Category Archives: Car

Car

John Leigh Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

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Recognised for 40 years as key industry figure.

John Leigh, Managing Director of Europcar UK and National Car Rental, has received the highly coveted lifetime achievement accolade in the Holiday Autos Partner of the Year Awards, confirming his status as an industry legend. In acknowledging his enormous and positive influence which has helped to shape and evolve the sector, the Holiday Autos Partner of the Year Awards ceremony honoured John for his dedication and commitment to the vehicle rental industry.

The Award was presented by Brian Murphy, Group Managing Director of Lastminute.com at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

“The evening was very emotional for me and I feel proud to be honoured by the industry in this way,” said John Leigh. “The Award was a complete surprise and it means a great deal to me to be recognised by my colleagues and partners who have put this industry where it is today.

John Leigh began his working life promoting concerts of legendary acts like Roy Orbison and Pink Floyd. In 1967 he decided to get a proper job and joined Godfrey Davis eventually to become Europcar, where he held a number of management roles. In 1972 he joined Swan National where he enjoyed a successful career culminating in his appointment as Managing Director in 1990 shortly after it had rebranded itself as EuroDollar.

Following an MBO from TSB and the acquisition of EuroDollar by National Car Rental USA, John was given responsibility for launching National into the EMEA marketplace.

In February 2007, the European operation was acquired by Europcar and John was appointed Managing Director of Europcar UK Group the largest daily rental company in the country.

As Chairman of the BVRLA in 2006/7, John played a leading role in defining and implementing industry standards for quality and customer service. He is also a Vice President of Chelsea football club, as well as being a very active patron of the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, a charity that grants wishes to often terminally ill young people. Two years ago he was also honoured with an “Unsung Hero Award” by the Celebrity Guild of Great Britain in recognition of his charitable work.

“I cant think of anyone more deserving of this award than John” confirmed Brian Murphy of Holiday Autos. “He has been the driving force behind the success of the industry, not just the growth of his own business. His vision and dedication has led to many of the innovations car rental customers now take for granted and he continues to challenge and lead the sector forward to new levels of service.”

Car

Custom Car Seat Covers

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What you ever thought about custom car seat covers? Different abuses and hazards can cause damage to your original car seats. Pets and children are some of those who cause damage to car seats but the original upholstery of your car may also be damaged through repeated abrasion and friction. Spills of beverages and water and food remains may make car seats to be unpleasant and dirty. To be able to protect the original upholstery of your car, it is necessary to protect car seat covers, and the best choice for most people is through car seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are the ones which are personalized to suit your specific taste. It is possible to make them for your car, and there are different types of materials and designs which can be used for truck and car seat covers. You can also find the custom seat covers in different colors from in many parts of the world. Some of the popular car seat covers are Ballistic seat covers, Neoprene seat covers, Velour seat covers, BMW seat covers, Suede seat covers, Tweed seat covers, Ford seat covers, Leatherette seat covers, Honda seat covers, Saddle Blanket seat covers, and so on. There are many of them; and you can even make custom ones based on your personal beliefs and interests.

In order to make good custom seat covers, you should first of all consider what is already available for the type and model of your car because it is possible that custom covers are already installed for your car. In creating the design, you can make the ones which make a fashion statement to those which are just basic black seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are good for seats like 70/30 seats, 40/20/40 seats, 60/40 seats, and the difficult-to-fit seats found in trucks, jeeps, SUVs and tractors. In installing the seat covers, the upholstery company first measures your car seats and then have an estimate built up. In most cases, this is a free service while you only pay for the customization. It is possible to make the cover to be designed aesthetically, while you may choose from the different types of fasteners like zippers, buttons, Velcro or strings, in order to improve the durability and look of the cover.

There are many types of materials which are used, and you can choose from vinyl, cotton, neoprene, denim, sheepskin, tweed cloth, velour cloth and many other materials. You can also choose specific patterns and colors, in addition to being able to consider climactic factors and the level of wear and tear which the car seats are likely to be subjected to.

Car

Is Your Car Driving Your Pain An Osteopaths Opinion

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Is your car driving your pain? An osteopaths opinion
Whether driving a car, a bus, or a lorry or even as a passenger – you could be suffering driving related back pain.
In all these cases, osteopathy can help to reduce pain and your osteopath in Manchester can offer advice on back pain management, including simple exercises to prevent problems in the future.

Keep moving is advised by osteopaths –
Its not just the driver who can stiffen up in a car. Passengers are often seated for long periods of time in a fixed position.
Movement is the key for car, driver and passenger.
As a passenger, try to alter your position from time to time and sit with your knees bent and thighs level and comfortable. Avoid sitting with your legs crossed; move them regularly.
For driver and passengers, stop regularly, ideally once an hour, especially when feeling tired.
Get out of your vehicle and walk around it several times.
Stretch like a cat, gently moving your arms around, bringing your knees up to your hips, and stretching your whole body.

Osteopaths ask any back pain sufferer to consider the following

Choose a car, with an adjustable lumbar support (and use it). Alternatively, keep a small cushion in the car to support your lower back.
Choose a car with a higher kerb height to make getting in and out less stressful on the spine.
Depressing the clutch increases the pressure on your back so choose an automatic to avoid this.
Power steering also significantly reduces the load on the spine.
Driving can give you
Neck Pain
Headaches
Eyestrain
Shoulder Pain
Wrist Pain
Elbow Pain
Back Pain
Bottom Ache
Hip Pain
Knee Pain
Foot and Ankle Pain
Is the car the right fit for you?
Sometimes, the design of the car itself can lead to back problems. If you have to drive particularly long distances, check out the cabin and layout of the controls with the tests set out below, and a comfortable motorway cruiser is gentler on your back
If the car can pass these four simple tests then there is a good chance that it is suitable for the particular driver. By using these tests a prospective buyer can make an informed choice of car and hopefully avoid drivers back pain.

Try the following tests that our Manchester Osteopaths often mention
1. The Praying Test The driver places both hands together, pointing forwards. If the steering wheel is not offset then the driver should be pointing straight at the centre of the wheel. The danger of having an offset wheel is that most drivers tend to rotate the middle of the spine to compensate for its position, producing long term back strain.
2. The Fist Test With the seat in the normal driving position make a fist with the left hand keeping the thumb to the side of the index finger. It should be possible to insert the fist on the crown of the head. If it is only just possible to insert the flat of the hand between the roof and the head then there is insufficient headroom. The danger of having too little headroom is that the driver may compensate for the lack of height by slouching in the seat which puts a strain on the spine and thighs.
3. The Look Down Test With both hands placed evenly on the steering wheel look down at the legs. It should be possible to see equal amounts of both legs between the arms. Frequently the left leg will be visible but the right leg will be obscured by the right arm which may indicate that the shoulder girdle is rotated to the left in relation to the pelvis.
4. The Right Leg Test This test should be performed after you have stopped having driven the car for a short while.
Once again, look down and examine the position of the right leg. Is it elevated above the level of the left or has it fallen out towards the edge of the seat? Is the right foot roughly in line with the thigh as it should be, or has it had to come across towards the centre of the car?
5. The Kerb Height Test Swing the right leg out of the car as though getting out, and place the right foot on the ground. Try and ensure the lower leg (shin and calf) is in a vertical position.
Now look at the surface of the right thigh. It should be sloping down towards the knee. If it is sloping upwards (i.e. if the knee is higher than the hip) you will have difficulty when exiting this vehicle.
If the car can pass these 5 simple tests there is a good chance that it is suitable for that particular driver. By utilising the tests, a prospective purchaser should be able to produce a short list of suitable vehicles, from which they can then make a choice.

When driving
Car seats can be adjusted to suit your posture but make sure that you always:
1. Keep your seat reasonably upright, leaning backwards only at a slight angle.
2. Keep the headrest adjusted so that the centre of the headrest is level with your eyes. Dont set the headrest too low as this can allow more serious injury in an accident.
3. When getting in, sit first then swing your legs into the car. When you get out, move the seat back before swinging your legs out.
4. Do you ride the clutch, resting your foot in the air? No wonder your ankles or calf muscles hurt.
5. To relax, raise your shoulders to your ears breathing in, and then lower them as you breathe out. You may want to do this at every red traffic light, or major junction.
6. Avoid reaching behind to get bags from the rear seat. Dont be lazy. Get out and open the door.
7. Be careful when loading and unloading. Lift correctly.
8. Avoid lifting unnecessary weights. Get help to change a tyre.
9. Sit with arms gently bent at the elbow to the wheel and dont lean forward out of the seat.
10. Wear a seat belt and make sure it is properly adjusted. Make sure children also have appropriate seat belts and cushions.
Remember
Prevention is better than cure.
Sit properly, drive relaxed.
Osteopaths can advise on posture.
Osteopaths treat neck and back pain and a great many other things as well.
If you are unlucky enough to be involved in a road accident osteopathy can help relieve the pain of injury, especially whiplash-type injuries.
Osteopaths are often asked by solicitors to write medico-legal reports on accident
victims, to help them claim compensation.

Car

How To Remove Bird Poop Droppings & Not Damage A Cars Paint Job

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Most car owners have no idea that bird droppings cause permanent damage to car paint, until it happened to their car. Paint damage from bird poop is an expensive problem for car owners Internationally. A study from Zurich Insurance found that repairing the damage caused by bird droppings costs British motorists 57million pounds annually.

A sunny day can turn your cool car into a hot oven. So, classic car owners prefer a parking place in the shade to protect their cars paint job. If your shady spot is under a tree, its also the home of the worst enemy of your car finish birds. There is NO product on the market that can protect your finish from bird droppings for more than a few minutes. Birds poop is highly acidic, and the longer you leave it on your cars paint, the more damage it will cause. If you try to clean it the easiest and most obvious way, wipe a it off, even with a wet towel, you can scratch the paint. This is because birds use gravel to digest their food. So, wiping bird droppings off your car is like rubbing gravel into it!

Every car owner should carry the following items in their car for quick and easy access a microfiber towel & a fresh bottle of SALT FREE seltzer water. This is simply water and carbon dioxide, which will not harm your cars paint job. You can take the lid off the water, place your thumb over the top, and shake it up really well to create a blast of water to wash off bird droppings BEFORE they ruin your cars paint job!

Tools Youll Need For This Job:

Rubber Gloves
Eyes goggles that hug close to your face, without openings on the sides.
Paper face mask or respirator
Plastic garbage bags & bag ties
Misting spray bottle full of water ,or a garden hose, if cleaning a large area.
Wide wallpaper or floor scraper with a smooth flat edge
Long Sleeve Shirt, long pants, closed shoes, socks and a cap for your head
Old Broom & dust pan used ONLY for this job. Do NOT use in your home.

Use a cover to protect your car, especially when you park it outside.

The quickest, and safest, way to remove bird droppings from your cars paint job is with a microfiber towel and a quick car detailer spray. If the bird dropping is dried on the paint surface, you can use a microfiber towel soaked in a 5050 mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. Place the wet towel over the bird poop and let the droppings soak up the liquid for a few minutes. Then gently BLOT the surface to remove the bird poop. DO NOT WIPE OR SCRUB BIRD POOP. The gravel in the bird droppings may scratch your cars paint job.

In some cases where old bird poop has been dried onto the cars surface for a long time, it may still come out with a mild polish, such as Scratch-X. Use caution with Scratch-X, as it contains abrasives. If the bird droppings damaged your cars paint job, sometimes a good paint polish can fix the damage. HINT In a pinch you can try WD40, as it will not harm paint and will dissolve the bird droppings. Be sure to wipe up residual WD40 with soapy water. Follow this up with a good coat of car wax. In only the worst cases, old, dried bird droppings can cause irreparable damage.

Car

Junk Car For Cash Tips How To Sell Your Car

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Used car spare parts are preferred by motorists than new and costly ones. Once the valuable parts of old have been taken out, the remaining carcass is shredded into little pieces and sold as scrap metal. The entire process is carried out in an environmentally eco-friendly manner hence selling your unwanted car to these companies can be your little way of conserving the environment. Here are a few reasons why you should sell your car to these companies.

Source of extra cash:

Another reason why you should junk car for cash is to make extra cash from something you are no longer using. The amount of cash you make from selling such a car depends entirely on its condition as well as the junk car removal company you choose to do business with. Cars that are still running as well will definitely attract higher offers.

Creating more space:

Keeping an old car in your backyard will definitely occupy a lot of space that you could convert to other uses. A scrap car can also be a health peril to your children as most of them ordinarily have pointed parts that can hurt kids while playing around.

Hassle free transaction:

Finding a junk car buyer for buying your unwanted car, more so when it is ineffective, can be a very difficult task, specifically during these tough economic times. Most individual junk car buyers spend too much time inspecting an old car before deciding whether they should buy the car it or not.

Cut down on expenses:

Keeping an ineffective car in your garage can turn out to be very expensive. This is because the law needs you to pay insurance fees for any car that is in your authority, even if you are no longer using the car. Selling such type of cars can save you from unnecessary expenses.

Getting the good deal from your unwanted car begins by finding the right junk car removal company to buy your unwanted car. As a rule of thumb, never appear desperate when trying to junk your car. Here are four sources where you can get a junk car buyer.

If you want to revel the advantage that come with selling junk car, then you require to ensure that the junk car removal company you are going to do business with has a high reputation and is known for faithfulness and reliability. Here are many of the factors that you can consider when looking for the right junk car removal company to buy your unwanted car.
The first thing is to understand whether you are going to contact a local junk car removal company. Local companies are usually quick in getting the job done besides offering better junk car removal quotes than national companies.

Many advantage come with selling a car to junk car removal companies in New York. However, you require finding the right junk car buyer that will be willing to compensate you fairly for your unwanted car. With the right company, you can easily junk your car, making nice amount of cash and creating room in your backyard.

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