Rolls Royce Collector

Winter driving can be hazardous and stressful. Wind, snow, ice and blizzard conditions increase the normal dangers of driving. There is a lot you can do before the winter driving season and during a storm to protect yourself and your family.

Before winter arrives, have your car inspected to be sure it is ready for the road conditions. You can do this yourself or take it to a qualified mechanic. Check the battery, wipers and fluid, thermostat, brakes, ignition system, antifreeze, exhaust system, lights, oil level, heater and defrosters. Make sure everything is in good working order to keep you safe throughout the cold weather.

Check your tires to be sure they are road ready. Install tires that are appropriate for the driving conditions. In moderate amounts of snow, all weather radials will do the job nicely. If you live in a climate where you experience a lot of snow, consider snow tires. These have better tread to deal with snow and ice.

Prepare an emergency kit to keep in the back of your car. This will ensure that you are prepared in the event that you get stuck in the snow. Things to include in the kit:

Ice scraper
Small broom
Small shovel
Kitty litter or a bag of sand (to give traction if you get stuck in snow or ice)
Blankets or a sleeping bag
Flashlight with batteries
Flares or warning triangles
Plastic bags
First aid kit
Tool kit
Jumper cables
Bright cloth to use as a flag
Help sign for back window
Extra hat and gloves
Food and water to sustain you if you get stuck
A book, Bible or Prayer Cards to keep you busy and calm in the event you get stuck.
Charged cell phone (always carry this, especially in the winter)

Keep your gas tank at least half full at all times. This adds weight to the car and will ensure that you wont run out of gas in the event you get stuck.

Driving in the Snow

Pay attention to the weather forecasts and road conditions in the winter months. If the weather is bad, stay home if at all possible. If you must venture out, travel in the daylight. You are more likely to find help if you get stuck during the day. Never warm up your vehicle in the garage. This releases carbon monoxide, which is toxic and can kill you.

When driving, always wear your seatbelt. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off the snow. Know your car and how it handles in the snow. Features like traction control and antilock brakes can be useful in bad weather conditions. Know how these work and if your car is new, practice driving it in a snow covered parking lot before venturing out on the road.

Take it slow, especially in icy conditions. Dont tailgate and be sure to allow a safe distance between vehicles. Do everything slowly, stopping, accelerating and turning. Leave plenty of time and space to maneuver. Sliding and skidding usually happen when turning, stopping or accelerating. Going extra slow will ensure your safety.

If the visibility is low, slow down even more. Consider getting off highways and driving even slower. This will take you out of the path of large trucks that can cause accidents. Use only your low beams, as your high beams will reflect back off the snow and wont increase your visibility. Turn on your hazard lights to be sure other drivers see you.

In the event your car gets stuck, dont get out. Put up the hood and tie your cloth to the antennae. This will make you more visible to emergency vehicles and other drivers. Keep the windows, air grill and tail pipe clear of snow. Wrap up in blankets and huddle up with passengers to stay warm. Run the heat for fifteen minutes each hour to keep from freezing. Move your body around to stay warm.

Keeping your car clean throughout the winter is important. Salt on the roads is important for safety, but will wreak havoc on the finish. If left on for long periods, it can cause rusting. Wash your vehicle weekly to remove salt and wax to protect the paint. Salt also leaves a coating on your headlights that can impair their operation. This will make you less visible to other vehicles. New Lite Headlight Cleaner and Restorer will return the lights to like new condition.

Luxury cars offer drivers the smoothest, most comfortable rides and have some of the most advanced engineering of any vehicles on the road. Many drivers and passengers alike wish that they could experience these beautiful driving machines, but only a select few people can count themselves lucky enough to own these exquisite cars that cost quite a pretty penny. If you are contemplating the purchase of a luxury car, you will want to be certain that your money is well spent.

Although there are plenty of consumer guides to luxury cars that can give you important information about things like safety statistics and gas mileage for various models of cars, there are a few things that no guide can tell you. Some of those things include which luxury cars design is most suited to your driving style; which cars controls will be the most intuitive for you to use; and which car will be the most satisfying for you to drive. This means that you will want to spend some time behind the wheel of your luxury car of choice before you sign on the dotted line.

There are two ways to try out a luxury car before you buy. One is to take a test drive, and the other is to take out a short term rental on the car you are considering purchasing. Each of these choices has its own advantages and disadvantages. A test drive is free, which makes it more attractive to many drivers. A rental can cost quite a bit of money, even if you only rent the luxury car in question for a week or a few days. However, a test drive is rarely more than half an hour long, which can severely limit the kind of experience you can have in the car you are considering the purchase of. A rental offers a longer time frame that will allow you to really get to know the ins and outs of your potential car, allowing you to make a truly informed decision. With a rental, you will be able to travel the streets you normally traverse through the course of your day. This will give you a realistic picture of what it would be like to navigate and park with the luxury car you are contemplating.

Although in this way a rental is highly preferable to a test drive, a rental isnt always a practical or possible choice. Often, consumers who are comparing different luxury cars are interested in the hottest, newest cars on the market. These kinds of vehicles are often in great demand, which means that they are not likely to make it onto the lot at your local rental outlet. In these cases, try to get your dealer to allow you a longer test drive than the average customer. Occasionally, a salesperson will be willing to let you try a luxury car for up to twenty four hours. So even if a rental isnt an option, you may still be able to give the car a thorough spin around your neighborhood.

Mascot is a term used to refer to the hood ornament on a car. It is generally represents something which the car symbolizes. Mascots can be outstanding works of art on their own or else be quite ordinary. The first Rolls Royce had no hood ornamentation. However in the early 1900’s many people in Great Britain were working to enhance public acceptance of the automobile. One of these was John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott Montagu who, in 1905, became the second Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. He was a passionate lover of cars and an enthusiastic advocate of motoring interests.

At that time, there was an Automobile Club in Britain, which sponsored the Thousand Miles Trial to prove the safety and reliability of motorcars. The club was managed by Claude Johnson who had a very beautiful secretary named Eleanor Thornton.

Both Claude and Lord Montagu were friends and admirers of the artistic works of Charles Robinson Sykes, a graduate of the London Royal College of Art. Montagu, who owned a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, commissioned Sykes to produce a hood ornament especially for his automobile. Using Eleanor as his model, Sykes crafted a sculpture of a woman holding her fingers to her lips and named it The Whisper.

Montagu’s car struck a chord with the public and people began attaching all manner of objects to their cars. By this time, Claude Johnson had moved from the Automobile Club to the Rolls Royce Company. He became alarmed at the impropriety of these impromptu hood ornaments and decided to commission a mascot that would reflect “the overall style and quality of the car.” So he turned to his friend Sykes.

Johnson, as he conveyed to Sykes, had in mind something akin to the spirit of the mythical beauty Nike, whose image was on display at the Louvre in Paris. Sykes, however, disagreed feeling that the representation should be more feminine. Evidently Sykes prevailed, as he created another sculpture of Ms. Thornton. The sculpture was three inches high and crafted of white metal. Later, it would be manufactured from stainless steel. There is a myth that the ornaments are made of silver but silver has never been used. Again, the lady has her finger to her lips as though conveying a secret.

Sykes named his creation the Spirit of Speed.
But Johnson changed the name to the Spirit of Ecstasy.

In the meantime, Ms. Thornton had become secretary to Lord Montagu and they had also become lovers. Because of the mores of the time that forbade any romantic alliance between two people of such vastly different social and economic standing, their affair was a secret known only to a few close friends. Together, they had a daughter however she was placed in a foster home and knew Montagu only as uncle.

Their love story ended in tragedy. They were both aboard the SS Persia, enroute to India, via the Mediterranean when the boat was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat. Eleanor drowned but Montagu survived. Privately, he was devastated but he dared not publicly mourn her death.

However, their romance may be immortalized on the hood of the world’s most prestigious automobile if indeed the speculation that has been made is true. For it is said that the ’secret’ embodied in the image was actually the love that Eleanor shared with Montagu.

Are you still one of those people who find hydrogen-powered cars unbelievable? Well, youd better think again. One of the best automakers in the market today is on a quest to produce a vehicle that can run using hydrogen fuel. BMW says that this year, 2008, they will introduce the first hydrogen powered vehicle.

Germans are absolutely determined to manufacture a great number of hydrogen powered vehicles. Have you seen a BMW lately? Well perhaps in the coming months, you will see the magnificent creation of BMW.

General Motors declared way back in the year 2000 that they are going to build hydrogen powered cars but most people believed that it would take around 20 years before that goal can be achieved. Hydrogen technology sounds too unbelievable for them. It was only in 2004 that BMW made the same announcement and they promised the public that by 2008, hydrogen powered BMW cars will roam the streets.

Recent photographs of BMW cars are gaining so much attention especially in automotive blogs. BMW launched their 7 Series just recently and its alternate fuel is hydrogen. Many people spotted the test run of the said vehicle in Germany.

There are still several things to consider before the public accepts hydrogen powered vehicles. You see, the internal combustion engines are still the most popular and hydrogen fuel is just new in the market.

Among the factors to consider are the following:

1. Cost. Hydrogen fuel is quite costly. At present, fuel cells have prohibitive prices but because of technological advancements, the cost is slowly being lowered. Once the price of fuel cells drop to a certain level that is quite affordable for the public, only then can it be a viable substitute.

2. Production concerns. In order to develop the hydrogen cells, a great amount of fossil fuel is needed. The hydrogen infrastructure is also very expensive to implement. Billions of dollars is not even enough and according to some experts, the infrastructure alone can cost 1 trillion dollars.

3. Storage concerns. This is another possible problem associated with the production of hydrogen cells. The existing gas lines cant be used to transmit hydrogen fuel because it reacts negatively with steel. Therefore, the government needs to create a distribution system that can be used exclusively for hydrogen fuel.

Despite the three major concerns, automakers like BMW and the federal government are still focusing in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative to combustion engines. If ever a hydrogen infrastructure is made, the government and the people can benefit highly. One benefit is that the US and other rich countries will no longer depend on foreign oil. The best benefit that the entire mankind can benefit from is that the emissions of greenhouse gases will considerably drop.

The two possible benefits are enough so that the government and automakers continue with their goal in producing hydrogen powered vehicles and a hydrogen infrastructure. If the government does extend the much needed assistance, hydrogen technology will soon benefit everyone.

The quest for hydrogen fuel cannot be realized if only the automakers like General Motors and BMW push for it. They need help from the government and the support of the public. If man wants to save the planet, hydrogen fuel is the best answer rather than depending solely on combustion engines. Check out BMW hydrogen powered vehicles online now.

It is rumored that back in 1967 an elderly lady in London was observed beating on a Rolls-Royce with her umbrella while shouting, “You swine, you swine, how dare you do this to a Rolls-Royce?” Although one might assume she would have been arrested and the owner would have pressed charges, this never happened. The owner only laughed.

The owner in question was John Lennon, of Beatle fame. Lennon purchased a Phantom V that had been manufactured by the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The chassis was mounted with a limousine body manufactured by Mulltner Park Ward. It was finished in Valentines Black. The license plate number was FBJ111C. The car was 19 feet long and weighed three tons.

Lennon immediately began to make alterations to the vehicle. First he installed a radio-telephone, a stereo system, a Sony television set and a refrigerator. Then he had the back seat modified so it could be converted to a bed. In 1966, when John had to go to Spain to film “How I Won the War,” he had both his car and chauffeur sent over. At that time the car, including all the metal trim, had been repainted a matte black.

However, John became bored with the black and in 1967 visited J.P. Fallon Ltd. a coachworks company housed in Chertsey, Surrey, England. Here he discussed idea of repainting the car psychedelic. Fallon agreed to this and hired a Dutch team of Gypsy artists, known as The Fool, to do the job. They painted the car a bright yellow overall and then designed and painted a pattern of scroll and flowers in green, blue, orange and red over the yellow background. John paid 2,000 British pounds for the work.

The Beatles then used the Phantom V from 1966 to 1969. In 1970, John and Yoko Ono shipped the car to the United States however they seldom used it in the United States. Various rock stars such as the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues and Bob Dylan borrowed it. Finally it was placed in storage in New York City. But when John and Yoko got into trouble with the US Internal Revenue in 1977, they donated the car to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, in New York City, and received a $225,000 tax credit.

The Museum put it on public display for about four months but had to return it to storage, as they could not afford the insurance coverage for public viewing.

Finally, in 1985 Cooper-Hewitt sold the car through an auction for $2,299,000 to Mr. Jim Pattison’s Ripley International Inc., for exhibition at Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not” museum.

In 1986, Mr. Pattison, who was chairman of the Expo ‘86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, arranged to have the car displayed at Expo.

In 1987, it was presented as a gift to Her Majesty in Right of the Province of British Columbia and placed on exhibit at the Transportation Museum of British Columbia at Cloverdale.

It was then sent to the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, British Columbia for occasional display.

On March 9, 1996 it was moved to The National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa. Here it was displayed with a sculpture of John as a passenger, done by Joanne Sullivan.

They are the ultimate cars of luxury. Kings and Queens have been chauffeur driven in them and Hollywood stars love being photographed in them. They are the epitome of opulence. But what is the history of these famous cars?

On 4th May 1904 the Midland Hotel in Manchester Charles Rolls had lunch with Henry Royce. Charles was an aristocrat and adventurer, born in 1877. He was also an engineer and the first pilot to complete a double crossing of the English Channel. Henry was a mechanical engineer and was born in 1863. He set up his first business at the age of 21 and registered his first patent in 1887. The pair discussed joining forces.

In 1902, Royce had built his first car – a Decauville. He wasn’t happy with it and set about building the best cars in the world. In 1903 he had built his first engine and in 1904 a prototype was taken to the road.

Charles Rolls was the first Cambridge undergraduate to own a car and he soon began racing. To fund his passion he set up a car dealership. He mostly sold foreign cars but was seeking quality English cars- a quest that led him to Henry Royce.

Following the now famous Manchester lunch, the pair agreed that Rolls would exclusively sell as many cars as Royce could make, and in 1906 Rolls-Royce Limited was officially founded.

In 1907 Henry Royce announced the six-cylinder Silver Ghost – a super smooth car of great repute. It broke the mould for craftsmanship, engineering and attention to detail and earned a reputation as the best car in the world, covering 15,000 continuous miles with little wear.

The company also produced aircraft engines and their first was produced in 1914. By the late 1920’s aviation made up most of their business and during the First World War nearly half of all the aircraft engines used by the allies were made by Rolls-Royce.

During the war, their Silver Ghost car chassis was toughened with armour and used as a combat car. The Silver Ghost remained in production until 1926.

After the war in 1946 Rolls-Royce brought out the Silver Wraith and made more cars again. The Silver Wraith was produced until 1959.

In 1950 HRH Princess Elizabeth took delivery of the first Phantom IV – a car that was designed exclusively for heads of state and royalty. Only 18 were ever produced.

Rolls-Royce celebrated their 100th birthday in 2004 and they have had many successes along the way. Their ‘R’ engine design powered the winning plane in the Intercontinental Schneider Trophy seaplane contest and a new air speed record was set. In 1933 George Eyston broke the land speed record with a top speed of 312.2mph in his car Thunderbolt which was powered by two ‘R’ engines.

Charles Rolls was sadly killed when his biplane crashed at an air show in July 1910 and Henry Royce died in April 1933 in West Wittering, aged 70.

By Rebecca Twigg

Slot machines, poker tables, blackjack, dancing girls, a 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. That’s Vegas right?

Maybe you still have 2 hours to kill before your flight, or maybe you just went bust-o. Who knows, well, you do. If you’re looking for a sanctuary among the glitz and glammer of Sin City, stop by the Imperial Palace – located next to Harrah’s and across the street from Caesars Palace – and check out the classic auto collection. It’s the largest collection of it’s kind in the world and is a relatively quiet spot among all the excitement. The collection is on the fifth floor at Imperial Palace – on your way back there, pick up one of the free “to do” magazines available everywhere and you’ll probably find a coupon for free admission to the collection – otherwise, it’s only going to set you back $6.95 to get in. Relatively cheap when things like Bodies or the Titanic are around $20 bucks to get in.

No matter what kind of car you like, the Auto Collection has it. They have indy pace cars, rebuilt muscle cars from the seventies, cars used in movies, and just plain rare and expensive cars. You’ll find all the Ford’s and Chevy’s you can shake a stick at, as well as exotic car lines you might never heard of, or simply never seen including: Packard, Rolls-Royce, Duesenberg, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot Lago, Bentley, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Bugatti, Cadillac, Delahaye, Delage, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Horch, Isotta Fraschini, Pierce Arrow, Minerva, and many more.

Do you remember Herbie the Love Bug? Well, 3 of the bugs driven by Lindsey Lohan and used in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” sit on the showroom floor. Or perhaps you want to see the original Cooper Mini that Charlize Theron drove in “The Italian Job,” it can be seen with a monitor sitting next to it playing clips from the movie. Or for you speed freaks – the Ford Mustang Fastback used in “The Fast and the Furious” can be seen as well.

Some of the cars are one of a kind customs with intricate bodywork and details that are all original. Many of the cars are rebuilt – some were just well kept, and some, were never driven at all. There’s one VW Beetle from the 60’s that the owner parked in a barn, left the window sticker still on it, and now it sits in the showroom with 50 original miles on it.

One of the neat things about the collection is that it’s not only a collection to show off – it’s a collection that’s for sale. Perhaps you have an extra $35,000 to spend on a ‘67 Chevy SS Camaro, or maybe your rich uncle just died and left you an extra 5 million dollars to spend on one of the Phantoms. Whatever your fancy, if you fancy a classic car – you can buy it here and drive it off the collection floor.

Whatever your purpose, the auto collection at Imperial Palace is always quiet and stunning. Stop by to relax but be prepared to see some vehicles that will simply blow your socks off.

Patrick Treadway

The American Made Rolls Royce Auto – Not a Success Story

At one point in time the venerable prestige Rolls-Royce fine motor cars were made and manufactured in the U.S.A. – the United States of America. However this early example of marketing and production offshore and off home base was doomed to failure.

A bare six months after the signing of the historic contract between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce the export drive of Rolls-Royce was on its way. Early on in September 1906 Charles Royce was on his way to the United States, taking with him four cars as samples of the company’s wares. One of these cars was sold almost as soon as it was unloaded; one went straight away to Texas. The remaining two vehicles served as sales and marketing vehicles – an example of the fine craft and attention to detail that the company become world famous and known for. One of the cars was kept on the road as a demonstration model, while the other was put on display at the New York Auto Show. That first appearance at the auto show was a great success for Rolls Royce as well: an additional four orders were taken for new cars. As well an American distributor jumped to the plate.

Business grew for Rolls- Royce in America to the point that in the 12 month period before the beginning of the First World War, fully 100 vehicles were sold. By this time the owners and management of the firm had come to the conclusion of the great sales potential for Rolls-Royce motorcars in the United States. Judged on current trends and market sales information and experience, they came to the conclusion that the American market for their fine products was larger and richer than anything that they could expect to attain in their home market and current manufacturing domain – England. Import restrictions and tariffs would be the limiting factor for Rolls-Royce in terms of both added costs to the final price of the car to American consumers, who would have to absorb the import tariffs on their vehicles and the profitability of Rolls-Royce in America.

The die was cast. As promptly as possible American manufacturing facilities were set up. This was to be a full Rolls-Royce manufacturing facility in America. A factory itself was purchased in Springfield Massachusetts. Manufacturing was promptly commenced under the direct supervision of none other than Henry Royce himself. Production was done mainly by local workers, aided and supervised by a fleet of 50 tradesmen from the British Derby factory itself. These British workers actually physically immigrated to America permanently with their families as well.

Production at this Springfield plant commenced in 1921 with Rolls-Royce firmly stating that the product from this auto plant would be the equal of anything built at the home plant located at Derby England. The plan was that parts would be shipped and assembled in the US with custom made coachwork made by existing prestigious American firms. Interestingly enough over time the number of items made locally in the US, as opposed to Britain, began to actually increase, not decrease. However the consistency of the product, in terms of product line and actual product began to deviate from the strict British made product. Only the first 25 rolling chassis were actually identical to the Derby England factory items. As time went on there were more and more deviations from the strict British product. Some of this may be due to the personal preferences and procedures of the different local American coachbuilders. After each was a premium established firms with distinct products, styles and methods previously. Some was due to the requests from the American customers, their ability to individualize and personalize their American made car to their individual preferences and styles.

What did in the American Roll-Royce? For one thing cost. Substantial costs were incurred in converting the cars from right hand British drive to left hand American. As a result of the increased costs incurred, the selling price of these American made Rolls-Royces was not nearly as competitive to other automotive products available on the U.S. market for prestige automotive products. Next the primary U.S. coachmaker for Rolls-Royce, the Brewster Coachbuilding firm, fell into financial difficulties. Then along came the 1929 stock market crash. The American Rolls-Royce might of continued save for one major marketing blunder. The British parent firm introduced a dynamite model – the Phantom, The car was not made in the US nor even made available, by import of 100 cars, till a year later. The car had great reception with the prestige auto market in the USA. However by the time it was decided to manufacture this hit product to meet the American demand the actual Phantom model was replaced by an ultra high tech and sophisticated model – The Phantom II. With the retooling costs incurred the calculation was that each American Rolls-Royce Phantom II car unit produced and sold would cost the company an astounding 1 million to produce in comparison to the 1929 customer price threshold for luxury prestige automobiles of only $ 20,000.

The fate of Rolls-Royce American manufactured products was sealed. The firm honored the last 200 orders for their cars. By 1935 these orders were completed and delivered to their customers.

That was the ending of the Rolls-Royce experiment of producing an American made prestige car product.

Terry E. Voster

That Old Limousine Looks As Good As the Day it Was Made

Types of Vintage Limousines For those who want a vintage limousine with a more casual feel, the Rolls Royce Corniche Convertible from the 1960s is an excellent choice. This car is great for the summer months (most cars now have been upgraded to include air conditioning) and for the couple that wants a vehicle all to themselves, as it fits just two people. This car generally comes in a navy blue exterior with a leather interior.

A Queen’s Silver Wraith Rolls Royce from the 1950s is the epitome of a high-class vintage limousine. Such a car generally comes with a navy blue or white exterior and a comfortable leather interior. It can hold up to four people, and is often equipped with am AM FM radio and a privacy window separating the driver from the passengers.

The Rolls Royce Bentley S1 from the 1950s is a great choice for those who love the look of a luxury car with a white exterior and a leather interior. Like the Queen’s Silver Wraith, this type of Rolls Royce can also comfortably fit four people.

The price of renting a vintage limousine depends on where one chooses to rent from, the type of vehicles that are available, and how long one wants to rent one for. It should, however, be noted that it will not be inexpensive to rent one of these cars. Regardless of the price, a vintage limousine is a memorable and romantic way to drive in style.

Rent a Vintage Limousine for a Special Event When one thinks of events like weddings, one generally thinks of using a very special vehicle such as a limousine as a means of transportation, since it is a special way to go to and from a special event. While one could rent the standard limousine, renting a vintage limousine would be a classic and special way to attend any romantic event.

Who Would Rent a Vintage Limousine? Vintage limousines are perfect for the couple that love classic cars and that movie star feel from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Vintage limousines are perfect also for the couple that is celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary, since the vehicle would remind them of the era in which they first fell in love.

Show Me Tell Me: The New Technical Checks of the Irish Driving Test.

The latest round of changes to the Irish Driving Test were implemented on, Feb.14th 2005, as part of a chain of E.U.Directives.

Test Candidates are now required to have a basic level of mechanical knowledge, which any good professional School of Motoring would have been teaching from day one in any event.

The car of today is a very different beast compared with its grandparents and any driver, young or old, should have a range of skills that enable them to identify problems and take the necessary remedial action.

The Driving Examiner will select three questions at random from a list of technical aspects which will include opening the bonnet. While it is not exactly space technology, the ability to identify this range of equipment and to describe how individual checks would be performed, does require some thought and a little practise. Some of the equipment will have accompanying warning lights on the instrument panel some does not, so some of the requirements will already be known (hopefully!)

Candidates will be asked to explain how they would perform checks on three out of the following list:-
Engine Oil: Coolant: Steering: Brakes: Horn: Indicators: Lights: Tyres: Reflectors: Windscreen washer.

The under the Bonnet checks relate to:-Power Steering Fluid; Brake Fluid; Engine Oil; Engine Coolant; and Windscreen washer Fluid. In a newer car all of these pieces of equipment are easily identifiable by coloured tops to the various reservoirs, which have an easily recognisable icon painted or etched into them. The location of these five essential items does vary a little from model to model so if you have changed your car in the lead up to the Driving Test then spend a few minutes double checking.

In the event of very bad weather (rarely a feature of the Irish climate) it is unlikely that the Examiner will ask for the bonnet to be opened but since he or she has already spent time outside the car, checking brake lights and indicators and paperwork, its not impossible. If he or she is a fisherman or a boating enthusiast then a few drops of rain will be water off a ducks back. Just keep an eye on the weather and ensure that your heater or demist controls are pre-set .Two persons in the car during rainy weather will mist up the windows extremely quickly and the candidate needs to be equally deft with the controls.

Questions on brakes will cover both the footbrake and handbrake, and on steering will deal with cars that both have power steering and those that dont .Of course there are still a few older cars out there without P.A.S. Its worth adding to the list , one more item of importance to the Driverthat of the Alternator and its drive belt .The fact that all the above need to be demonstrated on the Driving Test should not detract from the need to perform these checks on a regular weekly basis. It is precisely because of the importance of all these pieces of equipment and their monitoring, that it was deemed essential to include them in the scope of the Driving Test.

Show Me Tell Me..Below is an example of the question and answer technique to one of the Test Questions .The full questions and answers will be provided in another follow up article and on the Astral School of Motoring website shortly.

Checking the Oil Level.
Show me the Oil filler cap and tell me how you would check for the correct level of Oil in the EngineExaminer
Here is the oil filler cap and to check the oil level I would first withdraw the Oil Dip Stick, wipe it clean and then replace it momentarily. I would then withdraw the dip stick again and ensure that the level of oil showing was between the minimum and maximum marks on the base of the dip stick, preferably nearer the maximum mark. In the event of the oil level being lower than the half way mark I would top up to the maximum levelCandidate

This latter sentence has been put in for good measure since its not much good knowing how you would check the oil if you didnt then follow through on the result!

Since all equipment in your car needs to be in tip top shape and regularly inspected if we are to stay safe and avoid accidents, look on the acquisition of these technical skills as two sides of the same coin .Safety and Economy .If you look after your equipment you will be both safe and economic. In a number of future articles we will explore the advantages of correct techniques and the impact they will have on your safety AND your bank balance.