By Denna Bowman

Rising motoring costs are forcing some drivers to cut back on maintenance essentials such as servicing and tyres, according to a new survey.

The Glass’s Guide report revealed that a worrying 13 per cent of vehicle owners admitted they had put off buying replacement tyres, while 15 per cent had postponed routine service.

The report claimed that almost half (46 percent) of motorists questioned admitted they had cut back on car expenditure during the last year.

Around 15 per cent had rescheduled the rectification of bodywork repairs and 13 per cent of the respondents had pushed back a scheduled check on their vehicle’s air conditioning system.

Underlining how the aftermarket sector has been hit hard by the recession, 24 per cent of the respondents in the Glass’s survey said they had put off the purchase of car accessories, such as alloy wheels and off-the-shelf satellite navigation systems.

Andy Carroll, managing director of Glass’s, said: “While it is inevitable that some consumers will respond to deteriorating economic conditions by cutting back on aspects of their motoring expenditure, it is concerning that scheduled services and tyre purchases are being deferred.”

However, more vehicle owners are saving money by going online to order new tyres.

Etyres, the UKs leading online tyre company, has seen demand soar during the past 12 months as consumers take advantage of its low prices – up to 40% cheaper than the traditional high street depots – for a convenient mobile fitting service.

Hardly a day goes by without reports of tyres slashing vandals striking around the UK.

Locals in Chelmsford, Essex, and Aylsham, north Norfolk have been among the latest victims who have woken up in the mornings to find their car tyres have been damaged my yobs.

This mindless act of vandalism can leave vehicle owners hundreds of pounds out of pocket and suffering the inconvenience of having to sort out new tyres and having them fitted.

However, etyres can help motorists save time, hassle and money when they shop around for replacements.

Our mobile tyre fitting service means we go out to a location of the customers choice – in this case usually their home – at a convenient time and replace or repair their tyres.

And because we operate a mobile service, our overheads are low and we pass the savings on to our customers in the form of cheaper prices – up to 40% lower than the leading high street tyre depots.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Alex Kapadia

The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association and its 12 leading tyre corporate members have welcomed the new EU tyres regulation to improve the efficiency and safety of tyres.

The tyres ruling is hailed as a further step towards improving traffic safety and combating global warming, according to the organisation.

The new law requires all tyres produced after July 2012 and on sale in the EU from November 2012, to either bear a sticker or be accompanied by a label to be displayed at points of sale.

Information regarding fuel efficiency, wet grip performance and external rolling noise will have to be detailed on the new label.

ETRMA is also pleased that the legislators have fully acknowledged the need for balanced approach on the kind of tyres performances on which information has to be given on the labels.

The integrated label will provide environmental (fuel efficiency and noise levels) along with safety (wet braking) information.

ETRMA said in a statement: “The tyre is the only contact area with the road and therefore plays a key role for the braking performance of the vehicle.

“Tyre is also a major contributor to the vehicle fuel efficiency. Therefore, we are happy that these aspects are fully reflected in the regulation.

“The expected fuel savings from the increased use of fuel efficient tyres will indeed lead to saving an estimated 20 million tons of CO2 per year and 10 billion EUR of fuel per year.”

Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary general of ETRMA, believes that the new legislation will also encourage tyre manufacturers to upgrade their products in a context of increased competition on the tyre market and it will introduce a level playing field for all with the possibility for producers to benefit from product differentiation, not only based on prices but also on product quality.

The police are starting their winter driving campaigns around the country – so make sure your tyres are safe and legal.

Half of motorists stopped by Bolton officers recently were given advice about keeping their vehicles safe.

Defective tyres and lights are likely to get you a fixed penalty notice – as six drivers found during the checks carried out as part of a force-wide action across Greater Manchester.

Out of 70 motorists stopped, 37 were given advice about maintaining cars during the winter months, six were given fixed penalty notices and three had their vehicles seized because they were not insured.

The Bolton campaign will continue in the run-up to Christmas and during the festive season.
Chief Insp Andy Holmes said: “As the extended hours of darkness increase, motorists and pedestrians are more reliant upon lighting.

“Defective lighting on vehicles can be a cause of road traffic collisions.

“Maintaining your vehicle to the correct standard could very well mean the difference between life and death.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

By Denna Bowman

Michelin has named and shamed the ten worst places in the UK for driving with dangerously under-inflated and even punctured tyres.

The tyres manufacturer has compiled the list based on the findings from its 2009 Fill Up With Air campaign which has visited 24 cities around Britain.

Liverpool was found to be the worst offender with more than half of the cars checked being driven with dangerously under-inflated tyres.

While Enfield tops the list for cars being driven with punctured tyres – almost a quarter of vehicles checked.

More than 4,500 cars were checked during the three-month campaign, more than ever before, and it seems UK motorists are still unaware of how important it is to check tyres regularly.

The 10 worst offenders and the percentage of cars found with dangerously under-inflated* tyres:

• Liverpool – 51%
• Birmingham – 49%
• West Thurrock, - 48%
• Folkestone – 48%
• Gateshead – 43%
• Merry Hill, Dudley – 43%
• Queensferry, Clwyd – 42%
• Milton Keynes – 41%
• Enfield – 40%
• Chester – 39%

Shockingly, in five locations more than 10% of the cars checked were found to have punctured tyres:

• Enfield – 23%
• Oldham – 17%
• Guildford – 12%
• Liverpool – 12%
• West Thurrock, – 11%

Peter Snelling, head of communications for Michelin, said: “Despite the increase in people bringing their cars to have their tyres tested, the figures show that the majority are still not making regular checks, leading to cars on the road with unsafe tyres.

“This year’s campaign figures have, as we predicted, shown a slight deterioration from 2008 which even then positioned the UK as one of the worse offenders for tyre safety in Europe. We believe this downward trend could be partly due to the economic climate as drivers try to save money wherever they can.”

*Includes dangerously and very dangerously under-inflated tyres as below:
· Dangerous between: 8 – 14psi under-inflated
· Very dangerous: more than14psi under-inflated

By Denna Bowman

Tariffs on imports, rising costs of materials and high demand for winter tyres are combining to jack up tyre prices in the US, according to analysts.

Goodyear has already announced price increases of 6 percent, while other companies are set to follow in order to offset the steep tariffs imposed on Chinese-made tyres and the increasing costs of raw materials, including rubber and oil.

A shortage of supplies will also affect the market, as some manufacturers delay releasing stock while they move production out of China to avoid the steep duties.

Analyst Saul Ludwig predicts prices will be up 5 to 10 percent by January, which coincides with the start of the year when Americans are expected to buy about 210 million replacement tyres, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association.

It will also hit recession-hit vehicle owners who have put off buying new tyres this year to save money, but will be forced into a purchase in the coming months in order to keep the cars safe and legal on the roads and to weather the harsh winter conditions.

There’s more misery in store for the families who suffered for weeks when a tyres recycling plant went up in flames this summer.

Home and business owners have been urged to call in the professionals to clean and repair their properties after 2000 tonnes of shredded tyres went up in flames in late August.

The blaze at Murfitt’s Industries in Littleport took almost seven weeks to completely extinguish and local people were forced to live in rented accommodation because of pollution fears.

Now, with a major clean-up operation under way at the site itself, families are being advised to call in professional cleaning companies to help deal with the extensive damage.

However, many are worried that they will be left out of pocket if they can’t recover the costs from their insurance claims.

Yvonne Bartram, who owns stables near to the site, said: “I have had to pay out thousands of pounds from my own pocket for repairs to buildings and stables and I have had to pay costs to move my horses away from the smoke for three months. I don’t expect to get a penny back.

“My stables have really taken a hit and it has all been incredibly stressful for everyone involved, including the horses. I am trying to get money back for repairs to my house but even that is not guaranteed.”

The local district council has provided support and advice for local residents affected by the fire and has also advised all residents looking to start compensation claims to seek advice from the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux or from a solicitor.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Oliver Hall

A company director whose recycling site was the scene of a massive scrap tyres blaze which burned for weeks has appeared in court.

Edward O’Neill, faces nine charges under the health and safety and environmental legislation following the tyres inferno at his site in Warsop back in May.

Up to 400,000 tyres went up in smoke in the devastating inferno which took a week to put out and brought chaos to the town, forcing some homes to be evacuated.

The blaze, was on a site next to a council household waste centre, burned and smouldered on for weeks.

O’Neill, 56, a director of Robin Hood Environmental Ltd, is charged with depositing waste tyres without a licence and storing controlled waste in an unsafe way.

The case was adjourned at Nottingham Crown Court today until 11th January when O’Neill will be expected to enter his pleas.

A trial date was provisionally fixed for 4th May with an estimate of five days and Judge Philip Head extended bail.

A furioius motorist is almost £800 out of pocket after his car tyres and alloy wheels were destroyed by a massive pothole and the local council has refused to pay compensation.

Matthew Sherwin’s Ford Fiesta needed two new tyres and four new alloy wheels after hitting a crater in the road which measured 4in deep, 16in wide and 39in long.

However Kirklees Council has refused to cough up compensation towards the £782 repair bill.

Mr Sherwin, 31, said: “I’m very disheartened and infuriated that the council can just turn their back on one of their residents.”

The incident occured back in September when Mr Sherwin was driving to work. He said: “It did a lot of damage to my car. Two alloy wheels and two tyres had to be scrapped because they were deemed dangerous.

“But my wheels are not produced any more, so I had to spend £782 on four new wheels and two tyres.”

However, Mr Sherwin hit a brick wall when tried to claim the money back from Kirklees.

Despite providing a signed letter from the specialist wheel and tyre shop stating that the wheels were damaged beyond repair and that everything would be replaced like-for-like, the council argued the road where the pothole was had been inspected a few weeks earlier and that they were not liable for the repairs.

Mr Sherwin hit back: “A pothole of that size doesn’t appear in just three weeks – the highways inspection team must have missed it.”

A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “Mr Sherwin has the right of appeal and can do this by responding to the council’s insurance department, raising his points of concern.”

By Oliver Hall

A new initiative to help van operators save money and reduce carbon emissions has been launched by the Department for Transport.

Simple steps, including ensuring tyres are at the optimum pressure, could add up to a five per cent improvement in the fuel efficiency of vans, according to the Government.

This translates to a saving of around £250 million a year for UK businesses and a reduction of carbon emissions by three quarters of a million tonnes.

However, research published to coincide with the launch of the new Van Best Practice programme suggests that improving fuel efficiency is currently not a priority for most van operators.

Despite the recession, more than half (52 per cent) admitted they had not considered ways to reduce fuel costs in the past 12 months, and just seven per cent said they plan journeys based on fuel efficiency.

Larry Martindale, programme manager for Van Best Practice said: “Through the programme we aim to raise awareness of the range of best practice guidance available to the van sector, helping businesses to improve their safety and operational efficiency while informing them of the financial and environmental benefits of implementing this advice.

“There are simple things that van drivers could be doing to improve the efficiency of their vehicles, such as ensuring tyres are at the optimum pressure through regular checks and avoiding carrying non essential items.”

To coincide with its launch, Van Best Practice has produced two guides for fleet managers and van drivers: the first providing practical advice on reviewing existing practices, reducing running costs and introducing improvement measures; the second supporting this with a step-by-step guide to managing fuel use.