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Car thefts are down by 12% according to Home Office statistics to end of June 2008. But HPI have been quick to point out that car theft is not the only crime and motorists need to be more vigilant than ever if they are to avoid some of the more sophisticated crime that the crooks are now perpetrating. As a result HPI have offered up some advice for motorists to follow. HPI checks reveal that around 30 vehicles Read more »

Avis Valet Services have been giving out some great tips for motorists looking to take better care of their car without spending a fortune. The suggest the following:

• Mayonnaise can be good at removing road tar stuck to tyres and paintwork.

• Try using cooking oil on tyres and paintwork to remove black marks left by stubborn brake dust on wheel arches. It’s also great for removing bird droppings or splattered bugs on your windscreen.

• Baking soda is excellent for lifting any kind of stain or mark, just dab the interior and leave for 20 mins before rinsing off. Leaves a fresh smell as well.

• Use white vinegar on windscreens for crystal clear visibility as vinegar stops dust and smells collecting on the glass.

• Wrap an ice cube in a cloth or pop some in a freezer bag and hold over chewing gum stuck to car seats or carpet. The gum will eventually snap off leaving no sticky residue.

• Linseed oil – this can be used to clean leather upholstery in you car as it cleans and softens at the same time.

• Sticky tape – use this to remove any hidden dust particles from seat fabric. The tape lifts the dust whereas a brush would simply push it in deeper.

 
So there you have it some interesting advice from Avis so blame them and not me if anything goes wrong. By Graham Hill

According to figures released by Warranty Direct, labour rates for mechanics have risen by 11.3% since the summer of 2006 to an average £75.17 per hour. Rates have increased sharpest by the independent garages to narrow the gap between them and the more expensive franchised dealer networks. The average franchised dealer is charging £95 an hour today compared with £88 in 2006, up 7.7%. In comparison Read more »

A recent conference sponsored by leasing company Lex suggested that drivers and all businesses should consider ways of saving money. They concluded, as I have already suggested, that finance is one important area of consideration along with vehicle choice, emissions limits, fuel policies and for fleets even drink and drugs policies. Nothing very new there then but the interesting debate was over fuel choice. The proposal was that diesel Read more »

Tyresafe have launched a digitally animated guide to tyre safety on it’s website to help motorists avoid problems associated with poorly maintained or neglected tyres. Visit http://www.tyresafe.org/videos/ to see the presentations. They are really good, click on each link to watch each short video. Did you know that it isn’t the rubber on the road that keeps you safe but the air in the tyre? You need to watch the videos. By Graham Hill

If you are an F1 fan you may be interested to know that the DVLA are about to release the series of F plates for sale from F1 to F20 followed by 3 letters. One of the expected quickest to go when the sale starts on 7^th October is F1 DAD (get the pun?). Log onto their website to see what numbers are available. By Graham Hill

Maybe we need the RAC to spell out the obvious when a third of the country doesn’t know what APR is and according to www.honestjohn.co.uk and British Car Auctions (BCA) a third of the public don’t know how to tell the age of a car by its number plate. Well strangely I can’t tell the age of a car by its number plate either. And I don’t consider myself to be as daft as a brick! For example, Read more »

Sheilas’ Wheels have reported that more than three quarters of female motorists drive while hungry even though nearly half say that driving whilst hungry causes a loss of concentration. For 40% they say that feeling hungry increases their tiredness on the road. When asked why they drive whilst hungry the general response was it ‘slips my mind’ so the message must be if you want to be safe in a car with a woman driver listen out for the danger sounds, not tyres squeeling or knocks coming from the engine but a rumbling tummy and take a bag of chocolate to fix the problem. By Graham Hill

I can’t believe I’m writing this piece but I felt it should be included. It’s to do with pregnant women and the wearing of seat belts. Volvo, who is the only car manufacturer to have a pregnant test dummy (look – leave it – I’m just reporting it OK) called Linda, it’s true, the bloody dummy is called Linda – good grief. Anyway, Volvo, on a very serious point says ‘car safety for unborn children is rarely documented as foetal injury and deaths often do not show in statistics.’ As a result of extensive tests with Linda they have found Read more »