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Simply fantastic product and fantastic people. I had been suffering from white exhaust smoke and burning oil. I came across lots of symptoms on forums and came across the dreaded swirl flap issue. Needless to say I was very concerned and got in touch with PMW. There help, advice and expertise was invaluble.
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Fed up of paying upwards of £40-£50 to fill up your car? No problem, how does £1.50 sound instead? (Yes that’s correct - £1.50 for a full ‘tank’) If this sounds like something you might be interested in then the AirPod city car could be right up your street…
Based in Luxembourg and Nice, Motor Development International is the company behind this curious technology, which involves the use of compressed air as its fuel and will be available for sale in Europe in a few months time for around 6,000 euros.
Additionally the AirPod is not only environmentally sound from an emissions perspective (i.e. it has none) but also in that its construction is less energy and materials intensive, using a carbon fibre tank to store air rather than the batteries used in electric cars for example.
All this comes at a price, and quite a cheap one at that, though the top speed of the AirPod (29mph) makes it quite impractical for anything other than inner city driving. If the technology improves however in coming years (raising the top speed to around 40-50 mph for example) then the AirPod could become quite the hit indeed.
Unfortunately the AirPod looks fairly vulnerable in terms of the strength and size of its aluminium chassis - but then again it is designed for use at relatively low-speed environments and therefore this becomes much less of an issue if one takes this into account.
Sadly the AirPod won’t be on sale in the UK for now (and perhaps it will be less suited to the commuter habits which result from city layouts that give preference to house rather than apartment living), but I for one will be following the topic very closely, as that £1.50 full tank (which does 137 miles) sounds like an awfully clever idea, especially as each week brings a new jump in conventional fuel prices…
Dejan Levi
air powered car, AirPod, Dejan Levi, green motoring, MDI, Motor Development International
2010 Porsche 911: The 997-II generation of the Porsche 911 family expands for 2010 to include the 911 Turbo, the 911 GT3 and the 911 GT3 RS.
The GT3 and GT3 RS remain the Porsche 911s for purists, as you can still get them only with a six-speed manual gearbox — albeit a shorter-geared, shorter-throw unit in the maximum-attack 911 RS. Still, in a nod to the times, both use a new 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder with direct-injection technology. It makes 435 horsepower in the standard 911 GT3 and 450 hp in the RS. Dynamic engine mounts that vary the amount of damping force according to driving conditions are optional on the regular GT3 and standard on the GT3 RS.
Photos and full story over at InsideLine.com
The new Porsche Panamera has been unjustly likened to a tank by some. Well now there might be just cause. Porsche is known for offering a myriad of options on all their new cars. However, when I recently used the Porsche car configurator to option out a new Panamera, I thought I had all there was on offer including a refrigerator in the back seat and a list price just north of $200k. Boy, was I wrong. For another $250k (for a total cost of $450,000) I could have a Panamera worthy of 3rd world dictator (or at least today’s Wall Street CEOs).
Aricle continues over at Porsche Purist online
BMW is pleased to announce the next chapter in the story of one of the most successful cars ever to have been produced. The new, sixth generation BMW 5 Series Saloon offers customers the perfect blend of class-leading powerplants, unrivalled driving dynamics and a sporting yet elegant design to set a new benchmark in the executive class.
The very first BMW 5 Series Saloon appeared in 1972 and every incarnation since then has raised the bar in terms of design, engineering or technology. BMW’s first diesel engine appeared in a Five, while other generations hailed the introduction of innovations such as all aluminium suspension, Head-up Display and Active Steering. The latest BMW 5 Series Saloon similarly sets new standards and is the first in its class to feature Auto Start-Stop, an eight-speed automatic transmission and a double-wishbone front suspension.
Read more at BMW news online
Dear Peter,
Vehicle: BMW 530d,
Just a quick follow up message after to work you carried out last week.
Firstly thank you for staying later to finish the job. The car feels spot on now, I knew it wasn’t quite right before (even though I haven’t owned the vehicle long). The automatic transmission is perfect, no snatching of gears or holding in high revs before changing up, unlike before.
The power issue is certainly improved somewhat, there is still the odd influx of power at about 4000 revs usually in the higher gears. I’m not over concerned about this, just surprised this power is not there all the time and through all the gears, although performance is still very good, certainly better than before.
Excellent job.
Cheers
Vince
Dear Sir,
I ordered and recieved two sets of six blanking plates for my BMW 530d earlier this month.
It turns out that my car required the smaller size, which were duly fitted, and judging by the look of one of the removed swirl flaps - This was done just in time!
My mechanic may well be ordering a set of these from you for his 3 series?
As agreed at the time of ordering; I am returning the unused larger set to you for a refund.
I am very grateful for the speedy, friendly and professional service you provide and I will not hesitate to recommend you to others.
Mr M Haddon
According to new figures released by the RAC this week, UK motorists are changing their motoring habits significantly in response to the rising costs of running a vehicle. The most common strategies in reducing costs have been the obvious ones - downsizing vehicles, and the number of vehicles per household.
Only 28% of motorists cited environmental motivations for the decisions, proving once more that financial considerations are overwhelmingly more crucial in changing habits - despite the government’s various new awareness initiatives such as the ‘drive 5 miles less a week campaign’ (which are nonetheless welcome and beneficial).
So if running a car is looking expensive at the moment, what exactly can we expect in 2010? Well here’s a few figures on the current state of play:
-Average cost of motoring for 2009 in the UK: £2,219 (down 5% from 2008).
-Of this, £2,219, around half (£1,184) is spent on fuel.
So, the general picture is that 2009 was still one of the most expensive years for motoring in the past decade, but that it was also marginally cheaper than 2008. However, two significant details promise to make 2010 possibly even more expensive than both 2008 and 09.
First of all, the VAT on new vehicles is set to rise from 15% to 17.5% - which amounts to over £200 for a £10,000 new car. However, even those of us who plan to keep our existing vehicles in 2010 will incur another unavoidable expense - further rises in the cost of fuel.
The RAC expects fuel costs to rise to the peak levels we saw in 2008, over the coming months - which means that petrol for example could once more hit a £1.15-£1.20 average, meaning that the figure stated above for annual average fuel cost would jump to approx £1,270. All this added together means that an already expensive activity, will be really stretching the bank.
The reality is that whatever your views on climate change etc, the need to reduce motoring use and habits is highly pressing. Driving less, and driving less inefficient vehicles is looking like the only way to make ends meet for many UK households, and the most important thing from the government’s point of view will be to manage public transport funding in a manner which makes this both feasible and viable in the long-term, especially with further fuel duty increases planned for April 2010…
Dejan Levi
climate change, CO2 emissions, cutting motoring costs, Dejan Levi, Motoring costs
The 550i Gran Turismo arrives in showrooms with an MSRP of $64,725.
BMW today announced pricing for the first of its 5 Series Gran Turismo models to reach US shores. The 550i Gran Turismo will be available beginning December 5, 2009 with a base MSRP of $64,725, including $825 Destination & Handling.
The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is a new interpretation of a classic concept offering, in this case, luxury seating for four or five in combination with remarkably flexible storage options. 550i Gran Turismo will combine the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with BMW’s first-ever 8-speed automatic transmission. With maximum output of 400 horsepower and peak torque of 450 lb-ft., the 550i Gran Turismo will accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds.
Photos plus full article over at InAutoNews.com
Yes, BMW is going to collaborate with Rolls Royce the car manufacturer. More exactly, BMW just confirmed that Rolls Royce is going to build a luxury model of the little MINI Cooper. Quite amazing, is there a call/demand for this type of vehicle, and if so; what price can we expect to pay?
Back in the 60’s ‘Tickford’ enhanced the Mini in numerous ways, making it more ‘luxurious’. That model was produced in very small numbers (less than 10 I believe) as it was too expensive. Could this latest creation go the same way?
Photos and full article over at BMWCoop.com
While BMW, Mercedes and Audi normally match each other move-for-move, this is an entirely different idea from the big-engined and thirsty Mercedes SLS and Audi R8. It’s compact, light and almost unbelievably efficient.
The drivetrain consists of a mid-mounted three-cylinder 163bhp diesel engine, boosted by a hybrid electric motor. It goes through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission to the rear wheels.
But there’s an extra electric motor driving the front wheels. This boosts total system power to 365bhp for short periods of acceleration, and gives the car all-wheel-drive traction and the performance to match today’s BMW M3.
Read More and see pics at Telegraph online
