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We’re encouraged to keep cars for longer as the manufacturers review their warranty periods. Toyota have announced a warranty extension to 5 years/100,000 miles joining Hyundai on 5 years also and Kia now on 7 years. These being the only manufacturers to announce the extended warranties across their full range of cars. Fiat now offers 5 years but only on the Bravo. The move, according to Toyota, has Read more »

You can forget going green with your next car in order to save fuel and kick out fewer CO2’s according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM – is it me or does that sound like a cat food?). They suggest that drivers and businesses could save much more by simply using better, more efficient driving techniques, such as advanced anticipation, intelligent route planning and speed control which if used together could Read more »

The number of employees using their own cars for business use, known as the grey fleet, has dropped from 42% a year ago to just 28% now. The findings were the result of a survey carried out by Enterprise Rent-A-Car amongst 400 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). No reason was given for this dramatic fall, clearly the increase in unemployment had something to do with it, along with the health and safety Read more »

With the banks currently announcing profits well beyond expectations the Government really needs to step in and start rattling their cages as they continue to lend to simply those that are safest but in many respects don’t need it as badly as those who have been struggling and whose credit history is less than perfect. I have never quite understood how someone (or company) who has experienced a problem and Read more »

The Graham Hill in depth review this week is the Citroen C4. I have to say I love the new styling. The manufacturers seem to be spending a lot more time on their lower models making them look more sophisticated on the one hand and more sporty on the other with better shaping and styling with great use of LED lighting. Like the new Astra the C4 is actually looking like the sort of car you’d want to drive rather than a Read more »

This week’s gadget isn’t so much a gadget as a product. Many of us will remember the days when a bit of paint fade or minor paint scratches could be easily removed through the ample application of T Cut that happily removed one of the many layers of paint on your car, scratch and all, leaving behind a better car than you started with. But the change of paint structure (no more lead allowed) and the more liberal use Read more »

Having a Thatcham alarm fitted on your car can reduce your insurance premiums, in some cases quite substantially. But questions have arisen about the quality of fitting of these alarms, which, if fitted incorrectly could invalidate your insurance if the car is stolen and due to faulty installation the alarm didn’t activate. In order to overcome this Thatcham have now introduced a new scheme to approve fitters that Read more »

Have you seen one of the new CCTV Smart cars in your travels? If you have then they have probably been spying on you. It’s the latest idea to catch motorists doing illegal things like parking. Known as ‘Drive by spies’ these cars have raised £8 million in fines over the last 12 months from 188,000 motorists. There are 54 CCTV equipped Smart ForTwo cars operating in different towns and cities. In Essex the units Read more »

Annual MOT tests may be stretched out to 2 years according to new Government plans. The proposal will save motorists £465 million per annum. The announcement came via the Lords through the Government’s transport spokesman, Earl Attlee who promised a review this year. However safety groups are fearful of the dangers involved, especially with older cars. Britain has the most rigorous testing regime in Read more »

If you read my detailed review of the new Aston Martin city car you’ll know how dopey I found the whole idea of an Aston Martin badge on the front of a silly small car. So I was shocked to see Ferrari follow suit with their new Fiat 500 based 695 Tributo Ferrari. Surely there won’t be buyers willing to pay £30,000 for a Fiat 500 with a Ferrari badge on the front? Would there? The car will have 183 bhp giving a 0-62 Read more »