Blog

Modern diesel cars are fitted with a Diesel Particulate Filter, commonly referred to as the DPF, which removes the sooty particulates from the engines exhaust emissions. These particulates are harmful pollutants, so the filters are a good idea but they can cause problems if they are allowed to become clogged. The filter is periodically cleaned of the sooty deposits by high temperatures in the exhaust generated by higher engine revs, typically generated at high speeds (e.g. during motorway driving). This process is called regeneration. If you’ve ever seen a gout of black smoke billowing from a cars exhaust when the driver puts their foot down, this is probably due to deposits burning off in the DPF. While some cars have active regeneration systems to counter a lack of high speed driving, this may not always work, particularly if you only do short journeys and stop start driving. It’s a good idea to take the revs up occasionally, when safe to do so, and if the DPF warning light shows you should follow the manufacturer’s directions for clearing the DPF. Ignoring the warning light could lead to a trip to the garage to have the filter cleaned or worse, replaced.

A sudden loss of grip while driving can be pretty terrifying, particularly for inexperienced drivers. With no skid training given to learner drivers in the UK, most drivers first experience of a skid or spin in the car will be on the open road. It’s vital to know how to react as doing the wrong thing can exacerbate any loss of grip and make things much worse. Understeer occurs when the front tyres lose grip on the road, most often happening when going too fast into a bend. The driver turns the wheel but the car goes straight on, either towards the verge or into the other lane. Combat understeer by applying the brakes to shift the cars weight forward, this pushes the front tyres into the road increasing grip. Breaking too hard could see the rear snap round as the car starts to turn. Most front wheel drive cars are biased towards understeer, partly by their nature and partly by design, as it is easier to control than oversteer. Oversteer is caused by a loss of rear grip. This is most likely to happen in normal driving when braking or changing gear while cornering (any deceleration causes the weight […]

This new car ready for release from Smart is designed to comfortably fit four adults for short city trips and commuting. It is designed with the smart concept of small affordable cars that have low emissions and good levels of fuel consumption. The listed CO2 emissions for this car are 97g/km and the average fuel consumption is 67.3mpg. The car is quite compact however the space has been cleverly used with the engine in the rear of the car to allow a very small bonnet. There is still room however for a fairly sized boot (for this sized car) although you wouldn’t fit your weekly shop in there! The rear seats are cleverly designed to fold fully flat to give a large flat space available for use with one person in the car and extra luggage, shopping or awkward items. The rear 2 seats are fitted with ISOFIX as standard and are ideal for the carraige of 2 regular car seats, however making room for the buggy could be a problem! This compact little car really does do what it says on the tin, it’s a little cheap city run around and used in that way can be ideal.

Certainly the technology is already there, and a lot of it is creeping into your car without you really noticing it. Lane departure warning has been with us for years, so it’s no stretch to teach the car to steer you away from danger. Autonomous parking can take any fiddly manoeuvres right out of your hands. Most major manufacturers now have tested mules that can talk to each other and interact. You may have heard of the Google car – it’s a rapidly developing domain. Slowly the car is taking over more and more of our driving, until ultimately we will drive no more, except for entertainment, confined to enthusiasts on tracks. If you don’t control the car, you could simply order it to collect and deposit you at will, and pay on demand. As all the cars interact, you would always know exactly how long it would take you to get anywhere, because your journey would be planned with every other car in mind.

Tyres are one of the most costly recurring expenses of a vehicle. There was a time when vehicle owners did not have any other option but to purchase premium sets. Availability of only premium products on the market gave rise to retreaded sets which were essentially refurbished product. However, in the past few years, both Chinese and European manufacturers have upped the ante and have introduced many cheap options. These days, budget tyres are available for as low as £40. However, when it comes to budget sets, one needs to choose carefully. In the article below, we offer some tips to make a more informed decision on when you buy your next set. Economical Sets While it is true that cheap sets are readily available in the market but one should also keep in mind that the quality of these sets is not that high. These sets are suitable only for certain kind of driving. How much driving do you do? Before investing your hard earned money in cheap products, you need to answer this question about your driving habits. If you use your vehicle only to travel between your home and your office and for other city use, you […]

Choosing a car seat can be quite daunting. You may not have hundreds to spend on one but obviously safety is must. My best advice to your when it comes to finding a car seat is to read reviews. You want to make sure that it is safe, easy to transport and easy to secure in to the vehicle. If the seat is going to be used in a newer vehicle you may have the option of choosing one that as an Isofix connection. This allows a base to stay secured in to the vehicle and then the car seat just clips on to it when required. These types of seats are also known for being excellent in terms of safety as the seat is essentially bolted to the chassis of the car rather than using a seat belt. Some car seats are better suited to different makes and model of car, a good retailer should suggest a seat based on the vehicle you have and may even offer to fit it in for you to show you how it works.

Skoda are due to release the new Fabia shortly with its newly modelled body shape making it wider and less tall in a bid to make it appeal to younger buyers. The previous model was not known for its great beauty and although improvements to the cars appearance have been made its still no prince charming! The new Fabia will include the latest range of VW engines starting with the 1 litre unit found in the VW Up, with 1.2 and 1.4 petrol options also likely to feature along with the new 1.4 TDI Diesel unit. The colour options are yet to be released but are likely to follow the other VW group cars. In keeping with recent trends, expect most models to feature Bluetooth and touch screens with Sat Nav included on upper trims. Overall an improved version of the Fabia that if you’re a fan of them should impress, however, is still a fairly boxy car that is certainly an acquired taste.

With the cost of running a car an expensive outgoing, do we really need breakdown cover on top? It really depends on how much you use your car and how far you travel. Many insurance companies now offer 12 months free breakdown cover as part of the package and even some bank accounts come with car breakdown. Always read the small print and check what you are covered for as there is a few options and many do not include home start. If you find that you come to start your car on the drive and it won’t go, you may not have sufficient breakdown cover to allow the company to assist you. This is of course normally an added extra which carries a cost but if this is something that is vital to you getting to work then it may be worth while having. Being towed to a garage can cost hundreds of pounds alone which most breakdown covers will include so a one off payment of £150 for 12 months car breakdown could pay for itself in one incident.