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A couple of weeks ago the Mail revealed a coverup scandal that is still having repercussions. Even the news on TV showed two men stealing a car from the drive of an unsuspecting driver as I recently explained in one of my reports.

One picked up the signal emitted from a keyless device inside the house which was bounced across to another device held close to the car which unlocked the doors.

The devices used can be picked up off the Internet for just a few pounds but worst of all is the fact that this problem has been known about for years – according to the Mail. It has been revealed that 5 years ago VW won a high court injunction to prevent details of security flaws being made public. But 3 years later researchers found millions of cars still at risk.

The potential theft problem, that affects millions of drivers worldwide, has been seriously covered up for years. Keyless entry has been about since 1995 and any of the cars with keyless entry are vulnerable to anyone with the equipment that the Mail found could be bought online for £100.

As I reveal in my PCP report, now complete and awaiting publication, the whole of the motor industry is corrupt. Not every person or company but whether it’s vehicle recalls, supply, finance, data, dealers – there is corruption and abuse everywhere. Now we find out that even when cars are at risk of being stolen in seconds drivers aren’t aware of the vulnerability.

Even with the mass of evidence collected by the Mail, Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), responded by saying ‘Industry takes vehicle crime extremely seriously and any claims otherwise are categorically untrue.’

Oh really Mr Hawes? Read the bloody Mail report and repeat that statement. In the meantime, if you have a keyless entry car and you park your car in a place where it can easily be driven away from, once the car is unlocked, you need to protect the key when in the house. You can buy signal blockers from Halfords or online for just a few pounds. By Graham Hill

Franchised Dealers More Professional Than Garages: Surprisingly a survey carried out by the National Franchised Dealer Association found that franchised dealers (52%) were more professional than National Chains (24%) and Independent Garages (21%). 46% thought franchised dealers were knowledgeable and reputable with 41% believing they’re reliable. 90% of respondents think that franchised dealerships are the best place to buy a new car and 87% think it’s the best place to have your car serviced. 45% said independents were friendly and 42% called them good value. I’m sure the report wasn’t biased in the slightest!

UK Roads: According to the AA 46% of motorists say that mainland Europe has better roads than the UK.

Car Thefts: Between 2012 and 2016 there were 3,696 convictions for car theft in the UK according to insurance company Churchill. This represents about 50% of those charged.

Car Faults: According to Green Flag drivers wait on average 10 weeks before addressing car faults.

Misidentified Dashboard Symbols: According to Buyacar.co.uk the dashboard symbols that cause most confusion are: Speed Limiter (60%), Stop/Start System (60%), Head-Up-Display (38%), Lane Keeping Assist (25%), Heated Steering Wheel (10%).

The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) is causing all sorts of problems in the industry. As we get closer to 1^st September, after which all cars registered must meet the WLTP (real world) emissions tests, there is a fear that there will be a large number of cars that don’t meet the tests and will need to be scrapped.

The chances are that cars that are not sold and in stock will be pre-registered and sold at highly discounted prices. The real concern for manufacturers is cars that are delayed in transit as a result of cars now being built all over the world now.

Most other European countries have allowed a period of grace to avoid this situation but the UK Government has not announced any allowance so far. Whilst this is likely to be good news for those taking cars in September that have been pre-registered in August, we are suffering from a lack of cars available in the meantime.

If they believe that their cars may fail the emissions tests manufacturers are holding back production until their cars have been approved in case modifications need to be carried out before they can start production again. Whilst it may be tempting to hold back in order to ‘bag a bargain’ in August/September there is no guarantee that there will be cars about that manufacturers will want to heavily discount.

Especially if the deadline is extended taking away the pressure to pre-register. My advice is to take a car now if you see a deal that you like rather than take the risk. A bird in the hand and all that. By Graham Hill

I have to say I was quite shocked that the DVSA does not have the legal powers that I believed it had when it comes to car safety recalls. They have been proven to be ineffective if a manufacturer considers that a car is safe when the public believe that their cars are not roadworthy.

BMW recalled 36,410 petrol cars last year with a fault that could cause cars to either lose power and or lights. The fault that caused the recall was a connector between the battery and fuse box that was found to wear prematurely.

At the time of the recall in 2016, BMW announced that the problem had been contained and all other cars were fine. However, it took the BBC to expose the true extent of the problem and force BMW to recall the cars that could actually be affected – a total of 312,000 1 series, 3 series, X1’s and Z4’s built between March 2007 and September 2011 including petrol and diesel cars.

It seems that the DVSA was totally powerless to do anything if BMW said there wasn’t a problem. Not only was it frightening if the power in the car suddenly died or the lights failed late at night it was extremely dangerous. This situation has got to change and the law improved to protect drivers and passengers straight away. We can’t put peoples lives at risk whilst manufacturers act in such an irresponsible way.

One would imagine that the car manufacturers would act responsibly when it comes to keeping drivers and passengers safe but this latest case has shown that manufacturers cannot be trusted. Action required immediately Mrs May. By Graham Hill

Every 6 seconds a parking ticket is issued in the UK. That is a massive increase. Over the last 10 years, the number of parking tickets has increased 10 fold. Over just the last year, parking tickets have increased by a million to 5.65 million.

And according to the RAC Foundation, this might be an understatement as the figures are collected through computer issued notices but many tickets are still issued manually and stuck on windscreens.

Part of the increase is down to the growth in private parking companies that use the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency database to issue tickets, often after the driver has overstayed by just a few minutes or hadn’t been able to buy a ticket because of faulty equipment.

The Government is backing a Private Member’s bill aimed at clamping down on rogue parking firms. Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation director, is astonished by not only the number of tickets issued each year but the astronomical growth year on year.

My personal feeling is that these independent companies are getting out of control and we need greater control over the issuing of tickets and a more robust, fair and independent body that will deal with appeals fairly. I look forward to seeing the outcome of the Private Member’s bill. By Graham Hill

Back in the news is the rise in electronic theft of cars whereby crooks use a device that picks up the code as you lock the car and use the gadget to open the car, press the start button and take off. The latest devices have become so sophisticated that they can pick up signals emitted from what are known as Proximity Keys from inside the owner’s house without even having to break in.

Their kit picks up the signal, relays it to another box that is held near the car which in turn unlocks the car. Proximity keys are what keyless entry keys are. It is possible to buy a storage box that you can put your key into when you get home that stops the signal from being picked up.

However, rather than put your key into a secure box, many in the car security industry are reverting to old technology as a better way to secure your car. Back in my early days of driving we all bought KrookLocks that would lock the steering wheel in place.

It seems that there has been a sudden increase in sales of the latest version since security experts have recommended visible security devices to put off crooks. Andy Barrs, head of police liaison at Thatcham, whilst recommending these devices has suggested that before you buy one check the Thatcham website www.thatcham.org to see which devices they favour.

He also suggested that if you buy a device you let your insurance company know as it could result in a reduction in your premium. By Graham Hill

I’ve been banging on about the problems being caused by the new real-world emissions tests introduced last September for weeks now.

Supplies of stock cars are drying up and manufacturers are either quoting very long deliveries or closing their order books altogether, for the moment, till they know that their cars have been approved.

In order for things to get back to normal, the manufacturers need to have their cars approved or at least know what modifications need to be carried out on their production lines in order to meet the target emissions.

I’m repeating myself but it’s important everyone, with car replacements coming up, is aware of the issues.

But here’s the shocker. The Government is now anal about NOx emissions but the two worst performers were petrol engine cars, Ford Fiesta and Nissan Qashqai.

According to a report in the Times, the Fiesta was 4 times over the lab test limit for NOx emissions whilst the Qashqai was 10 times over.

So whilst diesels have been targetted by the Greens for spewing out masses of NOx’s it turns out that some petrol engines are worse than diesel-powered cars. It’s all, in the words of President Trump, fake news.

The fact is that the NOx scares have put buyers off diesel cars in their droves. I should add that Nissan and Ford responded.

Nissan said that the existing engine, which was compliant under the old rules, would be replaced this summer. Ford responded by announcing also that the car selected for testing was last of an old model which has now been replaced with significant changes to the emissions after-treatment system bringing emissions into line. By Graham Hill

Far too often motorists, when parking on private land owned by developers or local authorities, are victimised and subsequently fined with dodgy parking penalties.

Jayne Snow, 25, drives a mid-sized car and paid to park in a council run bay. She didn’t overrun her stay but still received a parking ticket. Medway Council, who issued the ticket, did so by suggesting that her car was too long.

I kid you not – that was the reason for issuing the ticket. Her car measured four and a bit metres, which isn’t long, but she still received a fine of £75. She challenged the fine by explaining that her car wasn’t too long, the bays were too short.

After revisiting the car park with a tape measure she pointed out that her parking bay along with those close by measured just 3.5 metres.

This would only make the bays legal for Smart cars and similarly sized cars but not the tens of millions of other cars used daily.

Jayne, went on to point out to the council that their own standards stated that parking bays should be a minimum of 4.8 metres, not sub 3.5 metres.

Having won her case Jayne is now campaigning for other motorists to stand their ground when they feel that a parking ticket has been unfairly issued. Challenge and certainly don’t pay is her advice if you feel you’ve done nothing wrong.

Her advice is, ‘Check your evidence, do your research and stand up to authority.’ The Council cancelled the fine but not until Jayne had received a great deal of publicity.

Under the proposed ‘Jayne’s Law’, she would not only have had the fine cancelled she would also be awarded compensation for her time and expenses involved in fighting the imposed fines.

It seems that there is a movement afoot to get this issue raised in Parliament via Jayne’s local MP. Where do I sign? By Graham Hill

BMW is extending a recall after Watchdog found that cars could cut out completely whilst being driven.

It is recalling 312,000 vehicles, including the BMW 1 Series, the 3 Series, the Z4 and its X1 petrol and diesel models made between March 2007 and August 2011.

BMW initially recalled 36,410 petrol cars in 2017 over safety issues. It said it now agreed that there may have been similar problems in cars not covered by the first recall.

The German carmaker initially recalled cars in the UK after Narayan Gurung, who was travelling with his wife on Christmas Day in 2016, died when their Ford Fiesta crashed into a tree to avoid a broken-down BMW in Guildford, Surrey.

The BMW had suffered an electrical fault, causing its brake lights to fail and resulting in the vehicle stalling on a dark A-road.

An investigation by Watchdog has found that the fault could affect a wider number of cars.

One BMW owner, Mwape Kambafwile, told the BBC how his BMW 3 Series car had cut out completely while he was driving in December 2016.

He said, “I just thought to myself if I was driving on the motorway with my family in the car, that could have been very dangerous.”

Mr Kambafwile said he took his car to BMW who called the next day to say that they had found the fault, which looked like “the cable had burnt out and no current was passing through the fuse box”.

BMW allowed Mr Kambafwile to take the car home without any warning not to use it.

He refused to drive the car and was furious to later discover that petrol versions of the same vehicle had been recalled for the same fault.

It recently emerged that BMW had failed to tell the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency about the electrical fault in some of its cars that led to the death of Mr Gurung.

BMW said it had worked with the DVSA and rejected suggestions it had ignored instructions or provided incorrect information.

An inquest revealed that the carmaker had received complaints of an electrical issue that caused a total power failure as early as 2011.

BMW recalled 500,000 cars in the US in 2013, as well as in Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Commenting on Watchdog’s investigation, BMW said: “We now recognise that there may have been some cases of similar power supply issues in vehicles not covered by the original recall.

“In order to reassure customers with concerns about the safety of their vehicles, we are voluntarily extending the recall.

“We are therefore announcing today that we will take the proactive step of expanding the existing UK recall to cover all vehicles potentially affected by the power supply issue.”

BMW said that it will open a customers’ complaints line and will contact affected owners directly. By Graham Hill

Jason Lloyd is MD of www.petrolprices.com. He recently commented on a report/map published by insurer Admiral of fuel usage across 16 Western European Countries.

It reveals that petrol is Europe’s most popular fuel with the Netherlands topping the list and the UK coming in at 6^th place.

The UK uses slightly more petrol than diesel with a split of 49% petrol and 47.5% diesel which pretty much reverses the situation of about a year ago.

The UK comes 10^th in the diesel usage chart with Ireland top of the list. Italy leads the Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) chart with the UK hardly using any at all.

Norway leads the way when it comes to Electric Vehicles (EV) and Hybrids at 39.2% in combined usage.

The change in Norway over the last 3 years has been amazing, leaving most other countries behind. A series of tax breaks has made electric vehicles cheaper to buy.

EV users also have access to cheap electricity for charging, free parking and road tolls and free use of bus lanes.

Whilst the UK has been fairly bold in announcing that there will be no petrol or diesel cars sold after 2040 we are badly lagging behind other countries when it comes to EV and hybrid sales.

They really need to follow Norway’s lead if they are to mean what they say and offer enough incentives to make buying an EV, in the words of Jason Lloyd, ‘a no brainer’. By Graham Hill