Avoid These Unfortunate Events This Winter
The theme this time is to be prepared. Winter is coming (Game of Thrones anyone!?) and vehicle safety is very much to the fore. The experts say there are plenty of common sense things we can do, but that all comes with looking after a car.
Car Checklist
The Institute of Advanced Motorists have come up with something they’ve named POWDERY (do you remember last years FORCES?). We’re not sure whether this will catch on but either way it’s a useful way of remembering what you should check before going on any journey. The list is long, but we’re here to make it more digestible.
P - Petrol - includes diesel of course and possibly an electric charge.
O - Oil - quite simply check it from time to time
W - Water - same as oil. Keep both yourself and your car hydrated with fluids
D - Damage - is your bodywork OK?
E - Electrics - check your lights work with a member of your family or a friend
R - Rubber - this refers to your tyres. Is the tread and pressure at a legal level
Y - YOU - Are you healthy enough to drive? Need a rest, glasses or to see a doctor?
There is POWDERY for you, check everything including yourself.
MOT Due?
This time of year is usually the busiest for MOTs due to cars being traditionally bought when the new registration plate comes out. According to Continental tyres, there are 24 million cars on the road over three years old, and with the average age of motorists increasing, MOTs need not be so costly and time consuming.
Their analysis of nearly 90 million MOT reports by researchers revealed that faulty bulbs, worn brakes and inadequate tyre tread depth will account for 57% of failures recorded in MOTs. As well as lights accounting for 30% of failures, 17% for breaks and 10% for tyres. So it pays to check things out and keep your car properly maintained.
Is My Car Stolen?
When purchasing a new car it’s important to check that is hasn’t been stolen, is a write off or has an altered mileage. Once you’ve done this it’s vital to ensure you’re looking after your vehicle properly.
HPI are the best people to help in that sort of buying situation and they have revealed the vehicles most likely to cause you grief.
Minibuses head the vehicle types most likely to have a mileage discrepancy, which is a surprise, followed by luxury cars, soft tops, executive cars and then estate cars. 4 x 4s came in at number eight.
What we found particularly interesting is that the most stolen vehicle colour is orange, followed by cream and then pink! We’ve never met anyone with an orange car - maybe that’s why!? If you have, please let MotorEasy know through the usual channels.
Award winning journalist and car fanatic James Ruppert talks us through his tips on preparing for the winter months.
