Insurance black box

So you've heard of Aircraft black boxes. Now many insurance companies are offering you the chance of a black box for your car! Now don't be concerned, it isn't a little box that will record everything you say in the car so that in the event of a minor prang, you are put to death for having said "cheese" on your way to the supermarket.

The black box records speed, time, location, and G forces as you are driving the car - which is then fed back to the Insurance HQ.  If you are proved to be a driver who sticks to the speed limits, and doesn't go round corners at 60mph then your insurance price will stay low. It also depends on how much mileage you do, and where and when you drive too.  If you are a normal driver who mostly sticks to the speed limits, and goes round corners at a practical speed then this black box arrangement is not for you.  You will get penalised for bad driving, even though you are actually perfectly safe.  for example if you were stuck being a 20mph driver on a 60mph limit, and overtook them - the G forces recorded would put you down as a dangerous driver, even though in actual fact the 20mph was the dangerous one!

So, when should you get a black box?  If you are a practical, but safe driver who enjoys driving then don't bother.  If you only drive to the shops once a week on a Monday afternoon, religiously stick to 5mph under the speed limit, and drive a car that's capable of accelerating from 0 - 60 in 2 months, then this is the deal for you!

One day all of us will be made to get one, and that will be the time when driving will no longer be fun, but a massive bore. Super Cars will no longer exist except for track days, and the worlds economy will suffer because everyone is taking 2 hours longer to get to work. 

Personal Contract Hire - is it a good idea?

According to various websites PCH - Personal Contract Car Hire - is becoming very popular. This prompted me to have a bit of an investigate into it.

What is it PCH?
It's a finance solution where you pay a deposit up front, and then monthly payments for terms between 1 and 4 years.  It is basically an extended rental agreement, the car will never be yours. It's cheaper than other finance options, and you get to drive a brand new car of your choice.  There are also options to pay a little extra to cover servicing etc so you know how much everything will cost.  Road tax is also included. After the term, you give the car back and set up another PCH for another car.

Does it save you money?
This really depends on what your current arrangement is, and how much you use your car.  This option tends to save money compared to a standard finance package.  If you are not bothered whether the car will be yours, and you want to drive brand new cars all the time - then this is the option for you.  If you are used to buying used or new cars using savings, then this will potentially be a more expensive option.

An example PCH deal: 

An Aston Martin could be yours to drive for an initial £5,000 payment, plus £1500 per month (ex Vat)!  Now that has to be cheaper than buying one.. but, would you want to give it back after 4 years !!!?

Smart battery charger will save you money!

Thanks to the icy mornings this week my 6 year old car battery decided it had finally had enough,and failed to start the car this morning. (cold weather wreaks havoc with older batteries)

My car flicked the headlights on and off in protest, which is a fabulous way of conserving energy for starting the engine. What did Ford think when they designed the car that way? "i know, when the battery is low, lets make the car turn the headlights on and off, wasting valuable volts that could be used to turn the engine over!"  Thanks Ford!!

A new battery from Halfords is £120, but it might be able to get it cheaper "somewhere else"

A few years ago i bought a RING - Portable power Powerring Smart Battery Charger.  This can not only rapidly charge a battery, but reconditions the battery to provide it longer life,even for deeply discharged batteries! This process can take about 20hrs to complete but it works.  I used it on a car battery a few years ago, and that battery lasted a further 6 months before having to be replaced.

So if you want to save some money and get your car working for a bit longer - check it out.  I bought mine for about £30 a few years ago: http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/product_list.asp?cat1=7&cat2=31&cat3=167

Car insurance, big money saved

Our Renault Megane has its insurance due for renewal in January. 

As usual the current insurance provider we are with have decided to up the premiums from £31 a month, to £45 a month! Why!? nothing has changed since last year!

On doing some investigation, i was able to find some insurance much cheaper.  In fact, cheaper than it has been for the last year! But how many people must just take the easy option and let their policy automatically renew, and then lose out on money? 

So, how did i save on car insurance?  As before with the Focus i did a quote through Quidco  "The UK's number 1 cash back and voucher code site" Click here to visit Quidco site

By doing a car insurance quite though this site, i was able to get the best deal - and on top of that I will get £25 cash back as well!

Do yourself a favour. Save money on car insurance!