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Driverless RobotCar for UK’s roads?

Some of us don’t even trust our friends to drive, so we’re not entirely sure how Google’s self-driven car has managed to fare so well in its bid for road-legal status over in America.

Google’s car – which is actually a modified Toyota Prius – passed for use on the roads in Nevada back in 2012, and its success seems to have pushed a team from Oxford University into gear in their own bid to create driver-less vehicles for use here in the UK.

 

Hands-free driving: the converted Nissan LEAF in action

 

A converted Nissan LEAF, the RobotCar is said to be a breakthrough in the development of safe, everyday driverless vehicles capable of reducing congestion and road accidents.

The team have been careful to implement a number of safety precautions in their new car. Before you can start the car’s driverless system you need to nagivate through a few safety checks on the car’s internal user interface which, it turns out, is actually an iPad.

Lasers mounted around the car scan the roads ahead to watch out for crossing pedestrians and other dangers, and bring the vehicle to a controlled stop should anything get in its way.

We’re not entirely sure when the self-driving car will be available, but we’re certainly looking forward to seeing it!

Find out more about how the car works at RobotCar UK.

Why a damaged car can cost you more than a write off: the trouble with Cat C vehicles…

Sometimes, car owners get lucky. When they crash their vehicle, they damage it so badly that it’s no longer fit for the road and sent straight to the scrap yard – they’re able to make a clean break and buy a new car.

Others, well, they aren’t so lucky. Their vehicles actually survive…

It might seem a little counter-intuitive, but being the owner of a car that’s damaged to the point of being completely written is often less troublesome than being the owner of a vehicle that’s damaged and still deemed to be roadworthy.

So what’s going on here?

Insurance Categories

When a car is involved in a crash, insurance providers look at the vehicle and assign it to a category based on its condition. These insurance ‘write off’ categories are as follows:

– Cat A or Cat B? Things are looking good, you’re in the clear. Your car is declared a write off, and following all regulation, will be crushed.

– Cat C or D? This is where things get a little more complicated. Your car is declared a write off, but the insurance company have decided that it’s still serviceable after all relevant repairs have been made.

It might not look so bad to find yourself the owner of a Cat C car – it’s just that the cost of the repairs are often greater than the cost of the vehicle itself. And to make matters worse, most insurance companies won’t fork out for the repairs.

The problem with Cat C cars

So if your BMW 5 Series has been deemed a Cat C write off, where does it leave you?

Let’s say you’re able to cover the cost and can pay for the repairs on your car, to get the vehicle legally back on the roads it’s also necessary for the vehicle to have a Vehicle Identity Check to ensure its road worthiness. The car might now be fit for the road, but you’ll have lost a lot of money trying to get it there.

Many Cat C car owners try to get round the issue of insurance and attempt to sell their damaged vehicles, but what they soon realise is that most buyers aren’t really in the market for a damaged Cat C BMW 5 or 3 Series.

Of course, if you can’t afford the cost of the repairs, you’ll be without a car, unable to afford the cost of a buying another.

What to do?

We come across Cat C cars all the time. We also come across car owners who’re unable to afford the repairs and eager to get rid of their damaged cars.

Can’t find a buyer? Can’t afford the cost of the repairs? Whatever the make and model – Chrysler, Porsche, Jaguar, BMW – here at WeBuyAnyDamagedCar we buy broken cars (including those difficult to shift Cat C and Cat D vehicles) and take the hassle out of the sale process, collecting from anywhere in mainland UK within 48 hours.

We’re able to help you put some money towards the cost of a new car. So if you’re looking to sell your Cat C or Cat D vehicle, contact us today. Get in touch for a free, no obligation quotation. We offer cash for cars, and we’ll take that financial-headache of a car off your hands.

WeBuyAnyDamagedCar’s – Latest car news round up….

Nominees Announced

World Car Awards have recently announced the top finalists for the 2013 World Car of the Year, as well as the World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the year – but you’ll have to wait until 28th March to hear the final results, with the top three finalists in each award category being announced on the 5th, at Geneva’s International Motor Show.

It looks like it’s going to be another big one this year, with a list of finalists that includes the Audi A3, the new A-Class from Mercedes-Benz, the latest Range Rover, the Mazda6 and Mazda CX5, as well as the Peugeot 208, Porsche Boxter/Cayan, Scion FR-S, Volkswagen’s Golf and the Volvo V40 all looking to score points with the judges.

Last year’s winner of the 2012 World Car of the Year was the clever, compact Volkswagen Up!, which managed to fend off stiff competition from its rival finalists, the BMW 3 Series and Porsche’s 911.

The Up! even managed to beat yet another rival last year in December, snatching the Guinness World Record for tightest parallel park from the Mini, which managed to leave a space of just 15 centimetres between two other Minis earlier in the year.

Volkswagen Up

New teaser released from Bentley

Bentley have just released the first pictures of their much anticipated Flying Spur, scheduled for release later in 2013. A four-door version of the hugely popular Continental GT, the Flying Spur is causing quite a stir, with its release hotly anticipated.

Those looking for an early glance of the Flying Spur might not be terribly satisfied with these teaser images, but Bentley have said more details will be announced on 20th February, so keep an eye out!


In the meantime, you can check out Bentley’s new promotional video for the Flying Spur at http://www.newflyingspur.com/.

The new Formula One season is hotting up

For those that follow F1, the new season promises to be an exciting one, with both Red Bull Racing and McLaren recently announcing the arrival of two new racers ready for 2013.

McClaren’s MP4-28 was unveiled to rapturous applause at a special event on 31st January. You can see the entire McClaren’s unveiling on YouTube.

Wheel clamping banned

Changes made to the Protection of Freedoms Act at the end of last year now means that landowners have been banned from wheel-clamping on their private land. The latest developments have been a long time in coming, and signify a win for motorists fed up forking out to rogue clampers and towing companies.

The new changes have been put in place to provide motorists and landowners with a fairer legal framework in which to operate, but it’s still worth exercising some caution.
The British Parking Association have commented that even more needs to be done to tackle indiscriminate clamping, so the problems may still hinder some unlucky motorists!

 

Also in the news…
We worry about the price we’ll have to pay to use a car park, and we’ll question their security, but we’ll very rarely concern ourselves with what’s buried underneath them…

But in September 2012, after research conducted by hard-working Richard III enthusiasts, a Leicester car park was painstakingly dug up and a skeleton believed to be the remains of Richard III was unearthed.

Last Minute Christmas Gifts For Drivers

Are you struggling to find something to buy a car driver a Christmas present? As the festive period gets into full swing you may be swamped by special offers and seemingly fantastic gift ideas and this article will present the 5 of the best Christmas gift ideas for people who drive cars!

If they have a passion for speed or racing, then a track day may be the perfect gift. These are when a racetrack opens its doors for members of the public to have a go at going around a race track. Most tracks in the UK offer this; it’s an opportunity for people with road legal/track prepared cars to emulate their racing idols.

A fan of gadgets who drives would love this next present, the TomTom GO LIVE World Satellite Navigation System. It’s one of the most advanced satellite navigation systems on the market and it provides traffic updates every 2 minutes. That’s SEVEN times more often than any other provider! Another fantastic feature it has is advanced lane guidance, this feature allows drivers to negotiate tricky junctions whilst also allowing users to do a Google search for any local points of interest. It will come pre loaded with 66 international maps. This TomTom Go is a must have for any driver who enjoys using satellite navigation systems.

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Weekly Motoring News 19th December 2011

Whoops, we’re a couple of days late with the news this week but hey. we had a lot of Christmas shopping to do…..Anyway, with only five more sleeps until the big day we have again sourced some more weird, wacky, useful and bizarre offerings from the internet this week. Enjoy!

The DVLA are to cut down on some of their red tape practices and this has been welcomed by The AA and the IAM.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/legal–motoring-advice/2011-12/red-tape/

Just a little thought of how to get the snow of your car this winter if you don’t like to get your hands too cold. Not sure the neighbours would enjoy it so much if you had a early start…….

snowy car

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/13/the-other-way-to-get-snow-off-your-car/

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What is a Category C Damaged Car?

What is a Category C damaged car?

When a car is involved in an accident or otherwise damaged in the United Kingdom, insurance companies will examine the car’s condition and assign it a rating based on the damage. These categories can impact whether the car is able to be insured in the future and if the car can even be resold or salvaged. A Category C rating is a fairly common one, as the car is damaged, but can still be used. A Category C car may be used again as it is, or repaired or used for parts and scrap.

How categories are decided

The categories of damaged cars go from A to D although there is also a category X. Category A is the most serious and means that the vehicle is essentially impossible to repair and cannot be resold, only crushed. Category X means only minor damage, and the vehicle can still be resold and insured with almost no problem. Categories B through D are more severely damaged cars, that insurance companies may decide are still serviceable with repairs, but it is too expensive to do do.

Category B cannot be resold, but parts can be pulled out for resale, while Category C and D cars can be repaired and resold, but may not initially be able to be insured. Adjustors from the insurance company will come, or use pictures, and inspect the car and assign it a category based on the damage, cost of repairs and the input of a qualified mechanic.

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Weekly Motoring News 10th December 2011

Welcome to another weekly round up of some of the more bizarre, but also informative, from the wonderful world of the motorcar:

As you may have heard, the world’s most expensive shunt occurred in Japan this week. All but one of the vehicles involved were classed as “super cars” worth many hundreds of thousands of pounds. Luckily, no-one was seriously hurt but still, imagine the insurance premium increases………….

Japanese super car pile up

http://news.topmotors.com/misc-videos/shocking/8-ferraris-a-lamborghini-and-2-mercs-in-huge-pileup?

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Weekly Motoring News 3rd December 2011

The festive season is finally here and we’ve got some real “crackers” this week for you (sorry). So, gear yourselves up for another round-up of the weeks more interesting motoring clips and stories from around the web……..

To kick us off, please take the time to watch this truly mesmerising video of the tsunami that hit Japan earlier this year. Taken from a drivers point of view, it’s a graphic and horrifying portrait of the power of nature and just how things can change in a matter of seconds.

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Weekly Motoring News 26th November 2011

Another fun filled week on the on the web and here are a few of the most interesting or crazy stories we’ve found for your enjoyment……

Two American muscle cars showing off on Thanksgiving – bet they wish the stayed home and had more turkey now! Sadly the two in the video were not on a racetrack or even good drivers

 

http://news.topmotors.com/funnies/videos/two-corvettes-crash-on-thanksgiving-run?

UK insurers a requesting that first time drivers have two types of licenses, First a partial license with many restrictions like night driving etc and a second test two years later. They say it could help reduce the number of young people who die on the roads each year in the UK. 18 people a day are killed or injured in road crashes involving drivers under 25 in Britain so something has to be done but it will be interesting to see whether this initiative takes off.

 

 

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Weekly Motoring News 20th November 2011

Week three of our weekly round up of some of the best stories from around the web. Hope you enjoying it so far 🙂

The law has been changed to help insulin treated diabetic drivers the chance to drive any vehicle the require, Until now, no one with insulin treated diabetes has been able to drive buses and lorries. There are some specific criteria that the driver still has to meet, but we’re sure this will come as good news to many.

 

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/legal–motoring-advice/2011-11/diabetes/

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