Author: Sarah
Cost of petrol and diesel for your car
The cost of fuel has fluctuated drastically over the last ten years. Prices can increase and decrease but quite a large amount literally over night. Diesel is often more expensive than petrol to buy, but even in the last few days I have seen many garages selling it at the same price and sometimes even selling diesel cheaper. Diesel cars are generally more to buy initially but do offer a better miles per gallon for the equivalent petrol car. When it comes to fuel prices, you really do need to shop around to get the best deal. Some people will drive ten or so miles just to get fuel for their car that is a few pence per litre cheaper. If you are considering this, you need to work out...
Driverless cars – not as far off as you may think
Some people imagine that driverless cars are a thing of the very distant future however are we really that far away? Car manufactures think not, in fact the first prototypes have already been tested on UK roads and the government are looking at the changes that would be needed to the Highway Code to allow for these new vehicles. Cars that you can currently buy have the technology to park a car without driver participation, they can warn you if the car drifts out of a lane on the motorway, they can follow the car in front at a set distance and brake automatically to avoid collision so the only other step needed would be for the car to automatically follow a route on GPS. All of the technology is...
New parking laws in Shropshire
Shropshire has introduced a new parking law that allows people an extra fifteen minutes parking on top of their stated ticket time. When your ticket is due to expire you will automatically be grated the extra time before you risk getting a parking fine. You will also be grated the fifteen minutes free parking when you first visit the high street car parks or online parking allowing you to run a quick errand. This initiative has come about following the concern of lack of footfall in to the towns and local councils are hoping that this will encourage more people in to the high streets. Although this is not the same for all areas many have now added a ten minute grace period and some are looking to try...
Preserving your tyres
Replacing your cars tyres can be a costly business, so preserving your tyres is always a good idea. Careful driving is a good place to start and will help with fuel economy and the general condition of the vehicle as well. Hard braking and acceleration and fast speeds while cornering will all increase the rate of wear of the tyres, so bear this in mind. Uneven wear of the tyre may force you to change tyres sooner than you’d like, so check the tyres regularly. Under and over inflation will both cause uneven and increased wear on tyres so follow the manufacturers recommended tyre pressure. Wear on only one side of the tyre could indicate a problem with the wheels alignment. Rotation of your cars tyres is a good way...
Problems with your Diesel Particulate Filter
Exhaust emission regulations have required diesel powered cars to be fitted with a diesel particulate filter, or DPF, since 2009, with the aim of reducing the sooty particulates in cars exhaust emissions. Though these devices are effective in their aim, you may find your driving style causing problems as sooty deposits build up and potentially clog the filter. The DPF needs to periodically burn off the sooty deposits in a process called regeneration and if this is not working properly, you may find the DPF warning light coming on as the filter becomes full and blocks the exhaust. There are two kinds of regeneration, passive and active. Passive regeneration of the DPF occurs at high exhaust temperatures, such as during motorway driving at high speeds. Obviously, cars that only do...