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Toyotas Recall

2010-02-07T18:59:41Z

If there is a make of car that is associated with reliability and dealer customer service it would be Toyota. So it has come as a surprise recently when Toyota have announced a recall of up to 8 models of cars with a accelerator cable fault, this will cover 10,000 cars in this country and millions worldwide. this just comes at a timw when Toyota have announced some impressive profits during tis ression time, that probaly will be wiped out with this recall.

The news are making abig thing of the issue, even though no problems have been reported int he UK, every issue has been in the USA. it also covers some Citroen C1’s which were made in the same factory, which suggests a factory or parts issue rather than a design fault. To be honest of there were a make of car to have a fault you would hope it would be a Toyota, we have seen represenetatoves on TV assuring they will put the issue right, without passing blame to anyone else.

The media have suugested contacted your local dealer, but Toyota have set up a phone line and are probly better set up tpo deal with the issue, that will take only 30 minutes oer car to pout right. Toyota dealers will be rubbing their hands in glee, as all recalls will be cgargable back to Toyota.

What A Winter For Motoring

2010-01-23T14:41:56Z

Many countries have been laughing at the UK after one of its worst winter’s for decades, along comes some snow and the whole country comes to a halt. Driving has been a nightmare in most counties, with advice not to drive being ignored at the same time employers, telling employees they will not get paid unless they turn up for work. We also must not forget the emergency workers, who themselves first have to get to work, car or no car and then attend the many accidents and cold related issues up and down the country.

Police cars, ambulances, fire engines all need to get to where they need to be and unfortunately, our inability to handle snow and grit the roads has once again had the world in stitches as they go to work as normal in with snowfalls twice the size as ours. The roadside assistance emergency services have reported record call outs with AA quoting 20,000 call outs in one day and long waits for those without their cars.
Certain other types of vehicles have been string through, like the mini excavator or mini diggers that have been used to clear snow throughout businesses across the UK. These vehicles are excellent for during on snow as their rubber tracks spread the weight across a larger surface area, so they do not get stuck, or rarely anyway. Many excavator parts suppliers have seen record sales over this cold period for that very reason, no wonder they use these in typical ski resorts.

The 4×4 owner has had some stick recently with CO2 emissions and taxation etc. But by did most of us wish we had one as they sped by us on the roads. Let’s be honest this winter was unique and we will always get stuck in the snow, because unlike other countries we never can guess when it will come. The roads are clear now, so make sure you have your antifreeze in the radiator, and hope the snow fall has ceased for another year.

How Winter Affects The Pleasures of the Motor Car

2009-12-05T16:51:01Z

It is no coincidence that when the cold weather and dark nights arrive so does the busy roads as many more cars hit the roads. The push bikes get stored in the shed and the walk to the shops gets postponed until spring as more and more of us opt for the motor car so we keep warm, dry and hopefully safe. However as we lock ourselves up in that safe cocoon shell, many motorist don’t relaise that the motor car also needs a bit of love and attention to get it through the winter months. It is no coincidence that car breakdown cover patrolmen are far more busy this time of year, especially at night and if there is ever a time your car will not start it probably will be after a cold or wet night.

Lets talk about the basics of anti freeze. This is a product that costs no more than a few pounds, but is one of the most essentia love products you can buy for your car. I know dealerships that are snapping up old cars because of cylinder head issues, just becuase of no antifreeze had been put in the radiator. When was the last time you got your alternator checked? This is mostly a free check by certain car parts suppliers, you may think you don’t want to be sold an alternator, but you probably will think differnt that night your car will not start after a night out in the middle of nowhere because your battery has failed ot charge.

As for those motorists that drive around in newer cars, not expecting anything nechaical to breakdown, there is also the consideration of distance versus time. For some unknown reason, some driver assume you can get from A to B in the same time as back in summer, light nights and no cars on the road. What does his equal? It equals frustration,, annoyance and car accidents that should have been avoided. What is more when you add a bit of Christmas to the mix, you end up with stress and more stress.

The motor car was invented ot make our lives easier, but expecting too much out of our cars and driving habits is becomming the norm. Oh I hate winter!!

Importance Of Learning To Drive

2009-11-03T10:12:12Z

There are some very significant things that occur in peoples lives and one that really does change what people can do is passing that elusive driving test. We can talk about degrees or qualifications but even those can fall into insignificance if you cannot travel to that dream job, or have the mobility required to deliver the flexibility most employers need today.

Learning to drive will probably for most be one of the most significant things to happen to them, not only from a career pint of view but also from a social one too. The likelihood of all life’s dreams being on your doorstep is very rare and so owning and driving a car really does make one’s life different, to the point of it being an essential ingredient to modern life success.

Making sure you get the right driving tuition is essential, what you learn today will affect the driving in you tomorrow, so choose carefully based on experience and driving test pass rate. What is the point of saving a few pounds per lesson if you find yourself having to buy more driving lessons after you fail your test? Get an instructor that will teach you right first time and then it is up to you to how quickly you are safe to drive by yourself on the roads. Nothing within this blog has any significance until a driving test has been passed or at least the goal to do so. Everything based around the automotive world is based around people going through the same driving instruction and then the same driving test, before buying their own car and having the pleasure of maintaining it.

Be Free 2 Go Australia

2009-10-11T21:00:12Z

Obviously car breakdown cover is not just a service offered to the UK consumer but worldwide in different forms and ways. Be Free 2 Go is an Australian Roadside Assistance company that has an amazing offer for 17 to 18 year old teenagers. For this age group they offer free breakdown cover, yes no charge. It is of course a great idea, because these young people are the customers of the future and have parents who also need roadside assistance now. In the usual Ozzie way, this comercial shows the funny side of some parents watching their teenage sons go out in the car. Of course the car breaksdown and the sons arrive back home to see their parents ins a situtaion they would rather not have seen. The morale of th story is, they should have got their sone some free berakdown cover with Be Free 2 Go and they would be still away in theor car. It is very funny and not at all like the roadside assistance adverts you would see on British television.

Fifth Gear Evo Versus Focus RS

2009-10-11T20:46:34Z

If you want to find out which is the better car, the Mitsubishi Evo X or teh Ford Focus Rs, then hire a recing track in Anglessey and fight it out with the Fifth Gear team. what you end up with is a series of test, that are supposed to identify which car has the best handling and speed around the track. It was a good test, but only would have worked if there were clear differences between the cars. The results are so close that you end up buying the one you fancy, rather than because there was a clear winner.

Anyway it is an enjoyable piece with 2 good racing drivers come presenters having the time of their lives and trying ot out-drive each other. in fact you could say, it was less about the cars and more about who was the best driver.

Killing A Toyota Pick Up Truck

2009-10-11T20:38:38Z

One of the most memorable stunts the Top Gear team tried to do was to take a Toyota Pick Up Truck and try to destroy it to the point where it was finished and just would not drive. What followed was extaordinary, from setting it on fire, dropping a caravan on to it and totally submerging it under the sea, but no matter what the Top Gear team did this Toyota Pick Up Truck just refused to die. The test were beyond anything normal use would throw at it and beyond, proving how well these T’oyota’s are put together and why they last for so long and a re firm favourites around the world.

The Toyota now stands proud on the Top Gear wall, all beaten and down but stll alive if they were t choose to start it up again, although the body has been beaten up past recognition. here is the video with part 1 of the story.

Captain Slow In The Fastest Poduction Car In the World

2009-09-24T12:59:25Z

If you watch Top Gear there is one presenter who does the nerdy bits while the other 2 enjoy themselves with the speed. But for some reason they decided to give James May (Captain Slow) the job of testinga Bugatti Veyron, to prove it really can do 407 killometres per hour. To do this he needed to go to the VW tesing track in Germany where they have an impressive 5 mile straight. James preceded to take the car into the straight at 200kph and then dramatically take this wonderful car up to over 400kph.

It was a fantastic peice, even compared to the previous test of racing a light airplane over Europe in the Bugatti, becuase even though they did not mention it at the time, they needed to stick to tthe speed limits.

So the answer is, yes the car really can do 407kph, ven if it is for 12 minutes only as you may run out of fuel and the tyres can only last 50 minutes or so also.

Here is the Top Gear Clip.

Innovation the Key At Frankfurt Show

2009-09-21T15:55:46Z

It seems that the Frankfurt auto show is smaller than 3 years ago and the amount of cars is also down by 30%, but what is not down is the amount of new exhibits, showing the trend that the motor industry thinks that innivation is the key to future success. Of course cheaper and greener fuels are a stroing point with car buyers now, so battery power is a consideration on many new models. But of course batteries in themselves are not the most green product, so there is still a way to go, to make battery power replace petrol as we know it. There are others who belive batteries are already old hat with compressed CO2 being the favourite to go the next step and Honda are doing it in a big way in California. As far as the Frankfurt car sho is concerned though, something new keeps the business alive. It may not be bigger, but there still should be something there for everyone.

Mini Coupe Cabriolet Frankfurt

2009-09-17T13:29:45Z

In a world where soft top convertibles have been overshadowed by the new hard roofed coupe cabriolets it still comes as a surprise to see that BMW are considering a version for their sucessful mini range. Up to now the new mini has been based on the traditional classic one, including the mini clubman even though the car is much bigger with larger engines to suit the times. But at teh Frankfurt motor show this year a concept mini coupe cabrioletis on show to show how the car would look should it be made.

The first impressions is from the back and it looks a bit too chucky of a traditional mini, and with its roof down it doesn’t really look that much different from a soft top mini, except the folding roof means it can only have 2 seats. This also means the boot section extends over where the rear seats were. It is difficult to decide if this car looks any better than a soft top mini, but with the usual UK winter there will be benefits.

When the roof is up, the coupe shape looks unusual on a mini, as it has never been seen before and would guess it would take time to get used or to like. This car is likely to be compared to marmite, you either like it or you don’t. The price should it be made will probably define its success.