Japan Automotive Trade In Tatters After Tsunami

Following the Earthquake that hit Japan on Friday 11th March 2010, the tsunami that followed soon after brought destruction and absolute devastation to the vast population and cities of the country. Power outages from the Earthquake and tsunami itself have caused most main industry factories to shutdown. All parts, engines and cars that are normally shipped worldwide on a daily basis are now in a state of disrepair leaving the Japanese Automotive industry in a state of disarray.

Burnt-out vehicles which were set for export at a port at the village of Tokai in Ibaraki prefecture after Friday's earthquake and tsunami, which have closed many plants.

The Toyota Corporation of Japan have told suppliers that supplies are limited temporarly due to damage at a main plant that makes the car. Toyota has planned to halt work at its 12 sites in Japan to allow workers to check on the safety of their families at this tragic and devastating time, the Wall Street Journal reported. Toyota and Subaru have curbed production in the US to preserve parts. Other Automotive industries based in Japan that have been affected are Suzuki Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Motor Corporation, Hino Motors Limited, Honda Motor Corporation and  Nissan Motor Corporation.

US Carmaker General Motors (GM) has closed their factory because of a parts shortage due to the Japan crisis. GM has told the general public that this should have no effect on it’s customers as they have enough supplies to last at least 70 days.

Some operations are expected to be shifted to plants outside the country, the WSJ reported, but that could take some time.

UK's Cheapest Petrol Stations

Find your nearest petrol station, just click the link below, type in your post code or town and this handy little website will work out your nearest and cheapest one for you:

www.petrolprices.com

How To Reduce Your Car Insurance

The cost of your insurance depends on many factors, including whether or not you are a ‘high risk’ candidate. If you are any of the following, expect to pay more for your insurance:

§  18-25 year olds

§  Young Males (18-25) – Although, this is set to change in 2012 because of the new gender equality EU law.

§  If you live in a city.

§  Your car is not stored in a garage or secure storage facility over night.

Other factors are included in your assessment for your insurance policy, including what kind of car you have because this could mean expensive replacement parts or repairs, whether you live in the country or the city, because this could mean higher crime rates, and even your profession could affect your policy, if you are a sports professional, actor/actress, entertainer, barman/barmaid, chef or a builder.  You may be able to avoid having to pay higher premiums by shopping around, in fact, some insurance companies actually specialise in high-risk drivers and can offer a reasonable deal.

If you want to reduce your insurance policy there are a few things you can do. The obvious one is to shop around, use Internet price comparison websites to find alternatives that offer the best deal for you and your circumstances. If it is possible for you to do so, try and store your car in a secure facility or garage overnight. Make sure the cost of insurance outweighs the cost of storage fees though, otherwise this would defeat the purpose. Another fairly obvious point to make is to try and avoid any car traffic accidents and drive safely, this will help you to get your no-claims bonus which will reduce the cost of your annual premium amount.

Generally speaking, driving a smaller car with a smaller engine (less power) will significantly reduce the cost of your insurance. It is also possible to make your insurance cheaper by increasing the 'excess' amount on the policy. This is the amount of money that you will have to pay towards repairs before the insurer pays out. The higher the excess the cheaper the premium.

The best time to look around for car insurance is when you are due to renew your current policy. Cancelling a contract before the agreement renewal date is likely to incur a penalty charge, which can sometimes be the remainder of the time left of your policy. However, it still can be worth switching insurer if the savings are greater than the penalty. The last option is a payment plan to pay your car insurance premiums. This is basically like a loan that you have with your insurance company which can be paid back in monthly instalments. Make sure you don't get punished by the interest rates and only consider this option if there is a 0% interest basis, you could also investigate the possibility of using a 0% credit card with regular repayments to cover the costs. Otherwise it is best to pay for insurance all at once up front.

Keep an eye out for any current deals that insurance companies are offering as these normally only last a short period of time, but could significantly benefit you. You can find and compare car insurance quotes using websites such as: moneysupermarket, gocompare, comparethemarket, confused.com and there are those that are not on quote comparison sites but are equally competitive rivals in the car insurance industry; Direct Line and Norwich Union.

A New Way Thieves Are Targetting Cars

Usually it is fairly obvious if your car has been a victim of crime or theft as the evidence would be a smashed window, car door damage or damage to the car locking system, but there is a new way that some crafty thieves are getting in and out of cars with no obvious damage at all.

If you lock your car automatically with a key fob then you could potentially be at risk.

Thieves can pick up high tech signal blocking equipment for about £66 from the Internet. All it takes is for them to wait for an unsuspecting victim to unwittingly lock their car with a key fob and with a press of a button; they then have full access to your car once you walk away. The high tech equipment they use blocks any transmissions to initiate the locking system given out by your key fob signal, it will still make the noise and sound as though the car is being locked like normal, but it won’t actually be locked. This type of crime is becoming more and more common so it is very important you always check that all doors are locked before leaving your car and walking away, even if you have locked it with your key fob. Be wary of any suspect people hanging around or near your car. The most common items that are being stolen from vehicles using this method are Sat navs, radios and CD players. You were warned!

The Future Of Car Travel - An Automatic Car Train.

The EU has discovered a way that we could possibly address 3 cornerstones of transportation issues which are; effects on our environment, safety and congestion.

Platooning may be the new way of travelling on motorways in as little as ten year’s time. Vehicle platooning, as envisaged by the SARTRE project, is a convoy of vehicles where a professional driver in a lead vehicle drives a line of other vehicles. Each car measures the distance, speed and direction and adjusts to the car in front. All vehicles are totally detached and can leave the procession at any time. But once in the platoon, drivers can relax and do other things while the platoon proceeds towards its long haul destination. (Source: www.sartre-project.eu).





A demonstration of how vehicle platooning works.

The idea is to develop a vehicle train (platoon) with vehicles being ‘led’ by a leading driver at the head of the ‘train’. Cars can join the train (platoon) and will automatically be able to follow with no input needed whatsoever from the drivers of the following vehicles. This means that drivers will not have to touch the pedals, the steering wheel and will not have to operate the car at all until they reach their destination and then they can simply disjoin from the platoon / train and drive off. The EU believes that this will cut emissions from up to 20%, it will reduce car accidents and it will also reduce congestion on the roads. You can watch a video of this mesmerising idea on the SATRE Project website in the Press Release section, click here.

 First tests in real life at Hällered test truck outside Göteborg, December 2010. Volvo S60.



The design of this vehicle platoon means that drivers can eat, drink, watch TV/movies, talk on the phone or even sleep until they arrive at their destination!

Reading the paper and drinking coffee at the first SARTRE Project testing in Sweden.

“This is a major milestone for this important European research programme,” says Tom Robinson, SARTRE Project Coordinator, Ricardo UK LTD, "Platooning offers the prospect of improved road safety, better road space utilization, improved driver comfort on long journeys and reduced fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. With the combined skills of its participating companies, SARTRE is making tangible progress towards the realization of safe and effective road train technology".

The SARTRE Project (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) has been developed by the following partners: SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Ricardo PLC (UK), The Robotiker-Tecnalia Technology Centre, Volvo Technology Corporation, The Institut für Kraftfahrzeuge of the RWTH Aachen University (ika), APPLUS + IBIADA (Spain) and the Volvo Car Corporation.

To read more about the SARTRE Project, visit the website: http://www.sartre-project.eu/

Britain's Roads Are A Sorry State

Have you ever fell victim to a pothole when driving along Britain’s roads?

With only half the budget available for authorities to resurface and repair roads you can understand why Britain’s motorists are getting increasingly annoyed and desperate for action to be taken, especially when a car repair bill is costing motorists around £240 - £2,700 because more often than not the damage is taken to the axle, suspension and wheels, a very costly repair job. Of course you can claim this back on your insurance as a “no fault” damage claim, but can you really be doing with the hassle?

There are an estimated 48,500 potholes across the UK that have been reported to authorities according to fillthathole.org.uk and more than 14,400 of those have been repaired already. Essex County Council has said that on average a pothole costs £109 to repair.

Motorists of Britain are angry, and rightly so, at the state of the country’s roads. It is said that 1 in 5 mechanic failures in the UK are caused by potholes, costing the authorities nearly £50 million a year in compensation claims. More importantly, the potholes are causing a real risk to safety especially for motorcyclists and cyclists who have to swerve to avoid the dangerous holes.

An example of some of the pothole's that are scattered across Britain.

Roads have been left in an appalling condition after being subject to freezing temperatures in one of the coldest winters in recent times and unfortunately the council just do not have the funding to pay for the amount of repairs needed. According to sources, not only do the council only have half of the budget available to pay for repairing Britain’s roads but it is estimated that it will take approximately 50 years for the backlog to be fixed, even if they could afford to repair them. This is just one of the challenges that the UK’s authorities face on a daily basis.

What can motorists do?

www.potholes.co.uk is a website that has been set up by the insurance company, Warranty Direct, they suggest that you should report all potholes found to your local council. You are well within your rights to use the ‘Information of Freedom Act’ to obtain information such as when the last time repairs were made to the road in question and when the last time the road was inspected. If you have received damage to your car from a pothole you can claim any repair fees back in compensation from your local council as a “no fault claim”. There is also a mobile phone application available to download where you can report any potholes found, this has been downloaded 5,000 times already. You can download the App here.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, potholes.co.uk, fillthathole.org.uk



Car Insurance, gender and equality

The European Union has stated earlier this year that car insurance for women does fall foul of equality legislation and insurers will be banned from doing it from December 21^st 2012.

This news has caused an influx of varying opinions some including anger and outrage at the prospect, mainly from women. A survey showed that 8 out of 10 women say that the new EU Court ruling to pay more car insurance is unfair. 78% were unhappy with the decision, whereas 22% thought the decision was reasonable. 74% of men also believe that this is reasonable as it will mean a reduction in their premiums. Some are arguing that insurance costs should be based on the drivers’ past records, not age or gender, even though statistics show that male drivers - young male drivers in particular - have significantly more road traffic accidents than women.

Men are arguing that the reason women do not have as many accidents as them is because they do not tend to drive as often, with women working shorter hours and going on maternity leave.

Women argue that pension premiums for them are higher because women statistically have a longer life expectancy, whereas men tend to have shorter life expectancy, this means that women have to pay more pension rates based on these statistics so how is it any different to statistics for car insurance? It really is a grey area and the EU have certainly opened a sore wound for some.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, said: "The use of gender in calculating insurance risk has been a thorn in the EC's side for many years and indeed, the current UK use of gender in this way is illegal. However, my fear is that the European Court of Justice will no longer tolerate such exceptions and the UK and some other EC countries that use gender to calculate risk, will have to toe the European line.”

Women’s insurance rates are likely to increase drastically, an average insurance payout per year is approximately £2,000 for men and £1,620 for women, this is nearly a £400 increase for women.

On the one hand I can see a good and a bad side to both men and women paying the same amount for car insurance. The insurer being risk averse would charge the highest rate for all thus meaning that both genders will have to pay a higher amount regardless of gender or statistics, but an opportunity does present itself; In order for insurance companies to become highly competitive against their competition, they could reduce the payments that car owners pay until a car crash or an accident happens and then the insurance companies can raise the insurance rate – some companies could even charge up to 100% extra on this basis. Not only would this be a much fairer option, but perhaps it would also be a good incentive to make drivers even more careful on the road and reduce traffic accidents, thus reducing the possibility of more traffic accidents on the road.

Just a thought.

What do you think? Comments are welcome.



Jeremy Clarkson - Mondeo Review

Back in the day, On July 3rd 2005, Jeremy Clarkson wrote an article for the The Sunday Times about his experience and opinion of the Ford Mondeo, we've fished it out for you in case you missed it.
Clarkson explains that he has had a bit of a soft spot for the Ford Mondeo and then goes on to explain why. When they started filming the award-winning TV show, Top Gear, the Ford Mondeo was the best camera tracking car in the business. No cranes or trucks were used, he proclaims, instead they used the Ford Mondeo because of its good, smooth ride and because of its sloping tailgate, which when raised gave the cameraman a 180-degree “field of fire”.  He went on to say that it is a better looking vehicle than most of its rivals, better equipped, cheaper, spacious, better to drive and surprisingly well screwed together. Wonderful news Jeremy!

His opinion on the Mondeo ST TDCi version somewhat differs though, you can read what he has to say about this model in the rest of the article here... oo err! What do YOU think?

The legend that is Jeremy Clarkson.

LOCAL NEWS: Firefighters Scrub Up For Charity

On Saturday 19^th March Firefighters from Stafford Borough took part in a National Charity Car Wash to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity. Anne Leigh, Staffordshire Treasurer for The Fire Fighters Charity said that not only could members of the public do their bit for charity and get their car washed but also free home fire risk checks were available for all members of the public ensuring that they are as safe from fires in their homes. The Stafford Firefighters used their hoses to wash the cars in a bid to raise as much money as possible for the charity. The event was at 10am-4pm and was held at the fire station on Beaconside. Some of the money raised is going to the local charity, St Joseph’s Convent in Stafford.

LOCAL NEWS: Euro Car Parts Offer £5,000 Reward

A main player in the car parts industry, Euro Car Parts, has become a victim of theft. The thieves have stolen up to £500,000 - £1,000,000’s worth of stock from their national distribution centre in Drodon, Tamworth, in Staffordshire. It became apparent when 10 pallets of stock were stolen from the national distribution centre in February this year, which brought to light previous thefts that had taken place without the company’s knowledge.

Shockingly, some of those responsible are members of staff that actually worked for Euro Car Parts. These staff members have been questioned by police. Three arrests have been made already, but it is unconfirmed if these are Euro Car Parts staff members or other members of the ‘gang’ involved in the robbery.

Having created nearly 600 jobs for the Staffordshire community, Euro Car Parts Logistics Director, Steve Horne, is unsurprisingly bitter. “It is upsetting and frustrating that having created over 600 jobs in Tamworth and the surrounding area, we appear to have been the victim of a gang of criminals. All we can do now is try and bring those to justice” He said about the burglary.

Euro Car Parts is offering a £5,000 reward for anyone to give information about the thieves in question, any witnesses are prompted to come forward or anyone who knows where these stolen goods might be stored, as they may not have been sold on yet.

Garages, Motor Outlets and parts retailers are being urged to contact Police or Euro Car Parts if offered any of the following items at a low, discount price; NGK Plugs, Exide or Bosch Batteries, Turbo Chargers or React Catalytic Convertors.

 In the meantime, security is being stepped up at the National Distribution Centre and all other Euro Car Parts sites to prevent this from happening again.

If you have any knowledge about the above events, we urge you to contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 quote incident report number 305 with Warwickshire Police. Otherwise you can contact Steve Horne (Logistics Director at Euro Car Parts) directly on 07817815331.

Least Expensive Cars To Repair

Renault £226

Fiat £237

Smart £251

Ford £256

Citroen £262

Vauxhall £268

Peugeot £283

SEAT £288

Saab £289

Source: Thisismoney.co.uk

Most Expensive Cars To Repair

Most expensive cars to repair 

These prices are based on Original OEM parts from 2010.

 

Porsche - £717

Mazda - £481

Audi - £478

Mitsubishi - £460

Mercedes-Benz - £445

Alfa Romeo - £420

Jaguar - £420

Land Rover - £412

Volvo - £409

Lexus - £403



New Ford Fiesta Custom Mods Available (Must see!)

0Ford US has added three additional customisation packages to its 2012 Ford Fiesta range in an attempt to attract more buyers who are looking to make their car one of a kind.

Available in two colours Race Red and Oxford White.

Personalisation is an enormous selling point for Ford in the US, with 40 percent of Fiesta customers purchasing at least one item from the Ford Custom Accessories catalogue.

In Race Red:

In Oxford White:

The new Premium Sport Appearance package is inspired by the hyper Focus RS, and features Tuxedo Black side mirrors, headlamps, grille surround, licence plate header and rear hatch spoiler, as well as 16-inch polished alloy wheels.

When ordered with the five-speed manual transmission, the final drive ratio is shortened from 4.07 to 4.25 for enhanced acceleration.

It’s inside where the new customisation packages really make the car stand out, however, with Ford’s stylists admitting they were inspired by famous women’s fashion designer Stella McCartney.

Oxford White and Race Red provide contrast on the centre console, door panels and air vent surrounds, as well as the leather-wrapped steering wheel and insert, two-tone leather seats and contrast stitching.

Ford Custom Accessories in the US also extends to interior lighting packages, body kits and spoilers, side-body ‘tattoos’ and other graphics, stripes and bonnet colour options.

The automotive aftermarket is a $6 billion ($5.92 billion) a year industry in the US, and the more options manufacturers like Ford offer, the more money they stand to make.

While Ford Australia offers a number of customisation options on its Fiesta, it’s hardly in the same league as the US Fiesta version.


Source: Article content by caradvice.com.au

Company Car Drivers Suffer a Tax Rise

More than 1 million people in the UK drive a company car, so the 2011 budget will be affecting a substantial number of Britons thanks to new taxes being put in place in April 2013. The new budget highlights that only company car drivers that have cars with higher carbon emissions will be affected by the tax rise. The new tax has been based on the cost of the vehicle, the CO2 rating of the vehicle and the rate at which the car owner pays income tax.

So if you are the owner of a 2 Litre Ford Mondeo, expect to be paying an annual bill of £2,127, an increase of about £76.

Only drivers emitting less than 95grams of CO2 per Kilometre – such as a Toyota Prius – will be exempt from the increases.

Three million people in the UK that use their personal car for company businesses will receive an improved mileage allowance which is a significant help for them, but AA spokesman, Luke Bodset says "This Government has merely given with one hand and taken with the other.”

Ford Lincoln Voted Most Dependable Car

The luxury Ford Car brand, the Ford Lincoln, has been dubbed the 'Most Dependable Car' according to J.D Power & Associates, who are a consumer research company.

Most Dependable Car

 The study was conducted by average problems per 100 vehicles, by brand and only in 2008 models. The average, which is 151, translates to about 1.5 problems per vehicle. 

The Ford Lincoln, as you can see from the chart, tops most of the top brands mentioned above with the brands Land Rover, Jeep and Mini coming in last for dependability.

Source: J.D. Power & Associates. Picture from Detroit Free Press.

2011 Most Dependable Cars

Highest Ranked Sub-Compact Car

2008 Honda Fit

Highest Ranked Compact Car

2008 Tapra Prius

Highest Ranked Compact Sporty Car

2008 Mazda MX-5

Highest Ranked Midsize Sporty Car

2008 Ford Mustang

Highest Ranked Midsize Car

2008 Ford Fusion

Highest Ranked Large Car

2008 Buick Lucerne

Highest Ranked Compact Premium Sporty Car

2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK Class

Highest Ranked Entry Premium Car

2008 Lincoln MKZ

Highest Ranked Midsize Premium Car

2008 Acura RL

Highest Ranked Large Premium Car

2008 Cadillac DTS

Highest Ranked Compact Multipurpose Vehicle

2008 Scion XB

Highest Ranked Compact Crossover/SUV

2008 Honda CR-V

Highest Ranked Entry Premium Crossover/SUV

2008 BMW X3

Highest Ranked Midsize Crossover/SUV

2008 Toyota 4Runner

Highest Ranked Large Crossover/SUV

2008 Chevrolet Tahoe

Highest Ranked Large Pickup

2008 Toyota Tundra

Highest Ranked Midsize Pickup

2008 Toyota Tacoma

Highest Ranked Midsize Van

2008 Toyota Sienna

Highest Ranked Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV

2008 Lexus RX

Highest Ranked Large Premium Crossover/SUV

2008 Lincoln Navigator

Source: According to the leading media consumer group - JD & Associates'