Dealers need to gear up for changes to the MoT test that come into place on 1 January, 2012.

According to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (Vosa) the European legislative-driven changes include additional checks for some of the vehicle systems already examined such as brakes, steering suspension and lighting.  But there will also be new safety checks on the increasing number of on-board electrical safety systems, including electronic stability control.

Vosa said these new elements will not impact on the test in Britain until later in 2012, giving vehicle testers and owners time to prepare.

Tests carried out on cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches will be affected.

VOSA chief executive Alastair Peoples said:  “The MoT test is designed to make sure that a vehicle is fit to be on the road and so it needs to be updated to reflect new vehicle technology.”

“We have worked with the industry to prepare them for these changes to make sure that the measures are introduced in the least burdensome way possible.”

New checks include:

• Anti-lock braking systems / Electronic stability control systems
• Tyre pressure monitoring systems
• Supplementary restraint systems including airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners
• Electronic power steering systems
• Electronic parking brakes

Prestige Car Servicing are pleased to announce the opening of their first service centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Prestige currently operate a national network of Independent Service Centres across England, Scotland and Wales, providing Service, Maintenance and Repair to the fleet market, including several top FN50 leasing providers in the UK.

The expansion into Northern Ireland is part of the continued expansion of the Prestige Fleet Support Network which will reach 150 by the end of the year.

Operations Director Joe Bhamra said “2011 has been a fantastic year so far for Prestige, with our network expansion on target and a record number of new large, medium and small fleet customers choosing Prestige for their SMR work. We’re pleased to be able to offer new and existing customers complete coverage across the UK through a centralised management of network and invoice control.”

Mercedes-Benz is a german manufacturer who create cars, trucks, vans,
etc and has been doing so since 1926. The company was actual founded in
Mannheim in 1886 but production didn’t properly start trading with the
brand name until 1926. Mercedes-Benz can be traced back to being the
first company to create a petrol powered car. Karl Benz created this
‘Benz Patent Motorwagen’ with the help of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm
Maybach. Daimler and Benz then joined together to form Daimler-Benz
company which later developed into the worlds oldest automotive brand
still in existence today as long as one of the worlds most well-known
and trusted car brands in the world.

Mercedes vehicles have changed dramatically over the last 125years since
the company was founded. In the 1920′s Mercedes-Benz created the
Mercedes-Benz SSK which for its time was one of the biggest cars around,
however the change in 30years going into the 1950′s can not compare to
each other. In the 1950′s Mercedes released cars such as the 190SL and
the W180 which started to really resemble what we nowadays know as cars. Although the technology in those days was extremely limited and Mercedes servicing was ridiculously difficult the cars are classic statements of their time period and reflect our view on that era. After several years of improvement Mercedes how now mastered away to make their Mercedes Car Service easier. With models such as the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
technology has really reached new levels.
You would think Prestige Car Servicing would not offer servicing on your Mercedes due to the number of high tech features each car has this however couldn’t be more wrong, Prestige love servicing Mercedes.

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) is one of the largest car manufacturers in
the world. Originating in 1917 by Franz Josef Popp in Germany BMW has
barely looked back since, taking over brands such as British Rover Group
(before later on selling the brand), parenting company of Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars and brands such as Mini also being manufactured by the car
giant. BMW first started trading using World War I aircraft engines but
was ordered to end aircraft engine production because of the Versailles
Armistice Treaty. This is likely to be the reason behind the iconic BMW
logo, originating from the movement of an aircraft propeller symbolising
the blue sky being cut through by the white propeller. Other people beg
to differ however and say that the logo is intended to represent the
colours of the Free State of Bavaria.

BMW vehicles have changed over the last century quite dramatically from
the 1920′s models such as the BMW Dixi 3/15 DA-1 to the 1950′s with the
BMW 700 all the way up to the current day beauties of the BMW X6 M. The
machines from the 1920′s to the current day are incomparable to each
other, the differences are in abundance but at Prestige Car Servicing
they have commented how much easier it is to do a BMW Car Service now
compared to how they used to be 20, 15 or even 10 years ago. Technology
has advanced so much in these models now the newest cars have got
features like power glass sunroof, built in bluetooth, rain sensing
windshield wipers and so much more.

BMW Car Servicing
Prestige Car Servicing can service all BMW models from the BMW 1 series
up to the BMW X6 M. Many garages do not like servicing BMW’s and if they
do often don’t service them using all the correct standards and
procedures that a BMW deserves. For more information visit Prestige Car
Servicing’s BMW Car Servicing page.

First of all you cannot drive on UK roads without your car having a valid MOT, so I’m sad to say that it need to be done. Here’s some basic facts about MOT’s; MOT stands for Ministry of Transport Cars do not HAVE to have an MOT until it is 3 years old MOT’s last for up to one year

With around 19,000 garages which have been approved to do MOT’s in the UK! How can you tell if the garage is an approved one? The garage should have on it a blue logo with 3 triangles connected together on it. The garage should also display these three verification checks; VT9 VT9a VT26 Only if these are all on view then a garage can be ‘trusted’. Most of the time however you don’t look for these sorts of certificates, you listen to friends who have had a good service at a garage such as Prestige Car Servicing. But what do they do in an MOT?

The basic purpose of an MOT is to check whether the car is safe to drive on the road or not, this check generally covers the basics of tyres, windscreen wipers, emissions, steering, headlights, brakes, vehicle identification number, mirrors and much more. You can get two different types of MOT’s a full one (checks over the whole of the car – this is recommended at least once every year) and the other where they change the oil and spark plugs. Some car drivers say that ‘their Mercedes deserves the best’ but Prestige Car Servicing knows that every car needs the best, especially when checking MOT’s.

An MOT is obviously better if during the check over the car the mechanic checks every aspect of the car. There are obviously the basic checks that every MOT has to abide to but it is the extra checks that help you determine what is a good check from a bad check. Extra checks and ‘add-ons’ can include washing your car, vacuuming the interior, blackening your tyres and some even given discounts for next years MOT.

Many mechanics and garages will do a car service whilst they are doing your MOT. Extra’s like these help you verify which garages are trustworthy and which are not along with the signs mentioned before.

There’s an ongoing dispute about how often you should get your car serviced. Now obviously mechanics say that you should service your care as frequently as possible, others say it depends on your car type and others think just get it serviced with your yearly MOT. One thing all these people can agree on is that servicing your car is vital, but here at Prestige we understand that people don’t have the time or the money to be taking your car into services every month so we advise that you get your car serviced at LEAST once a year. Really you should get your car serviced every 3,000 – 5,000 miles dependent on the age, model and style of your car.

Most new vehicles have extended their petrol servicing to 12months or 15,000kms (which ever comes first) however this is different if your car is fueled by diesel. Diesel vehicles can have a service interval of as low as 3 months or 5,000kms, but if the vehicle is just used on the road and doesn’t use off road modes then the servicing interval can increase to around 6months or 7500kms. Again these are the general guidelines for servicing but here at Prestige Car Servicing we don’t just service cars when they don’t need it to get money from you, like we said the servicing intervals depend on the state of your vehicle. the new BMW have a light which warns you when your car needs a service. If you do not know how many miles you do in your vehicle every year then its likely you do the average of around 10-12,000miles which means you need to have a service at LEAST once a year but we advise that you have an interim service half way through the service period as this just ensures that you don’t have any dirt or rust forming on your engine (this can then prevent you from needing a full engine replacement).

One way to prevent your car battery from going flat is to only have your lights INSIDE your car on automatic or when completely necessary. This way it saves your car battery whilst still letting you know if one of your car doors are open.

When your stuck in traffic or at a red light then shift your car to neutral as it reduces the pressure on your engine when you are not moving. This is especially useful for people who go into and out of the city for work purposes everyday.

Without your tyres your car cannot run. So you need to keep your tyres pressure high and in the best condition possible. Regularly check the air in your tyres and you could even rotate them around every 10,000 – 15,000 miles. This reduces the wear of the tyres and allows the pressure to be more evenly distributed.

If possible it is best not to allow the temperature of your car to suddenly drop i.e. dont have the heating on full blast inside your car on a snowy day, then opening the door and allowing all the cold inside your car. This can cause rust to develop quicker and causes weaknesses in the windows of your car.

Ensure your engine is clean and safe. No erosion, no limescale. This will ware away your pipes/tubes and cause the inner part of your car to fall about, if this happens then you could need a whole new engine. To check the cleanliness of your engine lift up the bonnet and have a look, be sure not to touch the engine as it is likely to be very hot. If any erosion is detected then it is best to go to a TRUSTED mechanic. You can try to clean the engine yourself but this is not advised as there is a risk of injury. This should be checked every 4-6weeks.

A driver who is careful with their fuel can save up to 50% on the costs of running their car.

One of the main aspects to remember about driving is; when stuck in a traffic jam or you are not going to be moving your car for a long time then turn off your engine. Leaving your engines on when sitting in traffic, parked in a car park or dropping something off somewhere are common wastes of fuel.

Do not let your engine idle for more than 30 seconds after you have first started your engine. Your engine will warm up very quickly so this period of time is just wasted fuel which could be spent much more effectively. This time spent idleing your engine can infact damage your engine. The oil barely flows into the engine when the car is idleing or neutral.

Another important aspects to remember about saving money on fuel costs is to only drive when it is completely necessary to. If you are just running down to the shop, then walk! Use public transport whenever you can as the cost of a ticket nowadays can cost less than it would to drive, considering the current cost of filling up your tank.

Your tyre pressure is something many people do not link with fuel waste. If the pressure in the tyres were low then the engine has to work harder to conpensate for the ill functioning tyres, this effectively cause the engine to use more fuel evidently rising your fuel costs.

Any excess weight in your car should be taken out and stored somewhere else. This unnecessary baggage causes the engine to work harder therefore increasing the price of fuel.

The mood you are in when you drive affects the overall fuel costs of your car. Try to avoid driving when you are frustrated or annoyed as you can often take your aggression out on the accelarator therefore affecting your fuel costs. These sudden bursts in accelaration need to be avoided if you are really serious about saving money on your fuel costs. These bursts of accelaration can cost you one kilometre per litre of fuel, which can be prevented by simplely accelarating briskly until 50kph and then increase slowly to 65kph (obviously speed restrictions may prevent this).

Lower gears in your car increase fuel consumption significantly so where appropriate try to skip gears for example if a road is flat then skipping from 1st to 3rd gear should not cause any problems whilst cutting down on fuel consumtion. Remember this formula; lower gear = more fuel = less mileage = higher costs.

*this post is for informational purposes only, please use this at your own risk, Prestige Car Servicing cannot be held responsible for any damage or accidents relating to this post.

Cleaning your vehicle

To get that professional finish that every car and truck deserves it now couldn’t be easier. To get the best finish in your town then you may need to invest in a pressure washer and a multi-purpose/vehicle wash cleaning detergent designed for pressure washing to ensure that all marks or blemishes can be blasted away.
You first need to start by removing any ground in dirt or mud (especially that on the underside of the vehicle). This could require a lot of multi-purpose/vehicle wash cleaning detergent, water and ‘elbow grease’, the pressure washer should be set to its highest strength and put as close to the dirt as possible. Once this ground-in dirt has been cleared you then need to clean any oil and grease deposits on the transmission and engine (its best to do this by hand with a cloth and multi-purpose/vehicle wash detergent).
Before touching this however you must check the engine is not hot as this can cause serious injuries if touched while hot. Once this is done then you can pressure wash off any other marks or light grime known as ‘traffic grime’.
After pressure washing the whole vehicle then allow it to dry before applying a protective coat of either varnish or wax with a soft cloth, resulting in the glossy finish you’ve always dreamed of.

*this post is for informational purposes only, please use this at your own risk, Prestige Car Servicing cannot be held responsible for any damage or accidents relating to this post.