Buying a used car always carries more risk than buying a new one as you often will have a short or possibly even no warranty. If you are buying a car off a private buyer you often have little come back as it is a private sale. You are however still covered by a general sales of goods act so if you can prove that a car was bought and was not fit for purpose you may be able to take them to a small claims ourt but this will cost you money and the chances are that you may not win. When buying a used car it is often worth paying for a used car check through companies such as the AA who will give the car a once...

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If you are looking for a cheap car and have a bit of a passion or experience in fixing engines / bodywork etc. then you may consider buying a car that is advertised as spares or repairs. Even when a car is advertised like this, it does not necessarily mean that it is not running. It can be that the MOT has run out or that it has body damage. Buying these sorts of cars can be a risky game, especially if you don’t really know what you are doing. Often you cannot find out exactly what is wrong with a vehicle until you have stripped it down meaning that you may end up with a £1000 car that needs an additional £1000 spending on it. Always be wary of...

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Is there a time bomb ticking away in your engine? If you’ve recently bought a second hand car, do you know if it‘s cam-belt needs changing? The cam-belt transfers motion from the engine to regulate the cam shaft which in turn operates the vital inlet and exhaust valves. If the cam-belt snaps, there’s a chance that many of these valves will be damaged, along with the cylinders and pistons. This can be very costly to repair. Firstly you need to establish if your engine utilises a cam-belt or a timing chain. Chains should not need changing as they should not snap. Manufacturers specify the mileage at which the cam-belt should be changed in the service schedule. If your cars service history doesn’t show this having been done or you don’t...

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Car insurance is something that all of us need to have that want to be able to drive a vehicle. You also need to keep your car insured if you keep t on the road even if it is not drivable. When looking for insurance quotes, there are many factors you need to consider and often the policy can seem extremely complex. With the recent trend of comparison sites, it does make obtaining several quotes relatively easy, but be aware as sometime these sites will mean that you have multiple credit searches show on your file. Once you have found a quote you are happy with it is important to re-read through all the information that you have given them. If there are any mistakes, even typos in your name...

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It’s that time of year again where you rush out of the house in the morning (normally late for work!) and you see that your car is completely frozen over. So what’s the best way to defrost it quickly? Start the engine – Firstly you need to try to get the car warm, which in modern cars with stop start can be a bit of a pain as they don’t tend to warm up properly until you are moving. Turn the hot blowers on full and switch on the rear heated screen. De-icer – this is by far the quickest method of removing the ice however it does tend to leave a greasy film over your windscreen that seems to smear once the ice has gone and you have your...

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