Cars and Trucks

London Parking, Basic Information, Dos and Donts

Posted in Cars and Trucks

When comparing all the major cities in the world, car parking in London can be amongst the most expensive. Parking costs for an average working day can be as high as 40 to 60 pounds. In addition when you approach the Congestion Zone you have to pay a congestion charge. Paying the congestion charge allows you to enter and exit the designated area of Central London as many times as you like during that day. Usually the charge can be pre-paid in advance. When it comes to parking in London you can also book and pay in advance. Pay by mobile phone or pay and display at parking meters.

Typically, restrictions apply for parking in London between the hours of 8:30 AM and 6:30 PM. At least 60% of London’s boroughs offer phone parking. There are 12 Westminster city council car parks and about a 100 NCPs (National car parks). Parking areas are designated by a white ‘P’ on a blue background. One alternative to using normal spaces is to find garages for rent on one of the UK’s private parking websites.

A blue badge is issued to handicapped and disabled people with no restrictions on parking in most places. Blue badge parking entails free parking for on street parking as well as meters. Any contravention of parking laws can entail a parking fine of between 50 and 80 pounds and a penalty charge notice which you can appeal against. Fines paid within 2 weeks usually result in a discounted fee to pay but late payment can inflate the fine to 120 pounds.

The Blue badge scheme provides a range of parking benefits and exemption from the congestion fee. The local authority issues the blue badge and generally concessions apply only to on street parking and the free use of metered space. NCP offers some disabled bays at most of its car parks. The congestion zone is indicated by a large C and congestion charges of 10 ponds apply. Congestion charges apply between 7 AM and 6 PM on weekdays. While parking in London, do not expect any explicit signs indicating tow zones. If your vehicle is towed away the fine can be as high as 80 pounds plus an additional 125 pounds for towing charges.

Should You Buy Used Custom Wheels?

Posted in Cars and Trucks

Installing custom wheels on your ride is a good way to improve its look and performance. It is like dressing it up with new clothes to give it a new look and character. But like designer clothes, custom wheels are an investment that would cost money. Some people would try to look for used custom wheels to lessen their expenses, but does it really?

Buying used custom wheels would have disadvantages and advantages. The good thing about it is that you may purchase the wheels in a price that is very low compared to a new one. You can even get a discount higher than fifty percent, unfortunately, that is all you get. Unless you buy the wheels from someone who has restored the wheels fully, you would not find a used custom wheel that is flawless. Expect that your used wheel would have scratches or maybe even chipped coating. Since it is used already, you can also expect to find some dents on some of its parts. Also, you should anticipate that you will only use the wheels for a short period of time.

Buying new custom wheels is still the best choice you can pick. It gives you guarantee that you enjoy the best quality of wheels all the time. Though it will be more expensive than used custom wheels, you are going to offset this cost as you enjoy the service of your wheels for the longest time. It would be a good idea to spend another month more in saving for your brand new wheels that buy used wheels.

I Want To Sell My Car

Posted in Cars and Trucks

“I want to sell my car!” This is one of the common statements of many car owners who want to put their old cars for sale. You have mainly two options to choose from: selling it or trading it to a dealer, or selling it to another individual. Selling your car to your friend or other individuals typically means that you will get a higher price, though it could be more work and effort on your part. But there things to consider before you do this process. Before you sell your car, you should do everything to make sure that your car is in tip-top form for its condition, and then work out how much you like to get for it. Look for online at car pricing guides, so you can set a price for your car based on the pricing guide’s value as well as your car’s overall condition. Once you get a buyer for your car, then sign the car’s title to transfer the ownership, and have your signature notarized if your county or county requires it.

Old Bumpers Cause Pain

Posted in Cars and Trucks

Almost all modern cars are constructed from sheet steel, formed into shaped pressings, which are welded or bolted together. The individual major body parts – there are often twenty or more – are assembled into a strong body shell which is rigid and reasonably light. The bodyshell of the new Rolls Royce Phantom has more than 100 metres of welding in its construction. Design of the body is very complicated, and exhaustive tests have to be carried out before a new car is put on the market.

These days, great emphasis is placed on safety, and the body must be able to sustain considerable impacts without the passenger compartment becoming deformed too much. The object of this is to protect the occupants (if they are wearing safety belts) in the event of the car hitting something or rolling over. The bonnet is often made so that it collapses in stages under impact, absorbing energy as it does so, a really efficient example of this can be found in the Ferrari 458 for sale. Effectively, it operates in the same way as a railway buffer, reducing the shock energy transmitted to the passenger compartment.
Body designs of this type are called progressively deformable. Rear-engine cars are often designed so that an impact from the back will push the engine under the passenger compartment, rather than into it. In the early days of motoring, bumpers were fitted to the front and rear of some cars to prevent damage to the bodywork in the event of the driver carelessly hitting a milestone or some similar obstacle, you can often see these bumpers in old photograhs of some classic cars for sale.

By the late 1960s bumpers had in general regressed to mere chromium plated strips of thin steel, unable to withstand the lightest impact. Sometimes they were even moulded into the body, so that any damage was transmitted to expensive bodywork. Thanks to modern safety regulations (emanating mostly from the United States) bumpers are once again becoming capable of being bumped, and this has led to changes and improvements in the design philosophy of car manufacturers. Low speed safety, as well as safety in major accidents, is regarded as an important feature.

The Invisible Engine

Posted in Cars and Trucks

Despite the failure of some early models of Rolls Royce, and discounting the Decauville based versions, as well as the ten horsepower car that had served as a test rig, the standard of excellence that was to become the Rolls Royce hallmark was firmly established by 1905.

That year, the three cylinder 15 horsepower car, with a three litre engine of three single cylinder blocks, appeared in the Rolls Royce Phantom for sale of that year. Only six were made and one is still in existence.

Then came the 20, not to be confused with the later Twenty (1922-25) which was a much loved model if stately and slow of which 40 were made and sold. This early 20 was a four litre four cylinder made at Manchester before the Derby factory was established, from which was derived the lighter sporting model which ran successfully in the two TT races.

One car is still in existence. The 30 h.p. six cylinder was perhaps not a commercial failure, as 37 examples were made and sold (one still survives), but it was dropped by the company even before they embarked on the one model policy. The two which did not sell were the Legalimit and the landaulet with Invisible Engine, both of which used the first V8 Rolls Royce engine.

Only three examples of the two models of that Rolls Royce for sale were made and none survive. The Legalimit was a normal looking car inspired by the pioneer motorist Sir Henry Harmsworth, later Lord Northcliffe, proprietor of the Daily Mail.
He suggested that people were fed up with speed and open cars and wanted a petrol driven equivalent of the then popular electric town brougham, with no noise, vibration or smell, and capable of no more than the legal 20 miles an hour.

Royce designed two vehicles: one with no bonnet, known as the Invisible Engine model, and the other with a low bonnet on a two-seater car, both powered by the 3.5 litre V8 side-valve engine, and both were offered for sale to the public by the growing network of Rolls Royce dealers.