My Car Gossip Booklet

Car Advice For Female Drivers

1. Money saving tips for your car.

2. Advice on how to avoid being ripped off whilst getting your car fixed.

3. What are penalty points, what do you do if you get them and how long do they last?

4. Top car accessories

During my second year of university, I took my car with me. I ended up being the taxi driver for all of my friends because they didn't have their cars with them. Running and maintaining a car is very expensive: there's petrol, car insurance, road tax, MOTs and the general running costs.

For anyone even thinking about lessons at this point, there are all sorts of costs involved with a car. Here are four tips to save a little cash here and there.

A learner in the UK will average 46 hours of driving lessons before they can take their test, and most lessons cost between £20-£25. The theory test is then £21 and the practical test is either £62 (for a weekday) or £75 for a weekend. So it isn't cheap - but there's no need to pay out for top price lessons with the big brands.

There are 1000’s of driving instructors out there looking for pupils and many driving instructors promote their discounts and offers on Twitter/Facebook, so it’s worth signing up to Twitter to look for cheap lessons. Of course, always check their website for reviews and testimonials before you book lessons to be sure they're reliable.

Insurance is particularly expensive for young drivers but there are lots of insurance companies that are dedicated to the young driver market. A system called Telematics has been introduced for young drivers; it will track your driving and lower your insurance costs if you drive consistently well.

Buying your first car is a bit investment, so you need to visit a trustworthy and reliable dealership. Dealerships can be scary places full of pushy sales people, but if you do your research online and have an idea of prices you could get a great deal - a little knowledge goes a long way.

Buy a car on the last day of the month or year as that’s when the sales people need to get their deals in to reach their monthly/yearly targets. They're more likely to give you a better price if they're desperate...

Never be afraid of walking away. You don't need to buy right then or there, especially if you have doubts about the process. Feign indifference - it's a powerful weapon.

Besides insurance, petrol is the real killer. It's always going up and down in prices but if you are driving regularly it's always going to be expensive.

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Find the cheapest petrol station: different petrol stations have different prices for their petrol. Use this brilliant website to find which petrol station is the cheapest in your area: http://www.whatgas.com/ There are also any number of phone apps which do the same thing - and indeed, WhatGas have their own one too.

Keep your tyres inflated: if your tyres aren’t fully inflated you increase the force pulling your car back, which requires more petrol when you accelerate. So if your tyres are fully inflated you could save money on petrol - just top your tyres up with air on a regular basis.

Clear out your boot: did you know that the heavier your car, the more petrol you use up when you drive? I have a lot of junk in my boot that I don’t need, if you clear out your boot you could save money on petrol.

Here are some tips from Charles the Humble Mechanic; he wrote an article for us back in September that we want to share with you: Hey Everyone. My name is Charles; I am a master certified Volkswagen technician. I have been turning wrenches on VWs for about 10 years now. In that time I have learnt a lot about the dynamic that women face in the automotive world. Today I would like to share some tips to help you get the best experience you can when getting your car serviced.

When someone I meet finds out I am an auto mechanic. They usually ask me about getting ripped off. It usually goes something like this.

Oh, you are an auto mechanic. Well, I don't know anything about cars. How can I tell if a mechanic is ripping me off?

I feel like, as a woman, I am always getting taken advantage of when I get my car serviced. How do I tell if a mechanic is ripping me off?

They are basically saying that they are scared. Scared that they will get taken advantage of. The truth is, there are many people that know very little about how cars work. That is okay, but I want to make sure you are confident in your car maintenance and repair choices.

Asking to see the problem is the best way to avoid the "did I really need that" feeling. Even if you know nothing about cars, ask to see the issue. You will be surprised at how easy it is to see a worn tyre or a ripped wiper blade when it is staring you in the face. Take this situation for example.

You bring your car in for an oil change. The service advisor tells you that you need to replace 2 tyres.

You ask them to SHOW you why you need new tires. The advisor walks you back into the shop and shows you this tyre.

You don't have to know anything about tires to know this is not safe. See the impact that looking at an unsafe tyre vs just me telling you? You might not be happy about buying tyres(I know I wouldn't be) but you know they are needed. If the mechanic or service advisor can't or is not willing to show you what is wrong, think twice about the repair.

Do I NEED this repair?

I know it seems like a very simple question. You might feel like "they" will always tell you the repair is needed. Yeah, that might be true, but not as much as you might think. Asking the question can help you find out if the repair is NEEDED vs RECOMMENDED.

A needed repair is one that will make lead to a safety issue, or cause further damage to your car.

A recommended repair is something to consider, but may not be vital right now.

If you NEED to make a repair, then you might just have to bite the bullet and do the repair. If the mechanic or service advisor says they recommend the repair. You might be able to skip that repair.

Check your owner’s manual This is a great tool when it comes to maintenance. Does your owner’s manual say you need a transmission service at a specific interval? If it does, you need to get the transmission serviced. If the mechanic recommends it, ask why. Ask why THEY recommend it, even though it is not in the owner’s book.

Now, if the mechanic shows you that the transmission fluid is dirty, you might want to think about the service. If they say something like Well we just recommend it.

I would probably steer clear.

Get a second opinion If you have exhausted all the other possibilities, there is always this option. If your car is drivable, you can get a second opinion. Even if it means calling a friend, there is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion. Getting a second set of eyes on an issue can help you feel better about a repair.

I do have a few issues with getting a second opinion. I worry that the second place will not be as good as the first. You will need to make sure the second opinion know what the heck they are doing.

I would hate for the second opinion to be wrong.

The biggest advice I can give is BE CONFIDENT. You don't have to understand how a timing belt works. But if you ask questions about the repair, it will generally expose a dishonest mechanic. If the service department has the answers to your questions, and can show you the issues, I say go for it.

You might not love having to make the repair, but at least you will not feel like you get taken advantage of.

Do me one more favour. Don't ever say "I don't know anything about cars". I don't care if you have no idea what a tire is. Well, I do care about that, but you see my point. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions, even if they sound silly. You might just find yourself with a mechanic that is awesome and will always go the extra mile for you!

The majority of driving offences results in the penalty points staying on your licence for four years from either the date of the conviction or the date of the offence, depending on the situation.

If the offence is drink driving/ drug driving or causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs or causing death by careless driving, the points stay on your licence for 11 years from the date of conviction.

You can check your penalty points by phoning DVLA customer enquiries on 0300 790 6801 or online if you applied for you licence online.

Each penalty has a special code and is given points on a scale from 1-11. The more serious the offence, the more points you get.

The most common offences are: CD10: Driving without due care or attention: 3-6 penalty points.

LC20: Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence: 3-6 penalty points.

SP10: Exceeding goods vehicle speed limits: 3-6 penalty points.

SP30: Exceeding statutory speed limit on a public road: 3-6 penalty points.

DR10: Driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level above limit: 3-11 penalty points.

TS10: Failing to comply with traffic light signals: 3 penalty points CU80: Using a mobile phone while driving a motor vehicle: 3 penalty points.

IN10: Using a vehicle uninsured against third party risks: 6-8 penalty points.

There are many other offences that you could get penalty points for. If you click this link you will be able to see the full list: https://www.gov.uk/penalty-points-endorsements/endorsement-codes-andpenalty-points If you get a motoring conviction you have to tell your car insurer about it. The penalty points that you receive will be taken into account when the insurance company is working out what to charge you for your insurance.

If you have any penalty points you are seen as being a greater risk of having an accident and most likely you will be charged more for your policy. Usually the rise in your insurance depends on the reason for your penalty points; you are more likely to have to pay more if you have a drink driving conviction rather than a one off speeding conviction. Whatever the reason is for your penalty points, you have to, by law, tell your insurance company about them. If you don’t tell your insurance company about your penalty points and then you try to make a claim, you insurance company can refuse to pay the claim.

1. Car Visor Organiser Perfect to store all of your makeup so that you can sit in your university car park before a lecture and quickly get ready so you aren’t late. It means you can leave your house earlier knowing you will have time to finish getting ready in your car.

2. Mug heater with USB A fantastic device which means you will never have to worry about your coffee going cold whilst you are driving to a lecture or you are on your way to work.

Most of us are always in a rush to get somewhere and don’t have time to wait for our coffee to cool down, or it is cold by the time we get to where we need to be. This device prevents that from happening.

3. Pumps If you are driving to a friend’s house before a night out to get ready, you need a pair of pumps in your car. Don’t drive in your heels or barefoot, it may not be illegal but it is still dangerous. A pair of pumps means you can drive safely to your friend’s house before changing into your 6 inch heels!

Car Advice For Female Drivers