Vans Become More Dangerous As Companies Suffer

Saturday, 21. August 2010

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Image via Wikipedia

According to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) around half of vans on UK roads fail spot safety checks suggesting that van fleets are wilfully disregarding mechanical defects and ignoring the need for regular maintenance checks. Their findings show that van fleet offences now exceed those of HGV’s and PSV’s. More than half of the 21,000 vans checked last year uncovered mechanical defects compared Read more »

Graham Hill’s Gadget Of The Week Stops You Forgetting Your Mobile Phone

Saturday, 21. August 2010

Mobile Phone showing multimedia options
Image by johnmuk via Flickr

This week’s gadget of the week is for those that rely on their mobile phones but have a habit of dashing out without it and realising half way to their destination that they are without their precious phone. The device called a Bringrr links in with the phone through a Bluetooth connection whilst connected to the car’s lighter socket. When you turn on the ignition the Bringrr searches for the phone, if it finds it the Read more »

Auto Express New Car Awards

Friday, 20. August 2010

Auto Express have announced their New Car awards for 2010. Over 47 pages they have listed all their major award winners. The overall car was a bit of a shock as it was the Skoda Yeti.  Some of the more interesting best cars were as follows:  Read more »

Volvo To Introduce New In-Car Breathalyzer That Tests Sweat

Thursday, 19. August 2010

Volvo are about to move the breathalyzer onto another level. They currently have a system called the Alcoguard breathalyser whereby you have to blow into it and be below the legal limit before you are able to start the car. The new system relies upon the driver’s sweat to monitor the level of alcohol in the system. The newly developed system is still at an early stage but Chris Wailes of Volvo said that the new technology Read more »

Graham Hill Car Review – The Updated Peugeot 205 GTi

Thursday, 19. August 2010

The Graham Hill in depth car review this week is of a new Peugeot. Many years ago a certain car outsold its direct competitor, the VW Golf, through its looks and performance whilst making me a lot of money at the same time. The car was the Peugeot 205 GTi. It was a hugely popular car so when it disappeared it was a sad day but it looks like it’s back in the guise of an updated 208 with the old GTi badge attached. Read more »

New Cars Get Smaller To Meet CO2 Targets

Wednesday, 18. August 2010

I’m confused! It happens when you get older I’m told. Why am I confused? Well just as I started to get used to cars getting bigger, and not as a result of changing my glasses, manufacturers have started bringing out cars as big as a large shoe! Look at a new Clio – it’s about the same size as an old Megane. The VW Polo is easily as big as an early Golf and a Corsa has the size these days of an old Astra. As for Mini if, as I saw Read more »

Vitamin C Pumped Into Your Car To Improve Your Skin?

Wednesday, 18. August 2010

Driving is becoming a more ‘comfy’ experience as more cars are fitted with increasing numbers of creature comforts, including ambient lighting, air conditioning, lumbar seat adjustment and so on. In some cases it’s a little like driving around in your lounge often with a better quality music system than you have at home as well as an onboard DVD player. But Nissan are about to surpass them all with its new ‘health Read more »

More New Cars Are Not Fitted With A Spare Wheel At All

Tuesday, 17. August 2010

Run Flat Tires - Bridgestone Parody Ad
Image by Scott Clark via Flickr

It seems that every week I have something to say about tyres – and this week isn’t going to be any different. It would seem that there has been a growing trend towards the removal of a spare wheels from new cars, first of all replacing a full spare with a skinny emergency wheel and more recently with a puncture repair kit consisting of either a can of foam that you squirt into the tyre inflating it and sealing the Read more »

Mixed Views About Current New Car Shortage

Tuesday, 17. August 2010

The car and car finance industry is full of opinionated people who haven’t a clue as to what they are talking about. So called experts guess and make assumptions without any real knowledge on the subject. About now you will see national newspapers, radio and TV reporters telling you to shop around for finance before the launch of the new 60 registration, ignore dealer HP and find yourself a cheap personal loan, Read more »

Cost Saving Could Compromise Improved Road Safety

Monday, 16. August 2010

Highways Agency Traffic Officers
Image via Wikipedia

Before I explain how UK roads are the safest in Europe I read a piece by Graham Hope, deputy editor of Auto Express, referring to the same report, in which he referred to a famous joke making the point that the further south you go the worse the driving: ‘What do traffic lights mean in Italy? In Milan they’re instructions. In Rome they’re suggestions. And in Naples? They’re Christmas decorations!’ Hilarious or what? Read more »