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A rather strange type of crime has emerged around the country putting drivers lives at risk – the stealing of manhole covers. The thefts have left gaping holes in the roads and local authorities with big bills to pay. The covers cost up to £400 to replace. Surry County Council has had 536 stolen costing £160,000 to replace. This has hurt councils even more as hundreds of millions of pounds have already been slashed from Read more »

I saw recently in Auto Express a report on the way insurance premiums are spent on claims. Whilst I talk regularly about insurance, and how to reduce premiums etc., I thought it made interesting reading and felt I should share it with you. The average premium has risen from £354 annually 15 years ago to £616 annually, even worse if you have loyally stuck with the same insurer which they suggest would now have Read more »

In October last year the old dopey Government introduced a law that was aimed at reducing the legal aid bill by saying that if you challenged a motoring charge, such as speeding, and you won your case, you could only claim costs based on the legal aid rate. So if you had paid for a solicitor to prepare the case and represent you, and you won your case, you could only recover through the court the legal aid rate which Read more »

I attended the Buckingham Automotive Forum on Thursday at the University of Buckingham, the quarterly meeting at which the good and the great of the industry give us an indication as to what is likely to happen in the future and if the future is looking good or bad for the industry. In fact I was a guest speaker at the event, speaking alongside Professor Peter Cooke, Professor at the University and government Read more »

One leasing company has finally taken the initiative and decided to make inspections of vehicles at the end of a lease a little more comfortable for the drivers by arranging for a joint inspection in order to alleviate refurbishment costs. A joint inspection is carried out by a qualified and independent vehicle inspector along with the driver. Will it improve the situation? We will see. If you have had a nightmare experience why not share it with me? We can only address the problem if we know how bad it is. By Graham Hill

A survey by Fuelcard Company found that 21% of 2,000 commercial vehicle drivers leave their engines running while making deliveries leaving themselves open to vehicle theft. I would suggest that they may need to check their insurance policies to see if the drivers void their policies by being irresponsible. Not least of which there is a substantial amount of fuel being used unnecessarily. By Graham Hill

It seems that the manufacturers are not going to fight a price war but outdo each other by providing more for free as part of the purchase package. The latest has been the extended warranty. Toyota had to react to the drop in sales following their recall problems by extending their standard warranty from 3 years to 5 years. In the meantime Kia/Hyundai have reacted following their massive growth during the Read more »

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As I’ve reported on several occasions following the particularly bad winter the roads of Britain are covered in potholes. Our local authority was quick to act and I’m pleased to say that the roads of West Sussex appear to be in pretty good order now which has probably avoided a lot of claims for damaged vehicles. Which is just as well because it seems that getting a payout, as a result of pothole damage, isn’t easy Read more »

If you see a car you like, now is not a good time to wait to see if the rate improves. With some Audi’s now having a delivery lead time quoted at 26 weeks there is far from an over supply out there. It now seems that the ‘bible’ used by leasing companies to predict future car values, CAP, may be as much as 10% adrift in its valuations which is likely to lead to some re-alignment of rates quoted by the leasing companies. Read more »