Which grade of fuel should I be putting into my car?

My wife filled our car with petrol last week and said that she often wondered which of the different “grades” she should put in. Fortunately, my wife is a very smart cookie so didn’t need reminding that diesel was obviously not an option (gasp!). I proceeded to tell her my thoughts on whether it was worth paying more for premium petrol, or supreme diesel, which I thought…

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Getting ready for the ULEZ and what it means for you

I’ve had lots of inbounds from people who drive older cars in London on what the changes introduced by Mayor Sadiq Khan last October will mean for them. Confusion abounds courtesy of unclear timelines and unfriendly terms such as “ULEZ”, “Euro 6 compliant”, “NOx emissions” and others. Hopefully this little write-up can clarify the matter for you… Most of us remember the launch of the Congestion Charge…

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Your tyres – so easy to overlook and yet so important!

If we reason that, after stomping on the brake pedal with all our might, the last remaining hope of not crashing into something in front of us ultimately lies on strips of black rubber glued together then we should probably make sure that the black rubber underneath us is up to snuff. The importance of having properly maintained tyres can’t be overstated. I won’t bore you with…

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Driving tips

The sun’s out, temperatures are rising and surprise, surprise your car turns into a veritable but completely unwanted sauna. Naturally the first reaction is to wind the windows down and crank on the air conditioning – my kids do it all the time. Lowering the windows makes a ton of sense as the need to flush out the hot air that’s been trapped inside is critical! But…

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Springtime trends we’re seeing

There’s no other place to start than to highlight the remarkable shift in consumer demand from diesel to petrol and/or hybrid vehicles. Courtesy of the failed "dash for diesel" under the last Labour government in the early 2000's, London-based families are now taking a more environmentally-friendly stance as they wave goodbye to their old diesel-powered Land Rovers and Audi Q7’s. Add in lower yearly taxes and fewer…

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Estate v SUV – The Family Debate!

I recently helped a family buy a new Lexus RX450h – the brand’s premium SUV offering. What was interesting in the build up to the purchase was the debate between husband and wife who deliberated (for quite some time, I might add) between a more environmentally-friendly estate and a trendy SUV. Make no mistake, both styles of vehicle have their advantages and disadvantages which this blog will…

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Is Musk Getting Musty?

By Scott Hylton Tesla recently came out with their Q1 results. The company had a Q1 target of 2500 vehicles per week for its new Model 3 but the official number came in at 2000 vehicles. Since then, much has been written about the bottlenecks on the production side, particularly considering founder Elon Musk’s tweet that “humans were underrated”. In saying this, Musk has admitted that his…

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Car Ownership v Uber

It’s important to note that this is indeed a blog and as such the opinions are entirely Car Sleuth’s own, and the content herein shouldn’t be construed as anything other than that – opinions.  I accept that it’s unfair to use the name “Uber” in the title of this blog as I recognise there are other ride-hailing apps available.  But let’s be honest, Uber today is the…

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