Yet another Vehicle Recall for UK motorists

Posted on March 29, 2012 by admin

Following on from call back notices from many major motor manufacturers, BMW owners are the latest set of UK motorists to find their vehicles the subject of a manufacturer’s recall this week, with the Series 5 and 6 models of the cars affected.

A spokesman for the German car makers said it expected to be in touch with over 100,000 British BMW owners in the next few weeks, giving them instructions on when and where they should take their vehicles to get a battery problem sorted out.

Apparently the fault lies in the fitting of a battery cable cover which requires the cars to be checked. The spokesman for BMW said: “There is an issue with a battery cable cover which, in a small number of cases, has been incorrectly fitted. In rare cases this could result in owners not being able to start their vehicle. In extremely rare cases the electrical system could malfunction, leading to a scorching of the boot floor and a fire may result. This issue has come to light through the continuous testing and development of BMW vehicles and some customer feedback.”

The vehicles affected cover a seven year time frame so owners may prove difficult to find in some cases, however, the company were keen to stress that no accidents or injuries to people has been caused by the fault and the owners motor insurance cover will not be affected by the repair. It is expected that the cars involved will be easy to fix and they should not be in the garage for very long. BMW have issued a customer service number (0800 325 600) for concerned owners but are confident the recall will cause few problems.

Man who made a fortune from cash for crashes will face a jail term

Posted on December 2, 2011 by admin

The boss of a Bolton based legal claims firm who worked with a team of conmen to fraudulently make thousands of pounds in staged “crash for cash” accidents has appeared in court. Asif Mallu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and was told by the judge he faces jail.

Mr Mallu admitted conspiring with more than ten bogus claimants and was responsible for over ninety staged car crashes throughout the North West. Mr Mallu ran the Bolton based company 24/7 Direct Claims, which earned large fees for referring people who were involved in accidents to solicitors. The court heard that he created false invoices to support the bogus claim for vehicle recovery, storage and repair after a number of crashes. He also represented fraudulent claimants who were making personal injury claims. If he had not been caught he would have conned tens of thousands of pounds from insurance companies. He has just started a two-week trial, but changed his plea to guilty just before the hearing started.

Judge Bernard Lever told Mallu: “You have pleaded guilty to this charge, and people who plead guilty always get dealt with more leniently than people who try to lie their way to get out of things. But the fact you have been granted bail gives no indication as to the sentence you will receive.”

The sentencing of Mallu will mark the end of four years complex work by a specialist team of Greater Manchester Police road crime investigators. The court will also hear how much money was made from the fraud. Bolton has been named in reports by numerous organisations as one of the worst places in the United Kingdom for “crash for cash” fraud. It is estimated that motoring insurance fraud adds £44 to every driver’s motor insurance quote and costs £350 million a year nationally.

Garage service needs fixing

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

A report out today by a leading consumer group suggests Britain’s motorists have to be as thorough in choosing the garage they use for car repairs as they do with companies supplying a motor insurance quote. An investigation into the capabilities and honesty of UK’s garages by consumer magazine Which has revealed the British public are getting a poor service from most mechanics.

The consumer group submitted vehicles with four basic faults to 62 garages across the country and the results were alarming. The four faults which were; a nearly flat spare tyre, minimum brake fluid, low pressure in a rear tyre and a faulty reversing light proved too much for many garages.

Amazingly 54 of the garages missed at least 1 of the problems and a handful of garages actually missed them all. To add insult to injury, all the vehicles submitted for testing were filled with screen wash as a test of integrity. Unfortunately 40% of the garages failed this test as well, by charging for screen wash.

In all 40 garages failed to reflate the spare tyre and 20% failed to put more air in the rear tyre. Most failed with the other tests as well. Half of the garages missed the brake fluid deficiency and over half; almost 60% missed the reversing light.

Overall the best results came from garages allied to the Bosch Car Service scheme, who achieved a fix rate of 64%. The worst from garages allied to the Good Garages Scheme who only averaged 39%.

The Chief Executive of Which, Peter Vicary-Smith, said “Almost all the garages in our investigation failed to fix basic faults. This could have endangered the lives of drivers and other road users and is simply not acceptable. The fact that Bosch and Motor Codes schemes have outperformed independent garages is encouraging, but there’s still a long way to go for the industry to win the confidence of car owners.”

European cover should not be overlooked

Posted on August 16, 2010 by admin

This summer, three out of every ten families will steer clear of busy airports and are choosing instead to drive to the Continent. But, with the average cost of a car breaking down being £1,000, it would be silly not to take out cover. A motor insurance quote will now offer European cover as an extra which gives the driver protection should the worst happen. It is important that the car’s insurance company are informed that the car will be in Europe; otherwise if the driver is involved in an accident, the policy could be invalidated. Having both car insurance and breakdown cover is a must for any driver.

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.”

Motor industry sees another recall

Posted on August 9, 2010 by admin

Car maker Renault has to recall more than 66,000 cars because of fears of a faulty automatic hand brake, which could apply itself while the car is moving. The car manufacturer is currently in the process of contacting all British owners of its Scenic II model car, which were made between September 03 and June 05.

This huge task was sparked by several incidents involving the hand brake coming on unexpectedly, when drivers were out in the car. It is a fault that could have ended with the driver making a claim on their insurance policy, leaving them with a higher motor insurance quote the following year. Whether it was conventional or any driver car insurance, the hand brake problem could potentially damage the car. Renault engineers have investigated all the cases, and have tracked down the problem to the battery cables fitted incorrectly to the cars ECU (Engine Control Unit). In a move which is likely to cost Renault in excess of £10m, the car maker is spending 10 weeks tracking down the owners of 66,735 Scenics. Staff will then re-program the ECU on the cars to correct the potential fault, and this will be done free of charge. So far only 13,000 Scenic owners have been traced and had the vehicle fixed.

A Renault spokesman said: “The mailing to owners will be carried out over 10 weeks. This started on July 1st and is expected to finish early September. There is the possibility, in a very rare case that the automatic handbrake could apply whilst driving. Investigation of a few cases outside of the UK has shown this to be the problem. The electronic parking brake computer (ECU) that manages the automatic handbrake will be re-programmed.”

This latest case is another blow to the motor industry, as it comes after a catalogue of other recalls involving millions of Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota cars. The largest case to date has been Toyota, which has had to issue 14 separate recalls in the last year worldwide. Eight and a half million cars have had to be recalled since autumn last year, because of a variety of technical problems such as the accelerator pedal sticking to the floor. Only last month, another 70,000 Lexus models were recalled due to a problem with the engine which could have caused the car to stall.