The iconic Volkswagen Beetle was first produced in 1938 and was still being turned out of factories until the back end of 2003.  Over 21 million of these classics were made, making them one of the most mass-produced cars in the World.

Replacement parts and customisation are both easy and popular due to the availability and cheap prices of parts. Like classic Mini Coopers you can pick up official parts for a fraction of the costs compared to other vehicles.

One of the popular modifications within the Beetle community is to change the wheels and lower the suspension but there are other, more complex alterations that people have made. An example of this would be the Dune Buggy and Baja Bug modifications which originated in California in the late 1960’s and involved converting the classic Beetle into an off-road vehicle.

But its not only modifications that parts are needed for. As Beetles have not been produced for nearly seven years then its likely that every owner has either needed or will be needing spare parts. A fully rebuilt engine for a Volkswagen Beetle can cost as little as £50. Compare this to a Ford Fiesta engine which will set you back £100 at the very least, and that’s on Ebay.

The Beetle has become one of the most iconic vehicles of all time thanks to it unique shape and reliability, just because production has ceased there is no reason why you can’t buy one of these and expect to get a long life out of it.

An investigation into the accidents involving subsequently recalled Toyota’s has revealed that the Japanese companies electronic were not to blame.

The announcement also showed that in “virtually all” cases where the driver had said they pushed the brake they had actually touched the accelerator.

The announcement will come as a relief to Toyota as since the incidents came to light they have had to recall over eight million vehicles world wide.

A spokesperson for the investigators said that factors for the accidents included “pedal entrapment, sticky pedal and foreign objects in the car”, the panel also highlighted “pedal misapplication” as a major cause of the accidents.

But many have criticised the findings describing them as “biased” and “wrong.” Car-safety advocate Joan Clybrook formerly of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) said:

"That is totally ludicrous,they should be looking at the electronics in their cars and everyone knows it."

Toyota will still face up to 325 lawsuits as a result of the incidents, one of which caused the deaths of four people. In one US case a man driving a Toyota in an accident was freed from jail after suggestion that it was not his fault and the car had malfunctioned.

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.

The parts which were found after a tip off were examined and discovered to be held together with glue making them highly dangerous.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment commented that there was “no way” the parts would ever have passed the required braking friction level that would make the roadworthy.

Damien Doherty from the Trading Standards Service said:

"In the past, counterfeit car parts were mainly non-safety items such as window wipers, mud flaps and car interior accessories. Now, counterfeit items such as brake pads, brake shoes, suspension components and steering linkages are readily available on the market.”

Brake pads are crucial to the braking system and any faults or wear in them could have disastrous consequences.

Buyers have been warned to take care when buying parts and to only use reputable dealers such as CarSpareFinder or Car Part Buyer who can search dealer and breakers nationwide to find you the best deal whatever part you need.

Whether it’s Renault parts that you need or any other make the site will search legitimate and carefully chosen dealers without you having to leave your computer screen.

A video explaining the workings of a starter motor and some repair tips.

A working starter motor is essential in modern cars.   With out one, you won’t be able to start your car.  In older cars, you can jump start them but a lot of modern vehicles aren’t capable of being started that way.  If your looking for a replacement starter motor you could consider using used parts.  They are considerably lower in cost and by recycling a part you are doing a service to the environment.  Finding used parts is easy too, it’s as easy as filing in a form.

Note:  This article is meant as guidance only, consult your manufacturers guide or a professional before performing any maintenance. 

Although the Ferrari team has been performing well in the recent grand prix they have still been outclassed by Red Bull on most tracks.  This is believed to be down to there engine management system which enables gases flowing through the diffuser even when not on the throttle.  

Ferrari have began to experiment with a similar system in order to catch with their rivals.  The car at German was fitted with a device that kept the pressure constant to feed through the blown diffuser

One of Ferrari’s developments for its car this weekend is a constant exhaust-gas pressure system to feed the blown diffuser.

Alonso in speaking to a Spanish newspaper said:

“We know that red bull are the ones to beat on Saturday, we hope that this Saturday we can make it harder for them”

Although the team is fighting hard many believe the title race is out of there grasp. 

Ferrari won the German Grand prix on Sunday by a clear mile however the win was marred in controversy after the team were penalised for interfering with race results. 

Source: ESPN

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.

As a child, who was eager to help during the shopping run i would put bags of shopping in the boot of the car.  But there was always on bag that my father insisted on loading himself.   The mystery package almost looked like a pass the parcel present with it being wrapped up in at least three carrier bags.  Then carefully secured with bungees in a special shelf at the side of the boot.  All this attention and care, what was this lethal substance that could cause such a fuss:  the answer was Milk. 

Milk if split in your car will result in a odour so strong that you may well be incapable of completing any journeys in it.  However if you do spill milk in you car, what can you do about it? 

You can try and clean it:  Some people recommend using a bicarbonate solution to scrub the offending surface clean.  This can take time and doesn’t always work but is a pretty sure bet.  Another recommendation is to use odour eaters as they contain charcoal.  Which is a pretty reliable odour absorber. 

If you need to replace you carpets, seats or something alike, then finding spare parts isn’t difficult.  You try used parts too as they will be cheaper and better for the environment,

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.