The One Dry Wash Valeting Kit includes a bottle of One Dry Wash, Tyre Shine, Interior Wipes, Microfibre cloths and a detailing brush

Waterless car wash products are becoming increasingly popular in the UK as people realise how, quick, easy to use and convenient they are – often far more so than washing with soap and water before polishing.

One Dry Wash is the best waterless wash product we’ve tried and we are very pleased to have five One Dry Wash Complete Valeting Kits to give away in our latest competition.

One Dry Wash provides a just polished shine for paintwork, glass, chrome and painted plastic and is completely safe on all exterior surfaces.

One 500ml bottle will clean a car or small van several times and you only need two microfibre cloths (supplied in this kit) to wipe the dirt off and then buff to a shine.

I freely admit that it sounds too good to be true – but it really does work and achieves excellent results. It is also an ideal accessory to have when you are on the road and want to keep your windows and bonnet free of flies, dust and dirt.

Click here to enter our competition to win a One Dry Wash Car Valeting Kit

(Entries close 10th February 2012 at 2pm UK time.)

Sixt has opened a new van hire branch in Manchester.

The location offers a full range of cars and vans and is located at on Ducie Street (M1 2JL), close to Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station.

The new branch is open 7 days a week, including bank holidays:

• Monday – Friday 08:00 – 19:00
• Saturday 08:00 – 17:00
• Sunday 09:00 – 16:00
• On bank holidays 09:00 – 16:00

For full details of this branch, including a map, click here.

Click here for a full list of Manchester van hire locations.

Iveco has announced that it will launch a range of conversion options for new Daily chassis cab and chassis crew cab models in the first quarter of 2012.

The options will be available through the DriveAway scheme and will mean that customers needing body conversions will be able to order specify these bodies when they order their vehicles, rather than having to source them from third-party body builders. Luton, dropside and tipper bodies will be available under the DriveAway scheme in both single cab and crew cab variants.

Most other light commercial vehicle manufacturers already operate such schemes and Iveco’s move is in response both to customer demand and to the impending European Whole Vehicle Type Approval legislation, which applies to all new vehicle types registered from October 2011 and to all existing vehicle types from April 2013.

Since the launch of the new Daily in September 2011, Iveco has received orders for 11,000 vehicles, including a significant number of chassis cab units, highlighting demand for ready-built conversions.

The government has announced that plug-in grant scheme for electric cars has been extended to include electric vans.

This means that buyers will get 20% off the price of a plug-in electric van, up to a maximum of £8,000.

Eligibility criteria for vans include:

• Vans must new and have a gross weight of under 3.5t
• Tailpipe CO2 emissions of 75g/km or less
• Minimum range of 60 miles for fully electric vans or 10 miles on electric power for plug-in hybrid vans
• Maximum speed of at least 50mph
• A 3-year vehicle and drivetrain warranty.

You can see full details of eligibility requirements here, on the DfT website. The grant is only available to vans which are on the DfT’s approved list – van manufacturers can submit their vans for approval at any time and the deadline for inclusion on the initial list is 31st January 2012.

Commenting on the decision, Transport Minister Norman Baker said:

“Electric vehicles are the arrowhead for a low carbon revolution in motoring and as more models come to market we’ll begin to see sales gather pace.

“Car buyers have had a year to take advantage of our grant and now it’s time for van buyers to get their chance to go electric. This is great news for businesses given the lower running costs of these vehicles – fleet buyers tell us that this is one of the most important factor influencing their decision on what to buy.”

Diesel prices are set to reach record levels in January, with fuel retailers already reeling from a 4.5p per litre rise in the cost they pay per litre over the Christmas period.

Further rises are likely before the end of January and the petrol division of the Retail Motor Industry (RMI Petrol) believes that the average forecourt price for a litre of diesel will soon top its all-time record of 143p. Industry experts are pinning the blame on Iran’s threat to hold a demonstration in the Strait of Hormuz and tightening capacity as cash-strapped refineries shut down.

For van operators, it is a good time to tighten up on heavy-footed drivers and ensure that multiple journeys are consolidated into one wherever possible. It may also be a good time to consider disposing of older vans, especially if their fuel consumption is poor when compared to new models.

Van hire can provide the ideal solution in this scenario: using a hire van to replace an older van for a week or two will provide a good insight into the difference in fuel consumption between the two models, although drivers need to play ball and concentrate on optimising fuel consumption, rather than revelling in the improved performance offered by the latest van models…

To provide an example of how van fuel consumption has improved over the last 10 years, here are fuel consumption figures for Mk5, Mk6 and the latest Mk7 Ford Transits:

• I owned a  Mk5 (1999) Ford Transit – average consumption 30mpg
• I replaced it with a Mk6 (2001) Ford Transit 100T280 – average consumption 36mpg
• The current (2012) Mk7 Ford Transit Econetic (same body/power as my Mk6) has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 43.5mpg if fitted with the optional 62mph speed limiter

The savings could really add up for anyone doing more than nominal mileage – why not hire a van for a week and find out how your business would benefit?

To compare van hire prices from major UK van rental companies, click here.

The Hammersmith flyover (on the A4 into West London) has now reopened to van traffic, with a 2.0m (6′ 6″) width restriction in place to ensure that nothing larger tries to use the bridge.

The flyover is still restricted to one lane in either direction, however, and the general traffic chaos caused by the partial closure of this arterial route continues – avoid it if at all possible.

In case you missed it, the Hammersmith flyover, which is on the A4, was closed on 23rd December 2011 when Transport for London discovered it was about to collapse… Presumably someone will get a bonus for operating such a masterful preventative maintenance strategy.

The A4 is one of the main routes into London, not least to and from Heathrow Airport. It will remain partially closed for at least four months and although it will be open during the London Olympics, it will need to be closed again afterwards to complete the repair work.

Van sales rose by 16.7% in 2011, with sales up 2.8% in December alone, according to the year-end figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A total of 260,153 vans (commercial vehicles under 3.5t, including pickups and some 4x4s) were registered last year. The SMMT figures also highlight the popularity of the 2.5t-3.5t van sector – 57.8% of vans sold in 2011 were 2.5t-3.5t models, such as the Volkswagen Transporter, Vauxhall Vivaro, Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter.

Vauxhall Vans Are Small Business Favourites

Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall sold more vans at retail than any other van manufacturer in the UK in 2011. Selling at retail normally means selling to small businesses, who buy their vans from dealers, rather than as fleet purchases.

Despite the increasing age of the Vauxhall Vivaro, it remains good to drive, stylish and a firm favourite with small business owners, topping the retail medium van segment in 2011 with sales up 58%.

Vauxhall’s very attractive offer of  four years’ zero per cent APR finance, four years’ free servicing, a four year warranty and four years’ AA cover no doubt helped seal a few of these deals.

The current Vivaro (also badged as Renault Trafic and Nissan Primastar) is built at Vauxhall’s Luton plant and Vauxhall fans will be pleased to know that the next generation Vivaro will also be built in Luton, continuing a decade-long tradition.

The 3rd January 2012 saw the introduction of new, tighter rules in the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), which includes most of the area inside the M25.

Although the new LEZ rules only specify Euro 3 emissions compliance for vans under 3.5t, many van operators seem to have decided to go one better and buy a van that is Euro 4 compliant – perhaps with an eye to future LEZ rule changes.

What Has Changed?

The new LEZ rules require vans under 3.5t to meet Euro 3 emissions standards or pay a charge of £100 per day. This meant that most 9+ year old vans instantly became impractical to run – leaving a large number of tradesmen and small businesses in need of a newer van.

Buyers Choosing Scruffy Euro 4 Vans

Van operators such as these tend to do low mileages and have tight budgets – making a new van an unlikely option. What was expected to happen was that they would buy good condition 4-6 year old vans to replace their non-compliant older vans – typically 9-15 years old.

Vans produced since the 1st October 2006 are Euro 4 compliant, and Sussex-based vehicle auctioneer Shoreham Vehicle Auctions says that buyers are choosing damaged, high mileage Euro 4 vans in preference to clean Euro 3 models.

This sounds like a case of once bitten, twice shy – having had their old vans effectively outlawed from the start of this year, they can see the writing on the wall for the next LEZ rule change, which will inevitably require operators to comply with Euro 4 emissions standards, as is already the case for commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.

Alex Wright, Shoreham Vehicle Auction’s managing director, says that many used van dealers have been caught by surprise:

“A 56-plate Transit Connect or Vauxhall Combo that would have been worth £1,000 five months ago is now selling for £1,500.

These buyers coming out of a 9-15 year old van are small businesses who aren’t high mileage users and who can’t or don’t want to get finance. The result is them turning their attention to the cheapest vehicle possible to avoid being penalised which is a complete U-turn in their buying patterns predicted by the industry”

New Rules A Success?

Although the transition for van operators in the LEZ could be expensive and inconvenient, this trend can be said to have vindicated the LEZ rule changes.

Van operators are very unlikely to ever revert to an older van than they are currently using – meaning that Euro 4 and above may become the new de facto standard for van operators in London. This should considerably reduce emissions from their current levels.

Van hire companies have also expected an increase in trade as a result of the new LEZ rules, as van users who only occasionally travel into the LEZ will find it cheaper to hire a van when needed than buy a newer model. It is too early to say whether this trend will materialise, but there is no doubt that the new rules are having an effect on London’s commercial vehicle traffic.

People who are not familiar with the antiques business in the UK sometimes ask where the ‘biggest’ or ‘best’ antiques fairs in the UK take place.

When it comes to the biggest antique and collectors fairs in the UK, there is no competition: The International Antiques and Collectors Fair at Newark is the biggest in the UK. It takes place six times a year at the Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground and attracts up to 4,000 stallholders at each event.

Buyers come from all over the UK and from continental Europe and North America – it has a reputation as a trade fair and many buyers are looking for stock for their own antiques businesses, although there are a great many collectors, too.

Organised by IACF, the Newark fair also has a number of siblings, each of which is large in its own right. Here’s a list of each of IACF’s UK fairs, together with its first 2012 date:

• Newark: 2-3 February
• Ardingly: 10-11 January
• Swinderby: 12 March
• Shepton Mallet: 20-22 January
• Newbury: 26 March
• Redbourn: 2 July

Ardingly, Swinderby and Shepton Mallet are all very large and well-established fairs that have been running for decades, and are popular with trade buyers and collectors alike. I’ve been to Newark and Ardingly many times and they are massive – if you are at all interested in antiques and collectables, as a dealer or collectors, they are well worth a visit.

For more details about all IACF fairs, visit www.iacf.co.uk.

Need to hire a van or minibus for transport to one of the IACF 2012 fairs? Click here to compare van hire quotes.

The NV200 EV will be used by FedEx Express on a two-month trial in London

Nissan is beginning a two-month trial of a prototype electric version of its NV200 van in London. The van will be used for urban deliveries and collections by  FedEx Express, the courier company.

The NV200 EV uses the same powertrain as the Nissan Leaf electric car, which has already sold more than 20,000 units around the globe and was the world’s all-electric mass-market car.

As an all-electric vehicle, it will be exempt from the London Congestion Charge and the more stringent 2012 Low Emission Zone requirements; it is zero emission at the tailpipe.

FedEx Express currently operates 43 all-electric vehicles in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis- all of which are ideal dense urban centres.

With zero emissions, no tailpipe, and energy-recycling regenerative braking, the Nissan NV200 EV prototype is particularly well-suited for congested city streets where poor air quality is causing increased concern and the start and stop of city traffic reduces the wasteful loss of energy and thus increases the efficiency of the vehicle’s driveline. Battery charging options include a complete recharge overnight or up to 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes using a Quick Charger.

Nissan is aiming to become a world leader in electric vehicles and has already trialled the NV200 EV on postal deliveries for the Japan Post Service.