Green Flag offers one of the most competitively priced vehicle breakdown and recovery services in the UK today. Since its formation in 1971 as ‘National Breakdown’, the company has grown to serve some 5 million motorists in the UK with 24-hour breakdown assistance, 365 days of the year.
 
Green Flag’s cheap breakdown cover is a result of the organisation’s reliance on a network of independent vehicle breakdown and recovery agents across the UK and Europe. When a call for roadside assistance or other breakdown service comes into Green Flag’s incident management centre, the closest Green Flag agent in the network is contacted and dispatched to the breakdown scene.

In the UK Green Flag has more than 6,000 independent technicians on call; across Europe Green Flag has some 15,000 bilingual agents ready to assist. Customers can expect a rescue patrol vehicle to arrive at their location within 40 minutes, or within an hour at most of making the call.

Breakdown cover and patrol vehicles are trained to deal with a comprehensive range of breakdown problems at the roadside, but the majority of the calls that they receive are for preventable causes, issues that with planned maintenance can be avoided. Here are the five most common preventable problems:

Flat Battery / Faulty Battery – If you’ve not got a set of jump leads and a willing ‘donor’ car, or a car battery recharger to hand, the next best thing you can do is call for breakdown assistance. Loss of voltage caused by short journeys is a frequent cause of flat batteries. To prevent your car battery running flat take the car on a longer journey every week. If this is not possible, a fortnightly overnight charge of the battery will do the trick. Loose and corroded terminal or clamp connections cause problems too.

Flat tyres – A vast number of vehicle breakdown call outs are for assistance in changing tyres and replacing damaged wheels.?Under inflated tyres for the car’s load are a prime cause of tyre failure. To prevent this from becoming an issue tyre pressure should be checked regularly. Use a tyre inflation pump and monitor to achieve the correct pressure. If a tyre is constantly losing pressure over time it may be that you have a slow puncture and need the tyre replacing.

Alternator – If the alternator is not working properly your car battery does not charge, this drops the voltage of your battery to a level that is insufficient to run the engine, and so the engine cuts out.?While there is little you can do to maintain the alternator yourself, you can watch out for signs that tell you when your alternator is faulty. Look out for a flickering of your battery warning light on the dashboard for instance, and keep an eye out for dimmed headlamps and dimmed dashboard lights when the engine is idling.

Starter motor – If the starter motor fails your engine won’t start. Regular garage maintenance can help highlight faults with the starter motor so it doesn’t become a breakdown issue.

Fuel – Every year hundreds of thousands of people put the wrong type of fuel into their cars or simply run out of fuel at the side of the road. Keep an eye of your petrol gauge and if the petrol light comes on make sure you put fuel in the car as soon as you can. 

Cars are becoming more like computers so it is no surprise that fewer people than ever are willing to dive under the bonnet of the car when a vehicle breakdown occurs. High-tech devices now control most of a modern cars engines performance, and now a laptop is the only device needed being used as a diagnostic tool instead of a bag of tools and a torch.

It seems a lot safer and quicker to call for breakdown assistance instead of trying to tackle the complicated modern engines ourselves. Another reason to take out breakdown cover is as the use of satellite navigation and multi-changing CD players increases – so does the second most common reason for calling out breakdown assistance – flat batteries.

Also on the rise are call outs for cars that won’t start because the immobilizer has been activated, either by accident or through driver error, and call outs to drivers who’ve locked themselves out of their cars. The two fastest growing reasons for breakdown assistance calls are immobilizer issues and being locked out of cars. Whether you’re locked out, stranded by the roadside or stuck at home with a car that just won’t start, if you’ve bought breakdown cover, you’ve no need to worry. Just pick up the phone.

Broken down vehicles can sometimes lead to horror stories that have been the result of a broken down vehicle being in a dangerous place, broken down vehicles at the side of the road run the risk of being hit by passing traffic, is the simple act of changing a flat tyre on a motorway hard shoulder worth risking loosing your life?

We’ve all heard the motoring horror stories that have resulted from broken down vehicles being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are many cases of stricken vehicles on the side of the road being hit by passing traffic. For some the simple act of changing a flat tyre on a motorway hard shoulder has ended tragically.

When you choose to take out breakdown cover you have access to a vehicle rescue and recovery service experienced in safe roadside assistance. Your safety and the safety of your passengers and other road users is their priority. If your vehicle has broken down in a dangerous location, such as at a blind corner or on the side of a busy stretch of fast road, the breakdown patrol unit will know what to do to make the situation as safe as possible for all concerned.

When you buy breakdown cover you get an experienced organization that not only knows how to fix your vehicle and get you to your destination with the minimum of fuss, but an organization that makes your safety their priority. 

Statistics from the UK’s leading breakdown cover providers have shown that Britain’s vehicle breakdown services are called into action on an average 20,000 times each day. The most common reasons for the calls outs are flat batteries, punctured tyres and general engine troubles.

A high percentage of these breakdown issues are resolved at the roadside by the patrol cars and emergency repair success rates have risen by 85% for many of the UK’s breakdown service providers. This means that a high majority of drivers who break down and then call for roadside assistance are back on the road in their own vehicles without suffering a delay and can back on their journey trouble-free.

If your vehicle cannot be repaired by the roadside a tow to the nearest repair centre will be included as standard. More flexibility can be provided by buying breakdown cover which includes full vehicle recovery to your home address or your local garage, also you can add options which cover the cost of a replacement vehicle and emergency accommodation if it is needed as a result of a breakdown. This is a full service option that provides complete peace of mind every time you go out onto the roads. 

BMW has created a revolutionary Speed Limit Display system for its new 7 Series range. The carmaker will fit the technology – which it is claiming is a world first – as standard with the optional Lane Departure Warning system. 

The system works through a camera which is mounted behind the rear view mirror, the device cross-references the GPS system and the real world information to constantly monitor the legal speed limit. The limit is then relayed to the driver in the dashboard or if specified into the head-up display.

The car’s hard drive has been pre-programmed with all of Europe’s speed limits but in case of road works or incidents it has another trick up its sleeve and can also read temporary road signs and over-ride the stored information.

The new series 7 will also feature Night Vision that includes Pedestrian Recognition for the first time. Scanning the road up to 300 metres ahead, much further than even the most powerful xenon headlamps, Night Vision highlights the shape and proximity of any heat sources that are close to the predicted path of the car. The new 7 Series went on sale in the UK on Saturday.

The Vauxhall Insignia beat off competition from the new VW Golf, Renault Megane and Ford Fiesta, and won the very prestigious Car of the Year award for 2009. The scoring was very close and in fact the Insignia won by only one point, over second-placed Ford Fiesta and the Golf came third.

The competition is now in its 46^th year and is chosen by 59 motoring journalists from 23 countries across Europe. The judges had 25 points each to distribute among at least five of the shortlisted finalists. Design, comfort, safety, handling, economy, eco features and price all counted, with value for money and innovation especially important.

“This is the closest COTY competition for years,” commented Ray Hutton, president of the 59-strong jury of senior motoring journalists drawn from 23 European countries. The Insignia has a combination of strong looks, a quality interior and a smooth drive and it a very worthy winner.

It certainly has more style about it than anything we’ve seen before from Vauxhall and the sharp design continues on the inside. Road manners for the Insignia while strong are perhaps not as good as Mondeo but as I noted at the time, most drivers will probably not notice. 

Lotus Sport has announced it is producing a GT4 Supersport version of its 2-Eleven, designed as a cost-effective entry in the European GT4 Supersports category.

An initial run of just 10 cars will be built and delivered in time for the 2009 season, at a cost of £78,255. And although specific details have still to be confirmed, Lotus says many of the Supersport go-faster parts will be available as upgrades for existing 2-Elevens.

According to Lotus, the GT4 Supersport pushes the limits to the extreme, with key features being its dramatic composite body, full roll cage, increased power and a sequential gearbox.

Improvements to the induction and exhaust, coupled to a higher ratio supercharger drive system for increased boost has seen power jump from 255PS to 270PS. Lightening fast gearshifts are guaranteed thanks to a trick six-speed sequential ’box with a centrally-mounted pull/push shifter. The gearbox is integrated with the engine management system to allow flat shifts up through the gears, while an ‘autoblip’ rev matching system takes care of downshifts.

The GT4 Supersport has a tonneau cover to improve aerodynamics, while a carbon wing and diffuser at the rear are balanced by a deep front splitter – a package said to generate 80kgs of downforce at 100mph.

Purpose of Polishing

The purpose of polishing is to remove oxidation, swirls, scratches, water deposits and other imperfections from the paint. In contrast to a clay bar, which removes contamination, polishes remove surface imperfections. Polishing generally is the single most time consuming step in an exterior detail.

Polishes typically are classified in two categories, a chemical polish or abrasive polish. A chemical polish, sometimes called a prewax cleaner, cleans the surface and removes oxidation. An abrasive polish removes a small portion of the clearcoat or the base paint itself on single stage paint. Abrasive polishes are classified based on how abrasive they are. The abrasive polish with the most abrasion typically is called a Rubbing Compound. A Rubbing Compound will remove heavier scratches and swirls as well as oxidation. It can be compared to a very fine sandpaper. The abrasive polish with the least abrasion typically is called a finishing polish. A finishing polish is used to remove light oxidation and fine scratches and swirls. It is also used to remove the haze resulting from application of a more abrasive polish. Abrasive polishes work best when applied with a machine rotary buffer or machine random orbital buffer. Different pads are used on the buffer depending on the abrasion level of the polish.

An “All in One” product typically combines a chemical polish and sealant to be applied in one step. A “buff and wax” contains a high level of cleaner and U.V. protectant or carnauba, producing a polish and a protect effect. Unlike a chemical polish or abrasive polish, a glaze does not clean or abrade the paint. A glaze typically contains oils and kaolin to fill and mask minor imperfections remaining after polishing, and to enhance the brilliance of the finish. If a glaze is applied, it is used after use of a chemical polish or abrasive polish or All in One product but before application of a sealant or wax.

As Mercedes have wrapped up their first Formula One drivers title for nine years, launching what is arguably their most extreme performance car to date seems well timed. But unlike Lewis Hamilton’s F1 steed and the under loved SLR this Mercedes has nothing to do with McLaren, it’s the latest offering from the firms in house tuning arm AMG.

This is the third creation to wear the Black Series badge – which signals the highest level of AMG modification – the SL65 Black Series comes with an eye watering price tag but there’s certainly no mistaking it for the standard SL65.??

The car has huge wheel arches and gaping air vents, it’s wide, solid and low and oozes aggression even when standing still.

The brakes and tyres have been up rated, which is crucial because in the Black Series the SL65’s mighty 612bhp 6-litre bi-turbo V12 has been tuned to offer a massive 670bhp. But even restricted the effortless nature of the Black Series’ incredible straight-line acceleration is hard to believe. Few other cars can deliver performance like this as well as look so good and have so much on road presence. The traction control button is much needed but there is a sport mode which turns it off for use on track and possibly other occasions…!