Author Archives: Andy Jesney

Now, we know you’ll be making sure your next car is fitted with a new turbo, but what’s your view on in-car technology? We’re not talking about popcorn makers that plug into your cigarette lighter – rather the mod-cons that keep our journeys as safe and comfortable as possible.

Whatever your view, it has become a staple of what many people now look for in a new car, and according to recent reports by the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 58 per cent of new cars bought in 2015 were fitted with safety technology – up from just six per cent in 2010.

Some of this tech includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control that keeps a safe distance from the car in front and smart warning systems that tell you if an incident is imminent. According to the Telegraph, these devices could prevent 25,000 serious accidents and 2,500 fatalities a year by the year 2030.

For many at the SMMT, including chief executive Mike Hawes, these technologies are the stepping-stone to the driverless cars of the future. He said: “Fully driverless cars are still a long way off from everyday use, but this data shows advanced autonomous technology is already making its way into the majority of new cars.

The SMMT report predicts that drivers in the UK could save as much money as £41 billion a year in the next ten years, as new autonomous technology will mean drivers can multi-task and save money on insurance as claims will be less frequent.

There are many reasons why drivers would receive a fixed penalty notice (FPN), but some motoring offences appear to be more common than others.

According to new research from Direct Line Car Insurance, the main reasons for receiving an FPN are speeding, obstruction, waiting and parking offences, seat belt offences, neglect of traffic signs, directions and pedestrian rights, use of handheld phones, licence, insurance and record-keeping, vehicle test and condition, lighting and noise, and careless driving offences.

Director of motor with the company Gus Park said: “The analysis highlights that millions of drivers are being penalised each year for flouting the most obvious of traffic laws, such as speeding. Careless drivers put lives at risk and are also a major source of concern and irritation for those motorists that abide by the law.”

An FPN can lead to a fine or penalty points on your licence. Remember that if you build up 12 points on your licence within three years, you could be disqualified from driving.

Given that vehicle condition could see you handed an FPN, it makes sense to keep your car in excellent working order by driving it sensibly and taking it for services on a regular basis. Turbo failure could have an impact on how your car handles the road, often caused by oil problems, foreign objects like dust or dirt getting inside it or by over-speeding.

If you think you need a new or reconditioned turbo, get in touch with us at Essex Turbos to see how we can help. It could make all the difference if you’re keen to avoid an FPN this year.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, revealed that the government will be increasing the fuel duty by 0.5 per cent when he announced his Budget earlier this week.

However, new research has revealed that 84 per cent of motorists believe the tax on fuel is already too high.

A survey by the RAC indicated that 26 per cent want the 57.95p per litre duty to remain the same for the rest of Parliament, while 18 per cent want it extended for another year.

As much as 36 per cent were keen to see the Chancellor to reduce the tax, when he made his announcement on Wednesday (March 16^th).

Fuel spokesman for RAC Simon Williams said: “There is widespread consensus that lower fuel prices have left people with more money to spend elsewhere, which both government and independent analysis shows is good for the economy.”

He did correctly predict, however, that because Mr Osborne did not refer to a freeze in the Autumn Statement, a tax increase was likely, which would “go down like a lead balloon”.

The AA also warned of a possible ‘stealth tax’ in this week’s Budget, as it revealed 72 per cent of its 30,000 members were unaware that increases in the Insurance Premium Tax would also apply to breakdown cover.

While many are aware it will affect car and home insurance, 87 per cent believe increasing the cost for essential policies is not fair.

President of the AA Edmund King said it was “completely unreasonable” for the government to increase taxes for motorists who choose to protect themselves against a breakdown.

If you’ve recently experienced car trouble and need a reconditioned turbo fitted to your vehicle, get in touch with us today.

Luxury vehicles appear to be doing well at the moment, with Jaguar Land Rover reporting February retail sales of 37,494 – the best-ever February for the company on record, a rise of 31 per cent on February last year.

Jaguar itself had the best February performance in more than ten years, with 6,738 cars delivered, a rise of 50 per cent compared with 12 months ago. This was down to solid sales of both the XE and the XF, with outstanding year-on-year growth seen in both Europe and the UK.

Jaguar Land Rover group sales operations director Andy Goss said: “We started the year with a record January and have followed this up with another historic month of sales, thanks in large part to the performance of the UK and European markets and continued customer demand for the XE and Discovery Sport.”

These results come as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders found that February was yet another strong month for the overall car industry, with new registrations growing 8.4 per cent compared with the same time last year.

If you’ve recently invested in Jaguar yourself and have experienced a few troubles with it, it might be that you need to have Jaguar turbos fitted. If you’re unsure or just want peace of mind, get in touch with us here at Essex Turbos to see how we can help.

We operate an exchange turbo distribution service and can deliver any exchange turbo we have in stock anywhere in mainland UK, typically within 24 hours of an order being placed.

When it comes to car modifications, men are apparently most likely to install a new turbo on their vehicle, while women would typically opt for parking sensors, but what you do to your car could have an impact on how much money you spend each month.

This is according to new research from MoneySuperMarket, revealing the most popular modifications. These include adding alloy wheels, installing a tow bar, doing work on the suspension, changing the exhaust system and adding tinted windows.

It would be worth bearing in mind, however, that some car modifications can push your insurance premiums up. For example, a new turbo can increase your premiums by up to 132 per cent, while bonnet bulges, wheel arches and flared wings can also result in a significant insurance hike.

But you can drive your insurance premiums down by adding parking sensors or a tow bar. The latter could see your premiums reduced by an average of 20 per cent, in fact.

“Modifications can be a great way to personalise a car and in some instances will improve performance, but can quickly bump up the cost of your car insurance. Insurance is based on risk and modifying your car is a warning sign to insurers,” consumer affairs expert Kevin Pratt said.

Of course, adding a new or reconditioned turbo to your car can often be a necessity, not a choice. Warning signs that your turbo needs replacing or repairing include check engine warning lights, loss of power, a smoking exhaust pipe and a very loud whining noise. If you are worried about your car, it would be wise to take it to a garage or a local mechanic to find out more.

Be careful when buying a second-hand car and make sure that you do all the proper checks on the vehicle before you hand over any money, as new research has revealed that one in five drivers who have bought a second-hand vehicle – that’s six million people – have suffered problems with the car within 12 months of purchase.

According to Ocean Finance figures, the equivalent of ten million Brits actually did no checks on the vehicle at all before buying a pre-owned car, so it should perhaps come as no surprise that so many are having trouble with their motors.

The biggest worries for those looking into buying second-hand cars were that there might be an undetected mechanical fault, paying more than the vehicle is worth, that it might have been in an accident, that it might have been stolen, that the mileage may have been changed and that there could still be outstanding finance against the motor.

March often sees a rise in both new and used car purchases, so make sure you’re careful if you are about to buy. You would also be wise to check for flood damage given the terrible weather that battered the UK over the Christmas period. Look out for damp, serious condensation, white deposits on the cap of the oil filter, or water trapped in the car light clusters.

And if you find that you need to have a reconditioned turbo fitted to your second-hand car, get in touch with us here at Essex Turbos to see how we can help.

Whether you’re looking for BMW turbos or Range Rover turbos, the chances are the vehicle that you own is white. Or so says the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), with the organisation recently publishing the nation’s favourite car colours.

The SMMT said that one-fifth of new vehicle registrations are for white motors, which amounted to 564,393 units in 2015 – an increase of 2.2 per cent on the previous year. According to the organisation, neutral paint jobs continued to dominate, with black missing out on the top spot by just 0.6 percentage points.

Grey clinched third with 15.6 per cent of the market, while blue enjoyed its third year of growing demand to snatch fourth at 15.5 per cent. Nevertheless, blue has some way to go before regaining its late 1990s popularity, when it was the country’s top choice.

Green was the biggest mover on the rankings, as demand jumped 31.2 per cent over the 12-month period. Orange and mauve also saw double-digit growth, climbing 25.7 and 30 per cent respectively. However, these performances only managed to net them seventh, ninth and tenth places.

Car colour can have some unintended consequences on the road. For example, a 2007 Monash University study indicated that black vehicles have a 12 per cent higher crash risk than white cars, which were deemed the safest.

The prevailing opinion is that darker-coloured vehicles are harder to spot while driving, making them more likely to be involved in accidents. As such, the link between car colour and crashes is weaker during night-time conditions.

Everyone wants to save money on their car insurance, especially if they’ve just had to shell out for a car turbocharger unexpectedly, but fronting is something that should be avoided at all costs, as you could find yourself left with a criminal record as a result.

Figures from Gocompare.com, however, show that 17 per cent of parents have actually insured their child’s car in their name to help drive down the overall cost of the policy. Furthermore, 36 per cent of parents with children aged between 16 and 25 admitted that they would consider fronting in the future.

Whenever fronting is exposed, insurance companies retain the right to cancel the policy, which can make it harder and even more expensive for people to take out insurance in the future. What’s more, insurers can refuse to pay for claims as well.

“When applying for car insurance you are obliged to tell the insurer of anything that could influence their decision in offering cover – the age and experience of a driver are both crucial factors.  Not telling the truth about who is the principal driver is technically fraud which may result in a policy being cancelled and any claims refused,” car insurance spokesman with Gocompare.com Matt Oliver said.

If you want to save your child money on their car insurance, consider putting yourself down as a named driver as this can really help bring the costs down. Shopping around for the best deal is also advisable – but be aware that the cheapest cover isn’t necessarily the best and you should always take out a fully comprehensive policy.

Is driving a hobby of yours? Are you always on the lookout for the best Porsche turbos money can buy? Then you may be interested to learn that Porsche chief executive officer Oliver Blume has confirmed the company will not be adding driverless cars to its line-up.

The announcement may be good news to those who prefer getting behind the wheel themselves – a fact Mr Blume alluded to in an interview with German regional newspaper Westfalen-Blatt earlier this month (February 1st).

“An iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road. One wants to drive a Porsche by oneself,” he said.

The interview, which various UK media outlets, including Business Insider, translated, suggested Mr Blume will be leaving the research and development of autonomous vehicles to other companies.

Google pioneered driverless technology, but many car manufacturers have committed to exploring autonomous models, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Audi. Meanwhile, Toyota and Lexus have provided the vehicles that Google is using.

Mr Blume said partnerships can be beneficial, provided companies are lacking in the skills they need to progress in the market. Despite this, he claimed Porsche is a thriving manufacturer with no intention to move into the driverless segment.

However, Porsche is planning to produce more environmentally friendly motors. In the same interview, Mr Blume said his company would be spending €1 billion (£753 million) on manufacturing facilities to release an electric-only vehicle.

According to Mr Blume, Porsche intends to make hybrid plug-in models of all its cars over the coming years.

Bad news for Skoda turbo drivers and others – if you’re looking to insure your car at the moment, chances are you’ll be paying more than you would have done at the start of last year.

The Association of British Insurers’ (ABI’s) Quarterly Motor Insurance Premium Tracker shows that for the last quarter of 2015, there was a seven per cent hike in the average price of insurance compared with the previous quarter, with the average price paid emerging as £430.

This has been driven by the rise in insurance premium tax, as well as an increase in low value personal injury claims. In addition, it was found that the average premium paid in the year to the end of December 2015 was up by eight per cent.

Manager of general insurance with the ABI Rob Cummings said that the average premiums will only drop once the issue of personal injury claims costs is dealt with properly.

“We need to drive the cowboy claims management firms out of town, which is why the government’s current review of the sector must result in tougher regulation. This, together with implementing further reforms to tackle frivolous claims such as increasing the small claims limit, will ensure that the brake is applied to higher motor premiums,” he added.

If you’re worried about your premiums, it’s also worth remembering that any modifications you do to your car could push the amount you pay up. Modifications can affect how your policies are assessed by insurers, who look at whether the changes can increase your risk of accident, as well as your risk of theft.