Review of TMS Coventry

Recently had my old Volvo S40 serviced and MOTd at TMS Coventry, the authorised dealer for Volvo in Coventry. Had been thinking of writing a review about their service for while but had kept putting it off.

TMS Coventry is a family owned and run business. I had avoided it because of preconceived notions that as an "authorised dealer and service provider" they would be costlier than the friendly neighbourhood garages. However, I was forced to go to them when I once had a problem with the security system/ central locking and a few garages I visited was not able to fix the problem. I drove down to their garage with my emergency lights blinking all the way from Radford. I was genuinely shocked when the final cost came out to be much less than what I had expected.

However, the next time I visited because of a misfiring engine really put me off. I was happy with the replacement of the ignition coil and fixing the problem. What I was not OK with was the fact that they charged me £19.80 for changing 3 bulbs and included and extra £34.40 labour charge. And they had not even thought of calling me up to check with me.

In contrast my favourite garage in Stoney Stanton, had once changed one of my bulbs and had only charged me £3.

Anyway, I had to go back to them again when I had electrical problems with the car. Ultimately found out that the fault had been caused by some coins (my son's handiwork) in the car radio/ CD player which had caused a short-circuit. However, this time I was quite impressed by their professional service. They sent me an SMS to confirm my booking and also called me up after the work was done.

The total cost for the service and MOT came to £200.83  including £50 for the MOT. This was reasonable considering that I had to pay £185 last year at my local garage. They had to replace a few things including bulbs to rear indicator light. However, this time there were no labour charges for replacing the bulbs.

Here is their address and contact info:

TMS Coventry
510 London Road
Coventry
West Midlands
CV3 4EU

Phone: 08446 626226
Fax: 02476 639362

Getting the best deal on your car insurance

Do you know how to get the best deal on your car insurance?

If you drive, you need insurance. That’s a simple fact of life that all motorists have to budget for every year. Thanks to Internet online comparison sites, it’s never been easier to compare car insurance quotes online and get the best deal. But do you know what to look for when you’re scanning through pages of suppliers and tempting new deals?

It’s not just about the price

While the temptation may be to go for the cheapest quote, before you click ‘OK’, have a good look at the fine print. That cheap quote may have hidden extras attached to it, like a hefty excess or additional charges for breakdown recovery. Does it include windscreen cover and insurance for your possessions? Before you sit down to compare car insurance quotes, decide what you want from your insurer, how much cover you actually need and how much excess you’re prepared to pay.

Sticking with the devil you know…

The easiest option may be to stay with your current insurance provider. After all, it’s just a simple matter of renewing your policy, and you’re bound to get a better deal after a year’s no claims, right? Well, not necessarily. While your current insurance provider may offer you a perfectly good policy, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get the same deal at a cheaper price if you shop around. And don’t be afraid to haggle with your current insurer. They don’t want to lose your business, so you’ll be surprised just how open they are to a little bit of gentle persuasion, especially if you’ve found the same deal for less by comparing car insurance prices online.

Won’t swapping affect my no claims bonus?

Many motorists are concerned that if they swap insurance providers, they’ll lose the benefit of their no claims bonus. However, some insurance companies will give you a discount on the cost of your policy if you have a history of careful driving. Check that they’ll add any no claims bonus you have to a new policy and avoid ‘starting all over again’.

By using online websites to compare car insurance, you can keep the cost of motoring down in what are increasingly expensive times

Used Cars to Avoid

Moneywatch.com has come up with an interesting list of used cars to avoid. Some suggestion in the same range are also given.

Hand wash car at Stoney Stanton Rd, Coventry

Found this great car wash on Stoney Stanton road. They did a great job and only charged me £3.

Identify this car

Noticed that great looking convertible at Sainsbury's a couple of days ago.

Can you identify the car? No prizes sorry.

The Mini Countryman

The Mini Countryman

New BMW 3 Series cars

BMW is launching the new 3 Series Coupé and Convertible Sport Plus Editions on 1st September. The cars come with the distinctive M Sport body styling such as 19" M Sport alloy wheels and an M3 rear spoiler (on the Coupé only).

A range of additional equipment comes as standard.

Toyota Advanced Technology Vehicle Display

­Little Tokyo Design Week: Future City announces the Toyota Advanced Technology Vehicle Display. The event will be held this coming July 14-17 in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, California).

They plan to exhibit the Prius Plug-in, the RAV4 EV battery-electric vehicle and the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid.

The range of the Prius Plug-in is approximately 13 miles (at speeds up to 60 mph). The compact Lithium-ion battery can be fully recharged quite fast - in 3 hours on 110 volts and 1.7
hours on 220 volts. The best part is that when the EV power is depleted, the Plug-in performs like a
conventional Prius.

Toyota plans to launch the car for sale in the first half of 2012 in the US.

The RAV4 EV is a joint project with aims to develop an electric version of the RAV4 with the intent to bring a RAV4 EV to market in 2012.

Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle fleet has logged several million miles since hitting the road in 2002, with significant technological improvements along the way. Toyota's current FCHV-adv
nationwide demonstration program is placing more than 100 vehicles with demonstration partners by 2013, providing one of the largest fleets of active fuel cell vehicles in the country.

The primary goal of the demonstration program is to spur infrastructure development prior to fuel cell vehicle market introduction in 2015.

For more information, visit the ­Little Tokyo Design Week site.