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Are you finding it harder to fill up with fuel these days? It wouldn’t be surprising if you are because we’re losing filling stations like they’re going out of fashion, probably because they’re, umm, err, well, going out of fashion.We have seen a drop of 60% over the last 20 years from 21,000 at the peak to just 8,500 now. At the same time the number of cars Read more »

To continue with the tips. There’s nothing worse than driving on a mucky road following a thaw and the washer fluid is frozen, again it’s illegal if you can’t see out of the windscreen. Coolant is another item that needs to be addressed. The correct concentration is essential if you are to avoid freezing. The coolant also acts as a lubricant and prevents Read more »

If you have had a lease quote from me recently you will probably have had a quote including maintenance, even though you may not have asked for it, especially for cars on low annual mileage. This is because a couple of the leasing companies have gone back to the days of trying to encourage drivers to have their cars serviced on time by making Read more »

Most people know that they can now have their cars and commercials serviced and maintained at no franchised garages and still retain the warranty on the vehicle. However, I have always suggested that customers who choose to have servicing carried out by non franchised dealers ask the garage to use manufacturer own parts. I say this as I don’t Read more »

The latest, and potential ongoing, problems with the US economy means that the future of the US dollar is becoming a lot less predictable. One of the downsides to this is the global use of the US dollar to set oil prices. Whilst countries around the world have pushed to change this method of establishing prices it looks as though we’re stuck with it for the Read more »

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Years ago when run flat tyres were introduced they seemed like a great idea but drivers were then told that they couldn’t mix up run flats with conventional tyres and you couldn’t get a puncture repaired. Once the tyre had been punctures, whilst the run flat would get you home the bad news was that you then needed to replace the tyre. However, I have found out that this isn’t necessarily the case. It was highlighted recently when a lady driver managed to get a nail in her run flat tyre fitted to a Read more »

If you are a regular reader of my blog and newsletter you will have read my recommendation that if you are applying for insurance online that you change the parameters around when you state whether your car is parked in a garage, on a drive or on the street. We found that many applicants lie about their garage, which is full of kids toys and the freezers, but thinking that a garaged car would save money say that the car is usually in the garage overnight. Or at worst parked on their drive. In Read more »

Dealerships and garages are still failing which means that whether you are buying new or used from a dealer you need to use the credit card technique that I recently explained in order to protect yourself between paying for a car and taking delivery. According to Experian 35 garages and related businesses failed in July this year compared to 50 last year. So whilst it is an improvement it’s not worth taking the risk and don’t forget that using the credit card technique could help to increase your Read more »

It would seem that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is about to clean up the act of used car dealers (fat chance). It will be issuing new guidelines later this year when consultations are completed on 12^th March. The action has been taken as a result of used car complaints topping the list of complaints received over the past 3 years by Consumer Direct, the Government’s independent advice service. In 2008 Read more »

Contract hire companies are becoming more difficult when it comes to end of lease condition. Also, whilst new cars retain their warranty, when they are serviced at non franchised garages (dealerships), you need to be certain that the servicing meets the manufacturers recommendations.  So in the case of cars having body repairs carried out you need to know that they are repaired properly to avoid the Read more »