A recent survey has revealed that motorists find car parks one of the most stressful things about the festive season.  Find out where to get car parts to replace ones scratched from packed shopping malls.

Of 3,000 drivers surveyed, the biggest worry surrounding Christmas parking was being issued a penalty parking ticked for a late return, this scored 7.2 (where 10 was the most stressful).

The Autoquake research showed the next biggest irritation was other people’s bad parking scoring on average 6.7, with the difficulty of finding a free space scoring 6.5.

“Christmas shopping can be a test of patience,” said Dermot Halpin, Autoquake’s CEO.

“From heavy traffic, to full car parks, to the worry of picking up a penalty ticket if you’re a few minutes late getting back to the car, it’s a festive headache.”

Women were shown to find these situations more stressful with an average score of 7 for finding a free space compared to 5.7 for men.

Parking spaces that are too small caused a stress factor of 6.8 for women and 5.5 for men.

Reversing into a space for females was also quite hard as they scored it as 5.6 with only a 3.8 from men.

Where can I buy cheap car parts?

If you have had to fit into a tight space in an overcrowded car park over the festive period, or have had trouble reversing you may have had certain car parts damaged in the process.

Car parts such as body panels are the most common part of a car scratched or dented in car parks as eager shoppers open their doors too quickly, hitting the car next to them.

Wing mirrors that do not fold in are also usually the first to get scratched by pillars or from other cars’ wing mirrors jutting out.

For those who have trouble reversing into spaces the rear bumper may also need replacing if the distance was misjudged and the back wall hit.

For all these car parts, motorists can purchase them online at various stockists at a good price so they need not worry about digging into their Christmas budget to get their car back on form.

UK petrol prices have reached a record high with petrol stations charging 121.76p per litre and 125.73p per litre for diesel.  Find out how to save money on car parts to reduce your motoring costs.

At the beginning of the year petrol prices stood at, on average, 109.88p per litre for petrol and 11.52p per litre for diesel.

Petrol is now 11.88p per litre more expensive and diesel is 14.21p per litre more expensive than a year ago.

“It comes at a particularly bad time for drivers who have struggled with appalling winter weather and often see their fuel drain away while stuck in snow-bound traffic jams,” said Edmund King, AA president.

A 50 litre of petrol now costs an extra £5.94 than a year ago and £7.11 more for diesel, with the extra monthly cost of petrol for a two-car family amounting to about £25.23.

Motorists are set to struggle further with the increase in fuel duty and VAT to increase this price more in the New Year to 124p per litre for petrol.

Buy Cheap Car Parts

If your motoring finance is struggling to cope with the increasing cost of petrol, and buying car parts to replace damaged or worn ones is too much of a strain on the purse try looking online for cheaper alternatives.

The early winter snow has caused many British cars to take a significant strain to cope with those conditions, some have over-heated, tyres may require replacing on others, while windscreens and windows may also have become scratched.

If your car could do with a winter makeover to help it cope with the rest of the bad weather to come in the New Year you can acquire quality car parts from online stockists who can send you the part straight to your home.

Christmas shoppers are willing to drive up to 200 miles to track down the perfect gift a new survey shows.  Find out how to prevent car parts from overheating.

More than 22 percent are prepared to sit in traffic and drive this distance for Christmas presents and one in ten embark on a 100 mile round trip journey, according to used car website motors.co.uk.

Over half of the respondents admitted they have had to endure traffic queues for more than an hour to get into town, while 25 percent of shoppers have reportedly spent two hours or more in traffic jams.

A further five percent of motorists said they were prepared to travel up to 200 miles to track down a ‘Jetpack Buzz Lightyear’, ‘Lego City Airport’ or ‘Monopoly Revolution’ which are set to be this year’s ‘must have’ Christmas gifts.

“Christmas is one of the worst times of the year for traffic congestion and we wanted to find out how far drivers were willing to go for the perfect gift,” said Katie Wardle, marketing head at motors.co.uk.

“Motorists have come to accept traffic congestion as the norm during the festive period.”

The survey which questioned 1015 Christmas shoppers on their festive driving habits also showed one in three preferred doing their Christmas shopping on the high street, as opposed to out of town shopping centres.

How Traffic Can Damage Car Parts

When cars are stuck in heavy traffic they have the tendency to overheat, especially older cars which have not been designed with an electric cooling fan.

This automatically controls the temperature, and either the fan or the switch can fail.  If this happens get both these car parts checked.

If the temperature gauge starts to climb towards the red while you are stuck in traffic turn the heater on full blast – this takes excess heat from the engine and disposes it inside the car.

Once the car is moving again the airflow should fix this problem and reduce the temperature.

UK motorists were questioned about recent automotive issues in a new survey to gauge public opinion in this arena.

Motoring Matters’ monthly report analysed the frequency, tone sentimentality and consensus of posts made online by the public across a variety of news channel, car part message boards, and motoring forums.

November’s top five discussed or debated issues were:

1                     Rising vehicle labour costs

2                     Big Brother speed cameras due to launch in 2013

3                     Closure of the M4 bus lane

4                     Robowardens

5                     The big freeze causing transport chaos

The first and main point of concern was the rise in vehicle labour costs which have increased by about 5.81 percent in a year.

Franchised dealers charge £90.59 up from £87.19 last year, while independents stand at £55.90, up from £52.69 in 2009.

The new wave of speed cameras are set to hit the roads in 2013 – which will also monitor tax disks, insurance cover and if you are wearing a seat belt or tail-gating someone, along with speeding.

Around 80 percent of those questioned were against this new system claiming it would make Britain closer to becoming a Big Brother like state.

The closure of the M4 bus lane has sparked a mixed view, with some angry about the increased pollution it will cause while others are pleased with the reopening of the 3.5 mile stretch for all vehicles.

The news that traffic wardens will be equipped with new camera headsets and DVLA hand-held computers was also not well received.

The latest snow blast has made many question Britain’s ability to handle these situations when the 3,300 gritters failed to treat the roads in time.

Make Savings with Cheap Car Parts

The cost of motoring is becoming more expensive, so if your vehicle requires a replacement car part to cope with the harsh weather conditions try investigating online stockists who supply them at discounted prices.

A new report shows the top 10 cars that have retained their value best from their original list price three years ago.

The vehicle valuations authority, Glass, revealed the car that had retained the highest value, at the top of the list, was the Volkswagen Tiguan (168bhp) SE 4Motion 5d 0 with a 68 percent residual value, and a £2,394 average annual depreciation of £2,394.

In second place came the MINI 1.6 Cooper 3d, 65.9 percent with a depreciation of £1,462, followed by the Honda CR-V 2.2 CTDi (138bhp) SE 5d, 64.3 percent with a depreciation of £2,356.

“Whilst the nation is in the grip of austerity measures and cost-cutting, it seems that used car buyers are opting to pay the highest prices – relative to original list price – for cars that reflect their chosen lifestyle and image,” said Adrian Rushmore, Glass’s managing editor.

Seven out of ten of the top 10 places were occupied by 4×4s or SUVs which have shown, despite fuel price hikes, that their car parts have performed well in the used car market.

Superminis meanwhile did not feature at all on the top 10 list due to the Scrappage Scheme coming to an end meaning demand exceeded supply so buyers opted for a used model instead.

The average trade value in the top 10 list was £16,500, making the retail selling price close to the £18,500 figure.

Following the top three places the list continued:

4^th Land Rover Freelander 2 GS Td4 auto

5^th Audi Q7 3.0TDI (237bhp) Quattro S Line Tip

6^th Land Rover Discovery 3 2.7 TD (190bhp)

7^th Audi TT Coupe 2.0T FSI (197bhp)

8^th Nissan Qashqai 1.6 (113bhp) 2WD Visia

9^th Land Rover Range Rover 2.7TD Sport (187bhp) S Auto

10^th Audi A5 2.7 TDI (187bhp) Sport Coupe Multitronic

New car sales fell in November latest figures show, for the fifth month in a row, reflecting the cautious nature of consumers following the Government’s public spending cuts.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed private sales fell to 64,353 in November, a fall of 26.3pc.

The year is set to remain higher than the 2009 outturn by around two percent with over 2.03 million units extra sold.

The end of the Government’s scrappage scheme is thought to have affected this figure, but the new car market has risen by 14pc compared to figures from November last year, stripping out scrappage scheme volumes.

Demand for petrol driven cars in November fell from 89,702 to 63,955 while demand for alternative fuel vehicles rose to 21,473.

The Ford Fiesta was the car of choice for many consumers last month showing the highest growth in sales, seeing a total of 6,488 purchased.

“Registrations are expected to fall next month, but demand may benefit from motorists looking to avoid the January VAT rise,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.

“Next year will continue to be challenging as consumer spending tightens and government’s austerity measures take effect.”

New and Second Hand Car Parts

If you have a ford fiesta and need to buy some new car parts to replace worn or damaged ones try looking online for spare parts at discount prices.

Money may be tight for the majority of the nation, meaning a new car is out of the question – however, your existing one could get a makeover to give it a new lease of life.

Newly covered seats will make a scruffy car look as good as new, and new carpet will make it look cleaner and keep the inside fresh.

While replacing the tyres and having the suspension parts looked at could make the car feel more responsive and fun to drive.

The Government has announced a renewed commitment to investigate MOT tests and whether their frequency should be reviewed.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists, in support of the review, said it is essential the underlying reasons for relatively new cars failing MOT tests should be investigated prior the MOT test frequency is changed.

Around 21 percent of cars around three years old have car parts which fail MOT test data shows, with a total cost to UK motorists of £464 million a year.

Questions the review will look into include investigating why the European standard four year first-test requirement sees better results than the UK’s three years.

In the UK it is only garages that carry out the test and then supply the car parts and labour to rectify the faults.

This is in comparison to some European countries where testing and rectifying procedures are separated – and this poses the question of whether this procedure could benefit the British MOT policy.

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research asked whether the high failure rates could be down to motorists failing to maintain their cars properly.

Spare Car Parts

If you have an MOT test coming up you can acquire cheap car parts in good condition off online stockists beforehand.

These parts can be purchases online via the stockists’ website or by phoning up and ordering them to be delivered straight to your front door.

Spare car parts which could fail the MOT include car tyres with less than the legal minimum amount of tread depth, or exhaust parts causing the levels of exhaust fumes to be inefficient.

Other parts which may become damaged from constant use are suspension parts due to pot holes, which are a common problem on Britain’s roads due to the recent weather expanding gaps when the water in a hole freezes.

Winter weather is set to be as treacherous as last year’s making it vital motorists check their car tyres to ensure they can cope with these conditions.

As highlighted by Skoda, if drivers take to the roads with a tyre tread below the minimum legal depth of 3mm they could face a fine of up to £2,500, and three penalty points per tyre.

Follow these tips on checking car tyres and other car parts to ensure you are not caught out.

Car Tyre Safety Tips

To maintain the optimum grip on the roads experts suggest having a tread of over 3mm, this also means you are not likely to suddenly wear them down to an illegal depth.

While driving on snow, ice and even in dark evenings on wet and windy roads, having good grip is vital, as is adapting your driving to the specific conditions.

A tyre should have a tread depth of 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the entire circumference.

The 20p Test

Insert a 20p coin in the main tyre grove to help you work out the depth – you should do this in different places around the tyre.

You can tell if the depth is illegal if you can see the outer band of the 20p coin whenever you insert it into the grooves.

If this is visible you should have your tyres checked by a specialist to confirm your findings.

Motorists are advised to check their tyres at least once a month and when completing these checks they should look at the general condition of the tyres too.

Inspect them for any cuts or bulges, and if there is any debris stuck in the grooves, such as pieces of stone or gravel, try and remove them to prevent them from compromising the grip.

If you should need to replace your tyres take a look online as you can often get a good price for spare car parts.

Loose wheels on vehicles can cause fatal accidents, latest figures show, highlighting the importance of using quality car parts to replace worn out ones.

Brake, the charity for road safety, showed if a wheel becomes detached while the car is driving at speed it can hit an oncoming vehicle, or worse a pedestrian, with incredible force.

If a car tyre comes loose it could also cause the car from which it came off to crash.

The figures suggest 8-10 people are killed each year in the UK due to runaway tyres and many are injured as a result, emphasising the importance of having car parts properly fitted.

Why do Car Tyres Become Detached?

There are several reasons why tyres become loose and some you cannot do anything to prevent it from happening.

The studs on a car tyre can become loose, or break, when the car hits a curb, or due to rust.

If the torquing is clamped incorrectly wheel loss can result and if the stud and nut were tightened too much or insufficiently.

Sometimes the wrong components are used as not all wheel fixings and wheels are compatible for every car.

The general quality of the components could also contribute to a tyre becoming loose.

Where can I buy quality car parts?

Try looking online for car parts you can be certain are in good condition, often many different spare parts can be bought for discounted prices.

When you are buying the parts make sure you look out for signs of rust or bright metal around the wheel nut.

Cracked or distorted wheel rims are also cause for concern as are broken or loose fixings and the position of wheel nuts.

Always check the guarantee on your purchase so if the car part is delivered to you not in the condition you expected you are protected.

A new scheme enables motorists to get rid of their old cars and give the money to the charity of choice.

Following a trend in cars being scrapped illegally, this new incentive from Giveacar aims to raise funds for charity while providing a free way for car owners to ditch their rusty car parts.

The DVLA has reported two million cars are taken off the road of which only half are disposed of legally at an authorised treatment facility.

“Our service has a dual function, to help preserve the environment and to raise money for charities,” said Tom Chance, Giveacar’s CEO.

“At Giveacar, we only use authorised facilities that recycle a minimum of 85 percent of the weight of your vehicle.”

Scrap Car Parts

If you own a scrap car but are looking to give it a personal make-over and rebuild it yourself as opposed to taking it to a scrapyard, you could try looking for car parts online.

Quality car parts can be purchased online for discounted prices so you can give your car a new lease of life at a minimal cost to yourself.

When you look for replacement car parts remember to take the following things into account:

Check for signs of rust as this will mean the parts, if second hand, are not in good condition and are not worth putting on your car.  Ensure the supplier has not tried to hide these signs of rust by applying a cheap lick of paint.

Engines and exhausts will sound strange if they are not in good working order so try and see how they run before you hand over money.

Scrap body panel parts should be checked for dents and scratches – if the paint work is uneven this may suggest a dent is hidden underneath so look at them from different angles to spot this.