Cars

Don’t forget your MOT

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A MOT is a check that has to be done on your car to check that it is safe and road worthy. There is a strict criteria that the garage uses to access whether your car can pass the Mot inspection. All cars over three years old need to have a MOT carried out every 12 months and if it fails it is not allow to be driven on the road again (unless taking it to the Mot centre) until it has passed.

Unlike road tax, you do not get a reminder of when your Mot is due from the government unless the garage you bought the vehicle off or previously did the MOT sends you one off their own back.

If you are caught driving a car without an Mot not only can you get points on your license but it can also invalidate your insurance meaning that your car may be taken off the road an you have to pay recovery and storage charges to get it back.

Holding on to your service history

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Having the service history for your vehicle can make a huge difference when it comes to selling the car, especially if it has been serviced regularly and by a main dealer. Service history is not just having the service manual but also keeping any receipts for work you have had done.

If you have lost the service book for your car then you can often buy a replacement but it will then be up to you to track down all the garages that have services the car and ask them to stamp the new book again to prove that it has been done. If the car is a number of years old, the garage that serviced the vehicle may not even still be trading meaning you may have to miss out a stamp.

If you have brought a second hand car, you can also contact a garage that you know serviced it and ask for them to stamp a new book so that when you come to sell it you have the information already completed.

How To Find The Best Car Lease Deals

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A car is a convenient machinery that helps people achieve various transportation needs. Although it is much safer to purchase your own car, there are various situations that may require you to lease a car from leasing companies. However, not all companies offer the same arrangements. There is much distinction in price and policies among other aspects. It is therefore important to keenly evaluate a number of factors before leasing a car. Here are a few insights that will help you land the best car leasing deals.

When is leasing the better solution?
Leasing allows you to drive new cars without spending the total money needed to buy it. You can lease and return cars whenever you feel like driving something new. You basically pay a small down-payment (often less than 20% of the car’s value) followed by monthly instalments for the lease period. It is not often the best option for everyone and in some cases you will end up spending more than the actual cost of the car. What’s annoying is that you are essentially renting and have no equity on the car when the lease period occurs. So when is it best to lease a car? Consider a lease when;
• You do not have enough cash to buy the car you want
• You want to drive cars out of your purchase price range
• You are certain of not exceeding the mileage limits (usually 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year). Exceeding this limit will cost you extra for each additional mile
• You are certain of taking good care of the car (exterior and interior) avoiding spills and nicks among other cosmetic damage. Continue reading

Checking your coolant

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The coolant is vital to keeping your engine cool when driving and to stop it overheating. If your engine over heats it can cause a serious amount of damage and in some cases completely ruin the engine and many of its components.

Coolant can just be water but it is advised that you add antifreeze to it especially during the winter months to ensure the coolant does not freeze, meaning it will not pass through the engine when you start the car up.

Always ensure you check your coolant level prior to going on any long journey and then once every few weeks. If your coolant level is low, then make sure you top it up before you set off and if the coolant seems to be dropping significantly or quickly then you may have a leak. If this happens, be sure to take your car in to the nearest garage as soon as possible and avoid driving it otherwise.

Most common things that can go wrong on your car

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Any car whether second hand or brand new can have faults and there are some areas that are more common than others to go wrong, here are some of the most common faults:-

Battery – A good car battery should last upward of 5 years if they are not misused however the reality is that the RAC alone attend over 500,000 battery related incidents each year, and this is mostly down to human error. Leaving headlights on is a common reason for batteries to run flat however cold weather can also affect them as well as only doing short trips in the car on a regular basis.

Car electrics (sunroof, windows, mirrors etc) – these very commonly do go wrong due to car vibrations loosening the wire connections and fuses going. Although a common fault they are not usually too costly to fix.

Suspension – this fault is often caused by poor road condition and can actually write off your car!