A 32 year old Plymouth man, Gareth Treharne, was so expert at breaking into vehicles that between May and August 2008, just 4 months, he broke into over 100 vehicles without being captured.

He was so skilled in his trade that many owners never even realised their vehicle had been broken into until they noticed some of their belongings missing.

The Police, to their credit, eventually captured him on camera when he broke into a Police Covert Capture Car which had a Sat Nav left in view as bait.

Mr Treharne pleaded guilty on November 5th to theft of the Sat Nav and asked for 51 similar offences to be taken into account.

His reward! – a 6 month prison sentence for these offences plus a further two months for breaching a suspended sentence.

Magistrates told Treharne that despite having the care of his six-year-old son, he had caused thousands of pounds’ worth of damage to vehicles and great distress to his victims.

Acting DI Matt Lawrence, said:

“Thanks to this successful result, 51 people now know who committed the offence against them.  It should also have an effect on the criminal fraternity of Plymouth – and our message to them is that you don’t know where our covert capture cars are”.

 “Thieves will even look for the windscreen sucker mark left by a sat-nav holder, and break in on the off-chance.”

 
“With Christmas coming up, we also ask people not to use their car as a staging-post for their shopping, as this is very attractive to thieves.”

There are pros and cons about buying a sports car this time of year, especially if it is to be used on a daily basis.

The cold weather may put some off, but traditionally, the cost of buying one is measurably lower at this time of year so shop around a little and you may grab yourself a bargain!

It may not be easy to find that sports car of your dreams in the condition you are looking for, as some may decide to retain the vehicle over the winter months and try to sell it for a better price in the run up to next summer.

Aspiring sports car owners may be concerned of the higher insurance and maintenance costs of high performance cars, but if you take the plunge, you may be pleasantly surprised!

Every car is given an insurance rating which insurers rely on quite heavily when making decisions regarding premiums. These ratings are based on actuarial tables which are calculated using time tested guidelines, including the car’s power to weight ratio and the cost of garage repairs and parts.

A sports car, by design, is built for speed and acceleration, both of which are critical factors when insurers consider a risk. It is common knowledge that a significant number of accidents have excessive speed as the root cause. In defence of sports cars however, at least these vehicles are built with suspension, bodywork, braking systems and tyres to handle the extra power whereas modified vehicles may only have elements up rated such as tyres and engine.

Finally, remember, if your potential sports car has been modified, make sure you disclose full details to any insurer beforehand to avoid any possibility of a claim being rejected on the grounds of non-disclosure.

A good car insurance policy isn’t necessarily the cheapest.

It is essential to remember that your car insurance policy provides you with important protection and whilst a primary consideration for most will be the desire to keep the cost to a minimum, this must be balanced with ensuring the policy offers the correct level of protection.

The next time your policy comes up for renewal therefore, don’t get blindsided by an attractive premium. To ensure your policy meets your requirements you should also consider:

Cover – Premiums are lower for Third Party Fire and Theft (TPFT) and Third Party Only (TP) cover but you need to take account of the model and value of your car. Remember, TPFT and TP do not reimburse you for damage to your own vehicle.

Excess – It is common knowledge that insurers offer reduced rates if you agree to pay a larger excess but remember, this will be in addition to any compulsory excess

Need your car to get around? – More people rely on their vehicles to get around than ever before so you should consider the impact of not having a car at your disposal in the event of an accident which takes your car off the road for a period. Choose a car insurance policy and level of cover which provides a courtesy car whilst your own is undergoing repairs if this is a major factor.

Having to consider all these important factors can make finding a competitive insurance deal more difficult. However, using your phone, feet to shop around for affordable, quality motor insurance is still time consuming. With the internet making search processes so much easier and quicker than ever, there is no need to compromise on cost or quality but will probably save you a lot of time.

The internet continues to revolutionise the way people conduct business and buying car insurance online is no different.

With three main categories of cover available to choose from, Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft and of course Third Party Only, by using the powerful search engines offered through the internet, anyone searching for motor insurance will be fairly sure of finding a policy that suits their needs at a competitive price.

The specialist comparison websites permits comparison of both premiums and policy benefits online.

It certainly is a lot easier and less hassle than ringing or visiting lots of insurers.

Remember that when buying your motor insurance cover, policy features and benefits do need to be compared to confirm what is included and more importantly, what isn’t covered! Policies can differ and some insurance companies might offer a better deal than others for the same cost.

The net and the facilities it is able to offer will do nothing less than improve both our knowledge and ability to make more informed decisions, especially when linked to advances in technology.
 
In short, to get the best motor insurance deal, look at the internet not just as a way of getting the cheapest quotes, but also to find out as much as possible about a policy to identify ways to save money.

The Claes Fornell International (CFI Group), an industry leader in turning customer satisfaction data into measurable data, launched the first UK National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI-UK) for Home and Car Insurance providers on November 3rd.

Overall customer satisfaction level with insurance providers came out at 77 which is slightly lower than their US sister survey (ACSI) which showed an overall score of 80 for this industry.

Zurich came out on top of the sector with a score of 79, closely followed by Churchill (78) and Direct Line (76). Royal and Sun Alliance trading under the “More Th>n” brand measured 74 points.

By contrast, the largest home and motor insurers, Norwich Union, received the lowest sector score of 69 a whopping 8 points below the industry average. 

The NCSI-UK index looks at customer satisfaction, customers’ expectations, perceived quality and value, customer complaints and customer loyalty as well as Corporate Social Responsibility.

Some of the key points that came out of the research was:

• 67% of people have been with their insurance provider for more than 1 year
• Royal and Sun Alliance scored the highest number of complaints @ 9%
• Direct Line has the most loyal customers
• Churchill has the least number of customers that have been with them for more than 1 year

It is a condition of any motor insurance policy that the vehicle is kept in a roadworthy condition and carries a current MOT certificate.

There is however nothing contained within a said insurance policy that states all servicing and maintenance must be carried out by a qualified mechanic or garage.

More and more people are looking at ways to cut costs and save money in the current economic climate and according to Haynes, the Westcountry based company that publishes the infamous Haynes Car Repair Manuals is one of the areas people are looking closely at.

Sales in the UK during the first quarter to 29 August 2008 were 5% ahead for the same period last year.

Sales have improved even more in the United States with sales of the manuals up 10% for the same period.

John Haynes, chairman of the Yeovil-based group, said the explanation was simple!

“If you consider that the average cost of taking your car to the garage for servicing is about £50 per hour and a manual costs £15, just to do one simple job on your car yourself will save you an awful lot of money”.

A company statement said:

 “These are without doubt the most precarious of times and clearly there remains a very high level of uncertainty as regards the potential impact of the evolving financial crisis on future trading.”

Motorists in Great Britain will be able to display national flags and symbols on their number-plates, Minister for Transport John Spellar announced today.

Mr Spellar said:

“The Government has decided to legislate to allow the voluntary display of national flags and symbols on vehicle number plates. It is what the people of England, Scotland and Wales have asked for, and strengthens their feeling of national identity”.

This was the message published in December 2001 by John Spellar, Transport Minister at the time.

Mr Spellar went on to say:

“The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 will be amended to allow national flags to be displayed on the left hand side of the number plate, in the area currently set aside for the voluntary display of the Euro symbol and GB national identifier” and vehicle owners will be provided with the option of displaying either the Union Jack, Cross of St George, Scottish Saltire or Welsh Dragon accompanied, if they wish, by identifiers such as GB, ENG, SCO, CYM, UK etc”.

Many motorists across the country therefore will be surprised to know that they are actually breaking the law, facing fines up to £1,000 and having their MOT revoked after pressure from the media and parliamentary questions has established that this change in legislation never actually happened!

It is an insurance condition that your car is maintained in a roadworthy condition and an MOT, whilst not offering complete assurance, is considered by most to offer a good indication as to the condition of a vehicle and it is very likely that insurers will look closely at liability if this breach of the law is identified as a result of an accident.

The Department of Transport have stated (again!) that they are looking to get this change in legislation brought in as soon as possible, but again, offer no timeline.

In the meantime, it appears some police forces are turning a blind eye, whilst others have been enforcing the law, so you have been warned!

A company manager, driving his secondhand LPG car for the first time had an extremely lucky escape recently when his car exploded after lighting up a cigarette shortly after refuelling.

Peter Tidbury, 50 years old,  walked away from the wreckage with minor burns to the face, hands and legs and was back at work 24 hours later after hospital treatment.

Mr Tidbury, who lives in South-East London had had the car checked over by 2 different mechanics before making the purchase said:

“It is miraculous, I firmly believe the hand of God was on me that day. It just wasn’t my day to die.”

He went on to say,

“I was told you get a slight smell of gas when you fill up so thought nothing of it and wound the window down and back again. I fancied a fag, so wound the window down again slightly and then lit up. I was doing about 30mph and, as I lit the cigarette, there was an almighty explosion. The windows went out, the bonnet went up and the boot went up, just as you see in the movies!”.

Emergency services evacuated nearby homes as a precaution following shards of  windscreen glass being found some 50 feet away from the damaged car.

A leak in the pipe leading to the gas tank is thought to have allowed gas to seep into the car and it was ignited by the cigarette.
LPG cars are increasing in popularity across Europe due to the lower running costs in comparison to the more traditional petrol or diesel cars and there are reputed to be  over 7 million in use across Europe and 150,000 in the UK.

LPG vehicles are supposed to be safer and more environmentally friendly with lower carbon emissions than the more traditional petrol and diesel powered vehicled as well as having gas tanks that can survive greater impacts.

Whilst this sort of incident is unusual, it should remind users of any vehicle to remain vigilant and undertake some basic checks regularly as it clearly demonstates that faults can develop at a moments notice.

If you notice a smell of gasoline (or gas) in your car, stop immediately, and at the very least call the emergency services – most defintely do not light up!

Whilst a recent survey carried out on Glass.co.uk, the used car comparison website revealed that 38% of motorists are looking to cut their motoring expenses are downsizing to more cost-effective cars due to rising petrol and road tax costs, there are still plenty of drivers out there determined to hang on to their high performance motors, cars that are spec’d out to the max.

Everyone into modifying, customising or driving high performance vehicles will have heard of Wolfrace, distributors of alloy wheels.

However, not so many of you may have heard that Wolfrace moved into the provision of motor insurance earlier this year.

Over 35 years of experience in the alloy wheel market, a successful exhaust and performance air filter range means that the knowledge and experience they have built up over the years has enabled them to build suitable insurance products.

A household name in the business of car modifications, it is great to see a specialist, with many years experience diversifying into a market that can really make a difference.

Owners of high performance, modified and customised cars can at last speak to a company that understands the real impact of modifications enabling them to assess the real risk before offering a quotation. So if you’re the sort of person who spends hours waxing your car, polishing your alloys, buffeting your bonnet and giving your car a professional valet, you’ll be interested to speak to Wolfrace. In fact, even if you’re the sort of person who doesn’t want to do all of them themselves, and prefers to hire a valet company to clean your car, or carpet cleaners in London to ensure your carpets are spotless, you’ll still want to speak to Wolfrace about your car insurance, especially in London where premiums tend to be higher.

What’s more, anyone taking out a Wolfrace Insurance policy will receive:-

• A free set of Wolfrace locking nuts or bolts ( depending on the vehicle) or
• 10% discount off any merchandise purchased at www.wolfrace.com

For every 10 drivers out there, 4 prefer to pay for minor damage rather than claim off their insurance policy, lose some of their no claims bonus (NCB) and have their driving record blemished.

That’s ok, it’s individual choice. Some of these people will even have NCB Protection so that in the event of a claim, they will maintain the same level of no claims bonus!

Protected NCB is a useful tool, normally only available to those that have earned the maximum bonus entitlement from their insurer, but it comes at a cost, and is it really worth it?

Premiums are normally hiked somewhere between 10% and 15% if you want to protect your bonus. In the event of a claim, you will usually lose 20% to 25% no claims bonus (2 to 3 years worth) at next renewal.

It will take 2-3 years to get your no claims bonus back up to the maximum following a claim, so, for example, in real terms this means:

• Annual premium £350 (Full premium £1000 less 65% NCB)

• Cost to Protect NCB = £402.5 (15% extra)

Renewal Premium following claim:

Year 1

• Annual premium if didn’t have Protected NCB at last renewal would be:
£550 (£1,000 less 45% NCB)

• Annual Premium if you did have Protected NCB:
£402.50 (£1,000 less 65% NCB plus the 15% additional premium for Protected NCB)

Year 2

• Annual premium if didn’t have Protected NCB: £450 (£1,000 less 55%)

• Annual Premium if you did have Protected NCB = £402.50 (£1,000 less 65%)

As you see, the person that didn’t have Protected No Claims Bonus at the time of the claim ends up paying £1,000 in premiums over the 2 subsequent years whilst the person that did have Protected No Claims Bonus pays only £805 representing a saving of £185.

This of course, does not take account of any premium increases, loading applied (if any) by the insurer due to the claim (this is very much dependent on the nature of the claim).

If there had not been a claim, the reverse of course applies:

The person that had Protected NCB will have paid £1,350 over the 3 years whilst the person that did not have Protected NCB would have paid a mere £1,050 saving £300!

It really is a matter of choice; you pay your money and take your chance!