Affordable Autos and Cars

The iconic sports car owned by actress Diana Dors is due at auction this month and is expected to fetch around £4m.

The vehicle, a turquoise sports car made by French automotive company Delahaye in 1949 was given to the actress as a gift when she was only 17 years old by Sir John Gaul, a close friend of Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Since Dors died in 1984 the car has been completely restored to its original state, including a six cylinder, 165hp engine and a four speed electro actuated preselector  gearbox.

Alan Squindo,a spokesperson for auctioneers RM Auctions describes the car as “extravagant and outrageous.

Just 51 of 175s were made and its one of a kind body work was designed by a Ukrainian furniture maker.

Tradition in France at the time was for external companies to design features such as the body work and how the engine looked.

When the car was given to Dors she didn’t even have a driving licence but this didn’t stop her becoming the youngest registered Rolls-Royce owner three years later at the age of 20.

It is thought that a number of collectors will be interested in the classic car when it goes up for auction later this month.

Japanese manufacturers Toyota have announced another recall of vehicles are it has been revealed that certain models may have issues with steering components.

The latest recall will currently only take place across the US and Japan and will impact on Avalon owners whose vehicles were made between 2000 and 2004.

A total of 428,000 cars are expected to be recalled as the manufacturers believe that an issues with some parts of the steering wheel.

Toyota has been at the heart of recall over the past few months which has seen millions of cars recalled worldwide, the biggest due to an issues with car accelerators which caused a number of fatal crashes

The incident got the Japanese manufacturers a $16 million fine, which they paid but refused to admit any guild or wrongdoing as part of the recall. Managing Director Takahiko Ijichi commented at the end or March that the recall had cost the company almost $2 billion.

With the latest recall this is sure to increase and as a result Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda (Grandson of the companies original founder) was called before the US Congress to explain the firm’s safety and quality checking systems.

Need replacement part for your Toyota or any other brand, take a look at CarSpareFinder who will search dealers nationwide to find the part you need at the best price.

Can you remember the Reliant Robin.  The three wheeled car that would always grab your attention if you spotted one out on the road.

The only car which despite its size could be driven on a B1 category licence owing to having a weight below 450kg.  The Reliant couls also be registered for the same road tax rate as a motorcycle bike.   This gave it an edge when it came to economy over a conventional car.

The car was first produced in the town of Tamworth, England in November 1973.  It was a rear wheel drive front engine car.  The car was a replacement for the much more conventional Reliant Regal.  The Robin was produced until 1981 when the car was restyles and renamed the Reliant Rialto.  In addition to production in the UK,  the Robin was produced under licence in Greece by MEBEA in 1974 to 1978 and in India by Sunrise Automotive Group.  The ISAG renamed their Robin the Badal.  #

The Reliant Robin has enjoyed a special place in the hearts of the British people.  It has features in many films and TV shows.    Most recently was an attempt by Top Gears, James May and Richard Hammond to turn a Robin into a space shuttle.  In addition, the Robin has featured on shows such as Mr Bead, Absolutely Fabulous and in the Robins Van format (the Regal) in Only Fools and Horses.

The Robin was powered by a 0.75-litre straight four engine.  and wasn’t particularly known for its speed.  Economy was much more important to a Robin Customer.  You wouldn’t want to go particularly fast in the Robin either as owing to its three wheeled design, it has tremendous body role and would sometimes even tip over.

This car will always be a British Icon.  Its character was been central to its making.   It will never be forget.

The Coalition Government today announced that a scheme to give drivers who purchase electric car up to £5,000 will still be available despite cuts.

The scheme which will run from early 2011 until March 2012 was planned by the Labour government and would give buyers up to £5,000 off buying one of the growing number of vehicles being launched.

Although originally the scheme had been set up to cover as many as 46,000 vehicles due to budget cuts the government is only setting aside enough for 8,600 (£43 million).

Many believe the scheme has been kept as a goodwill gesture to would be buyers as the upcoming VAT increase could add up to £640 to the cars costs.

Paul Everitt, CEO of the Society for Motor Manufacturers said:

"This is great news for the industry and a significant commitment by the new government to create UK jobs in the emerging market for ultra-low carbon vehicles."

Currently only a couple of electric vehicles are available on the market but that is all set to change once the grant scheme comes in, the cheapest vehicle available will be the Nissan Leaf costing around about £28,000 without the grant.

Although these models will be more expensive buyers will regain the difference in fuel and other running costs in little time.

Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond added:

"We are sending a clear signal that we are committed to greening our economy. This scheme will ensure that the UK is a world leader in low-emission vehicles."

Many have also expressed concern about recharging points for the cars as so far the government has only pledged to develop more points in London, Milton Keynes and North East England.

Replacement parts are also going to be an issue when the vehicles first enter the market so industry experts are recommending that unless you want to be part of the subsidy grant then it may be better to hold off for now.

A deserted Halfords Store 

Auto part supplier Halfords today announced a 2.2% slump in sales, blaming factors such as the general election and the World Cup.

The Redditch based company confirmed the decline causing shares to also drop by 2% this is despite cost cutting methods undertaken by the brand earlier this year.

Staff working hour changes cut almost £2 million from the annual wage bill and a new warehouse that should be operational by September could save a further £4 million.

Chief Executive David Wild said:

"Halfords experienced a sluggish start to the spring season reflecting poor weather in April and consumer nervousness ahead of the election and subsequent emergency budget."

Halfords were also eager to point out that delay in deliveries from South-East Asia will also have impacted on figures.

The main source of Business for the chain is currently said to be motorbike repairs/spare parts but with increasingly cheaper and easier options such as BikeSpareFinder, who will search dealers and breakers nationwide to find the part and give you a choice of prices.

It is easy to see why people would rather do this as it doesn’t involve having to leave your computer screen.

Shock absorber is a device that  is designed to smooth out or damp the shock impulses and dissipate kinetic energy.  On a car, that results in a smoother ride and better handling, especially over rough ground. Sometimes shock absorbers go by different names, including the shortened ‘shock’ and in more technical circles ‘damper’ and ‘dashpot’.

Maintenance:  To tell if your shock absorbers on your car are no longer effective all you need to do to test them are the following steps:

• Push down on the corner of your car.
• Release the car and observe the movement.
  • If the car returns to its normal position then the shocks are fine
  • If the car continues to move in a bouncing up and down motion then the shock are no longer serviceable.
• There are also other techniques for checking you shock absorbers:
  • If you take you car for a drive for an hour or more, if you check the temperature of your shocks with your hand.
    • If they are hot, they are absorbing energy and there for working
    • If they are cold, then they aren’t absorbing any energy and there for not serviceable.
      • The reason you shocks get hot when they work is that they turn kinetic energy into heat energy .

      Visual demonstration and other techniques

Alternative techniques for checking your shock absorbers

What to do if your shock have gone

If your shock absorbers are no longer serviceable then you should replace them.  You can but shock absorber news direct from your local dealer however they tend to mark up their prices significantly .  If you buy a used part not only is it significantly cheaper but you will be doing a service to the environment.   In recycling the part you prevent it from ending up in landfill.  Finding spare parts isn’t difficult either.  It is a simple as filling out a form.

Note:  The measures mentioned in this article are meant as guidance only.  You should consult your manual or a professional before making any assessments of your vehicle.

By Lloyd Cole-Nolan

The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have announced that they are producing a new Vehicle Registration Certificate that is “more secure”. 

Logbook: Over 130,000 are still missing

The new certificates are being introduced after a theft of blank certificates in 2006.  The theft led to wide spread ‘cloning’ of cars and made it easier to sell stolen vehicles.    According to the Association  of Chief Police Officers, over 11,000 cars have already been cloned.  This comes to a value of over £13m

There are still over well over 130,000 blank certificates missing.  In an effort to combat the rise of this crime the agency is attempting to role out the new certificate as quickly as possible.  In a statement the DVLA said:

“The new registration certificate is being introduced following the theft of a number of blank certificates in 2006.    The aim is to reduce the risk to motorists of buying a stolen or cloned vehicle.” 

The new certificate will be introduced from the 15th August 2010.  All newly registered vehicles and any where the details are changed will be issued with the new certificate.  Any vehicles that are re-relicensed or declared off the road will be issued with the certificate from the middle of next year. 

The current blue V5C will remain valid until they are replaced by the agency.   The DVLA will not be asking for there return

Anyone worried about the status of their car or one they are about to purchase can contact the DVLA.  A spokesmen for the DLVA said:

“The DVLA has every sympathy with anyone who unwittingly buys a stolen vehicle.  We provide every assistance to help avoid this, including running an information hotline for the public to check whether a certificate may be invalid prior to purchase of the vehicle”

Hotline information and a list of the affected serial numbers are available from the DVLA website.

Sources: DVLA Press Release and The Scotsman. 

By Lloyd Cole-Nolan

Have you ever had an older car which has the old fashioned winder and wondered whether it’s easy to replace them with the now standard electric option?  What could possibly be the problem?  A Prima facie look would suggest  that all it is is just replacing the winder with a motor and a switch.      Is it really that simple though? 

Finding out if it possible on your car is the first task.  All makes and models are different and will have varying requirements.   Some cars especially old ones are much simpler in design and build than modern day vehicles.  It maybe that the wiring and engineering is too complex on younger vehicles for you to attempt it.  

The easiest thing to do is to find used parts from a similar model.   Then simply to replace the old winder system with the parts.    Another advantage to this system would be a reduction in cost as used parts are cheaper than those of dealers and universal kits: Manufactures and dealers tend to place a mark up on their parts.  In addition, you would  be recycling and saving the environment. 

Stop that lower middleclass look:  There are other ‘alternative’ options. 

Why not just buy a door that already  has electric windows?

This sounds like an obvious solution at first:  All the parts are there, you don’t need to faff on with too many wires of fit a motor and gears.  However you would still have to get wiring for powering the windows in the first place.  Plus, don’t forget you still need to attach the door to your car.    In some cases though it might be the easier option. 

Universal Kits.

An universal kit could work.  But, there could be compatibility problems with certain vehicles.  It would be taking a chance that things would work getting an universal kit.  It would be an option however, for those cars which don’t have an electric window option in their range.  You could research for a compatible kit from another model car and then find the parts. 

In conclusion:

There are many options for upgrading your windows but if you want the most cost effective and the option that is most likely to work then I would recommend going for used parts off the same model car.