With the increase in fuel prices, the congestion on Britain’s roads and the changes in Vehicle Excise Duty that came into effect in April 2010, HPI has made some recommendations for motorists to cut costs and save the environment. Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager for HPI said,”As of 1st April 2010 changes to the VED system means vehicles are being taxed according to their CO2 emissions, putting the spotlight on the higher emission vehicles. Used car buyers need to be realistic about the sort of driving they are planning on doing before buying their next car. They should be thinking about what size of engine is really necessary and whether they drive short distances in town or longer journeys on the open road. This will affect the type of fuel buyers choose, as well as affecting the long-term motoring costs”.

Whether you buy your car or lease your vehicle, the following advice applies to both. The tips provided by HPI offer good advice on eco-safe motoring plus other information on Eco-Safe driving is also available.

HPI’s Guide to Eco Motoring

• Consider at the type of fuel you use. Diesel is more energy efficient than petrol.
• Clear your car of unnecessary clutter – an extra 50lb of weight reduces the fuel economy of your car by up to 1%.
• Check your tyre pressure is correct to reduce petrol costs by 10%.
• Avoid over-revving, as higher revs use more fuel.
• Reduce your speed.  At 70mph a car consumes 30% more fuel than at 50mph.
• Smooth and steady. Avoid stopping and starting, as this uses more fuel and produces more CO₂.  Anticipate the flow of traffic and keep a steady speed.
• Idling increases emissions by 13 % so avoid doing it – switch off the engine if you can do so safely.
• Driving in the highest gear appropriate and changing gear early can boost fuel economy by 10%.
• Accelerate gently to reduce fuel consumption.
• Open the window instead of using energy guzzling air conditioning, but close them at high speeds.

HPI and the BBC have joined forces to help used car buyers spot a “clocked vehicle” as HPI estimates that nearly one in twelve cars have mileage discrepancies. An investigation into a clocking scam was recently uncovered by the BBC Watchdog programme. Fraudsters had bought a car for £2,300 with 128,000 miles on the clock, which was later sold for £6,000 after the mileage had been turned back to 47,000 miles.

Nicola Johnson,Consumer Services Manager for HPI said,”The Watchdog programme showed that clocking remains a very real threat to used car buyers. Unscrupulous sellers see the clocking of  a vehicle as an easy way to raise its price and make some extra cash by putting thousands of pounds onto the price tag. And it’s not just prestige cars that are the target for clockers, so all used car buyers need to be on the look out”.

Before you buy a car you could always look at leasing a new car as this way you will always know the mileage is accurate. Leasing a car is affordable for many small businesses and full prices are available now on the site.

HPI’S TIPS ON SPOTTING A POTENTIALLY CLOCKED VEHICLE*

• Check the service history – Check the mileages displayed in the service history and look for service stamps from a genuine dealer.  Ideally the service invoices will accompany the service history.
• Speak to the previous keeper – Get in contact with the previous keeper (details can be found on the logbook). They can identify the mileage of the vehicle when they sold it.  Make sure this adds up with the current mileage.
• Trust your judgement – Check who the car was last registered to on the V5.  Was it registered as a company car but has done less than 12,000 miles per year?  Or is it 15 years old with only 20,000 on the clock? Look for any evidence that indicates clocking.
• Check the mileage – It has been known for clockers to wind back the mileage when you first view the vehicle and then return it to its original value once the transaction is complete.  Make sure you check the mileage is the same when you pick up the vehicle.
• Look for signs of wear and tear – Does the wear and tear on the vehicle match its mileage?  Be careful to look out for signs such as worn seats, steering wheels and other vehicle parts.  Also look out for brand new easily replaceable parts, these could indicate replacement that does not correspond with the vehicles displayed mileage.
• Conduct an HPI Check – Let us check our mileage database of 135 million mileages against the displayed vehicle mileage.

*Many of these signs could be innocent, so look for more than one of the above as possible evidence of clocking.

The link below will take you the BBC Watchdog investigation in full

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sbgjc/Watchdog_06_05_2010/

HPI, the UK’s leading source of motor vehicle information, has warned used car buyers to beware of the growing number of used cars that are being clocked. When it comes to vehicle type, 22% of small cars top the clocker’s list, 15% for compact executive cars and just 3% for MPVs.

Nicola Johnson of HPI said,”Our analysis shows that clockers are avoiding the high end vehicles and concentrating on the every day vehicles. The relative ease of clocking these vehicles combined with the sheer volume being sold represents the quickest buck for them and the biggest risk to the consumer”.

Ms Johnson went onto say,”Worringly clocked vehicles may also represent a safety concern. Vehicles with incorrect mileages may have also missed important services and part replacement dates, making them unreliable and potentially un-roadworthy”.

8 out of every 100 cars checked by HPI show a mileage discrepancy so here is the HPI checklist to  make sure you can spot a potentially clocked vehicle.

1. Check the service history and look for mileages and stamps from genuine dealers.
2. Speak to the previous keeper to ask them the mileage when they sold it.
3. Trust your judgement – look for any evidence of clocking i.e. was it registered to a company yet has only done less than 12,000 miles per year?
4. Check the mileage – it has been know for clockers to wind back the mileage when you first view the vehicle and then wind it forward again to the correct mileage when you take delivery.
5. Look for signs for wear and tear – does the wear and tear on the vehicle match its mileage i.e. worn seats?

Buying  used cars can be a stressful process so before you buy a used car why not look at leasing a brand new car? The pros and cons of doing this are highlighted on the car leasing versus car buying  useful information page. You might be surprised by what you can for your money.

- Check that the identification numbers on the car i.e, the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and chassis number have not been tampered with and they match the V5/logbook.

- If buying privately, make sure you view the car from the registered keeper (look on the V5) at their home address.

- Do not BUY a car if the seller doesn’t have the V5/logbook registration dcouments.

- Thieves may attempt to change the identity of a stolen car by changing the number plate, VIN, window etchings so look out for any signs of tampering.

- Research the car’s market value. If the car is 30% cheaper than it should be don’t pay with a large amount of cash.

- If there is a sticker on the vehicle linking to a security register, phone them and check it out.

The government’s new scrappage scheme could see dealers open to threat by stolen V5′s warns HPI. Whilst the scheme is bound to attract customers with older cars that qualify, HPI also says it is likely to attract opportunistic criminals.

Daniel Burgess, Director of Automative at HPI said ” In a bid to make the most of the scrappage scheme, to swap old vehicles for cut price new ones, fraudsters will need proof of a one year’s ownership. This is only prerequisite for qualifying for the discount and as of yet there is little or no means of policing this. As such we have a concern that used car criminals will use stolen V5′s to prove they have been the registered keeper of a vehicle for at least 12 months.”

The DVLA has advised that were a large number of stolen V5′s in circulation back in 2007.

HPI, the primary source of vehicle information for the UK motor industry, has revealed their “Tip of the Week No 6″. Apparently latest figures show that insurance companies are writing off accident damaged vehicles more quicker than ever. Nearly one quarter of all claims are now ending up as a write off, even though many of the vehicles are roadworthy.

HPI recommends that being aware of the different categories of write offs may save you money, or potentially save your life.  An HPI check can tell you what category your used vehicle belongs to, with most falling into category C or D, meaning the insurance company felt it was uneconomical to repair. Knowing this may allow you to negotiate a lower purchase price when you come to buy a vehicle. The category A or B write off is a vehicle that should have been crushed and should not have been repaired and returned to the road.

Further details about HPI checking are available at www.hpicheck.com

Alternatively just could always trade in your old car and order a brand new one on contract hire.

HPI, the vehicle information service, is issuing their own “Tips of the week” to the motoring public.

Their current tip is to appreciate depreciation before you buy a car. Some cars hold their value more than others and cars with large fuel consumption and increases in Vehicle Excise Duty, are proving hard to shift when you come to re-sell them. In particular cars with large petrol engines, 4×4′s and people carriers are the models they mention.

On the other side the cars they recommend you should choose are small, economical models with low CO2 emissions as these are in greater demand.

Contract hiring a car or van, protects you from depreciation, as the finance companies have already taken this into account when they calculate their rentals. That is why you will see that certain cars and vans have a much higher rental than others, even when they cost less to buy. It is because the whole life cost of depreciation has been taken into account.

You can still choose a 4×4, people carrier, large petrol engine, but by contract hiring you can see which ones hold their value better than others.