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Our ‘gadget’ this week is an iPod App that finds parking spaces for you. A group of drivers, fed up with getting parking tickets, came up with the solution. They have joined forces with the AA to come up with parkopedia. The app asks where you want to park then gives details of  street, metered, covered and private parking spaces then uses google maps to find the exact location. It also provides cost of parking in each Read more »

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of driving through the centre of London during rush hour you will appreciate that pedestrians are total loonies. They stream across traffic lights clearly believing that should they be hit by a car travelling at 10 miles per hour it wouldn’t hurt or they have mysterious clothing that is tougher than pressed steel with a tonne of material thrusting it forward controlled by a person with red Read more »

Did you know that there is an engine of the year award? Well there is and this year it has gone to VW for its small size but big powered 1.4TSi petrol engine now fitted into not only the smaller cars such as Polo and Golf but also the Passat, 7 seater Touran and even the 4WD Tiguan. VW have received this award two years running and shows, according to the judging team, that engine downsizing is here to stay. VW have Read more »

New tyres must meet European standards for safety and a raft of other basic regulations covering grip, economy, speed etc. British standards cover re-treads and remoulds as well as puncture repairs so many motorists look to replace their current tyres with the cheapest they can find, believing that all tyres that are sold meet basic standards and that the standards mean that whilst the cheepo tyres might not last quite Read more »

A friend of mine was once clamped in a car park for not having a ticket displayed in her windscreen (she accidentally put it in her purse – daft as). As a result another friend came to the rescue at 2.00am with his tool box. After about 4 hours and several hacksaw blades later she was finally free to drive home. Not something I approve of, obviously, but it made me a little more cautious about where I park my car and I Read more »

Autoglass carried out a survey to see what distracted motorists most. Whilst not top of the list and it depends who and when the survey was carried out children in the car distracted a high number of drivers, in fact 36%. The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) reported that back seat brawls reduced reaction levels of the driver to that of those driving on the drink drive limit. Direct Line commissioned the study which Read more »

We’ve all become addicted to sat navs and of course whilst the hand held units are far more practical, you can actually reach your destination, even on foot or in a bus, as long as the driver is prepared to follow your instructions from the 3^rd row of the bus, it’s a snob thing to have a built in, factory fitted unit costing ten times as much. But if you decide to buy a used car and you’re impressed with the factory Read more »

Think about this? A crossroads with no right of way! This could be the future, no more irritating traffic lights or mini roundabouts to contend with just common courtesy will keep the traffic flowing around our towns and city centres. This idea has been imported from the States where they have traffic jams to beat all traffic jams but believe this to be the answer, where every road entering a junction has give way signs Read more »

We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. And man’s best friend is a dog (don’t even go there). But apparently after my report last week that a number of drivers would give up sex rather than their cars (mind you the research was carried out in Canada) we now have research showing that drivers regard their cars as their best friend. I kid you not. It was announced on BBC’s Radio 4 – so it must be true! So Read more »

This week the renowned Graham Hill in depth car review is focused on the new Mini alternative, the Audi A1. The Audi A1 is better. So there you have it, all you need to know when making that vital decision between the cars although I would say that personally I still prefer the shape of the Mini and the fact that it is built in the UK and although engine for engine the Audi is more powerful and economic than the Mini Read more »