Category: Cars

If you want to have trouble-free motoring during the winter months it is essential that you give your vehicle some attention now. While many car dealerships offer a winter vehicle health check there is nothing stopping you from conducting these checks yourself saving money into the bargain.

Firstly, pop the bonnet and check on the washer fluid. Because the roads are gritted during the winter the salt from the grit gets onto the windscreen and so it needs frequent washing when driving. Make sure that there is screen wash in the system that has an anti-freeze agent in it to prevent ice forming as you wash. Whilst under the bonnet check the oil levels too.

Being able to see clearly through the windscreen is vital to safe driving at any time of the year so check that the windscreen wipers are effectively clearing the screen and if not then seek replacements. On a day when the windscreen is clear, check to make sure there are no chips or cracks as freezing conditions can cause a small crack to shatter the whole screen. Most insurance companies have a windscreen replacement element to them and so it is straightforward to get it replaced.

This time of year, you need to be even more careful than normal when driving. There is often ice on the roads, especially in the early morning and later on in the evening. This can make for quite dangerous driving conditions so you need to ensure that you have done everything possible to try and make sure you are as safe as you can be. 

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. Ideally have a quick look around your tyres before setting of on any journey but every couple of weeks give them a better inspection to try and spot any damage you may of previously missed. 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 appear to have worn down or even perished. If this is the case then you need to get them changed as soon as possible.

The cost of tyres varies greatly depending on the size, make and also whether you have new or part worns so a bit of shopping around is needed if you want to secure the best price.

When it comes to buying a new car, colour may not be something that is high up on your priority list. Some people look more at the spec, age, mileage and general condition of the vehicle and the colour is more of an afterthought. For some though, colour is very important. Some people will turn down a car that is otherwise perfect for them purely because of the colour. 

The most popular colours of cars are silver, grey, white and black – arguably a little more subtle, and some say that grey or silver hides the dirt better making it a popular choice!  However, other colours such as blue and red remain fairly popular – although not as much as they were a few years back.

Colours like pink or green may only appeal to a small number of people, but there are now quite a few around, and more ‘exotic’ colours like bright orange, neon green and purple are making an appearance. Often some cars suit certain colours better than others. For example although traditionally sports cars were often red, they can often pull off the more exotic colours.

You will often have to pay more for a metallic colour than a matt colour but this sometimes is include in the cost quoted.

The summers in the UK can be very unpredictable. We can have weeks and weeks of rain or scoring hot days that seem to get hotter each year. If it important to look after your car not only mechanically but also the body work and the interior.

If you have children you may start to let them eat or drink in the car and find that the seats are covered with crumbs and wrappers. Even if they are in a child seat, the food still manages to find its way under and start to get into the seats of the vehicle.

It is really important to invest in some good quality seat covers. For the back seats, it is even more important to try and find ones that have the right cut outs for the seat belts and for an arm rest (if you have one). These seat covers can then easily be removed and shaken off or even washed if needs be.

In order to keep your car clean you need to ensure that you give it a good clean inside and out at least a couple of times a month. Vacuum over all the seats first starting from the top and then working your way down to the floor.

If you are struggling as to what to get for your loved one for their birthday or for Christmas, how about a personalised numberplate for their car or van. There are a huge number of number plates available to buy starting from around £150 upwards of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

There are some great websites that allow you to type in a number or combination of names and numbers and it will show you a range of number plates that may be suitable to you. It will often show some of the cheaper plates that may not be as close to what you wanted but then also some more expensive ones.

Many of the number plates companies will also offer a service where they will try and source a particular plate for you if that is what you want. They can also help recommend plates that my closely match what you want. When buying a plate you do have to also check what other charges you may have to plate. If you want to put the plate straight on to a vehicle then you will have to pay different fees as to if you are planning to put it on retention. Sometimes these charges are paid to the DVLA and sometimes they are paid to the company you are buying the plate from.