The state of many of the roads in the UK after the winter months is appalling with potholes on many stretches but should you take your car into a garage for an assessment if you think there has been some damaged done to it by hitting a pothole? If you hit a pothole whilst driving it is important to stop when safe to do so and check the tyres to make sure they are not damaged making it unsafe to continue driving. If the tyres are damaged you may need to call breakdown recovery to take you to a nearby...
At this time of the year our cars can let us down if they are not properly maintained or not kept in a garage overnight. The cold and sometimes frosty nights affect the car battery and can highlight any other issues the vehicle may have often leading to it failing to start in the morning. Ideally if it is possible to keep the car in a garage this will give some protection from the winter weather, but few people now have this as an option as they prefer to use their garage for other uses such as storage. Having a...
Running a car or van can be expensive. Not only do you have to think about MOT’s, insurance, tax and repairs you also need to think about fuel costs. Fuel can be one of a motorists most expensive annual costs to run a car. The first way to save money on fuel is to find the best price for the fuel to start with. You don’t want to have to drive around for miles to find a cheap fuel station as it is false economy. Fuel prices vary drastically from time to time and even from garage to garage so...
When buying a new or second-hand car, you may be offered a warranty. All new cars come with some warranty, most of the time it is 3 years but a few manufacturers may give you more. If you are buying a used car then you may get 12 months if it is mid-price range to 1-3 months for cheaper vehicles. Some second-hand cars may not come with any warranty when buying privately or from a small independent garage. If you are given a warranty, it is important to try and find out how long it is. Some garages will state...
When our families are growing, we can never seem to have enough space in our vehicles. Preparing for holiday trips is usually a nightmare as we try to fit children, dogs, suitcases and beach paraphernalia into our family car sometimes having to resort to buying a roof rack or box to accommodate bikes and scooters, but as our children leave home some of us find that the advantages of running a smaller vehicle outweigh the need for a larger one. As many people are now looking to reduce their monthly outgoings downsizing your car is one way to achieve this...
If you are looking to buy a second hand vehicle there are a number of points that you need to consider. One of them is mileage as many parts on a car are only designed to last a certain number of miles before they need to be replaced – such as a cambelt. If you go to look at a car which is very low mileage for its age, you may have doubts as to whether the mileage is genuine. On average, most cars do about ten thousand miles per annum. If you have a ten year old car and...
With many of England’s roads is quite a bad state, a lot of drivers are concerned about the effect this is having on their car and simply cannot afford to keep forking out for new tyres, wheels or suspension. Tyre damage can happen at any time and can make your vehicle very unsafe, which is why it is vital to check them over carefully as often as you can. You may have noticed that your tyres have not been gripping the road as well or that you have had the tyres on the car for some time now and they...
If you are looking to buy a new car then you may be given the option to part exchange your old one. Garages will often offer you a price to part exchange your vehicle which will be knocked off the price of the vehicle you are buying. This price is usually less than you would get if you should it privately but if you were looking to buy a car that was quite a lot of money, then you are more likely to get a better price for your part exchange. Although you will get more money by selling your...
