Did you know write-off categories have changed? 89% of buyers don't

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News

As we enter the peak period for secondhand car sales (following an influx of part exchanges against new 18 plate models), a survey of 100 consumers by vehicle history checker mycarcheck.com found that 89% were unaware of the recent write-off category changes.

In October 2017, the old A, B, C and D categories were replaced with new codes, which focus on safety rather than the cost of repair: A (scrap), B (break), S (structurally damaged repairable) and N (non-structurally damaged repairable).

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Insurers change tactics for judging young drivers

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Random

--   Telematics specialist, Quartix, is deploying unique ‘virtual parents’ that are helping young drivers learn from experienced motorists using wisdom of the crowd
--   Young drivers and their parents are alerted if they consistently drive faster than experienced motorists on the same stretches of road.
--   One insurer using the ‘contextual speed scoring’ technology has seen ZERO serious injuries or deaths among young drivers since its introduction a year ago

In a UK first, insurance companies using black boxes to rate young motorists have started scoring them against experienced drivers’ average speeds rather than official speed limits, vehicle tracking and telematics firm Quartix revealed today.

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Young people passing up on the idea of learning driving

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--  The number of 17-year olds taking the driving test has fallen by 100,000 over the past decade
--  20 per cent drop in the overall number of under-25s learning to drive
--  East Sussex experiences most significant fall, with 61 per cent of under-25s ditching their driving aspirations

Young people are giving up on the idea of learning to drive, according to research carried out by leading automotive consumer website www.HonestJohn.co.uk

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Money for Nothing: Mini Bench up for grabs!

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TV

BBC programme Money for Nothing has got in touch with love:mini to offer readers the opportunity to own one of its bespoke and unique pieces created for the next upcoming series.

Fashioned from a new MINI bonnet, British artisan - Rag 'n' Bone man - has created this item as something for the home or garage. Unsurprisingly, this is marketed as an 'indoor' bench! Perhaps the rusty reputation of Minis still dominates the mind of non enthusiasts!

The bench can seat two people, and is held in place by two large Aston Martin brake discs, while the headlight apertures have been filled with 4mm aluminum plating. 

Dimensions: Length of seat from right to left: 163cm Width of seat from back to front: 72cm Back of seat height: 87cm

If you fancy this lovely piece of artwork... the production company still has it for sale, and it could be yours for a tidy... £1,295 ono. 

Is it worth that? And if it is... we'd all better get into our garages/shed and start welding some scrap together to flog!

Anyone who is interested in parting with their cash for this unique item should contact Jen on  0141 370 0461, or you can email at jen@frielkeanfilms.com

 

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Eight out of 10 motorists have no idea about the new speeding fine structure

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Random

84% of British motorists are unaware of new speeding fines that come into force next week
Drivers caught for most serious cases of speeding could be fined 150% of their weekly income in England and Wales
This means a motorist earning £50,000 a year would pay up to £355 for creeping over the limit, or £1000 for travelling 41mph in a 20mph limit
New fines system doesn’t address driver distraction risks, says leading consumer motoring website

More than eight out of every 10 British motorists are unaware of new speeding fines, which could see someone earning £50,000 pay a fine of £1000* for travelling 41mph in a 20mph limit, according to research carried out by leading consumer motoring website www.HonestJohn.co.uk

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CMA says "Don't trust the MoT certificate"

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Random

Following DVSA clarification CMA urges used car buyers to check MOT details online – the paper certificate is too susceptible to forgery

Following a clarification by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Claims Management & Adjusting Ltd (CMA) is urging used car buyers to check MOT details online, rather than relying on the paper certificate.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by CMA’s Philip Swift, the DVSA’s MOT Scheme Management Team confirmed: “…the view of DVSA is that the test certificate is a receipt style certificate and it is the database holds the authorative [sic] record… DVSA advice is that if a customer has concerns to the validity of the certificate or wishes to, they can confirm the details via the gov.uk website.”

Managing Director of CMA, Philip Swift, a former police detective, said: “This important clarification should signal a change in consumer best practice. Most car buyers accept the paper MOT at face value, but 25 years of investigating cloned and clocked vehicles has taught us not to be so trusting.  The first thing we do with any claim is check the MOT on the primary source, the government website. It is a great free service and you can see at a glance the recorded mileages going back years and any advisory notes on the condition of the vehicle. Any discrepancy between this data and the paper certificate should set alarm bells ringing. Vehicle crime has become highly sophisticated but when it comes to paper MOTs a lot of the tactics are rudimentary, commonly simple photocopies with the mileage altered. In one recent case, someone had downloaded the sample certificate from the government website, filled it in and passed it off as genuine. They should at least put a watermark on that because they’ve inadvertently provided a handy resource for fraudsters.”

Link to check MOT history: www.gov.uk/check-mot-status

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MINI Challenge to be broadcast live on new Free-to-Air channel Front Runner

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TV

British GT Championship & MINI Challenge fans will be able to watch this season’s, as well as those of its MINI CHALLENGE support category, live, for free and in High Definition thanks to a new deal with Front Runner.

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