30
Apr

Snow Socks Give Your Car Extra Grip

By admin Posted in Car Maintenance / No Comments »

When there is going to be snow on the road for a change you might consider using snow socks on your tyres rather than unwieldy snow chains as in the past. Snow socks are easier to put on and take off your tyres than chains and gives as good a grip with the added benefit of not being so hard on tyres. Check the local requirements in heavy snow areas as some ski resorts mandate either snow tyres or chains.

Snow socks work on the same principle as putting woollen socks over boots in icy conditions to have greater traction. The fabric wicks the slippery surface moisture away and increases the contact surface with the ground making the tyre’s grip on the road much more stable.

In areas such as the UK where snow is unusual most people do not have snow tyres and few want the hassle of putting on snow chains for the very short time of snowy or icy conditions. Self-adjusting on the tyres in use, snow socks have been shown by the TUV to be even more effective than winter tyres with the added advantage of being easy to put on and take off as you need them.

26
Apr

Online Car Shopping

By admin Posted in Car costs / No Comments »

Shopping for a new car can be fun and it can be frustrating. You can ask friends for help if you are having trouble locating just the make and model you are searching for or you can do a search online.  No matter what type of car you are looking for, you will find it, you just need to keep looking.

Online is where many people go first to see what is offered there. If you are searching in the UK, it is possible to enter any search criteria, whether you are wanting a sofa or a Audi A4, and then review your results.

A search like this keeps the travel distance limited to your area and you can find the vehicle that fits your budget. New and used cars are listed online and give the shopper the most makes and models to choose from. No need to drive all over town from car lot to car lot when you can shop from the comfort of your computer chair.  Online car shopping is easier than you think and before you know it, you are headed out the door to see the car in person and ask a lot of questions.  

21
Apr

Ultimate City Car

By admin Posted in New Cars / No Comments »

Nissan is a brand that is often underrated and unappreciated in the automobile industry. People in Europe and in America tend to be a bit snob about cars made in Asia, and feel that cars built in their continent are superior. While this may arguably apply to the top-tier cars and the luxury options, when it comes to city driving the answer is quite different. It’s often said that the best city car is the Smart car, with its small size, big maneuverability and relatively powerful engine (for its size, at least) the smart car does look like the number one option for city driving.

But more is expected from a car than navigating traffic and parking in tight spaces. And the Smart’s small trunk and lack on true comfort makes it fall behind other city cars, in our opinion. For the ultimate city driver, we’d have to pick the Nissan Micra. You’ve probably seen a Nissan Micra for sale somewhere around town and perhaps didn’t give it a second look, but it’s definitely worth it. Its small size hides some impressive power and a lot of extras, for a very interesting price and wrapped in a very attractive package. And if you test drive it, you’re sure to fall in love.

08
Apr

Aston Martin Make Branded Car Accessories Not Rubbish

By admin Posted in Luxury Cars / No Comments »

It’s difficult to use anything branded with your favourite car manufacturer and not be labelled a tool; the most you can get away with is a key ring (and even that is pushing it). Who can forget Joey in Friends attempting to convince people he owns a Porsche by wearing an outfit composed entirely of Porsche merchandise? It’s just not a good way to advertise yourself.

However, Aston Martin look set to break this mould by creating a piece of concept merchandise that they’ve said they’d love to distribute to people buying cars from Aston Martin dealers. It’s not cheap or tacky and, in fact, is a pretty cool piece of kit, one that manages to be cool, slick, sophisticated and God-damn futuristic all at the same time.

The phone, picture included in this post, uses solid sapphire crystal as the touch screen and has platinum bands on each side which hold the battery, SIM and electronics. The result is a phone that looks like a thick piece of glass (actually quite paperweight-like) until it’s switched on or unlocked, at which point the various app icons will appear, just as they would on a regular android phone, except these are suspended in the crystal.

When you load an app the screen will show it just as it would on any over phone, but as soon as it’s locked or switched off you get the super slick transparent look back.

The phone has other features, such as being automatically synced up with the vehicle’s electronics, allowing it to unlock the car for you upon approach. It’s rumoured to be able to link up with any onboard cameras the car has as well, allowing you to instantly post videos of your location to various social media sights.

The phone is just a concept design at the moment and may not even enter full production, but if Aston Martin do decide to go ahead with it they’ll need to work out a few small kinks, such as the weight of the phone due to its platinum bands. It also seems unlikely that something like this would keep its pristine nature for very long.

Whether an item like this would work with pre owned Aston Martins is yet to be seen. If a car was resold with the phone it came with it would surely drive up its value, but people may be loathe to part with the phone if it does end up being as good as it sounds (if it even gets produced).