Archive for September, 2011

Transport For London – Important Announcement!

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Transport for London have asked us to share some important information with our customers, and visitors.

Low Emission Zone LogoThe Low Emission Zone (LEZ), operating 24 hours a day, every day of the year, was introduced in 2008 to encourage the most polluting heavy diesel vehicles driving within Greater London (the area within the M25) to become cleaner.

The aim of the LEZ is to improve the health and quality of life of everyone in London by limiting the amount of particulate matter (pollution) coming from a vehicles exhaust. Particulate matter is a type of pollution which can contribute to asthma, heart and lung disease, other respiratory illnesses and even early death.

From 3 January 2012, there will be tighter emission standards for those vehicles already affected and more vehicle types included.

For the first time, motorhomes (between 2.5 tonnes and 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight) over 10 years old as of 1 Jan 2012 may not meet the required LEZ standard of Euro 3 for particulate matter and may have to pay a £100 daily charge to drive within the zone.

For operators with vehicles that do not meet the standards in 2012 have several options;
•    Fit an approved filter to existing vehicles – a list of approved suppliers and filters can be found at tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon
•    Replace older vehicles with newer models that meet the emissions standards
•    Reorganise a fleet so that only vehicles that meet the standards are used within the zone
•    Convert vehicles to run on pure gas
Or
•    Pay a daily charge of £100– but TfL would rather operators reduce their emissions.

Owners of affected vehicles are urged to take action now as some options can take up to three months.

For vehicles that registered outside of Great Britain (including Northern Ireland) they will need to be registered with TfL if they meet the standards, before driving within London.

For more information visit www.tfl.gov.uk/lezlondon or call 0845 607 0009

Security matters – how safe is your motorhome?

Friday, September 9th, 2011

So you’ve spent a small fortune buying a spanking new motorhome and can’t wait to try it out.

But before you hit the road, be sure to check that your vehicle is as secure as possible and that you have installed all the necessary bells and whistles to meet the terms and conditions of your Comfort Insurance policy.

At the top end of the market, most motorhomes will come with factory fitted immobilisers. Some dealers on high end vehicles will include a Thatham Category 1 alarm or a tracking system as part of the package, but if these are not included, it is well worth installing them yourself.

Comfort Insurance will give a 5% discount for each of the following: Thatcham Category 1 alarms, Aviva-approved tracking devices and a Thatcham Category 5 tracking devices.

If your vehicle is worth more than £55,000, you must have either a Thatcham Category 1 alarm, or an Aviva-approved tracking system, and if worth more than £75,000, you must have both in place.

Other security devices worth considering are an engine immobiliser, wheel clamps, a gas alarm, deadlocks, good quality locks on the habitation door and on the filler cap to discourage fuel theft.

A gas alarm is a good idea as it will alert you if you are sleeping in your vehicle and burglars spray the interior with gas in order to comatose you.

 
The rise in the value of precious metals has led to a surge in the theft of catalytic converters from cars, and now, motorhomes as well. The platinum contained in catalytic converters can be sold on to scrap metal dealers for good prices.

Once an unmarked converter has been removed from a vehicle, it’s quite difficult to match it to the vehicle it was stolen from, as there are no distinguishing marks.

To reduce the risk of this type of theft, always try to park your vehicle in a secure area or where it is busy and well lit.

It is possible to have your catalytic converter secured with a ’cat clamp’ by a firm called Catclamp (www.catclamp.co.uk) You could also consider marking the metal shell of the converter with a unique mark, so if it is removed by thieves it will be easier to trace back to your vehicle

Retainagroup offers a kit consisting of a virtually indestructible sticker, metal marking fluid and a window sticker (to warn thieves that the catalytic converter carries an identification mark). It costs £11.87 including VAT and postage.

Each mark contains a seven digit code and a 24 hour telephone number for the International Security Register which stores the code against vehicle details. A catalyst marking kit can be ordered from: www.TheISR.org or by phoning 01233 333000.

Taking these precautions does not guarantee 100% security, but anything which deters thieves or makes it harder for them to steal, or damage, your vehicle has to be a good idea.