In part one we began to look at some of the ways in which you can keep yourself and other road users safe during the cold winter months and the festive season. Driving at night is never fun, but we gave you several tips to help you to feel safer and more confident on journeys after dark. The festive season often means busier roads and more congestion than usual; we gave you a few helpful tips to avoid road rage and get to your destination safely. Continue reading
It may only be October, but with just less than nine weeks until Christmas it’s time to start preparing for the festive season. No, we’re not talking about buying gifts and planning parties; we’re talking about how to keep yourself, your family, and other road users safe on the roads this Christmas. Continue reading
Peugeot Hybrid Air launched at Geneva
One of the most interesting unveilings at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was the new Peugeot Hybrid Air – a car that promises to really shake things up in the automotive industry.
While the Hybrid Air doesn’t run entirely on air (it’s actually coupled with a petrol engine), Peugeot say that their new compressed air hybrid is set to overtake its electric-powered rivals, like the Toyota Prius, when it gets its official release in 2016.
Peugeot claim their new car is ‘an innovative full-hybrid gasoline solution. An important step towards the 21/100 km car by 2020’. And looking at some of the figures, it’s easy to see why they’re so excited about it.
With no need to include an electric motor, or find space for a lithium-ion battery, the car will be cheaper to buy (estimates are currently around the £17,000 mark), and it’ll also create extra savings with an impressive fuel economy of about 81 miles per gallon.
Peugeot also say their new hybrid is capable of achieving a 45% saving in consumption in city driving, and offer a 90% increase in range when compared to conventional engines.
You can read more about how the innovative new hybrid engine works on Peugeot’s website, where they give a more detailed account about its inner workings and projected fuel savings.
Is driving getting cheaper?
To reach the proposed target of CO2 emissions, the European Commission has recently proposed a new 95g/km CO2 limit in a bid to reach an overall CO2 reduction of 60% by 2050.
While the limit is set to increase the price of a new car purchase by approximately £860, research conducted by Cambridge Econometrics and Ricardo-AEA (a leading international energy and environmental company) has shown that motorists could stand to recover this £860 in less than three years.
The new CO2 limit actually increases fuel economy by 25%, which would allow for savings of roughly £350 each year in fuel. This would mean that, over the course of a car’s serviceable life, the average motorist could save up to £3,300.
The new proposed CO2 limit might be good news for motorists, but we wonder about how the manufacturers will fare, and what effect the proposed limit could have on the automotive market.
Looking for a space?
It’s been used in a number of American cities for a while now, but the Parker app – an award-winning application that allows you to quickly spot vacant parking spaces – is being trialled by Manchester City Council.
The app works by utilising sensors which are placed in the parking spaces themselves, so that once a car moves off, the user is then alerted that a space as become available. And the Parker app also comes with the added bonus of being able to tell you where you parked, just in case you managed to forget – which happens to us all at some point!
With its complicated one-way system, Manchester city centre has always been difficult to navigate – and motorists slowing to a near standstill to check for parking spaces on every corner has only made things worse.
We’ll have to wait 6 months to see how successful the app is in reducing congestion, but we guarantee that there will be other local authorities keeping a close watch on its development.
Find out more about the Parker app.
Would you pass your test if you retook it today? Back in 2009 Kia Motors UK conducted an experiment. In a bid to raise awareness of driving standards they challenged experienced drivers to retake their driving tests to see how they would fare. Only 50% of them passed.
We might occasionally find ourselves falling prey to the occasional poor driving habit – but are we aware of just how many bad habits we’ve managed to acquire since we first passed our tests?
In our own bid to raise awareness of driving standards, here at WeBuyAnyDamagedCar we’ve put together a list of 7 of the very worst driving habits to fall into. So take note – how many of them are you guilty of?
1. Speeding
Speeding is the most common bad driving habit that people get into – and we’re pretty sure that drivers that haven’t gone over the speed limit at some point in their driving lives are in the minority.
The penalties for speeding vary greatly. If you’re caught, you’ll normally receive 3 points on your licence and a £60 fine, or you could face a court summons – and if you’re caught speeding in excess of 45% of the speed limit, you could risk an instant driving ban, which could last up to 120 days.
But speeding might not be intentional in all cases… We’re not quite sure how they managed it, but according to the Think Road Safety Annual Survey 2008, 43% of motorists couldn’t identify the national speed limit sign when they were shown it.
2. Not signalling
You probably won’t have noticed yourself doing this one at all. Failing to indicate seems to creep up on us slowly over the years. The longer it is that a driver has been on the roads, the more they seem to think that other motorists know instinctively where they’re going, and which turns they’re going to make.
Unfortunately this isn’t the case.
3. Texting, calling or changing music
This bad driving habit is particularly prevalent. If you take a look at other motorists while you’re driving you’ll probably come across it – unless, of course, you’re too busy texting to notice…
According to the National Safety Council – an American nonprofit organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting health – an astounding 1.4 million car accidents happen each and every year in America because of motorists using their phones while driving.
4. Driving one-handed
You might not know it, but the 10 and 2 hand position that you probably learnt to pass your test with is actually no longer recommended. The reason? Airbags.
The 9 and 3 position is actually the best position to avoid any airbag-related injuries, and driving with one hand firmly on ’12’ could be very nasty if you get involved in an accident.
Airbags can move at speeds of up to 200mph if they’re activated, and having a hand positioned in front of your face could cause serious damage to both your hand… and your face.
We won’t even talk about steering with your knees.
5. Not checking mirrors and blind spots
This is especially common in drivers who’ve been driving the same vehicle for a number of years. When motorists get comfortable in a car they think they know how to compensate for the blind spots.
They very rarely do. In fact, research conducted by Motorcycle Accident in Depth Study showed that 37% of all accidents involving motorcycles in Europe are due to drivers failing to check their mirrors.
6. Tailgating
Tailgating is another bad habit that’s all too common. Whether drivers realise it or not, tailgating a vehicle can be an intimidating experience for the driver in front – and if they’re paying more attention to the motorist right up against their rear bumper than they are to the road in front, they’re more likely to be distracted from oncoming hazards.
7. Getting angry
This one’s an interesting one, because it usually stems from noticing the above 6 bad habits in other drivers while failing to notice them in ourselves.
You see a driving pulling out without indicating. You’re being tailgated. You see someone texting behind the wheel. What’s your reaction? You get angry. Not only have they put you in danger, they’ve also put themselves in danger by failing to perform basic road safety precautions.
It’s easy to get a bit hot under the collar, but it’s worth taking a few moments to think about how many motorists you might have angered while you’ve been at the wheel.
Sometimes car faults can be fixed. Sometimes you just book your car into the garage and, a couple of days later, it’s fit to drive. Other times you won’t be so lucky.
Problems that lead to damage or complete failure in the engine are usually the most expensive problems to fix. They’re bad news. Investing in a new engine sometimes just isn’t worth your while, and if you’re not careful you could be left severely out of pocket.
Here at WeBuyAnyDamagedCar we come across a whole host of car faults so expensive to fix that they outweigh the value of the car itself, so we’ve put together a list of some of the worst, most expensive problems to watch out for.
Fuel injector problems
The fuel injector is integral to all modern car engines. It’s designed to deliver a precise amount of fuel into the engine for the combustion process to work.
Regulating the flow of fuel and allowing for more fuel-economical driving, modern digital fuel injectors are much better than they used to be – but problems still remain, and since they’re hard to get to, you could be faced with a pretty hefty garage bill if they fail.
If the pressure becomes too low, the injectors don’t provide enough fuel to the engine to keep it running. Your car could fail to start or, more dangerously, cut out completely while you’re driving. If the fuel injectors provide the engine with too much or too little fuel, power problems and overheating issues can occur.
Fuel injector problems can be a nightmare for those with modern diesel cars, and if they seize in the cylinder head are almost impossible to remove from certain engines. This is especially true of Honda’s 2.2 CTDI engine in the CRV and Accord and in VW Passat diesel engines.
What to look out for:
Gearbox problems
Transmission are complicated pieces of machinery, so there’s a surprising amount of things that could potentially go wrong. Even if you do find the root cause of the problem, since they’re so difficult to access, transmission problems are extremely expensive – you’re probably looking at paying around £1000 for a replacement.
One of the most common faults with modern automatic and semi-automatic transmissions are electrical ECU faults.
Many Audi cars fitted with automatic gearboxes are prone to these electrical issues – and motorists also complain of problems with solenoid valves, which work to regulate the transmission fluids.
Citroën vehicle models which use the Sensodrive semi-automatic gearbox often experience transmission problems, as do those Mercedes cars with the Tiptronic gearbox.
What to look out for:
The turbocharger
Another faulty component that we often come across here at WeBuyAnyDamagedCar is the turbocharger. Designed to increase the power output of your engine, the turbocharger works to provide a more powerful fuel combustion. It does this by compressing the air that flows into the engine so that more air will fit into the cylinders.
Unfortunately, they’re also prone to failure. Since they operate at incredibly fast speeds it’s important to make sure that you have sufficient oil to ensure the correct pressure and flow rate.
The bearings inside the turbo shaft can also overheat and cause the engine oil to bypass the turbo intercooler and contaminate the entire induction system.
As for getting a replacement, you need to watch out for the hidden costs. Many Fords often suffer from turbocharger issues, as do a number of Nissan models.
What to look out for:
If you’ve suffered any of these car problems, just get in touch. We’ll pay cash for your damaged or broken car and save you the cost and hassle of trying to repair it.
Contact us today for a free quotation or give us a call on 01366 387967.
German car giant BMW has just announced plans to recall various models in its 1 and 3 Series range. The recall could affect cars manufactured from March 2007 up to July 2011 and sold in North America, Canada, Japan and South Africa.
The recall came about when potential electrical problems became known after one Canadian motorist suffered a minor crash.
The problem is said to be due to the potential degradation over time of the connector for the positive battery cable connector and corresponding fuse box terminal.
Reviewing the failures, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTS) have said that the loss of electrical power caused by a failing connector could cause the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of death.
Luckily, currently cars of these models sold in Europe aren’t affected.
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.
