Blog

  • Car speeding fines

    There are a number of ways in which you can get a speeding fine for your car. It may be that you have been caught by a fixed camera (Yellow box mounted on a pole along the roadside), a mobile camera (often placed inside a speed camera van and parked on a bridge or side of the road), police speed gun or average speed cameras which are found on the motorways.

    The motorway average speed cameras work by clocking the time you go through the first one and then the second one and from the time it took you they can work out on average hat speed you were doing.

    Often if it is your first offence you can opt to do a safety awareness course which means you will not receive points on your license, but you still will have to pay a fine or course fee. Once you have done a speed awareness course you cannot do another one within 3 years so you would have to take the points next time.

  • Shopping around for best tyre prices

    When it comes to buying tyres, there are a number of options. You can chose to buy part worn tyres, budget tyres, mid range tyres and then top of the range tyres. The prices vary dependent on size, make and where you buy them from so it is worth investing a bit of time to shop around to obtain the best price for your vehicle.

    Part – worns are tyres that have 3mm of tread of more left on them. They are not new but should still give you a decent amount of miles left. These are often half the price or cheaper than if you bought the equivalent new tyre.

    Budget tyres are new tyres but cheaper brands. You may find that the grip is not as good and that they wear down quicker but the initial purchase price is lower.

    Mid- range tyres are exactly what they are called, middle of the range. These are often the most popular as they offer value for money and usually last quite well.

    Top of the range tyres are for those that want excellent grip, lower noise level and better fuel economy. These usually cost a fair bit more but with the money saved on not having to replace them so often and better quality of tyre, still rove to be popular.

  • Changes to your driving licence June 2015

    From the 8th June 2015 there has been a change announced by the DVLA with regards the UK driving licence. Until now the standard format of the licence has been a photo card licence alongside a paper counterpart licence. The paper counterpart was more detailed and had information on regarding to penalties that you had received on your licence that previously could not appear on the photo card. All penalties are now only recorded and stored electronically therefore the paper counterpart of the licence has become obsolete.

    The DVLA will no longer be issuing the paper counterpart licence and have instructed people with a current one to destroy it in a secure manner.

    If you still have the old-style fully paper licence then do not destroy this, it is still valid and will only be upgraded to a photo card by the DVLA if you need to change any of the details on it.

  • Get to know your vehicle

    It’s easy to be complacent when jumping into a new car but there can be plenty of things that may catch you out. I’m sure most people have gone for the windscreen washers in an unfamiliar car only to blind an oncoming driver with the full beams or perhaps momentarily stuck down a cul de sac on a test drive, unable to get the bloody thing in reverse. These little incidents can be amusing, but getting flustered at the wheel is never a good idea and in an emergency situation and this unfamiliarity could lead to an accident.

    It’s well worth taking the time to get to know your hire car, where the controls are located (particularly things like fog lamps and hazard lights) and take the time to adjust your seat position etc. Drive a little more cautiously than usual and if you’re driving abroad, make sure you’re well acquainted with the local laws.

  • The ties of leasing a company car

    Most people see getting a company car as a real bonus to their job and a perk that is worth quite a bit of money, however before agreeing to take a car through the company it’s vital that you read through any agreements to check that there are no downsides to the contract.

    The usual perks of having a company car is obvious, brand new car, usually from a range that you would not normally be able to afford, hassle-free set up of an all-inclusive tax/insurance/breakdown package and getting to drive to and from meetings in comfort. The cons though are often somewhat overlooked, so here are some points to consider before signing on the dotted line-:

    • Check the term of the agreement – most are 2-4 years but can vary.
    • Check about any early termination charge – these can be imposed if you leave the company before your term on your lease is up.
    • Ask about damage re-charges as these can be very hefty and ensure you clarify exactly what the company class as ‘fair wear and tear’.
    • Verify the wait time that is expected on ordering your vehicle as some cars are built to order and can take months to arrive once ordered.
  • Where to buy tyres from

    If you require new tyres to be fitted to your vehicle you should always shop around for the best price. Some people always take their car back to a main dealer for tyre changes, but this is often a lot more expensive that using a local garage or a specialist tyre fitting company. Having new tyres fitted somewhere other than a main dealership should not invalidate a warranty on a vehicle so therefore there is no really reason to use them unless they are competitive.

    The main question you need to ask yourself is what brand of tyres you want to go for. Often with tyre you do get what you pay for, so if you go for the cheapest sort they may not perform well in the winter months and in the wet and will often wear a lot quicker than a more expensive brand. Most garages are quite honest about the level of quality you can expect from each type of tyre but ultimately the choice is yours.

  • Luxury Car Hire

    Whether it be for a romantic weekend away, a wedding or a birthday treat, Luxury car hire is becoming more and more popular.

    There has also been a rise in people hiring luxury cars for business purposes, to give an impression of wealth and success. Some business people will turn up to an important meeting in a brand new Bentley to pass off as their own simply to impress potential clients.

    Most of these prestige hire companies also offer a chauffeur driven service which is ideal for wedding or birthday nights out, especially in the large prestige cars such as Limousines.

    You can hire some really unusual cars such as a stretch hummer (in pink!) and stretch ‘disco’ Limos.

    There has also been a rise in companies offering car hire in the form of replicas from TV or Movies. You could be driving around in the A-Team van, James Bond’s Aston Martin or even the Batmobile!

    So next time you have a special occasion coming up consider a gift with a difference, a luxury car for the day.

  • How will the new tax disc rules effect you

    Following many years of discussions regarding the current tax disc law, the government have decided that from the 1st October 2014 you will no longer need to display the tax disc in the window but do still need to have a valid one to drive on the road or keep the vehicle on a public road even if just parked up.

    You will still need to SORN a vehicle if you are keeping it off road and can apply for the disc or carry out a SORN declaration online.

    If you are the owner of a classic car or a car which is exempt from road tax then you will also need to go online to complete the renewal of the tax, you will not have to pay anything but you will need to re-register the car every twelve months.

    This will mean that people can tax their car and drive it immediately without having to worry about the penalty that they could incur for not displaying a valid road fund licence.

  • Affordable Tyres – Now Technologically Advanced

    Buy Cheap Tyres

     Tyres may appear to be simple, circular, rubber objects that support your car. But in fact, they are technologically advanced products that play an important role in the optimum functioning of your vehicle.

    Budget your tyre purchase

    Typically tyres look and feel the same, but they all vary considerably in price. There are several kinds of budget tyres available in the market. Not only do budget tyres save on cash, but also allow decent results in stopping distances in dry and wet road conditions. Demand and type of car tyre varies with different cars. These variations depend on usage and model of the car. For instance, an everyday commuter car would need different tyres from that of an off road or race car.

    Know when to change your tyre

    Just tyres offer a large variety of high quality new and affordable tyres. Here are a few pointers every car owner should check to see if a tyre is too old and needs to be replaced.

    • Date of manufacture – All tyres show their date of manufacture along the side wall of the tyre. Printed in code, first two characters of the four numbers denote week, with the following two that display year of manufacture.
    • Visible cracks – A tyre has run its course if it develops visible cracks in the rubber along the side wall.
    • Unused – Careless storage and infrequent use can lead to tyres to age faster making them unsafe, even if they’re barely used with seemingly plenty tread on the surface.
    • Older than six years – It is very important that you check tyres older than six years, even spares that do not see much usage should be checked to avoid chances of failing on road performance.
    • Tread­– Tread depth is one of the easiest ways to check if your tyres need to be replaced. If you find the depth of tread too shallow, or if your tyre is close to bald, it needs to be replaced.

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  • Ensure your tyres are correctly inflated

    Checking your tyres for damage, tread and inflation should be something everyone does on a regular basis. Having under inflated tyres can not only cause uneven tread wear and loss of fuel economy but can also lead to a serious accident. If you are unsure of what the correct tyre pressures should be then refer to your car handbook or contact your local dealership to find out. You may find that some cars require more or less air in the back tyres than the front, so does not always assume that they should be the same around. If you are constantly having to pump one of your tyres up then you should get it checked immediately as it may be that you have a slow puncture, or even that the rim of your wheel is damaged letting air out, in which case you will need to replace the wheel itself.

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