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Motoring

Archives for February 2017

Fuel efficiency remapping
Leaving aside the standard options of increasing fuel efficiency (tyres at correct pressure, no roof racks/minimum luggage, not filling the fuel tank fully, not using air con etc as well as the obvious reading of the road and driving sensibly!) I have been advised that I can increase fuel economy by approx 10 to 15% by…
Sold a defective Secondhand van
Hi We bought a secondhand van in November last year since then we have had to to a lot of work on the van to keep it going. On checking the mot history on line there was an mot on the van in February 2016 and the next one was due in February this year, however the previous owners had an mot in October 2016 which failed due…
Cheap to run car
I usually buy cheap vw cars under £1000 eg golf/polo and run them into the ground. The upside is low purchase cost and reliability, downside can be road tax around £200 a year and poor mpg (30). Im happy with a small car as on my own most of the time. The newer golfs i think now as family cars (mk4 onwards) due to size.…
DVLA will not authorise removal of car until tax has expired for 2 months
2 weeks ago I reported a car with expired tax (2 weeks overdue) and no MOT (actually expired the day before I checked. I reported this to the local council (car was parked on corner of junction) and have just had the following response: Is this actually the case? I assume that this time period is to allow the owner to be…
Admiral Insurance, Offence?
A year ago i was on "Whats driving us?" course for jumping red light. However on Admiral only option to declare awarness course is "Speed Awarness Course" . I was not speeding, and i was on a different course. Do they care only about speeding courses? Do i still have to declare "Whats driving us?" course somehow if there…
Cheapest road worthy car????
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/miscellaneous/2017-02/how-we-bought-a-car-for-under-a-fiver/
Second minor accident in a year - advice needed
Hello, rather shaken up right now and wondering what's best to do. I was involved in a minor supermarket car park prang this afternoon. Thought I had looked all around me before backing out but ended bumping into a car off to my left. I ended up with a few scratches and what looks like quite a small dent in the left…
Bought van from dealer, new mot, lots of issues.
I bought a van on finance 3 weeks ago from a dealer with 30 day warranty. The dealer is 80miles away from me. It came with a new mot without advisories. For 2 weeks I didn't use the van as was having it signwritten and kitted out for my work. I've drove it for the last week and found problems and concerns about it just…
Offside front brake sticking?!
Just had my MOT and thankfully the car passed :T:T One advisory though - brake sticking. Now, I've driven the car at speed (50 mph) and I notice the car does have a pull to the right which sounds consistent with a sticking brake. So what I did was I did a little strip down. Starting with the guide rods. Took them out of…
Car leasing question
Hello I have been looking at leasing a new car. I have never financed a car this way before. If I go for this I would probably go for the 36 month option. Now I know this sounds a bit thick but what does the phrase “advanced rental” actually mean. Most of the deals I have seen require between 3 & 12 months advanced rental.…
PCN private car park while at work
[IMG]://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo62/Chrisk564/0CBDDEA5-0F97-4781-A903-CFE17654835C.jpg[/IMG][IMG]://s362.photobucket.com/user/Chrisk564/media/0CBDDEA5-0F97-4781-A903-CFE17654835C.jpg.[/IMG] Dear all, I'm looking g for some guidance on two PCN I received while parked in the works car park. So The car park surrronds a…
Personal Car Leasing
Hi, My company has offered me a car allowance rather than a company car so I'm looking to privately lease a car as I can't afford to buy a new car out right. Probably looking to pay around £200 per month. Can anyone recommend a lease company as there are so many out there. Many Thanks Mike
Stop-gap car?
So I currently drive a very reliable cheap car, costed me £6000 exactly 3 years ago, worth less than £2000 these days, 130k on the clock. Recent service+MOT had been cheap and uneventful. With these 6 months old tyres, I don’t foresee any major expense needed on the car until next MOT in a year’s time, where new front…
Car insurance lapsed
Hi, I was recently stopped by a police officer and found out that my car insurance had recently run out & not been renewed. The other 2 cars in our household are insured. This was a genuine oversight. My wife had not been well and missed any correspondence (if any was sent). Is it worth while trying to plead our case in…
Buying private car help please
Having never bought a car privately, or indeed sold a car privately, I just wanted to check that I am doing it right. Scenario: We have 2 cars at the mo, we are selling the main car and buying something bigger. The insurance will be changed from the main car to the new car, which we are picking up on Saturday. So the way I…
DVLA Issues
After a bit of advice please . Bought a car for my son in December ( 1 yr old Vauxhall) from a Vauxhall dealer . Part of the deal was 6 months Road Tax . All fine until letter from DVLA arrived yesterday saying car has not been taxed since 1st Jan and consequently fined . Now we got a receipt from the Vauxhall dealer and…
for new drivers looking for a used car, where are the best places to look?
apart from online sites like autotrader, gumtree etc, where else would you suggest? i am looking to buy a cheap(ish) used car soon so once i've passed my test i already have one. where else would be the best place to look? i want to make sure everything about the car is legit. my budget limit is £750. i don't want to spend…
Replacing tail light cover
Hi, I was waiting to fill up at the petrol station the other day and reversed back to move towards a vacant pump. Stupidly, I didn't realise there was a bollard in my vicinity and hit it a little. It clipped my right tail light and about a two inch piece of the plastic cover broke off. The light itself is fine and still…
Car accident - was it my fault?
I'm convinced a car accident wasn't my fault. It happened this morning. I've reported it to my insurer and they say that it sounds like it wasn't my fault. Wondering if anyone with any knowledge of this can comment? Two lane roundabout with a 2 lane entrance, two lanes on left hand exit and two lanes on right hand exit.…
PCP Voluntary Termination
Hi, I'm looking for some advice on the voluntary termination of my agreement with my cars finance company (I'm not going to name companies, cars or personal details). The agreement runs for 42 months with an end date of August 2018, however our circumstances have changed and we need to change to a bigger more practical…

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MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

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