Used Car Parts News

Lawmakers at the European Union face backlash over plans to make Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) mandatory from November 2011.

The system is currently only offered as an extra by manufacturers and can cost upwards of £250 to be fitted and has been criticised in the past by the AA.

Experts from Hyundai have said that they have offered it as standard on the new i30 models but a lot of customers said they would rather not have it.

A spokesperson for the Vauxhall Motor Group also dismissed the proposal saying:

“You could argue that people should be doing weekly tyre checks anyway.”

The system which checks tyre pressures live and can detect dangers such as slow punctures has also been criticised for its reliability and maintenance costs, for example the system struggles to detect problems such as uneven wear and bulges.

The AA also said that if a customer has to replace a tyre then the whole system for that wheel has to be replaced; it is not just a case of transferring the sensors and its electrics.

Taking good care and maintaining car parts is important for the lifetime and safety of a car and should not be underestimated or ignored. But driver in the UK are taught how to do this on their test and as part of learning to drive so is this technology useful or will it just encourage laziness and reliance on the technology, which experts have already said is not fool proof.

French manufacturer Renault have announced an increase in the UK market share of nearly 5%, placing the UK 7th in the World for Renault Ownership.

Experts at the car company have also said they expect numbers to increase in the second half of they year and for sales to be up to 10% higher than 2009.

Jerome Stoll, Vice President of Sales and Marketing said:

Our objective for 2010 is to continue building market share for all our brands in all Renault Group regions. In Europe, we will consolidate the market share that we have reclaimed with the Renault brand to confirm our third position in PC sales and the leadership of the Renault brand in LCV sales. Outside Europe, we will continue our offensive by stepping up our presence in emerging countries, which will drive growth in the years to come.”

Despite this the increase in VAT which is due in January may cause Renaults start to 2011 some problems.

Another option if you don’t want to pay the add on cost to an already high sticker price is to look into leasing, websites such as Leasebam will search dealers nationwide to find the car that you want at the best price. If you are a business user then leasing can be a very interesting prospect as you can claim back certain aspects through businesses expenses.

Work has started today on the demolition of a North East car park made famous by seventies gangster film Get Carter starring Michael Caine.

The car park in Trinity Square, Gateshead is being taken down piece by piece as civic leader have revealed they want to remodel the the town to rival neighbours Newcastle. Owen Luder, the architect behind the iconic structure said:

“It’s a sad day; Gateshead is losing its front teeth.”

Mr Luder was speaking as he made his final visit to the car park and it’s amazing rooftop box which was designed to accommodate a restaurant and nightclub but never used.

He rejected Gateshead Councils reasoning that the building had become structurally and economically unrepeatable adding:

“The demand I met in the Sixties with a multi-storey car park still exists today, so why knock it down?”

The demolition is expected to take around eight weeks but it will take the same time again to cleat the site of the 34,000 tonnes of concrete rubble let behind.

Discussions have already started regarding the future of the site and it is thought that a £150 million redevelopment contract from the regeneration subsidy of Tesco Spenhill will be successful in developing accommodation and a shopping centre on the site of the car park.

A recent blog post on Car Leasing News discussed how leasing companies have been attracting new customers given the current economic climate.

The post described how over the past few months large mail campaigns have been the latest way in which companies have been distributing material to attract customers.

The reasons for this is the relatively low costs of sending out material via ‘snail mail’, envelopes can be purchased for very little when bought in bulk, flyers have already been printed so that cost has already been accounted for and stamps can now be bought online with a bit of a discount as well.

But what about the actual leasing? are people still leasing cars during the recession. I would have thought it is a better option due to the monthly payments rather than having to pay out a lump sum or face the problems trying to get credit. Probably getting it but at a higher rate of interest.

Car leasing customers are more of a specialist niche market at the moment aiming more towards business owners etc. Green cars are currently what customers are looking for, though the environmental motivation for this is questionable. It is more to do with the fact that they save in fuel, which in turn will save money.

The motivation behind car choices is also an interesting issue, the blog describes the difficulty of getting a mortgage nowadays which is down to (amongst many other things)  overspending.

But because most young men do care about their image they would rather take on a new flash car rather than a second hand one. Which is why I think that leasing is definitely a market to look into in the current economical climate.

Leasbam can help in many ways. Search for the vehicle that you want the system will then in turn search all local dealers who can then compete to offer you the best price.

Sunroofs come in many different forms from the ‘crank-open’ method on an older Nissan Micra to the Solar sunroof that is found on the 2010 Toyota Prius, electrically operated and powers the cars ventilation system.

I will be honest one of the things that always slips my mind when looking at a new car is if it has a sunroof or not, but up until the 1970’s cars didn’t really have sunroofs’. You either had the roof up or down.

Only recently when looking at new cars have I also found that they seem to be referring to them as ‘moonroofs’ which seems to be the new term for them. Most modern day varieties are made from a glass panel.

But what I bet you didn’t think was possible is installing a sunroof from scratch, so if you did forget to check and don’t mind getting your car cut up then you can have one fitted as the video below shows.

To tell the difference between a factory installed sunroof and one that has been added later all you need to do is open the sunroof and look at the edge of the opening in the vehicle roof (the hole) and if the painted metal goes down over the edge of the hole then it is factory installed. If it has a black or silver frame overlapping the roof skin then it’s a pretty good chance that your sunroof has been installed after purchase.

Although installing a sunroof after purchase has no detrimental effects on the cars structure and can increase the value on certain models. If you want to install a sunroof on your vehicle or you need a part to repair you current one take a look at CarSpareFinder who will search local dealers to find the best price for you without you having to leave the house.

Car leasing gives you the opportunity to drive a car that you could only dream of owning – whether you can’t afford to buy outright, want to make a good impression to your clients or you just like to change car every few years then leasing could help you.

Leasing a car allows you to have the flexibility to pick up whatever car you require and pay at a monthly rate, for example you can hire an Aston Martin DB9 for around £2000 a month and that includes any repairs and services. Using the Aston as an example if you were to buy one brand new you would be looking at paying out a fee of well over £100,000.

The contracts also allow for regular car changes, depending on contract lengths which is a brilliant opportunity  for people who like the latest models. Businesses also benefit from leasing as certain costs can be tax write offs.

A lot of companies will even include Insurance as part of the monthly fee so it allows you to pay everything in one payment.

So looking at it leasing can be a good option for anyone – the businessman who wants to give a good impression and save the money, the younger person who may not be able to afford their own car straight away, the trendsetter who wants the latest sports car every couple of years. Whatever category you class yourself in you should really take a look at leasing.

Interested in leasing? Take a look Leasebam who will search all dealers local to you and find the best price available.

Need spare parts for your motorbike but sick of trawling from scrap yard to scrap yard and still not finding the one that you need? A service called BikeSpareFinder may be able to help you.

The service which is quickly becoming one of the biggest part finders in Europe for two wheeled road users aims to find any part that you need quickly and at the best price for you.

With over 70 brands of bike parts available from Harley Davidson to Lambretta, the service will search specially selected part suppliers even taking into account factors such as next day delivery, so that you get what you need quickly.

Once it has found your part you can view price updates live on screen, so you can choose which dealer you think is the best for you.

To request a quote for a part all you need to do is fill in a form on the companies website detailing the make and type of part you want, the rest is left to BikeSpareFinder.

Quotes can be returned in as little as 10 minutes and part suppliers are rated and measured on their response time.

BikeSpareFinder also guarantee that they will only search suppliers that carry the brand parts that you require and with a part find success rate of 85-90% they offer savings of up to 80% compared to buying a brand new spare.

It’s estimated that there are 1.2 million active motorcycle riders in the UK and this could possibly grow due to two wheeled vehicles being exempt from all congestion charges and why spend what you save on parts when BikeSpareFinder can help find them cheaper for you.

Anyone wanting to get a quote or more information should visit the BikeSpareFinder website

Once upon a time a car needing a replacement engine would spell the end and you would need to fork out on a new model but now the availability of replacement engines means you can give your motor a new lease of life.

The engine is as you would expect one of the most crucial parts of a car, turning fuel into motion through a process know as internal combustion.

The availability of replacement engines has increased massive amounts in recent years and many now view an engine as a customisable feature of a vehicle.

The video below shows a 3D representation of how a car engine works and is put together.

Sick of phoning numerous dealers trying to find the car part you require? A unique service has been launched to help you consolidate it all into one phone call.

1 Call Does It All   is a new service for trade and consumers alike, it allows users to find the part they require for the best price in one phone call – saving both time and money.

The service works by searching four of the biggest stockists of spare parts and compares the prices whilst users wait on the phone.

1 Call Does It All searches 1st Choice Spares, 247 Spares, Breakeryard and Car Spare Finder all of which are independent from the service, this helps guarantee users the best possible price.

The four services have been personally chosen by 1 Call Will Do It All based on their reputation and standing within the industry.

The one of a kind service prides itself on helping customers find parts easily and for the cheapest possible price, saying:

“This is an ideal service for those in the trade who are short on time or just do not have access to a computer.”

Although the service is available to everyone the creators of the service believe that it will be of huge benefit to garages and other part finders, adding:

“In business time really is money, so saving time saves money.”

With the automotive industry going through  difficult times and many not being able to buy new cars this service allows people to find the parts needed to keep their current vehicle on the road without breaking the bank.

Any enquiry that is made to the service is dealt with by highly trained staff before being sent onto the four chosen parts dealers.

Anyone wanting to use the service should contact the team on 0907 005 6003 (call cost £1.50 per minute) with their vehicle information and details of the part they require.

Further Information can be found one the 1 Call Does It All website at www.1calldoesitall.co.uk/

Thousands of cars are involved in scrapes, bumps and crashes everyday. Most of these cars will take damage to the front or the rear of the vehicle and will need new body panels or engine components etc. Replacement parts are becoming harder and harder to get hold of thanks to people having their cars crushed instead of recycling parts so parts locator sevices like carpartbuyer can help you get hold of parts like bumpers, boot lids, headlights,tail lights, radiators, fans etc.