General interest

2015 European Car of the Year shortlist announced

So if you are thinking of a new car next year, you might want to wait until the results of the 2015 European Car of the Year have been announced.

The shortlist is out, whittled down to seven from thirty one new cars and to qualify all contenders must have sold or be expected to sell at least 5,000 vehicles. Those who made it through to the grid are the BMW 2-series Active Tourer, Citroën C4 Cactus, Ford Mondeo, Mercedes-Benz C-class, Nissan Qashqai, Renault Twingo and Volkswagen Passat. And there’s quite a crowd to pass judgement as 58 jurors from 22 European countries will consider the cars based on design, safety, comfort and value for money.

Last year’s winner was the Peugeot 308 but we’ll have to wait until March 2015 on the eve of the Geneva Motor show to hear which is the European car of the year 2015. To read up on the hopeful winning features of the line-up take a look here  http://www.caroftheyear.org/

P.S. if you can’t wait that long and need to dispose of your old car now we can scrap a car anytime and offer free scrap car removal……….

Have you made your car ‘Winter-ready’ yet?

As at last we begin to feel the temperatures dropping spare a thought for your car and your safety.

According to many of the motoring organisations, winter call-outs roughly double as the icy weather hits. There is plenty of advice around about keeping your car  in best running order and probably we all know much of it already – but don’t forget to check before you get stuck in that snowdrift!! Here are just a few reminders:

  • Antifreeze – Make sure you have topped up the coolant system with the right ratio of cold temperature antifreeze.
  • Screen wash – Don’t get caught out peering through frosty panes. Make sure you have filled up with winter temperature screen wash in the right proportion. You can buy pre-diluted if you’re not sure about volumes.
  • Windscreen, rear and side windows – winter sun can make visibility difficult. Minimise glare by cleaning the glass inside and out.
  • Battery – If it’s more than five years old think about having it checked. Batteries are the most common cause of winter breakdowns.
  • Fuel – it’s wise to keep topped up in case you’re held up in traffic or by the snowplough!
  • Lights – salt on the road, slushy driving conditions can lead to dirty headlights more so than normal so check and clean headlights, brake lights, indicators and reversing lights.
  • Tyres – Make sure you have at least 3mm of tread for winter driving. Winter tyres are not compulsory in the UK but are designed to be good at gripping wet, cold roads – below 7 oC.

Drive safely,

Autobreaker.com

Tax Disc changes: how they will affect you?

So, after 93 years the much loved, or not, traditional vehicle tax disc has disappeared. When you renew your tax after 1st October 2014 you won’t need to display it on your windscreen, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay! You will still receive a postal reminder when your renewal is due, along with advice on how to pay whether that is online, by phone or at the Post Office. You can also find out how to renew your tax here

You can check online when your car tax, or Vehicle Excise duty (VED) as it is properly known,  expires and the DVLA and police have access to check the database to make sure that all eligible vehicles fully taxed.

There is good news: When the DVLA receives notification of change of ownership, a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) or that it has been scrapped your tax refund will be sent automatically for any remaining full months.

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