Thursday , March 28 2024

Craig Wilson

Save with Green Wheels

Consumers are getting used to making greener choices for the home, with 80 per cent of the British public saying that they factor in “greenness” when weighing up brands. However, the nation’s car buying habits are distinctly lacking when it comes to more eco-conscious cars. One online reverse auction website, …

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How to: play your cards right with the dealer

If you have decided that you want to step into a brand new car with its unique new smell, pristine bodywork and interior and only a few delivery miles on the clock, you have several sources – a dealer, importing or a car broker. And at none of these should …

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How to: find the right car finance

It may be that you are a City whizz-kid with a nice fat annual bonus with which to buy a car. You may be of sufficient means to dip into your bank account, or you may have had the foresight to save up the many thousands needed. But for most …

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How to: test drive before you buy

For many car buyers, the test drive is a formality prior to closing the deal; a time when you decide if you can handle the car and ensure nothing falls off on a quick spin round the block. But a test drive can tell even a mechanical ignoramus a great …

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How to: Check Before You Buy

It makes sense to have a second hand car’s condition verified by an independent inspection. But it’s not a cheap business and you could save yourself some grief by carrying out your own thorough check first, to spot any obvious problems, before the experts move in. So you have your …

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Road-test your towing knowledge

We’ve all seen examples of bad towing on the motorway or dual carriageway, but with luck you’ve never experienced a towing-related accident. Unfortunately, though, these are becoming all too frequent. The reason for this is that many of us just don’t realise how dangerous towing can be. So in a …

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How to: buy a used car

There’s a lot of financial sense in buying a second hand car, rather than a brand new one. You avoid the steep depreciation of a car’s early life, which means you can buy a lot cheaper or get a lot more in terms of power or features for your money. …

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3 DIY Projects to Put a Spring in Your Step

As we emerge from the darkest depths of winter and look forward to spring, it is time to consider not just your imminent spring clean, but which DIY projects you are going to tackle to freshen up your house. Whether these are small-scale or grandiose, there are a variety of …

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Routes to a good deal

How to: explore other routes to a good deal. While a great many people don’t consider anyone other than their local dealer to supply a brand new car, there are alternatives that are worth exploring. Certainly there is some value in establishing a relationship with the garage that’s likely to …

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Swim in your own back garden

If someone told you they had a swimming pool in their back garden, then your immediate thought might well be that they must be rich. Let’s face it, we’re not living in Australia, where a pool in the garden is about as normal as grass on the lawn. This is …

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Park life

A VW Passat estate drives up, it stops half way into the road, the driver gets out, slams the door shut and, as he walks away from the car, he aims a remote control back at it. The car then proceeds to reverse park itself into the available space, turns …

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Make room for family fitness

Creating a family fitness room makes it easier than ever to stick to your workout -and it’s a great place for the kids to chill out, too. Obviously choose the biggest space you can for the fitness area, but don’t forget to create an atmosphere of warmth. That way it …

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Eye on the road

Speed, we are often reminded, is one of the biggest killers on British roads. Yet in difficult traffic conditions with multiple demands upon driver concentration to keep a constant check on speed and ensure it’s within the limit. Carmaker Vauxhall has come up with a system that could help significantly. …

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DIY disasters

How many times have you eagerly started a DIY project full of enthusiasm only to get half way into it and get bored? If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. About 1.7 million of us are living with a DIY or home renovation project that’s remained unfinished for the …

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Greener DIY

People who want a beautiful home but want to create a healthy living space that doesn’t damage the environment have many more choices these days. Due to environmental and consumer demand, there is a growing number of greener home improvement products available. These products may take some searching for and …

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Dealing with road rage

Road rage is on the increase. When there were fewer cars on the roads, it was unheard of. A journey could be enjoyed the without fear of angry motorists spoiling it with their uncontrollable tempers. In recent years, outbursts of conflict between drivers have been widely publicised. It is natural …

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Homeowners opt for DIY

It seems the credit crunch has not only prevented many of us from moving house, but has also stopped us hiring professional tradespeople to tackle home improvement jobs. Builders, decorators and plumbers who thought they would get a bite of the home improvements pie have been left sorely disappointed as …

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Women flirt away fines

There’s nothing worse than returning to your car after a hard day at work to find a parking fine stuck to the window, or being pulled over for failing to notice a buses-only sign. Not surprisingly, rather than face paying out some ladies use their womanly wiles to avoid a …

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DIY dads save the pennies

Taking a trip to a home improvement store has proved to be a particularly popular pastime over the past few weeks. Such is the assertion of Barclaycard Payment Acceptance, which reports that consumers have been taking advantage of discounts and sales by retailers over the past month. Indeed, research from …

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Back seat bullies

We all know that most men think they make better drivers than women and it is true there is one element of driving men certainly do better at and that’s backseat bullying. If they’re not burping, passing wind or telling the driver what gear they should be in, they’re fiddling …

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