Paul Miller, manager at John Austin, has done it again!

On a blustery February morning, we abandoned our Saturday morning lie-ins to attend his Pit Stop Workshop.

The Pit Stop Workshop is designed to reduce the fear of basic  maintenance through familiarity.  It gives people the confidence to know that if they are stranded with a flat tyre and the phone’s dead or there’s no signal, they can handle the situation.  As this is not covered in driving lessons, it’s a good opportunity for those learning to drive to come along and give themselves a head start.  On this occasion most of us were seasoned drivers, but we all found we had something to learn!

With the complexity of cars these days, fiddling about under the hood, unless you really know what you’re doing, is to be discouraged.  This has, inevitably, led to many of us becoming complacent about dealing with the most simple of car care basics, relying instead on the annual service.   But often it’s those simple things that we can all do something about but don’t, that can help us avoid expensive repair bills later on.

Our reliance on breakdown services means we could sit on the side of the road for hours with a flat tyre too waiting for help which, if it was a lovely sunny day might not be so bad.  But if it was like a day like today, you’d want to be able to do something about it, and we all felt after two hours’ ‘training’ we could.

Not only did we all gain knowledge and insight, but we were able to relax and chat about our experiences afterwards over coffee and cake at The Food Company next door.

The team at John Austin have three more Pit Stop Workshops lined up this year:  Saturday 12^thMay, Saturday 11^th August and Saturday 17^th November.  If you’d like to come along or have a question, call Paul on 01206 211483 or email .

As of 1^st January 2012, the MOT test has been changed to comply with the revised European testing directive.  The new test will reflect the growing electronical complexity of modern cars.

You can see all of the new test criteria below – it’s a pretty substantial list!

Instead of getting a ‘fail’ straight away with these new criteria, you will get an ‘advisory’ notice up until the end of March 2012, so you have a bit of time to get them fixed.  But if your MOT isn’t due until this April, then your car will immediately be classed as a ‘fail’ if any it doesn’t pass all of the criteria below:

List of New Testable Components

• Headlamp levelling and cleaning devices when fitted for HID or LED headlamps
• Main beam ‘tell-tale’
• Battery (including batteries for electric or hybrid vehicles)
• Electrical wiring and connectors
• Trailer electrical socket security and damage
• Operation of 13-pin trailer electrical sockets using an approved trailer socket tester
• Operation of the steering lock (where fitted) including that malfunction warning is not displayed for an electronic steering lock
• Electronic power steering malfunction warning indicating a fault
• Electronic parking brake control and malfunction indicator lamp
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) components, including the switch (if fitted) and malfunction warning
• Brake fluid warning lamp illuminated or inoperative
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS)
• Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) components including airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners, seat belt load limiters and SRS malfunction warning lamp
• Engine mountings
• Speedometer
• Indirect vision devices (where they replace obligatory mirrors)

For Class 5 vehicles, there are also the following new components:

• Electronic Braking System warning device
• Entrance/exit steps and doors
• Door remote and emergency controls
• Door open warning devices
• Stairs
• Emergency exit signs, windows and ‘break glass’ hammers

For more detail on the new test criteria, visit the VOSA website at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/Special%20Notice%2009-11.pdf

We may go on about our famous British weather but the one thing it doesn’t give us is treacherous driving conditions, just a lot of puddles.  That was until late last year when the snow fell and kept falling and the country quickly ground to a halt.

So, strictly speaking, as winter is well and truly here, all UK drivers  are probably more than prepared to handle whatever the weather throws at us over the next few months.

Just in case the disappointment at England’s performance in the World Cup, or the excitement of winning against Australia at Twickenham in November has affected your short term memory, here are some tips to help you prepare for unexpected and dangerous driving conditions:

Cover the bases

• If the weather forecast is looking bad or just uncertain and you need to drive, then you must make sure you take some basic action before setting off.   First, fill up with petrol; if you get stuck you can keep the engine running and stay warm until help arrives or conditions become less severe.
• Having the right tyre pressure is vital whatever the weather, but in wintry conditions check the tread: the legal minimum is 1.6mm, but it’s better to have a deeper tread of at least 3mm, as it will be more effective at clearing water.
• If you haven’t put antifreeze in your car since the summer, now’s the time to start.

See and be seen

• The combination of icy conditions and grit on the roads can mean you’ll use more screen wash than normal, so keep it topped up and put a spare bottle in the boot.
• It would be sensible to have a can of de-icer and a plastic scraper in there too.  A second can of de-icer at home will help you deal with frozen locks quickly first thing in the morning.
• Windscreen wipers should also be checked now because worn ones won’t be effective against sleet and snow and you can’t drive blind.
• If it gets misty outside, keep dipped headlights on, if it gets foggy, then turn your fog lights on; you’ll be more visible and you’ll see more too.

Put the right equipment in the boot

• Take an old sleeping bag (which makes a great duvet), a hoodie and a pair of gloves; shove them in a dustbin liner, put the lot in the boot and forget about it. You may never need to use them over the winter period, but you’ve got the kit just in case.
• You probably already have a torch in the glove compartment, right?  If you haven’t, put one in now.
• Should the weather forecast indicate that snow is a possibility, it makes sense to keep a shovel and a couple of pieces of cardboard or old carpet in the boot too; it could help you or another motorist out of a tricky situation.

If you do set off on a journey, run out of petrol, a snow storm starts and you’ve forgotten to put warm clothing in the boot, at least you’ll be able to call for help, because you’ve kept your mobile phone fully charged.  Yes?

Winter driving conditions are never pleasant, but we can make ourselves safer by getting a grip.  And there’s no time like the present.

Here are some useful links:

www.highways.gov.uk

www.theaa.com