[Frownsmile]

Money is tight so I've cut down on my driving quite a lot this yeat. I've also been revelling in the fact that my car is 20 years old now and still going amazinlny. (The neighbours tell me it is a familiar presence, that some things never change and that is reassuring. LOL.)

BUT - I'll have to buy another car in the next 12 months or so as too many things going wrong and I have to find the funds to fix it. Or get the bike out the shed :(

I am considering doing a car maintenance course but I'm not really technical. Just wondering if anyone has any tips for saving the pounds so I can keep fix my old banger and keep it going til the recessin is over?

[Rolebama]

You could save some money on insurance. I have also reduced my mileage, and I save £10 for every 1000miles less I declare on my annual mileage. I have also increased my voluntary excess which reduces premium. It may, alternatively, be worth looking at Cherished Car Insurance.
Depending on what car you have, it may be worthwhile at getting your ECU 'chipped' for better fuel consumption. There are a couple of websites where you can have this done. The cheapest I have seen is £55, but the downside is that you do lose some of the top-end performance on the engine.
Changing your driving style can help too, not just in fuel usage, but also on wear and tear to the components. As can planning the car usage. A few short journeys could be amalgamated into one run to allow the engine to heat up properly as opposed to doing them individually, each one on a cold engine. Empty all of the unnecessary 'clut' as well, as extra weight cost fuel to carry it around.

[wagolynn]

You would qualify for the £2000 grant, might be worth a look.

Driving as smooth as you can. Pretend you have a raw egg on the passenger’s seat and you don’t want to break it. Plan well ahead to minimise the use of the brakes. Keep tyre pressure high rather than low, I am talking a pond or so not bars. Remove roof rack/box if not in use and drive with windows closed. Plus what Rolebama says. These all add up to meaningful savings.

[MrDanno]

Originally Posted by wagolynn

Driving as smooth as you can.

That is the key to driving efficiently.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by MrDanno

That is the key to driving efficiently.

Agreed but it appears to be a closely guarded secret.

[MrDanno]

Originally Posted by wagolynn

Agreed but it appears to be a closely guarded secret.

It's not really, Alot of efficient driving is common sense. You have already outlined a few things yourself.

Anticipating the situation ahead and in good time to prevent yourself having to come to a halt at traffic lights saves alot of fuel and wear and tear on the vehicle. Most fuel around town is used getting the vehicle from a standing start to driving speed.

If you ever watch cars approaching traffic lights it is amazing how many people accelerate all the way upto the red light instead of just letting the vehicle roll up to it.

Again, on the approach if you were going a little slower it might be green by the time you get there saving you from stopping at all. I have a saying for traffic lights "Be prepared to stop and ready to go"

[Hants]

Only LPG. So called an autogas. Older engines are (usually) very easy to convert. You will start spending around 45% less on your petrol. Thats unbeatable by any modern diesel engines.

Faster engine wearing is just a myth. Im succesfully riding my 14yo car over 100000 miles without any unusual problems.

Kits starts from around 400~500 pounds.

[Frownsmile]

Thanks

Cheers for all the advice, I inherited my car and would love to keep it going if possible, but without huge outlay for upkeep.

I really like the idea of driving around with an 'egg' passenger! Might draw a smiley face on it too and give it a name, like Mr Egg :)

[Snowball]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

You could save some money on insurance. I have also reduced my mileage, and I save £10 for every 1000miles less I declare on my annual mileage. I have also increased my voluntary excess which reduces premium. .

After my recent hit-and-run experience, and at this stage no absolute certainty that I will get back my voluntary excess via the uninsured losses procedure, increasing my excess beyond the minimum is definitely not for me.

Even when all the dust has settled, in the expected absence of having someone else to claim costs from, it will still be recorded a a fault claim by me, although I have done nothing wrong.

[Rolebama]

Snowball, if they are counting your incident as a fault claim, are they penalising your NCB? I have a friend who has had his car hit twice in the works car park, and they have loaded his premium as he is now considered high risk, even though on both occasions the other driver's insurance paid for repairs. (CCTV showed both incidents clearly.)

[98selitb]

All I can say about the last two posts is what a load of scumbag unethical rip-off merchants these companies are.

With the hundreds of millions of pounds we all pay them, I believe they should pay out even when we are hit by an ininsured or hit-and-run driver, or when it is a force majeure. We pay them enough to cover us, yet when we need them, they don't want to know. They are plain lying if they put it down as a fault claim, if it is clearly not you who is at fault. They are so threatening about how we must be 100% truthful to them or they will cancel the policy, yet they happily label innocent victims of hit-and-runs or car park bumps as 'fault' drivers.

[Snowball]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

Snowball, if they are counting your incident as a fault claim, are they penalising your NCB? I have a friend who has had his car hit twice in the works car park, and they have loaded his premium as he is now considered high risk, even though on both occasions the other driver's insurance paid for repairs. (CCTV showed both incidents clearly.)

No, I have protected NCB.
I have been with the same company continuously for over 20 years. In that time I have had one own-fault claim; a "helpful" person made a hash of guiding my motorhome in reverse on a carpark. So I don't think they will be classing me as a high risk client.

[smudger]

I have a Protected insurance policy that I earned over 7 years of no claims, but after reading this thread, it seems that its not protected at all?
I thought that it meant I oauld have 2 claims within 2 years and it would not effect my cover?
Cheers, Smudger.

[Snowball]

For protected bonus, you have to pay extra on your premium (typically around 19% I think).
So, if you are unfortunate enough to have a claim that is your fault, unless the insurers have a VERY legitimate reason to load your next premium, they have infringed trading standards law, and anyone in this position should report them.
And once you have received your renewal invitation, meaning they haven't refused cover, then they are also in breech of contract. It is fraudulent to knowingly charge for a service, and then deliberately charge again for what has already been paid for.