Motoring MoneySaving Checklist discussion

lone_avenger wrote: »

Anyone been ripped off by Kwikfit?

Every KF customer. However, I don't think this is what this thread is about...

Some of the advice in this article is pretty misleading that I felt I had to point it out.

Regarding the free MOT coverage for up to a month if you get the MOT a month early; you're still covered until the same end date whether you get the MOT on expiry or a month earlier. Yes you're better getting a MOT within the month of it running out to maximise the time versus getting it done even earlier, but since it's not common practice to get an MOT done more than a couple of weeks early it's not really a money saving tip.
To make it clearer you should be saying something along the lines of: Don't renew your MOT too early; if you renew your MOT more than a month before your MOT is due, it's valid a year from the test, but if you renew within a month of the renewal it's valid a year from the origional renewal.

Regarding saving fuel by filling up more regularly; yes ok, you're saving about a Kg of load for each litre you don't fill up, but the marginal economy savings could be completely wiped out by having to fuel up more often if you need to queue up more or have to go out of your way to get fuel. You'd save more money in fuel by only filling up as you're passing a petrol station anyway, rather than making a specific trip to it.
It's also worth noting that it might not be worth travelling miles out of the way to say pennies on fuel; if you travel far enough you risk wasting more money on fuel getting to the petrol station and back then you save by getting 1p/l discount on fuel.

One thing I was told was that as the fuel is more dense when it's colder, the cheapest time to fill up is at night or colder days. The difference is probably negligable, but then so is only driving about on a quarter tank.

Edit: For people commuting to work it's also worth considering if there are any car pooling opportunities available (then you can split the fuel and parking costs), or if there are any suitable park and ride schemes (where you park on the outskirts of a city and get a bus/train/subway into town, where you save on fuel, parking and hassle).

Don't bother with eBay and Amazon for parts, too risky and time-consuming, plus postage costs.

Best place for cheap parts?* Head to your local motor factor.

I'm constantly amazed people are unaware that motor factors exist. These are the people who supply the parts to the garages who work on your car. Most of them are happy to take over-the-counter trade, they're staffed by experts who can help you get the right part (and backed up by vast computerised catalog systems, all they usually need is your reg and, sometimes, an idea of what the part looks like).

If nothing else, they can save you money on the things you can still fit yourself (batteries, wiper blades, bulbs, etc) as well as all the fluids you pour in/on (washer fluid, oil, anti-freeze, de-icer).

A quick web search will turn up plenty in any town.

* Yes, I'm biased, I work for one.