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One leasing company has finally taken the initiative and decided to make inspections of vehicles at the end of a lease a little more comfortable for the drivers by arranging for a joint inspection in order to alleviate refurbishment costs. A joint inspection is carried out by a qualified and independent vehicle inspector along with the driver. Will it improve the situation? We will see. If you have had a nightmare experience why not share it with me? We can only address the problem if we know how bad it is. By Graham Hill

A survey by Fuelcard Company found that 21% of 2,000 commercial vehicle drivers leave their engines running while making deliveries leaving themselves open to vehicle theft. I would suggest that they may need to check their insurance policies to see if the drivers void their policies by being irresponsible. Not least of which there is a substantial amount of fuel being used unnecessarily. By Graham Hill

It’s gadget time again! Just as I was adjusting myself to touch screen technology in cars with the new touch screens able to control the sat nav, heating system, on board computer and stereo I’m told it is now old hat! The new technology about to be introduced is hover technology whereby you simply hover your finger over the key you would have previously touched on the screen and the screen senses it Read more »

Cars are getting wider and the question is being asked why? Are the manufacturers on a mission to increase replacement door mirrors after they are pretty much smashed to pieces after being clipped by an oncoming car, in ever tighter roads carrying bus lanes and cycle lanes? It certainly seems that way. Or is there another reason? No one seems to know, it is either a bit of subterfuge as I’ve suggested or are they all Read more »

We have a bit of an exclusive from GHA Finance this week. I am often fighting with dealers and my quoting systems to get the keenest rates for my clients. But whilst we try to get the rates as low as possible customers see this as the only area where they can make cost savings when changing their cars. In fact this shouldn’t be the end of the journey, it should be the start. There are many things you can do to minimise your transport costs which we have discussed in the past such as:  Read more »

Just as we were hoping to see more lease deals come through and rates start to drop CAP, the used car valuation company, has announced a weakening of the used car market and prices through auction starting to fall slightly. Mike Hind of CAP said that he wasn’t too concerned as ‘This is not the same dynamic as the panic of 2008.’ Although he went on to point out that the market is at its weakest for 12 months with no Read more »

As companies look at various ways to raise money, as we slowly emerge from recession, some are now looking at their company cars as a possible way to raise funds for expansion. For those that don’t want to approach their bank to increase their borrowings this could be a good alternative. The scheme, known as sale and leaseback, is an arrangement between a leasing company and the customer whereby the leasing Read more »

I’m grateful to Auto Express for the story about the driver in London Ontario who was clocked doing 66mph in a 31mph zone. As Auto Express said, because they’re all a bunch of comics there, his excuse for speeding, when stopped by the police, didn’t hold much water when he explained that he had been speeding to dry his car after washing it, get it (groan)? It may however turn out to be the most expensive car wash he’s ever had because, if convicted, he could face a fine of up to $2,000 (£1,300). They finished their report by saying that the car would be impounded for 7 days at the owner’s expense, lets hope it’s in dry storage (G falls off seat in hysterical laughter). By Graham Hill

On the subject of grey fleets, ALD Automotive who provide fleets with licence checking services, have highlighted the need to constantly check employee licences if they are expected to drive their own cars on company business. Their advice followed the discovery of a driver who had received 16 years of bans in a space of just 16 weeks. ALD first checked his licence in 2009 and noted that he had received a 12 Read more »

Now here’s a funny story! There has been a lot of  criticism over the way that companies encourage their staff to use their own car (known as the grey fleet) for business use. There are many health and safety implications but the criticism has been aimed at companies that don’t vet the vehicles that are being used and are taking a cavalier attitude towards the environment and the way that they are happy for their Read more »