If your car insurance for your Volkswagen turbo is up for renewal, you might be well placed to try and haggle so you can sort yourself out a sweeter deal.
According to Consumer Intelligence, 54 per cent of motorists were able to arrange a price cut for themselves after questioning their renewal quote. Despite this, however, it was found that only 38 per cent of drivers actually call their insurers to query their quotes, so there are many on the roads who are missing out on potential savings of up to a tenth.
“Insurers are generally receptive to renewal premiums being queried and will offer reductions to try and keep customers and the savings can be substantial at more than ten per cent. The benefits of switching are not always obvious as generally customers prefer to stay loyal and indeed our research shows that it would make more sense for insurers to offer their best price straight away rather than haggling,” chief executive of Consumer Intelligence Ian Hughes said.
This comes after previous Consumer Intelligence research showed that thousands of people believe that their car insurance policies are hard to understand and lack transparency. Complaints relate to a failure to explain how the policy works and what people are actually covered for, with nearly a quarter of those asked saying they want to be able to manage their policies and make claims over the internet.
Demand was also apparent for insurers to offer call centres based in the UK, with one in ten motorists backing this idea.
A car immobiliser developed by Megamos found on millions of vehicles is vulnerable to hacking attacks, with researchers saying that the encryption system can be cracked – so bear this in mind if you’ve just invested in new Citroen turbos and this anti-theft gadget… you may not be as protected as you think.
The study, conducted by Radboud University in Holland, found that by listening in to the radio chip in the car key and the crypto system hackers were provided with information about which secret key was being used to mix the data up. The researchers were in fact able to find which crypto key was being used in about half an hour, the BBC reports.
Apparently, it will prove difficult to fix the flaws in the current system for the Megamos immobiliser as it will mean replacing the radio chips found in the car keys, as well as the hardware in cars that are affected. Vehicles from Porsche, Volkswagen and Honda all make use of this seemingly weak system.
Although this study was conducted in 2012, publication of the results had been banned up until now after an English court ruled that it should be withdrawn, at the request of Volkswagen. The car manufacturer eventually agreed that the results could be published after the authors of the study removed one sentence from their findings, which described the component of the calculations relating to the chip.
“It is frustrating that so much time, money and effort has been wasted. This is not an incentive to report defects only to the manufacturer concerned,” head of the Digital Security Group in Nijmegen professor Bart Jacobs said.
If you’re thinking of purchasing a new turbo, you’ll need to do some research into it to find out if it’s right for you. There are lots of benefits of opting for this vehicle enhancement. Here are some of the main ones, which should help you make up your mind.
Being green
If you want to be an eco-friendly driver, then a turbocharger can definitely help in this regard. Because they deliver more air into the engine, the fuel combustion process is simpler, which makes it cleaner as a result. Turbocharged diesel engines can produce 50 per cent less CO2 emissions than traditional engines, so you’ll be a far greener driver if you decide to move forward with this.
Fuel economy
If you want to get the most out of your petrol tank, then a turbocharger can definitely help. If you go for a smaller engine, you can still enjoy a high power output thanks to your turbo.
Noise pollution
If your engine is smaller and you have a turbocharger to help you produce the same amount of power, your engine will be quieter than one that is naturally aspirated. It also helps by serving as an extra silencer so you could notice a huge difference straight away.
Performance
If you find yourself driving at higher altitudes, where there is lower air pressure, a turbo can help you produce the power you need – and in fact a turbocharged engine will improve with regards to performance under such conditions because the difference between the air pressure ahead of the turbo and at the exhaust is greater.
