Added: 22nd August 2010
With proper care and maintenance, an average car should reach over 100,000 miles or more. But chances are the car's original battery will not be in place when the odometer turns over. This is because car batteries have definite shelf lives, and no amount of maintenance or care can reverse the effects of chemicals on metal. At some point in every car's lifetime, its battery must be replaced.

If the car battery is too weak to provide a sufficient charge to the starter, the solenoid switch will not function correctly. It will make a distinctive clicking sound. This clicking should indicate to the driver that the battery is not fully charged. It will need to be recharged with professional equipment or jumpstarted. But a simple procedure called a load test can be performed to determine if the battery is ready to be replaced. A vehicle technician will attach a voltmeter to the battery's terminals while the car is running. A switch on the voltmeter will then change the power load from the alternator to the battery alone. Sometimes a weak alternator will be the culprit, but other times the test will reveal a weak battery not capable of holding a charge. This means the battery must be replaced.

JD Motors will help you to identify the right car battery for your car, within your financial constraints. We will explain the benefits to the choices available and once a decision has been made, correctly install the battery in your vehicle. We will provide value for money that won't be a shock to your system.


Added: 22nd August 2010
Over 65% of vehicles are fitted with air conditioning and climate control systems as standard these days. Many of us are familiar with using air-con in our car on both hot and cold days, but not many people are aware that like other parts of your car, the air-conditioning system also needs regular attention to make sure it is working efficiently.

You may not be aware that over 10% of air-con gas permeates from the air-con system every year, which means that it may not work as well as it should. This is why car manufacturers recommend your Air-Con system is recharged with gas and lubricant every 2 years. This service is not part of routine vehicle servicing, so if your vehicle is more than 2 years old it's probably due a recharge.

JD Motors offers a complete air conditioning recharge service available at our Rushmoor Garage. Operated on a drive-in basis there is usually no need for an appointment, but now you can book an appointment using our online booking service. Within an hour the whole recharge process is completed. The process can also include a system de-bug to clear bacterial build up from within the system, which will remove any unpleasant odours.


Added: 1st June 2010
Question Time: My car MOT expired months ago without me realising. How can they find out that I did not renew it? What will be the punishment? How will they catch me?

The Answer: It will have been tagged on the MOT database and you can be spotted by an ANPR camera at any time. Don't forget that no MOT also invalidates your insurance so at 3 points each there's 6 to start with.

As the vehicle is then illegal it can be seized [Section 165 Road Traffic Act], impounded and it will cost a minimum of £150 + £20 per day, until you recover it. This may of course be somewhat difficult as it will need an MOT before you can recover it. Oh dear, it's all adding up!

The Long Term Solution: Short of buying a new car every three years then it would be wise to sign up for our MOT Reminder Service. Provide JD Motors with your details and we will remind you in good time to book an MOT, relieving you of the bother of remembering and last minute panics.

If you have an immediate need for a MOT test, or one is due in the near future, call either telephone number shown below or simply drop by and we'll book you in to suit your busy schedule.

Our online booking service can be used at any time but feel free to call Alton on 01420 544644 or Rushmoor on 01252 793608 Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm and Sat 8.00am to 12.30pm.


Added: 30th May 2010
The 10 Deal for 2010. Web surfers who book a service or MOT online using this form qualify for a 10% discount off the account rendered or £10 cash back if only a MOT test is carried out.

This offer will run until the end of 2010 saving our customers a worthwhile sum during these difficult financial times. With the strong possibility of a VAT rise in the not to distant future, it makes sense to visit JD Motors sooner rather than later to save more of your hard earned cash.

Another example of driving down the cost of motoring.


Added: 28th May 2010
JD Motors welcomes several new staff members that have recently joined the Company:

• Beau Bowman - Alton - Qualified Commercial
• Tom Page - Rushmoor - Qualified Mechanic
• Alex Booth - Rushmoor - Trainee Mechanic

Added: 27th May 2010
JD Motors now supply and fit tyres from its Alton Workshop for all makes of cars and light commercials and will beat any local supplier on price.

If we haven't got the tyre you want in stock, we can usually source it very quickly from one of our many suppliers. Call now for a quote on 01420 544644 or enquire using this form and we will email you back when our offices are open.

Our price includes balancing, alignment and a new valve. We have a comfortable waiting room with hot drinks available.


Added: 16th May 2010
Motorists across the UK are being warned that the volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption could damage vehicle paint work. Car care firm Autoglym has assessed the composition of the ash and issued advice on how to safely remove microscopic residues that have already been deposited, as well as protect a vehicle from subsequent fallout.

The ash - now prevalent in Britain's upper atmosphere - is composed of tiny jagged shards of rock and glass. Once the highly abrasive, acidic ash has fallen on cars, there exists a real danger of damage to paint work, glass and even to wiper blades. Furthermore, the sulphuric content of the ash means the deposits are more acidic than normal airborne dust, representing an increased risk of corrosion, especially for rubber door and window seals, wiper blades and tyres.

Autoglym's advice on dealing with volcanic ash deposits:

1. Thoroughly soak car bodywork with water to loosen surface deposits;
2. Use a pH-neutral car bodywork shampoo solution to neutralise acidic fallout ;
3. Use a number of smaller buckets rather than a single larger bucket to minimise the risk of ash particles being reapplied to bodywork on the sponge from contaminated water;
4. Keep the car wet with clean water while washing with a sponge - this keeps the surface of the paint lubricated to reduce the risk of scratching from any dust that remains on the bodywork;
5. Pay special attention to wiper blades - which may scratch the windscreen when sweeping ash across the glass surface - and side window seals - which may harbour dust that scratches windows as they are wound up and down;
6. Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove all shampoo from the car;
7. Dry the car using a high quality micro fibre drying towel or synthetic chamois;
8. Apply a quality polish or high definition wax in order to provide a durable, long-lasting layer of protection, preventing further contaminants adhering to paint work, and forming a barrier against acidic deposits;
9. Use a specialist automotive rubber treatment to cleanse and protect rubber seals, wiper blades and tyre sidewalls;
10. Wash frequently until the volcanic eruptions cease to minimise the risk of potential future damage.

Added: 14th February 2010
On the VOSA web site you can determine if an MOT Certificate is a genuine record of that stored on the MOT Computerisation database; Check the status of a vehicle that has undergone a recent MOT Test; View the MOT Test history of a vehicle or find out when the next MOT is due. Go to: www.motinfo.gov.uk.

At DVLA's vehicle online services you can apply for a new tax disc or, if you intend to take the vehicle off the road, declare Statutory Off Road Notification, known as SORN. You can also use the Vehicle Enquiry service to check what information DVLA holds on its database about a vehicle. See: www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk.

Most vehicle owners are aware that thy can tax their vehicle on line, put probably don't realise that a series of measures are now in place that change the rate that is payable using thirteen tax bands. All the details are here: www.direct.gov.uk.


Added: 24th September 2009
Taking to the road and driving without insurance is a criminal offence and the police are becoming more successful in catching uninsured drivers. At this time, many people are looking for ways to cut back on their motor insurance costs. There are plenty of ways to make savings on running your vehicle and finding a motor insurance policy which suits you and your pocket.

Stay Insured is aimed at helping you know the law and still enjoy the use of the road.

Stay Insured   •   You can't afford not to!   •   Click on the image above for more information.


Added: 2nd September 2009
The Right to Repair Campaign has been created by the independent automotive after market in response to potential changes in legislation in Europe that could drive all repair work into the vehicle manufacturers franchised dealerships.

Block Exemption Regulations [BER] were introduced to give the consumer the freedom to choose where he/she had his car maintained without negating manufacturer's warranties so long as original parts or parts of matching quality had been fitted by the repairer. To enable repairs to be made, the vehicle assembler under BER should make technical information freely available to the independent market.

Exploiting a loophole that restricts access to technical information in certain circumstances, it is becoming increasingly necessary for vehicles to be sent to the dealership for 'recommissioning' even if the repair has been successfully completed by the independent repairer. The effect of this on the independent repair industry is that inevitably there will be fewer vehicles that they are able to repair and if the vehicle assemblers succeed in their aims, the independents will be fewer if any exist at all. The effect on the consumer will be the reduction of choice on where the vehicle is repaired and an increase in cost of repair.

It is in everyone's interest to ensure that R2RC succeeds in its aim - to ensure that the consumers right to chose where they have their vehicle repaired is protected and to ensure that the repair arena remains a competitive one. Please visit the Right to Repair web site for more information and consider signing the on-line petition, as we have done, to retain your rights of a choice of where your car is maintained.


Added: 12th August 2009
Check and adjust your mirrors and find your blind spots. When you use mirrors there is an area on each side of your vehicle where you cannot see. You may not see people, cyclists, or vehicles when they are in these spots. Mirrors should be positioned so that there are as few blind spots for you as possible. Blind spots in most vehicles are to the back left and back right of the vehicle. On some vehicles the blind spot is so large that a vehicle could be there and you would not see it.

To reduce the blind spots, position the interior mirror so that the centre of the mirror shows the centre of the rear window. You should be able to see directly behind the car when the interior mirror is properly adjusted. Position the left outside mirror, by leaning towards the window and moving the mirror so that you can just see the rear of your car. Position the right outside mirror by leaning to the centre of the vehicle and moving the mirror so that you can again just see the rear of your car. Avoid overlap in what you can see in your mirrors.

Because your side mirrors show only narrow angles of view, turning your head is the only way to make sure there is nothing in your blind spots. You should know the blind spots on your own vehicle. You can learn where and how large they are by having someone walk around your car and watching the person in the mirrors.


Added: 12th August 2009
In 1959, the three-point seatbelt as we know it today was created by Volvo and the manufacturer was so convinced of its safety potential that it made the patent available for other manufacturers, and motorists, to benefit from. Although we may now take it for granted, modern technological developments, such as seat belt pre-tensioners, are designed to work in conjunction with the same basic design of the seatbelt, so it remains the single most important safety feature on all modern cars.

Now required by law in modern cars, it continues to protect hundreds of thousands of people from death or serious injury in car accidents every year. For the majority of motorists, clicking the seatbelt into place is as much a part of the ritual to beginning a car journey as starting the engine. That makes it easy to forget its lifesaving potential. However other safety systems, such as airbags, are designed to work in conjunction with seatbelts, so it remains the most important safety device in any modern car.

Research indicates that annually about 565 people die in traffic accident through not wearing a seatbelt and, in 2007, over 300 of these might have survived had they been belted in. Seatbelt use in cars became mandatory for front seat occupants in the UK in 1983, with further legislation in 1989 making it a requirement for all children to wear one. In 1991 wearing a seatbelt in the back of a car also became compulsory.


Added: 16th June 2009
Voice over Internet Protocol [VoIP] is the family of technologies that allows computer networks to be used for voice applications and enables forward looking companies to drive down their telephone call charges. JD Motors has embraced this technology to interconnect its five operating centres and have linked up with other companies in the recovery industry to benefit from zero cost calls. A gateway with the public telephone network is available to give low cost calls to any geographical number in he UK.

Suppliers, business contacts and customers who are also VoIP users are welcome to interact with JD Motors using internet telephony. There may be some technical hurdles to be overcome first, so please let us have your VoIP number [which looks like an email address] and we will provide the necessary information so that you can route your telephone call to JD Motors over the internet. Your point of contact on this issue is david@jd-motors.co.uk on DDI 01252 758960.