If the home is a two car household the driveway will take a beating. Mud, sand, dirt from the road as well as oil and grease can easily be brought onto the driveway from the vehicles. The dirtier the roads, the worse a driveway can look. A hose could give the driveway a cleaner look, but there is a much better method of cleaning the driveway, and that is pressure washing. Before using any pressure washing equipment, remember to put safety first. Wear safety-toe non-slip sole rubber boots. Wear goggles to protect the eyes from the back blast from the water or dirt particles. Do not direct high velocity streams of water at anyone! Wear gloves and keep away from electrical devices such as lights and power outlets. It is also a good idea to avoid breathing in any vapours or mists while power washing.

Before starting remove all things from the driveway that will be in the way, and this includes the vehicles. It would be silly to have taken out any driver car insurance for protection, only to cause damage to the vehicle by hitting it with debris. Which is why looking around and picking up any debris, such as litter and kids toys is a good idea.

If there are any new amounts of oil and grease or even tyre marks, these should be treated first to make sure they are disposed of. This can be done by soaking them with sawdust. Any older grease and oil marks should be treated by a de-greaser. Then soak the whole driveway with cleaning solution for 10 minutes. Doing this will allow the grease to break up; it will also make the driveway look much better.

Turn on the power washer and start spraying the driveway in even strokes. There are cleaning solutions available which can be used on surfaces like concrete, asphalt, and cement; these will make the driveway look brighter. Another great tool for removing ground in grease is the turbo nozzle. The nozzle will direct the water onto the affected surface with a very high narrow stream which will allow easy removal of all dirt. Once the driveway has been pressure washed and cleaned, a good idea is to consider resealing the surface to protect it in future.

Deciding on exactly what to purchase is something that takes a great deal of thought and doing some background homework will not go amiss. Consider what exactly is the main requirement of the new car. In this era of green technology, there is great emphasis on vehicles that have low emissions and give greater mpg performance than cars just 10 years ago.

Think then, is one of the main priorities for your new car that it is environmentally friendly? Low emissions are definitely environmentally friendly but often mean a drop in performance in a motor. The difference fuel cost wise, on a new green vehicle that achieves a saving of 10mpg on 12,000 miles a year works out around £500, or £10 a week. This is quite a considerable saving and for many will justify losing a bit of “oomph” in performance. But there are other factors to consider.

Depreciation on a new car is a matter of great concern to new vehicle buyers. Although at the very top end of the market new cars will hold their prices very well because of the rarity and luxury, further down the scale there can be a big difference in car values a couple of years old.

Buying a Ford model, which is a very popular thing to do, will never get you noticed on the road, it also means depreciation values are quite high, simply because there are so many on the market. Although not the worst by any means you should be prepared to accept the loss in value. Buying a cheaper car from Asia will probably mean depreciation is higher and conversely buying a car with German engineering will mean considerably less depreciation. There are of course differences in the price one pays at the outset.

Other factors come in to play as well. The look of the car is paramount to many people, the safety features must be taken into consideration also. Always check which insurance group the car is in, this can make a massive difference in your motor insurance quote.

GAP insurance, is a product now routinely offered to purchasers of brand new cars. Everyone knows that the value of a new car starts depreciating the minute it is driven out of a showroom. GAP insurance is intended to cover purchasers of new cars for any loss of revenue they may incur during the first four years of ownership.

For instance, if a vehicle is stolen from the owner when it is two years old and never recovered. The insurer of the vehicle will make a payment based on the value of the car the day it was stolen. This payment will certainly be far less than the sum the owner paid for the car in the first place, and in many circumstances can be less than the outstanding finance left on the car. Remember most cars are bought with either bank loans or manufacturer finance. In both cases there will almost certainly be several thousand pounds on finance above the value of the loan. An accident or theft can leave an innocent motorist thousands of pounds out of pocket.

GAP insurance is designed to pay the motorist the amount of money he actually spent in the showroom. There are two possibilities for the car owner to consider. He can take a policy out for the price of the car plus the interest on the loan or choose a return to invoice policy which means the policy will pay the actual value of the car when purchased.

There is no doubt that GAP insurance is getting more popular and more competitive. Dealers will always mention GAP insurance on new car purchases, but it does appear that it is worthwhile getting an independent quote as this can save a few pounds. Whichever way the owner goes, he can expect to pay a one off sum somewhere in the region of between £300- £600.

Honda has delivered a compact exterior design with a deceptively spacious interior, this is exacerbated by the panoramic window available with models at the top of the range, and it gives one the feeling of being in a cockpit. Although the panoramic roof window can’t be opened it can be shaded, handy on the way back from the supermarket for instance.

Perhaps the greatest innovation of all though is the seat design. Honda call them magic seats and that is an apt description. With the gentlest pull on a lever, the back seats flip up giving enough space to place something as big as a bicycle in the car, the space could be very handy for visits to the garden centre as well. Need a bit more space? Then a lever will fold the rear seats completely to the floor, and no need to remove the headrests first. Given that the passenger seat can be folded as well, the Jazz could easily be used as a van, items up to 2.4 metres in length can be accommodated.

It is on fuel consumption that the Jazz definitely differs from other super minis. Instead of the oomph in the first few seconds of motoring, Honda have delivered a vehicle that has an average urban performance of 42.3 mpg, open road driving gives slightly over 60mpg with a combined cycle of 52.2. It has a top speed of around 112 mph and achieves 0-62 mph in around 12 seconds.

The Jazz does not come with a spare wheel, instead there is a compressor which will repair a flat long enough to get to a garage, although the boot has been designed in such a way that a spare can fitted in there.

There is no need to ever get hungry or thirsty in a Jazz. It has a refrigerated glove compartment, very handy for sandwiches and ,believe it or not 10 cup holders situated around the car.

There are only six models in the range, the S, SE,S-T, SI, ES, and EX and they are available in six different colours; Milano Red, Storm Silver, Crystal Black, Cerulean Blue, Alabaster Silver, Deep Sapphire Blue.

All in all the Jazz is definitely a car worth getting a motor insurance quote on.

Wheels may well be over 5000 years old, but the cars we drive around in only made their debut in 1885. German engineer Karl Benz fastened a small petrol engine to a three wheeled cart and made the first, if somewhat primitive, petrol powered car. He was following in the footsteps of another German engineer, Nikolaus Otto. Otto had actually invented the petrol engine in the first place, about twenty years earlier. It shows what a stroke of genius Otto had when inventing the engine, because almost all car engines designed since have embraced his four stroke principle.

In layman’s terms, a car is a metal box which has wheels at the four corners that takes a person from A to B. In scientific terms, a car would be described as an energy converter i.e. a machine that releases the energy locked inside a fuel such as petrol or diesel and then turns it into mechanical energy which moves wheels and gears. When the wheels power the car, the mechanical energy then becomes kinetic energy. Cars are powered by fuels made from petroleum which is the thick, black, energy-rich liquid. Petroleum is buried deep under the ground and during the 20^th century it was the world’s most important source of energy.

A car engine is built around a set of cylinders, there can be anything from two to twelve cylinders, but normally four, six, or eight can be found inside. The cylinders are made out of an extra strong metal and then sealed shut, but at one end they open and close much like a bicycle pump. Inside they have tight fitting pistons that slide up and down inside. At the top of each of the cylinders, there are two valves that can be opened and closed very quickly. The inlet valve will allow fuel and air to enter the cylinder from a carburettor, while the outlet valve allows the exhaust gases to escape. At the top of the cylinder, there is also a spark plug; this is an electrically controlled device that will make a spark which will set fire to the fuel. At the bottom of the cylinder, a piston is attached to an axle which is constantly turning; the axle is called a crankshaft. It is the crankshaft that powers the gearbox of the car which, in turn, drives the wheels.

There’s no doubt that Otto’s petrol engine was an invention of genius, but it is now a victim of its own success. We have over 500 million cars on the planet, the pollution produced by this many vehicles is a serious problem which is likely to get worse before it will get better. The carbon dioxide released when the fuel is burned is also a major cause of global warming. The solution could well be electric cars, as they get their energy from cleaner sources of power or even a hybrid car that will use a combination of electricity and gasoline power.

In 1876 the thought of having a small mobile phone would have been ridiculed. However the mobile phone has become one of the most successful inventions in the whole of the 20th century. The first commercial mobile phone system was started in Japan in 1979. The number of people worldwide who now have a mobile or cell phone shows what a success it has been. In the space of 20 years the technology has conquered the globe and they are now carried by the majority of people in the world. It provides communication for anyone no matter where they are or what time it is.

A mobile phone was meant to be a device which would enable a user to make a phone call freely wherever they want. But in the late 1990s, SMS (Short Message Service), a brand new technology was brought into the market. SMS is a transmission of a short message from one mobile to another. This became an instant success making a mobile into more than a voice only device. Pretty soon a mobile became an entertainment device as functions such as cameras, radios and MP3 players allowed users to have their own music and photos with them wherever they went. Next users were able to access the internet, PDA (personal digital assistant) functions and video conferencing by using the latest 3G network. Some think that a mobile may one day replace computers. Some phones can be very expensive and are taken everywhere. Make sure theft from the car is included on any motor insurance quote.

In just 20 years the mobile has developed quickly and each stage of the development provided a big improvement. At the start it was simply voice to voice communication, now with WAP and GPRS internet connection, it shows that the mobile is now one of the leading pieces of technology in what is a high technology world. Japan is the country in which the mobile technology develops the quickest. Before the 3G technology was launched around the world, the Japanese had already mastered it.

Not everyone is enamoured by the mobile phone however, some scientists believe avid users can be getting high radiation levels to their brain, while road safety campaigners point out that mobile phone use while driving is an ever increasing cause of road accidents.

An example of its poor construction was the fact it was actually more aerodynamic when it travelled backwards than when it was being driven forwards. In extreme cases the rear window would also pop out when the vehicle was jacked-up. There were far more serious problems of wheels dropping off the vehicle, due to a design of wheel bearing. A total of 642,350 Allegros were manufactured in the decade, which meant a motor insurance quote was given for a lot of Allegro’s. The early versions even came with a rectangular steering wheel. It was hugely popular with drivers during the 1970s and by 1979 it was the 5th best selling car in the country, but its popularity fell away and now there are less than 1,000 still registered with the DVLA. What is so sad about the story of the Allegro, is it could have been a world beater. It came with front wheel drive, it was the perfect size, and was technically advanced

The conception and development of the Allegro was not seriously instigated until 1968. Today progress moves at such a fast pace that it is unthinkable to leave a vehicle in production for almost 6 years. The Allegro was finally launched in May 1973, and the small family vehicle’s launch was perfect, meaning the new car was launched with an air of optimism.

Allegro had been developed thoroughly and British Leyland management thought it was going to be a great success. At launch, Longbridge was making up to 1200 Allegros each week, giving what BL management claimed was the best launch figures of any other of the company’s cars.

Problems which became evident in the first few years of production resulted in a quick facelift which was announced in October 1975. The facelift included the interior being upgraded, and more equipment added. Also the moving of rear panels gave rear passengers more legroom, and adjustments to the suspension gave an improved quality of drive. The Allegro 3 was launched in 1979. Once again, the styling was given a wider range of new colours, new lights, and a new radiator grille it also had an improvement in fuel consumption, which was very relevant in 1979. The end result was a pleasant to drive allegro. Disappointingly, sales continued to drop until it was finally replaced by the Maestro in 1983.

Gavin Hill-Smith, spokesman at the AA, says: ‘European breakdown cover is an absolute must for trips to Europe. Breaking down in Britain is bad enough, what with the inconvenience, cost and danger of being stuck by the roadside. But breaking down on the Continent is doubly difficult if you have to describe a technical matter in a foreign language.”

A good European breakdown policy will give the policy holder an emergency number to call if they do break down. They will then deal directly with the garage and mechanic to make sure that the mechanical problems are sorted out as quickly as possible. Most European breakdown cover will be available at two levels, basic and comprehensive. The basic plan will cover trips of up to five days but will only include roadside repair or towing to the nearest garage. Where as comprehensive cover includes some money for any emergency repairs and financial assistance if any accommodation is needed while the vehicle is being fixed. This is vital if there are children in the vehicle. It will also provide a hire car if the vehicle will be out of action for a while, so the driver and any passengers can get to their holiday destination.

Mike Powell, insurance expert data analyst, warns that cheapest breakdown cover available is not always the best, saying “Policy terms and cover vary widely. Most providers offer different levels of cover so always read the small print. Check whether a policy offers emergency accommodation if you are a long way from your destination - it can prove invaluable.”

Millions of people each year get a motor insurance quote, most will drive the vehicle everyday and have no idea about its weight, or that it has been getting heavier in recent years. Most of the weight on cars today comes from steel. Only a few years ago the average car contained 2,400 pounds of steel. Now, consider that most cars weigh around 3,000 pounds, that’s a lot of steel. In cars, it is steel that is used to create the underlying chassis underneath the body. This forms the skeleton of the car and will protect the driver and passengers in the event of a crash. Doors, roofs and even the body panels made during manufacturing on most cars today are made of steel. Steel is also used in a number of different areas throughout the vehicle. Even the exhaust will often be made from stainless steel.

The manufacturing of steel has evolved massively, enabling carmakers today to be able to use different types of steel for parts of the vehicle. However, it still remains a fact that in order for us to get better mileage and lower emissions in the future, vehicles will have to lose some weight.  That will not be easy with drivers demanding more creature comforts inside the vehicle. It would be a bad business move on the manufacturer’s part to stop offering the latest technology that make for a comfortable drive. Yet it is the technology that makes cars heavier.

One answer would be to make body parts out of lighter materials like carbon fibre-reinforced plastic, which is often abbreviated as CFRP. Like many other auto innovations, this one started out life in the racing world for a long time before seeing it in the consumer marketplace. CFRP works pretty much like fibre glass which sees the carbon fibre spun into long strands and then arranged into a weave for strength.  A plastic material (the polymer) is soaked into the carbon fibre around a mould. When the two harden, the result will be both strong and quite light (50% lighter than forming the part out of metal alloy). This is very expensive, and because of this it is still uncommon on vehicles that are mass produced.

Chevrolet already makes limited use of carbon fibre on some of its factory models. Lexus is using CFRP extensively on its LF-A to be released next year, and they say more carbon fibre cars will be released in the future. BMW have used carbon fibre for the roof of its M3 sports car, and they have plans to use it on a wider scale for its eco-friendly city car which is expected around 2015.

The existing CWBS (Collision Warning with Brake Support) was designed to sense an impending collision and then warn the driver to hopefully avoid or even reduce the damage caused in a crash. The CWBS works by way of long range radar which will continuously monitor the distance to any vehicle driving in front. The new generation of Collision Warning now also comes with Auto Brake. This is done by adding a camera which then gives a wider view of all the vehicles in front. Because the system combines the information from the radar sensor and the camera, it can now provide a very high level of confidence so that auto braking is possible. Collision Warning with Auto Brake will replace Collision Warning with Brake Support. All of these safety extras on a car may help to get a cheaper motor insurance quote.

Losses of concentration or distraction are dangerous when they happen on the roads. Volvo’s DAC (Driver Alert Control) is a unique technique which is built around a camera in the windscreen that will check lane markings to determine if the driver is behaving normal. If the system detects that the behaviour of the driver has changed, the driver is then informed by way of a warning sound and a message is also displayed, suggesting it may be time to take a break or change drivers if any driver car insurance has been purchased. Lane Departure Warning will continuously evaluate the position of the vehicle to the lane markings. The system will then alert the driver with a warning sound when the vehicle leaves the lane and the driver has not indicated a lane change