Fab Car

Tickets available for a spectacular event to showcase the Landrover Evoque

2011-05-25T14:52:00.000+01:00

Evoque Live was brought to life by Lee Lapthorne and Doll Productions (the company behind award winning shows including Clothes Show Live and Britain’s Next Top Model). The show fuses the creative talent of fashion stylist Harriet Jagger, designers Jasper Conran & Amanda Wakeley and choreography by Ashley Wallen.

Held in an intimate atmosphere with only 150 seats per show, the performance is a fully integrated and choreographed production. Featuring cutting-edge technology, professional dancers, catwalk models and performance artists, the spectacle will culminate in the Range Rover Evoque reveal. Be prepared to be mesmerised.

The shows continue from now until 5th June 2011 and there are tickets still available for some shows in Birmingham and Manchester. Book yours free here

Volkswagen's New Beetle 2011 unveiled at Shanghai Show: Is it a Masculine Beetle or Girly Scirocco

2011-04-18T14:01:00.000+01:00

Volkswagen’s New Beetle 2011 has been unveiled at Shanghai Motor Show this week. The new design moves away from the curvy, bubbly look of the 1998 New-Beetle design, to a longer, wider, squat look not dissimilar to the fabulous New Scirocco.
The 2011 Beetle has more boot space than the 1998 version – an issue that was an important deal breaker, especially for the cabrio version. There will also be a split-fold rear seat for added versatility.

The choice of engines available in the UK will be:
Petrol: 1.2 Litre TSI (105 PS); 1.4-litre TSI 160 PS and a 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS (this latter option is to have XDS electronic differential lock as fitted to the Golf GTI).
New Beetle 2011 should be available to order in the UK this summer.
Will it appeal more to girls who like Scirocco’s? To guys that feel the current Beetle is too girly, or equally to girls and guys? And what will we call it? New Beetle, New, New-Beetle, Beetle 2011……..

Countdown to 200k

2011-03-27T16:34:00.000+01:00

I’ve decided to record the progress of my lovely old car towards the milestone of 200000 miles. I think this is an important occasion because even though Volkswagens do tend to do this and more, quite regularly, it’s a first time for me and one of my cars. People seem to change cars quite quickly nowadays and for most people, the age of my car and the fact I haven’t changed it yet is a slight surprise to them.

Over the years so many people (who didn’t really know me or my car that well) have said to me “why don’t you get a new car?” Ok, granted the colour of my car doesn’t ever tend to look spick and span even after it’s just been washed and I’m not the best at waxing and polishing – my excuse is that our house is on a main road so it gets really dirty. I do keep the interior of it very nice though. I do plan to get the bodywork sorted out this year. But people say this to me and my stock answer has always been that I love my car, I haven’t seen anything else that I like and I’m determined to get this car to 200k miles.

So the milestone is very close now, so close I’m beginning to worry. Will we make it to 200k? If we do, what will I do next?

As of today Sunday 27^th march 2011 13.24 pm it has done: 199276 miles.

Review of Accidental Genius by Mark Levy

2011-02-02T16:26:00.002Z

Article first published as Book Review: Accidental Genius: Using Writing To Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, And Content by Mark Levy on Blogcritics.

I have to be honest, I’m a huge fan of a book called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and in particular her ‘Morning Pages’ technique. When I read about Accidental Genius I wondered if it would be a very similar book.

I needn’t have worried. Mark Levy’s book, Accidental Genius stood on its own for me as a book that I am so pleased to have read, particularly at this point in time, and I will be keeping it with me on my personal writing journey.

Levy introduces the concept of ‘Free-writing’ that Cameron readers will be familiar with, but then goes on to explore and extend this concept much further, into a veritable suitcase of bite-size practical techniques that I will definitely be keeping next to my computer.

The book is organised into three parts and twenty-eight chapters, with the core of the book centred on techniques for helping you to write freely and creatively, in the true meaning of that word. Levy’s book will coax you towards ideas you didn’t think you had if you follow some of the exercises.

The outline structure of the book is as follows:-

Part One: Six Secrets to Free-writing.
Part Two: Powerful Refinements
Part Three: Going Public

The chapters I found most useful myself were Chapters 1—3, 15, & 24. The titles of these Chapters:

‘Try Easy’, ‘Write Fast and Continuously’, ‘Work Against a limit’, ‘Hold a paper conversation’, and ‘Notice stories everywhere’.

Chapters 12—14 were the least useful for me at this point in time, but like other process books I have found that the parts I’ve dismissed at first were often useful to me at a later stage. Sometimes the time is not right to ‘hear’ certain words.

I wondered if Chapter 10 ‘Escape Your Own Intelligence’ and Chapter 18 ‘Doubt Yourself’ could have been blended together as chapters as they seemed to talk about a similar overall concept. Also Chapter 5 ‘Go with the thought’ seemed to slightly contradict Chapter 11 ‘The Value in Disconnecting’. But I do think that both could be used at different points in time. This book is a bumper pack of techniques from which you can pick and choose according to your own particular needs at a certain point in time.

Chapter 14 ‘Learn To Love Lying’ was intriguing and it made me think that it could also have been described as ‘embracing the surreal’, or ‘playing with perspective’.

Overall, the single most important technique that I have been using throughout this weekend is the ‘timer’ technique from Chapter 3. I have been using the timer on my mobile phone rather than a kitchen timer, but still this little technique has done more for my flow rate, word rate and feeling of accomplishment than any other writing rule I’ve been using recently. I’ll tell you why I think this small exercise has made such a difference.

I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and when I sit down to write I usually find myself trying to write and edit at the same time. This means I’m critiquing while creating which of course slows down the creative process. I’ve evolved this way as a consequence of trying to be efficient and also as a result of writing so many academic essays! But trying to write and edit is quite an overload for my brain, and I do find that it is not long before the words – along with my motivation – dry up under the weight of the inner critic.

The timer exercise makes me forget about editing and focus solely on getting words down on paper as quickly as my thoughts allow. This speed element is important because it means writing at a pace that is more compatible with the speed of my thoughts and ideas. This feels refreshingly effortless in comparison to how I sometimes feel when writing. Sometimes my ideas and thoughts slow down to match the pace of my writing and this can lead to creativity and motivation coming to something of a standstill as well.

Ray Bradbury has said “In quickness there is truth”. I think if you write fast within the limits of a timer, you can bypass the censor inside which means that you are writing freely and truthfully.

The other technique I kept in mind whilst writing this weekend was to ‘Try Easy’. Levy states that we can have a tendency to try too hard which can lead to a poor performance because we worry about doing our best and this can interfere with the actual practice or ‘getting on with it’. To ‘Try Easy’ means to try 90% rather than 110%. For a perfectionist like me it translates into “I’ll just put some words down on paper as fast as I can, and then see what I have”.

My usual writing process can be much more convoluted than this. For a big piece, I will usually ‘have a think’ about what to write, my mind will wander off into all sorts of avenues, I may manage to capture some of these thoughts but will usually think I need to do some research first. This is useful but can be a huge distraction to actual writing! Hours can pass when researching online and sometimes I won’t have gotten anything down on paper, then I’ll feel irritated with myself because I’ll have to start all over again at a later point. Tasks that were initially exciting can become an albatross hanging over my head if I start out in the wrong way. But they needn’t be that hard at all. I suspect that the ones I agonise over are the ones that feel the more important to me.

“Just get some words down” is a phrase I’ve heard before, but it is only with the timer that I’ve actually been able to do it. The timer helps me to get out of my own way.

I will certainly be using these techniques with the majority of my writing at the moment and would thoroughly recommend this book because the single most important thing about it for me has been that it has produced tangible results.

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Tim Westwood Tests Electric Cars: Did They Convert Him?

2011-01-07T17:36:00.003Z

Electric Cars: You're going to start to hear more and more about them over the next year or so. The government is committed to getting us to convert to electric cars, but they need to get us all thinking differently first. Change takes time, and when it comes to motoring we are all used to filling up with petrol/diesel whenever we need to.

The cars with the right price and range of battery are simply not ready for the mass market just yet, but there are some cars there for the few who wish to try out electric over petrol/diesel.

Tim Westwood takes a look at three of them (Citroen, Mini, Tesla) in this wry video clip.

p.s who are those 'people' in the background? Has Anthony Gormley been there by any chance?!

Motor Codes Survey Results (UK, Nov 2010): Are You Happy with Your Car Service Centre?

2011-01-03T16:52:00.000Z

Article first published as Motor Codes Survey Results (UK, Nov 2010): Are You Happy with Your Car Service Centre? on Blogcritics.

The results of the Motor Codes Survey for Nov 2010 indicates that levels of satisfaction and customer service are high at 94-96%.

Motor Codes has been set up by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders with the support of Trading Standards in order to be a self-regulatory body for the automotive sector. It aims to provide a service both for member garages and for consumers, offering clear codes of practice, a consumer advice line and a database of garage members who subscribe to the codes. Consumers can feedback on the service they receive and those garages who receive top scores become ‘golden garages’.
In theory it is a much-needed independent means of providing reassurance when you have your car repaired. You should be able to search for a garage in your area, check their feedback and choose on the basis of this.

It's early days yet and you may find the choice of subscribing garages to be limited in your area, but the real test of something like this comes when consumers need support following bad service or a bad repair. If you do have a bad experience at a garage how will motor codes help you to resolve the issue?
Well, if your garage isn’t a subscriber in the first place then your options are limited under Motor Codes. There is general advice on the website to help you know your rights, but the real support is there if your garage is a subscriber. The actual complaint process that takes place once you submit an issue isn’t clear, but there is a direct consumer advice line, and you can submit an issue via the website after you have tried to resolve the issue with your garage.
It remains to be seen how well the service manages complaints or issues that are raised by consumers. The way that complaints are dealt with is the key to consumer satisfaction, but if this service is catering both for member garages and consumers can it do this equally and impartially for both sides?
Hopefully it can.

Identify the Mystery Car

2011-01-02T19:33:00.000Z

Penguin Author-Autographed Mini Cooper SD Car for Sale

2010-12-25T00:44:00.000Z

THE ULTIMATE RIDE FOR THE ULTIMATE LITERARY BUFF

Penguin Publishing Selling Author-Autographed Mini Cooper on AutoTrader.com;
Proceeds from Sale to Benefit New York Public Library

Are you or a friend or family member the ultimate literary fan? Then AutoTrader.com

has posted for sale the ultimate gift for you or that special someone:

a 2010 Mini Cooper SD with a dashboard signed by 18 Penguin authors, including

Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegon fame, Pulitzer Prize winning authors William
Kennedy and Geraldine Brooks as well as New York Times bestselling
authors Michael Pollan, Sue Monk Kidd, Jan Karon, Rosanne Cash and
many more!

Penguin Books purchased the Mini Cooper as part of the company's 75th
anniversary celebration, which occurred throughout 2010. The vehicle
traveled to literary and book events across the country and
Penguin-published authors signed the car's interior at each stop,
making this truly a one-of-a-kind ride.

The vehicle is now for sale on AutoTrader.com with a Private Seller
advertisement at www.autotrader.com/penguinmini for $30,000. The
price reflects the unique nature of the vehicle, its excellent
condition and an additional bonus: the car comes with the top 75
titles published by Penguin Books over the past 75 years, a collection
of books worth about $1,200. Proceeds from the sale of the car will
be donated to the New York Public Library.

"We wanted to post this vehicle on a site that had the ability to
showcase the features of this car -- both the features and options
you'd find on any Mini Cooper and these unique autographs -- and that
had millions of car-shopping visitors so we could ensure the right
buyer would find it," said Kathryn Court, President & Publisher of
Penguin Books. "With the ability to show detailed photos of the car
and write a description that really highlighted the special and unique
features, AutoTrader.com's Private Seller ad was clearly the way to
go."

Penguin Books utilized AutoTrader.com's Private Seller options to the
max to showcase the vehicle. At www.autotrader.com/penguinmini,
interested buyers will find multiple photos of the car's interior and
exterior and a description that highlights the car's features. The
vehicle comes with AM/FM/CD, MP3 player jack, air conditioning,
automatic transmission, black cloth seats, orange and black exterior
paint (freshly painted) and, of course, those 18 autographs in silver
pen along the dashboard, doors and steering wheel. The car has about
15,750 miles on it and is currently located in New York City.

"When Penguin approached us to assist them in finding a buyer for this
unique vehicle and for this great cause -- the New York Public Library
-- we immediately said 'yes'," said AutoTrader.com General Manager of
Private Seller Service and Sales Melanie Kovach. "AutoTrader.com is
all about using technology tools to connect buyers and sellers
efficiently, and this is a special opportunity to do so that we're
really excited about."

Full details, photos and contact information for Penguin Books to make
an offer on the vehicle is included in the advertisement, or you can
contact Paul Lamb at 212-366-2277 or Paul.Lamb@us.penguingroup.com.

Penguin Books, like any private seller, will select the buyer with the
most attractive offer. Used 2010 Mini Coopers listed for sale on
AutoTrader.com range in price from about $24,000 to $30,000, depending
on vehicle options and condition.

"We priced the car at the top of the price range you would find for a
used 2010 Mini Cooper on AutoTrader.com because of the special and
unique nature of the vehicle," said John Fagan, VP Director of
Marketing at Penguin Books. "We'll consider all offers, but are
obviously looking to get as much for the vehicle as possible as all
the proceeds benefit the New York Public Library, one of New York
City's most treasured institutions."

Very sad news: the Maestro of F1 Stock cars, Stu Smith Snr has died

2010-12-23T22:22:00.002Z

We were very very sad to hear that Stuart Smith Senior, 'super stu', the maestro of F1 Stock Cars passed away this morning. Our thoughts go out to the Smith family.

LiveLeak.com - Freak Accident Caught On Video

2010-12-19T00:07:00.001Z

Old Lady Hits Car With Purse

2010-12-18T23:42:00.000Z

Man annoys digger driver!

2010-12-17T11:44:00.000Z

James Bond's Aston Martin DB5

2010-12-15T10:10:00.000Z

Aston Martin have approved this amazing replica of James Bond's DB5. This magazine which includes the partwork to build this car is a good gift idea for the James Bond fan in your life. They also have a competition to win an Omega Seamaster watch as worn by Daniel Craig.

Winter Tyres: should I fit and will they increase my insurance?

2010-12-11T23:28:00.000Z

This article discusses why winter tyres are an important accessory during snow and icy weather conditions, and you shouldn't have to pay extra for winter tyres on your insurance.

A Brief History of the Car Flower Vase - Culture - Blogcritics

2010-12-05T13:14:00.004Z

Have a look at this article on blogcritics for a brief history of car vases and where they came from originally (you may be surprised to know they didn't originate with VW!).

If you like car vases and want one for your car have a look at: www.fabcar.co.uk

A Brief History of the Car Flower Vase - Culture - Blogcritics

How do you know if its a good garage?

2010-12-01T07:54:00.001Z

It is difficult to know which garage to choose when you need to get your car serviced or MOT'd. If you are new to an area and people have given you several recommendations, how do you choose? I've gone for well-known chains in the past but have also had a good experience from smaller independent garages, but making the choice is a tricky one and if you get it wrong it costs you money.

One way to choose is by searching for a garage that has signed up to the Motor Codes Code of Practice. The Motor Codes website seems to have a good customer survey and a customer careline to call if you have any concerns. You can also give feedback on your garage. I've just used it to confirm my own choice of garage for my car's service and MOT and fortunately my garage was on the list. The MOT and service are booked for next week so fingers crossed.......

The Best and Worst Cars of 2010

2010-11-25T19:10:00.000Z

There's praise for Skoda once again in these awards which ranked Skoda as the best manufacturer, with Saab voted the worst. Take a look at the What Car report for the details or checkout the Motortorque website for the brief report.

Headlamp Styling Eyelids for MK6 Golf, GTI & Jetta Sport Wagon (Facelift)

2010-11-25T16:52:00.000Z

US-based but you can get them delivered internationally, headlamp eyelids are available for other cars as well...

Headlamp Styling Eyelids for MK6 Golf, GTI & Jetta Sport Wagon (Facelift)

Small Business Saturday November 27th 2010

2010-11-23T18:07:00.001Z

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

November 27th 2010

American Express have initiated a project called Small Business Saturday where they hope to support and promote local small businesses and specifically encourage local people to think and act local in order to support the small businesses in their community.

Click on the Facebook page to 'LIKE' the project and show your support.
Or click on the program page Small Business Saturday

This is a US-initiative at the moment. Let's have a UK one next please!

As an American Express customer I have often found that many small businesses do not accept Amex and they often cite the costs as being excessive thereby precluding them from offering it as an option to their customers. I wonder is this a UK problem? Is AMEX better utilised in the US? What do UK-based small businesses think about offering AMEX?

Career Advice Service that can be accessed by anyone of any age

2010-11-19T18:37:00.001Z

The government is proposing an all-age career service. This is welcome news as there are many people out there who may be undergoing job changes in this current climate who may be able to forge a brand-new path for themselves with a little advice and encouragement. Yes, jobs are limited, but the important thing is belief in yourself, self-confidence to go for it, and hope. Unfortunately I have found that career services in my time did not inspire hope but seemed to want to criticise and discourage people instead.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=416365&NewsAreaID=2

News : NDS

Wiffie Bear Dr Wood Car Air Freshener Sandalwood Oil on eBay (end time 15-Dec-10 19:15:03 GMT)

2010-11-19T18:23:00.000Z

ahh a cute car air freshener for your dad - if he's a medic......

Wiffie Bear Dr Wood Car Air Freshener Sandalwood Oil on eBay (end time 15-Dec-10 19:15:03 GMT)

Vauxhall Corsa review

2010-11-18T12:06:00.000Z

Video review of this popular little car....

Gears and Tears Outtakes

2010-11-11T05:29:00.000Z

Jeremy Clarkson is presented with the Millionth Range Rover

2010-11-09T18:46:00.001Z

Millionth Range Rover presented to Jezza for Help for Heroes

Electric Cars

2010-11-01T10:33:00.001Z

Here's a link to a useful guide from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders about Electric and Hybrid Cars.

Electric Car Guide (click here to open)

How do they work? how do you charge them? what happens when they are low on charge - will I be stranded? What are the government's plans for building charging facilities?

With a grant being made available in 2011 for the purchase of electric vehicles it is important to be aware of how these cars work and what the benefits will be for you and the environment should you wish to take the leap and purchase one. Have a read of this guide from the SMMT to keep up to date with what's going on.