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Nearly 50% of all cars that fail an MOT do so because of small faults that could be avoided by simple, at-home car maintenance. These problems are easy to correct, and fixing them before taking the car in for its MOT could help you pass first time and avoid garage costs. To help, Ring, the automotive specialist in bulbs, wipers, battery care and tyre care, has some advice on the simple things that can be done to avoid an MOT fail. Lights and signalling – 17.8% failure rate 4.5m cars fail because of lamps, reflectors and electrics every year. Doing a quick bulb check before you take the vehicle to the garage could avoid an MOT fail. Make sure you check all the exterior bulbs – this includes the side light, indicator, tail light and number plate lights. The registration plate lamp being out accounts for 4.5% of MOT fails. When it comes to headlamps, there are plenty of options out there, including upgrades to help bulbs last longer or put more light on road for safer driving. We recommend you always replace bulbs in pairs, to ensure the light output is equal from both headlights. Ring stocks a range of bulbs, including long life versions, and for headlamps, try the new Xenon150 bulbs (nationwide – SSP £39.99), which put up to 150% more light on road without compromising on life. Tyre condition – 7.5% failure rate Well maintained tyres are essential to ensure safe driving – and neglecting them could mean a failed MOT. The legal requirement for tyre tread on passenger vehicles up to eight seats is 1.6mm, but studies show that when the tread drops below 3mm, stopping distance begins to be significantly affected. Checking tyre tread is easy and requires a simple depth gauge. However, to ensure your tyres are both safe and helping cut down fuel consumption, drivers need to check the pressure as well. For a digital gauge that gives accurate readings on a large backlit screen, records the correct pressure and has an integrated LED light, Ring suggests the RTG7 Programmable Digital Tyre Pressure & Tread Depth Gauge. This is easy to store in the car and easy to use, wherever you are. Available nationwide, SSP £24.99. While there is no legal requirement for tyre pressure, under- or over-inflated tyres will reduce the traction between the tyre and the road, making driving less safe and less fuel efficient. For easy pressure top ups, try the Ring RAC635 Digital Tyre Inflator, with preset for accurate inflation. This industry-recognised inflator can inflate a 13” tyre from flat to 35PSI in under 3 minutes – making tops up quick and simple. Driver’s view of the road – 6.8% failure rate Cracks in the windscreen and worn wipers are a big reason for vehicles to fail. As wiper deteriorate gradually, drivers often don’t realise they are no longer clearing the windscreen effectively. Choosing and fitting the right blade can seem tricky, but Ring’s new range of Ultravision Wiper Blades (SSP £9.99 to £13.99) make blade selection easy. The unique, patent-pending clip fits 95% of the car parc, meaning that drivers just need to know the blade length for their vehicle to select the correct blade. The clip adapts to fit the seven most common wiper arms. Henry Bisson, Marketing Manager at Ring, says “Motorists could be making savings by carrying out basic checks and maintenance at home, but often they don’t realise that these minor faults could cause an MOT fail. What’s more, having well-maintained tyre, blade and lighting are driving safety essentials, so making sure they are regularly checked and replaced when necessary is critical.” For more details on Ring’s range of bulbs, wiper blades and tyre care, visit www.ringautomotive.com

oh well just back from a week with the S4 driving from Liverpool to France and Belgium covering 1700 miles and 31 hours behind the wheel in 7 days. Absolutely loved the drive and was so impressed with the car in so many ways. Economy across toll roads, town roads and country roads really good with over 28mpg even with 3 passengers and a roof box. On toll roads I tried to keep to 85mph. Weather was really cold as don't think it got over 2 degrees during the day and drove many mornings at below zero. Ride comfort was superb and even with a sore back I was refreshed at all times helped by the back massage to a large degree lol. whilst roads in France were glass smooth the ones in Belgium where not but the S4 never banged or got unsettled. I never felt that the Quattro was needed even on the sub zero roads but you don't know if it was called into action as never had a moment of drama. a few other observations were that Audi is definitely the brand of choice with them outnumbering beemers 10 to 1 (seemed equal back in the UK though), roads in France much better than here, driving discipline much better in the EU than here (lane hugging in UK terrible) and finally that I never saw one other S4 for the entire trip so my car did get quite a bit of notice from young lads lol. Anyway thought I would share this as it goes to prove the Audi as a car for all purposes and pure driving pleasure. S4 (1) S4 (2) S4 (3)

now your talking ! my favourite road trip of all. Done that trip on a B*W motorbike and a B*W Z3....took the latter back to it's homeland just as it rolled over to 100k miles. Cannot over-emphasise how beautiful the roads and scenery are in that region....and then as you roll into Austria...well, that will completely blow you away! Can highly recommend the southern part of Germany (as above) but cannot really comment on the northern region as not been there...yet !