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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

Years ago, whilst in industry with a proper job, I had use of the company’s chauffeur car and driver. I hated getting up at the crack of dawn to be in say Birmingham by 10.00am so being picked up by the chauffeur was one of life’s little luxuries that I liked.

I could go through paperwork or more important I could have a little snooze and arrive at the other end fully charged up.

So whilst there is a lot to dislike about driverless (autonomous) cars, the one big advantage for me was that I could effectively be chauffeur driven again. Have a snooze, read a newspaper or report, listen to music, watch a movie or anything else that took my fancy whilst being transported to my destination was very appealing.

Unfortunately, we now learn that this is not going to be the case. We had already learned that we couldn’t get plastered then jump into the car and let it drive us home via the kebab shop.

We still need to be responsible and whilst ‘in control’ of the car adhere to all drink and driving regulations. But now we learn that drivers may still be required to actually watch the road.

Proposed new laws, aimed at drivers of autonomous vehicles, will stop drivers from doing anything that will distract them, including reading newspapers, watching TV and using their phones. The aim is to ensure that drivers are able to take back controls in an emergency.

A new study carried out by autonomous vehicle consortium Venturer concluded that it takes 2 seconds between instructing the car that the driver is taking back control and actually assuming total control.

At 50mph that represents a distance of 45 metres when neither the car nor the driver are in control.

With this in mind the regulations will seek to reduce the ‘out of control’ period to as little as possible by making sure that drivers are always alert and not being distracted.

Report director Professor Sarah Sharples, said that , ‘It may be necessary for the rollout of highly autonomous vehicles to be accompanied with the advice, or even law, that in some or all circumstances the driver must maintain attention to the driver situation and that other activities should be minimised or avoided.’

Others have called for a totally new driving test for drivers of autonomous cars. Professor Natasha Merat from the Institute for Transport Studies has suggested that there should be a new form of licensing and training for autonomous vehicles.

The ‘handover lag’ between car and driver presents a challenge for insurers if there is an accident because attributing blame between car and driver could prove difficult.

It has even been suggested that response times should be taken into account with older drivers paying more than younger drivers as they would be slower to respond. Think I’ll buy some Lotto tickets and with the winnings get another chauffeur! By Graham Hill

When you took out the insurance for your car do you recall be ing asked what class of car insurance you wanted? Yes you would have taken out fully comprehensive insurance, especially if your car was leased, it would be a condition of the finance agreement. But there are also three categories you would have chosen from.

All policies cover you for Social, Domestic and Pleasure (SD&P). This basic cover only covers you for personal use and doesn’t even cover you to commute to and from work. The next level is SD&P including commuting. This means social domestic and pleasure and commuting to and from work but it doesn’t cover you to travel to another branch or to say a training course.

Class 1 is the next level which includes personal business use. This includes personal business use in connection with your job, which covers travelling between branches, attending training courses etc. Class 2 will cover you and others for SD&P and all business use. Finally Class 3 will cover SD&P and commercial travelling.

You may read this and not give it much further thought but Graeme Trudgill, Executive Director at British Insurance Brokers Association, said that the law requires you to be insured for the correct use of your car, if not you risk voiding your policy and a fine. So ignore this at your peril. By Graham Hill

A few years ago I returned to my Mercedes having been away for the day at a conference only to find that the car had been keyed. I actually felt relieved that I’d been driving prestige cars for many years and this was the first time my car had been vandalised.

It didn’t stop me from parking at the corner of the road for three nights running in the hope that I would catch the cretins doing it again – very silly I know but I was furious! So I was quite surprised to read that the most vandalised car in the UK is the Smart Car. Churchill insurance analysed insurance claims and found that Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour were the most vandalised cars.

Analysis showed one in one hundred cars being vandalised, to put this into perspective next on the list was the Mini at one in one thousand cars. Small Alfa Romeo, BMW and Mazda car owners have complained about their cars being deliberately damaged. After analysing claims between 2013 and 2017 they found that there was a vandalism claim every 22 minutes.

Most claims were for cosmetic damage with 15% blamed on scratches and similar incidents. 12% of claims were for damage to bumpers with another 12% dings in doors. Steve Barrett, head of car insurance at Churchill said, ‘We advise victims to report vandalism to police, even when the damage is minor.’ We don’t know what the problem is with Smart cars, in 2009 several were pushed into Amsterdam’s canals and 2014 several were turned upside down in San Francisco.

Bloody typical, just as we have a great deal on them! By Graham Hill

I have to say that I’m not a big fan of President Trump and when he was constantly moaning about False News I thought he was being paranoid but reading all the nonsense printed and reported about diesel cars I can understand what he means.

I’m not going to deny that petrol and diesel cars are not good for the environment but the difference between the two is minimal. Petrol pushes out more CO2 whilst Diesel pushes out more NOX. Diesels also had a problem with particulates but used properly a new Euro 6 diesel emits no particulates at all.

I was speaking to an MOT tester and even 3-year-old cars often emit zero particulates when MOT tested. My view is that by raising diesel emissions as a major problem, mayor Khan and many local authorities are using the scare tactics to impose more penalties on those driving all diesels and not just the old models.

Ford have already said that they are committed to diesel cars and others are taking a similar line but we could be looking at a totally different playing field in 2 years time. Bosche have developed a new system that will reduce NOX emissions to just 13mg/km.

That’s about a tenth of the limit set to be the level required in 2020 under the next set of regulations known as RDE2. In technical terms, Bosche has moved the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) System and the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) closer to the engine, allowing them to operate at optimal temperatures.

A faster-spooling turbo is fitted to improve operating efficiencies and the exhaust gas re-circulating system is modified to keep hot air pointed at emissions reduction components. The set-up also includes improvements to the fuel injection, Adblue dosing equipment and engine management software, while the development car’s engine capacity was reduced from 2.0 litres to 1.7 litres without loss of power.

When testing Bosch found the worst case scenario was driving around town when their car, a VW Golf, recorded a maximum NOx emission of 26mg/km because in very cold conditions the car struggled to get up to full operating temperature.

Fuel and AdBlue consumption remained the same although technicians said that in very cold congested conditions fuel consumption could increase by between 3% and 5%. Whilst the equipment cannot be retrofitted to older diesels it is available for manufacturers to order now. But the hardware changes needed mean the complete system is unlikely to be integrated into production lines for another two years. Excellent news for us supporters of diesel! By Graham Hill

We all know that one of the most common car insurance fiddles is the widely publicised Cash for Crash whiplash claim. Simply a car races past you, swerves in front and brakes hard. You brake and still run into the back of the car. As you ran into the car in front you are considered at fault whilst all 5 people in the car at the time claim for whiplash and each receive several thousands of pounds in costs and compensation.

With the introduction of the Civil Liabilities Act (at Bill stage at the moment) compensation for whiplash claims will drop from the current maximum of £1,850 to £425. The new Act will make it illegal to submit a whiplash claim without medical evidence. Together it is felt that this will discourage this scurrilous activity and in turn save the Insurance Industry £1 billion each year.

This is the equivalent to £35 per motorist. The Ministry of Justice says that despite the UK having some of the safest roads in Europe the number of whiplash claims has increased by 50% in the past 10 years. They blame a predatory industry that encourages motorists to submit exaggerated or fraudulent claims driving up insurance premiums for all.

Justice secretary, David Gauke, said, ‘This legislation will ensure that whiplash claims are no longer an easy payday. The Bill will seek to set fixed amounts of compensation for whiplash claims and halt the practice of setting claims without medical evidence.’

Whilst some insurers, including Liverpool Victoria and Aviva have pledged to pass on any savings to motorists I have my doubts. And how will we know? Will they send a note to all clients advising of a drop in their premiums? I doubt it. My concern is that the £425 ceiling is too low when applied to a genuine case. Genuine cases of whiplash should be treated fairly with those affected being suitably recompensed. I know people who have suffered whiplash with the problem remaining forever. It can be very painful and debilitating. £425 hardly seems fair to me simply because a few crooks make false claims. By Graham Hill