Fires Through To Spray Cans

Indoor pollutants are also being blamed, from gas fires right through to air fresheners in a can. With all the regulations and commitments from the world to reduce what we pump into the air, seems to be making no difference. The air pollution in itself may not cause any deaths, but is related to other diseases, asthma being the most obvious. Southern towns and cities such as Plymouth http://sell.scrap-car.co.uk/plymouth-scrap-car.html are far better than many other UK areas, probably because of the lack of heavy industry compared to more northern towns.

Not exclusive To Vehicle Emissions

Although cold diesel engines are mentioned, it not an exclusive problem where many other normal things we do are contributing to unhealthy air. Central heating systems and burning green logs are also mentioned to be an issue. Whatever the reason, this is clearly a wake up message for the UK to take all emissions from all appliances and vehicles more seriously.

The post 40, 000 People A Year Prematurely Dying appeared first on Motoring Features.

The Situation Worldwide

Worldwide the issue is bigger with the figure of 59,000 vehicles being identified as having the software issue although it is believed most of these are within Sweden itself. This is not a permanent problem, the engine can be re-started should it shut down prematurely. Although this small inconvenience could be serous should a shut down occur at the wrong time and cause an accident.
All owners will receive a letter explaining the issue and where to get it fixed free of charge.

The post Issue With Software Results Volvo Recall appeared first on Motoring Features.

The Motoring Industry Is Affected

Clearly this is an issue that affects all industries including the motoring sector. There are many car manufacturing plants in the UK, all foreign owned who are here not just because the quality of the workforce and talent but the ability to freely trade within the European market. They do not want to make cars under British law and sell them under European law, it gets too complicated and add to their costs. The UKip argument for leaving is that we would easily get a free trade agreement with Europe on the basis that they need our trade as much as we need theirs.

It Is Now Up To The British Public

The bottom line is, now that negotiations have finished it will be up to the British people to decide whether we stay in our or out. early suggestions from the media suggests that those previously undecided may not vote to stay in.
All politicians will want their say, it was interesting that Jeremy Corbyn saw the agreement as a “Side Show, even though he supports being in the UK and this agreement will help his argument.
So tomorrow or maybe Monday will be see as the beginning of all the National Campaigns prior to the referendum.

The post Are We Staying In The European Union appeared first on Motoring Features.

A news item raised by ABC news showing the serious affect of using fake airbags.

Manufactures Catching On

Manufacturers have also done their own campaigns including Hyundai’s safety message we blogged about previously. Those worries are not being felt back across here in the UK, a more and more people are buying what they think are good quality aftermarket copies off the internet. Recently Auto Express reported of arrests being made in Dorset by the City of London Police regarding hundreds of fake airbags being sold for around half the OEM retail price of the genuine article. They are urging all buyers to check their vehicles so see what version has been fitted. The fake airbags seized from this arrest are now safely in a Ministry of Defence storage facility.

Just The Start Of A Long Investigation

The worry is that this arrest is only one of many individuals of companies selling potentially lifesaving equipment that are just not fit for purpose. So we can see this as an ongoing investigation with more revelations being discovered in the future.

The post Counterfeit Airbags A Serious Issue appeared first on Motoring Features.

As Reported By Reuters

This information has been reported by Reuters the news agency stating that letters had be distributed to selected individuals at certain dates before the announcement. Of course Volkswagen declined to comment on the mater, stating the current investigation as the reason.
If these allegations turn out to be true, it will be another embarrassing blow for the company normally seen as a leader in its class with morals and standards to match.

The Legal Battle Will Go On And On

There have been legal issues with recalls and so call fixes to the problems around the world. with people and organisations outside of the motor industry lining up to take VW to court. from governments wanting unpaid Co2 emission taxes, to citizen complaining about extra nitrogen Oxide in the air. It could cost $61 billion in the USA alone, where ironically only a small proportion of the cars were sold as the USA does not embrace diesel engines like they do elsewhere in the world.
We wait to see what other allegations surface and what will be a very long story covering many legal cases.

The post VW Knew About Emissions 1 Yr Earlier appeared first on Motoring Features.

A Clear Safety Message

The message is clear to only use genuine OEM parts, especially for areas where safety is paramount otherwise you are gambling with yours and your passengers lives. The video shows a roulette wheel as its metaphor to the problem.

Of course there is a monetary loss also. It is believed that counterfeit parts cost the industry $12 billion across the world, no short change. we have the same message here at Carsparefinder, when speaking to breaker yards ask to ensure the item is a genuine one most likely from new. the good news is it shouldn’t cost more than a new copied one.
This is a strong message from Hyundai and one that other manufacturers are likely to follow especially in light of the Takata airbag scandal.
More at Yahoo

The post Hyundai Warning About OEM Parts appeared first on Motoring Features.

Agreed Engine Deal

One of the most important decisions is an agreement to the cost of using customer engines. Red Bull found itself in the situation where no competitive engine supplier would let them have an engine for 2016, plus many of the team at the back of the grid just cannot afford to buy the Mercedes of Ferrari power plants. This gave the engine suppliers, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault a huge amount of power of who they could sell too and what price and even what version of engine. This agreement takes away some of that power and brings the cost down to just over 7m dollars a year. They have also agreed to keep the current engines in place for a few more seasons, to keep costs down and give more time for development.

Where Is The Decision Making Power In F1

Another large discussion has been about Bernie Ecclestone’s power over the sport and has it been diminished? The F1 teams have the ability to contribute to the sports development and the issues over engines have been challenged by suppliers like Ferrari, who do not want to assist the competition. It has been apparent that the sport is been driven more by the powerful teams and less by Ecclestone and Jean Todd, at a time when the sport needs to be revitalized.
The big car manufacturers need to feel a benefit from being within Formula One and the branding and publicity alone may not be enough. The technology development can also have a big value, but the previous engine set up did not match the times, the current small engine and recovery systems relate more to modern productions cars.

Driver Line Ups

Many weren’t expecting Jenson Button back this season and maybe a holiday for Alonso but at the moment both are the main drivers for Mclaren. This originally meant that Magnussen from Denmark would not be signed, but it seems that Renault may be signing the driver as Maldonado appears to have not raised the required sponsorship for his drive, such is the times in Formula one
Of course Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will go into 2016 with Mercedes, Lewis as third time champion, is likely to have his hardest year against Nico. Sebastian Vettal remains in Ferrari, with what s expected to be an even faster car than last year, Raikkonen kept his drive after much speculation.

Haas The New Team

At last a new F1 team will be on the grid with a big history in Indy Car. This is seen as a second Ferrari team, as so many of the parts come from them with Romain Grosjean and Esteban Guteirrez who are experienced drivers propbably gives than one of the best starts a new team could get.

The post The 2016 F1 Season Will It Be Better appeared first on Motoring Features.

No Replacement Yet

What is unusual is that we still do not know what the replacement will be and can it eclipse what was described as the best 4×4 in the world. It has a hard act to follow. although to be fair Land Rover have already expanded beyond the Defender many decades ago, when the Range Rover was introduced and then more recently the Freelander and Discovery. It is true you are far more likely to see a Discovery on UK country roads than a Defender, but of course this is only a small portion of its market share.

Copyright LandRover

Helping The War Effort

Armies around the world have and do, rely on the Land Rovers ability to ride over most terrains hold weapons, carry soldiers into war. Charities and organisations rely on these 4x4s to get them to the most remote parts of the world, saving lives.
It started production in 1948 and was never seen as a long term project, but with over 2 million now produced, it goes down as one of the most iconic vehicles in the world. But what is surprising is no word on the new version. There are secret pictures around, but the normal process would be to release the new version right after the old has been produced. maybe the production line needs a big change.

Pretty Good Value

Normally old models lose value as soon as the new version is released, but you can’t help feeling that enthusiasts will want a piece of history in this instance, so don’t expect values to drop soon. On saying this, second hand Defenders were always pretty good value to buy anyway and unfortunately do not escape the high road tax on the high emission models, many were converted to LPG for this reason.

Easy To Maintain

Parts are easy to obtain and even though the design hasn’t changed much over the years, engine and ancillaries have been continuously updated, although not as much as a modern car would have been. The attraction to the worldwide armies was the ability to get it moving should it breakdown and so there is a crossover of spares that can be used.
Even the Queen drives one and many celebrities. There are very few vehicles that get this amount of publicity when production stops, let’s hope the new version will last as long. somehow I don’t think so.

The post Historic Day, Defender Production Stops appeared first on Motoring Features.

But whatever you do on your vehicle, there is a common rule and that is to do it safely. There have been deaths and serious injury, buy DIY enthusiasts you have just taken a chance and wanted to get the job done quickly without ensuring work area was safe first.
so what are the basics.

Using a Professional Ramp or Axle Stands whilst Working Underneath

When being underneath a vehicle there is always the risk of a collapse and if you are under that vehicle, then it could lead to serious injury. Of course being trained in some first aid (http://www.myfirstaidcourses.co.uk) would help should an accident occure. Ensuring the vehicle cannot fall is clearly a basic requirement. Using a jack to suspend a car whilst underneath is a sure way to the hospital. A jack should only be used to lift the vehicle up to place axle stands underneath. Of course using other items such as brick or pieces of wood, can also be just as dangerous, is not more. Of course having access to a professional ramp. normally used in garages is the ideal solution, provided it has been regularly serviced.

Disconnecting The Battery When Working With Fuel

When working on small fuel related issues, say under the bonnet there may not be any need to drain the petrol tank, but disconnecting the battery should be an option. The concept of course is to prevent any sparks that could cause a fire. Tools left across terminals or spilt fuel on wires could create something much hotter than anyone would want.

Not Leaving In Gear When Working Outside

Many of us have a habit of leaving the vehicle in gear whilst parking especially on a hill, But sometimes when working underneath or in front of the vehicle where the battery needs to be connected it can be dangerous if the engine is turned over. There should be no issues with battery disconnected and may even be recommended if working on small ramps.

Draining Fuel When Welding Or Grinding

Anything that can cause a spark will be dangerous if near any fuel and the intense heat of welding equipment can really start a dangerous fire. It makes total sense before any welding takes place, that all fuel is removed from the vehicle. Don’t forget that oil is also flammable and may be clinging on to many components.

Wearing Gloves An Safety Goggles

Seems an obvious a statement, but using any tool can cause grit or pieces of metal into your eyes. heavy gloves can protect against flying materials whilst using tools and when working with glass and sharp metals. But plastic surgeons gloves can also protect the skin and prevent oil and dirt getting into the skin and finger nails.

The post Working On That Vehicle, Stay Safe appeared first on Motoring Features.

Brake Pipes And Pads

The copper tubing and rubber hose pipes that are used to transfer brake fluid to the relevant cylinders, should not be reused on a different car. As well as this, the time to strip down these pipes, repackage and end out to a customer would in most cases be more expensive than buying new anyway. The actual brake pads normally wear evenly across front and rear wheels, but often pads wear to the shape of the discs and should not be reused. The cost of these new, again makes re-using these a false economy as well as a dangerous one.

Car Batteries

For customers visiting the yard, batteries that have been tested are likely to be re-old to be used on another vehicle. But when an order is placed through an online system, or by telephone, very few breakers will sell them. The reason is the difficulty of getting a courier to deliver used versions of these types of items. some will deliver new batteries where they are still packaged in a way that make them safe.

Wiper Blades

This is simply a cost issue. The labour charge of removing from the vehicle, packaging them and then posting would typically be higher than just buying new.

Bottom Sills

The metal sills that run along the bottom of a vehicle are typically welded in place. It is almost impossible to remove these using cutting gear or welding gear. As they are reasonably cheap to buy new in most cases these will be resold.

The Three Quarter Panel

Located at the rear of the car, both left and right hand above the rear wheel, is where the three quarter panels are located. These are always robot machine welded into place. The only way to remove would be to use cutting tools to cut them both away. Clearly this is a skilled job and would take a certain amount of labour to do so. There would be no guarantee that the panels would retain their shape, so again buying these new is likely to be the best option.

Door Posts

These are normally located in between the front and rear doors, where the lock mechanism of the front door would be located on one side and the hinge mechanism of the rear door would le positioned on the other side. To remove theses from the vehicle, very thin cutting discs would need to be used and would take some time, to be done to a high level. Again it is unlikely that a breaker yard would want to invest the time tools and expertise, based on the financial reward of selling.
Other items may be singled out differently at different yards. such a windscreens, full bodyshells, tyres etc. All based on the expertise of the staff and the ability to ship out safely

The post Parts Breaker Yards Don’t Usually Sell appeared first on Motoring Features.