »

Carsite, the online reseller of ex lease cars, has used their experience gained over the last few years to identify the top 10 contributors to a sharp intake of breath from the car dealer, when you part exchange your car, which results in much less being offered for you car than would have been otherwise. They have even suggested what the dealer is likely to knock off his offer as a result. Some things are damage items such Read more »

I have been asked on many occasions what a DSG gearbox is. As the question came up in the latest edition of What Car I thought I’d cover it. The simple explanation is that unlike a fully automatic box which has no clutch, just a torque converter, a DSG or Direct Shift Gearbox is an automated manual box with two clutches. Whilst in one gear the next gear is effectively pre-selected which allows for much faster gear Read more »