mycarcheck
using apkpure app to upgrade mycarcheck, fast, free and save your internet data .
i agree mycarcheck is a scam, but your poorly created site isn' t helping anyone .
“police don’t generally have the resources to investigate stolen vehicles these days, ” says justin powell, consumer business manager at mycarcheck. com .
this year has seen a marked increase in used - car scams, according to vehicle data provider mycarcheck. com. here are the five most common .
i have used mycarcheck and find them great value, yes there is an option to buy a mileage check but it is very obvious, at least you get the choice .
these are the most common scams reported to mycarcheck’s glasgow call centre from sep 2014 to feb 2015. please note: most concern private sales as buying from a registered dealer means additional consumer protection .
any consumers who suspect these activities can call mycarcheck for advice. we have good links with popular car buying sites and frequently get such adverts taken down before anyone falls victim to them. mycarcheck. com’s parent company, cdl vehicle information services, performs over a million look - ups a day for companies including autoexpress, comparethemarket, urltoken, go - compare, moneysupermarket, swiftcover, tesco compare and whatcar? .
you know the saying -
if the uk sneezes, we get a cold
and in my experience that is very often true. so to that end i came across this from mycarcheck, the uk consumer vehicle data provider. it recently reported that 32 per cent of the finance checks it conducted in february 2015 flagged up potentially major issues. to further underline the increasing importance of finance checks, mycarcheck has compiled a list of current used car scams .
according to cdl vehicle information services, which owns vehicle history check site mycarcheck. com, the ‘escrow con’ – where money is supposedly held by a third party – remains the top tactic being used to target motorists buying used cars online .
have used mycarcheck on a few occasions. great way of checking a vehicle out. have phoned them on a couple of times as well to check out various things regarding outstanding finance on searches etc and have to say that the people on the phone couldn' t do enough to help, nothing was too much bother. had a query where a seller told me finance had been cleared but was still showing on the search, phoned the guys at mycarcheck who then got in touch with finance company on my behalf to check all was ok. kept me updated on the progress. 5 star service from 5 star staff at a 5 star company as far as i am concerned. no hesitation in recommending. .
escrow fraud. if you buy online watch for when cash is supposedly safely held by a third party, says roger powell at mycarcheck. com. “you see an advert for a temptingly priced car and the seller suggests you pay a third party to hold funds until the car is delivered. don’t do it. the car will never arrive and your money won’t be returned. ”
i understand now, the first service was in 2008 when the mini was mot' d and the mileage was 14, 900. cant believe im having this problem over a simple typo, lost a sales aswel from this. would be mycarcheck be at fault here or the dvla etc. ? i will get on the case of the dealers tomorrow, you guys have been great
roger powell, head of cdl vehicle information services, which owns mycarcheck, said: “this is a busy time of year in the used car market as the new number plate launch on 1st march boosts sales activity. when buying a secondhand car it is important to be aware of the risks. many vehicles offered for sale will have a far from perfect history. others will be outright crooked .
i have never seen any of the paperwork involved in hpi or mycarcheck or any of them. just out of curiosity, do they have a disclaimer along the lines of;' this information based on what we believe to be true', or is it carved in stone. i don' t think i would be very pleased to have paid someone for information which turned out to be false .
hi guys, really need some help here. im in the process of selling my much loved mini cooper i agreed a price with someone only for him to inform me that he thinks the car have been clocked. this was a shock to me and filled me with dread. after calming down a bit i decided to investigate into this and found the info mycarcheck gave me was very confusing. my car was registered on 01 / 09 / 2004. i checked the vosa website and tracked the mot records back to its first mot on 07 / 05 / 2008 with the milage of 14, 000 and the mileage climb seems fine every year. this is where the confusion comes in, according to mycarcheck the recorded mileage on 09 / 04 / 2008 was 149, 000! (yes correct amount of zeros) question is can the mileage be recorded before the first mot? or have the mini had an incredibly had 4 year and then been clocked before the first mot. the car is in stunning condition and runs beautifully. surely it couldnt have done over 170, 000. the clock is reading 68000 and that matches wit mots and its service history. please can someone help me as i believe this is an error on the behalf of mycarcheck .
before you pick up the phone, write an email, or place a bid on a car, use the service of mycarcheck. com. great value and the information you will find is well worth the small investment and may save you wasting a lot of time. back this service up with mot info from urltoken and you' ll have a very sound base knowledge to arm yourself with before jumping into any car purchase .
all mileages are recorded at the servicing. what was the mileage at the first service? it wasn' t 50, 000 miles. and the second service? it wasn' t 100, 000 miles. and the third when it had its first mot. it wasn' t 149, 000 miles. (on minis the inspection check is an mot so the history stored in the car' s computer verifies all this) to get this corrected you will need to get proof from mini (dealer or customer services) then send a copy to mycarcheck and tell them to correct misleading info immediately .
i was quite surprised at the various levels of checks carried out by different hpi companies. after seeing the urltoken website for comparisons i had planned to get 2 cheaper reports done which together covered at least as many checks as much more expensive ones. i checked out urltoken and found their £15 report to be pretty comprehensive and it also included an important finance check. when the finance section of the report flagged up red i was really pleased i' d gone for this one. i phoned up the mycarcheck contact number to find out more, expecting to be given a bit of a runaround, but spoke to a very helpful person who not only contacted the finance company, but also got back to me within a few minutes explaining that all was now clear. and he also gave me some other helpful information. conclusion. comprehensive report, decent price and helpful staff. many thanks, and would happily recommend .
there was a similar post not very long ago on the same thing. the info mycarcheck has comes from various sources such as the dealers and traders as well as the previous owners. this is where mistakes are made. i have been contacted after i have sold cars and i cannot remember exactly how many miles were on the clock so i did not complete the form. i have been in dealers' offices when these questionnaires are being completed and in a lot of cases the salesman simply guesses. so if the car had done 48, 675 miles the chances are the form will show 50, 000 just to round up and make life easy. if the mot check comes back looking good, then next step is to compare it with the service history. if that is all good you can contact your mini dealer who will have a record of the work done and mileage etc. if you have diagnostic equipment you can read the service history and see how many inspections, brake fluid changes, brake pads etc that the car has had. this will show you if it has been clocked which it sounds like it has not. its a typo error .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1. 0 transitional / / en
/ / urltoken
bt hikes the cost of holding on to their email address to £7. 50 a month for former customers
help! my mother' s will is being flouted and my stepfather' s daughters have got everything. what do i do ?
market report: german newspaper tycoon builds a 12. 5% stake in online estate agent purplebricks despite lacklustre results
an artist' s dream inspiration! home of impressionist painter lucien pissarro goes on sale for £2. 95m - complete with a studio and blue plaque
the hottest spot north of havana... my £705 taxi on the copacabana: tony hetherington investigates
' i almost paid a fraudster £4, 000 for a car he didn’t even own.' as conmen increasingly target motorists, could you be next ?
michelle wetherell had been looking to upgrade her 11 - year - old honda civic for some time .
the bt call centre worker from devon couldn’t afford a new car and was searching for a used one when her husband ian spotted a newer honda civic within their budget on gumtree .
‘the seller wanted our direct email address as he claimed to be having issues with mailing via gumtree, so we carried on exchanging emails, ’ says michelle, 38. ‘since listing the advert, he' d moved to ireland but was more than happy to come over if we were looking to buy. he said he' d had the car from new since 2008 .
‘i don' t know what it was, but something told me we should still do an hpi check, even though he’d said it was hpi clear. ’
when the hpi search – which is used to check a vehicle’s history - came back it revealed the car had had two previous owners before the current one and the last sale of the vehicle was in march - a month earlier. michelle rang the seller and asked again how long he' d had the car. again, he said since 2008 .
‘this started alarm bells ringing, ’ says michelle. ‘he emailed clips ‘from gumtree’ which suggested using an intermediary finance company to protect both buyer and seller, with links. ’
when michelle looked for the company online, nothing came up. she did a search under ‘car selling scams’ and was distraught to read a similar description to their situation .
she says: ‘we were only a few clicks away from setting up an account on the intermediary site and forwarding £4, 000, which would have been gone forever .
‘the seller never owned the car, they used photos and adverts from a previous legitimate car sale. i cried when i realised we’d been so close to losing the money. ’
michelle isn’t alone in being targeted by a car scam – but not everyone realises they’re being duped before it’s too late .
when michelle called action fraud to report the incident she was told they’d had a call from a man the night before who’d been scammed by what they thought was the same seller. he’d parted with £7, 500 .
it warns the latest twist on the scam involves the fraudster claiming the car is being sold by the family of a uk serviceman on active service in afghanistan .
someone scratches your car and leaves a note apologising and promising to send a repair company .
cdl divisional head roger powell explains: ‘the cover story is a laptop needs to be plugged into the car’s engine control unit (ecu) to establish the correct paint code. they then claim they don' t carry that particular paint and will return later, which they don’t. they now have all the information required to create a copy of the owner' s key and can return to steal the vehicle at any time. ’
a scammer instigates a minor crash with your car, such as braking suddenly so you drive into the back of them. after swapping details, they claim for whiplash injuries from your insurance company, pushing up your premium .
fraudsters steal your number plate or get an identical one made so a car almost identical to yours can carry your plate .
this is sometimes done to avoid parking tickets and speeding fines (the innocent owner gets sent the bill) .
stolen cars are also cloned to disguise their identity, and if you ‘buy’ a cloned vehicle you stand to lose the car and the money paid for it. the aa’s advice for buyers is to ask for a v5c registration document and service history, view and buy from the registered owner’s address, never pay less than 70% of the market value of the vehicle and get a receipt detailing vehicle, price and seller’s details. car clocking
miles are taken off a car’s odometer to increase its perceived value. according to hpi, one in 20 cars it checks records a discrepant mileage, up more than 10% over the past five years .
check the service history for mileage and that signs of wear and tear in the car match the mileage. you can also get a history check done by hpi for £19. 99 .
phill jones, commercial director of used car website motors. co. uk, advises: ‘a rough guide to annual mileage should be about 15, 000 miles. if the car you are looking to buy is five years old with just 20, 000 miles on the clock, you could look into why it is so low .
‘if it' s too good to be true - it probably is. ’
bt hikes the cost of holding on to their email address to ...
is buying a title for £195 ever worth it? i' m lord toby - ...
am i allowed to give my children £10, 000 in cash for ...
the 10 devious new scams you' ve never heard of (and how ...
' i was paying £100 a month for directory enquiries': how ...
auto trader said it would give away a new car every time england scored at the world cup - now it has a bill for £187k (and counting... )
james bond aston martin db5 driven by pierce brosnan in goldeneye to go under the hammer for £1. 6million
ayrton senna' s record - breaking 1993 mclaren formula one car sells for €4. 2million in monaco
room for the kids, ripe for the race track and ready to cross a continent: eight of the best cars that can do it all... if money is no object
could a dashcam cut your car insurance by a fifth? 4. 5million drivers already have one - and experts say they may soon be as popular as satnav
a £600, 000 deposit, monthly payments of £26, 000 and £1. 8m to pay at the end - how the mega - rich finance the most exclusive supercars
britons might be forced to buy a £5. 50 permit to drive on the continent
volvo xc60 scoops the 2018 uk car of the year award - but out of the 13 shortlisted motors it' s not the one that our readers chose ...
rodent - riddled ferrari 275 gtb and shelby cobra worth £2. 8 million found untouched for 27 years in a garage that was due to be bulldozed
auto trader said it would give away a new car every time england scored at the world cup - now it has a bill for £156k (and counting... )
back of the net! auto trader said it would give away a new car every time england scored at the world cup - now it has a bill for £187k (and counting... )
most drivers who appeal against tickets are successful. read how you can beat the traffic wardens
there are easy ways to find the cheapest petrol. and there' s simple tricks that will help you use less fuel
the most potentially dangerous car to be bought second hand has been revealed, according to experts .
four in 10 of the vehicles are being put up for sale after being written off and nearly 30% are being advertised while still on finance, according to vehicle history experts my car check .
one in 20 of the cars had other issues when prospective buyers checked them out .
other cars in the to be vigilant about include the audi a3 s - line tdi, the ford focus zetec and the bmw 520d m sport .
but the most risky car to buy has been unveiled as the vauxhall corsa sxi .
britain’s flashiest tourist has arrived in london with a fleet of gold cars worth more than £1 million. the young man recently flew into the uk from saudi arabia with a number of his friends. but instead of taking the tube or taxis, he decided to fly a number of outlandish cars across for travelling around the capital
also on the list are the bmw 520d m sport and the vauxhall corsa limited ed .
cars still on finance can be repossessed if the loan isn' t paid – and whoever buys the vehicle could end up losing cash .
almost half of all used vehicles have a warning against them ,
head of my car check roger powell told the sun .
max george to ditch the wanted tom' s wedding to jet to russia ...
ant mcpartlin' won' t return to i' m a celeb this year' says pal ...
strictly babe gemma atkinson teases gym - honed abs in skin - tigh ...
boris johnson has said the
dream of brexit is dying
in his resignation letter as foreign secretary .
theresa may odds - on to quit as new favourite takes lead in rac ...
harry maguire' s sister revealed – and she' s the toughest tackl ...
mps wave' goodbye' to theresa may as embattled pm appears in c ...
a dinosaur the size of a double decker bus that roamed more than 200 million years ago has been discovered .
listeria outbreak: list of vegetables recalled by tesco, lidl, ...
experts warn not to kill armies of insects flooding homes in m ...
copyright ©2018 express newspapers .
daily star
is a registered trademark. all rights reserved .
“as well as confirming if a car has been written - off or stolen, a major part of our business these days is checking whether a vehicle is clear of debt. 32% of all finance checks conducted by our glasgow call centre during february flagged up potentially major issues, usually outstanding finance secured against the vehicle. of the 30 million cars on our roads, around a quarter are on finance, so this apparently shocking figure is no great surprise .
“as a full member of both the finance and leasing association (fla) and the motor asset registration service (mars), our data has saved millions of customers from making an expensive used car mistake. remember: never pay cash, trust your gut feeling and always check before you buy. ”
asset fraud: the vehicle being offered for sale carries outstanding finance taken on by someone else. do not purchase such vehicles. the car is not the seller’s to sell and the finance house will not release their interest or title until the agreement has been settled. some consumers believe they’ll be covered by ‘innocent purchaser’ laws, but this isn’t always the case .
sub hiring: this activity is widespread and many consumers (often including the seller) don’t realise it is illegal. the seller admits there is outstanding finance on the vehicle but promises to keep up the payments. firstly, they do not have the right to offer such terms. secondly, you have to consider what could go wrong. if they stop paying, the finance house could seize ‘your’ vehicle .
deposit fraud: a fraudster will use pressure sales tactics to con buyers into paying a large deposit to secure the vehicle. common lines include “i’ve got a definite buyer coming in an hour” and “it’s advertised cheaply for a quick sale”. don’t fall for it. the seller could easily disappear, along with your deposit .
hire car scam: demands for a deposit also feature in the increasing reports of scams involving hire cars being offered for sale. the fraudster will offer the same deal to as many consumers as possible within a short time period, pocket all the deposits (maybe £1, 000 each), return the car to the hire firm and disappear .
escrow fraud: this is one of the oldest scams and can take many different guises. the main points to look out for are: a) a uk vehicle being offered for sale from abroad b) promise of vehicle being shipped once funds are paid into a holding account. escrow fraud communications are usually conducted via email .
swap scam: this increasingly popular con exploits websites where consumers place their vehicle for sale and wait to see what offers they get. fraudsters will express an interest and suggest a tempting vehicle in return, but it will often be on finance (asset fraud) or sometimes stolen .
it uses up - to - the - minute data from the police (npia – previously known as the police national computer or pnc), the driver and vehicle licensing agency (dvla), the association of british insurers (abi) and major finance houses including lloyds tsb and santander .
to help uk consumers make the right choice, urltoken can confirm in seconds whether your potential pride and joy has ever been scrapped, stolen or written - off, has any money owing on it, has had a plate or colour change and much more .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1. 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
my car check’s valuation experts reveal significant trends in the uk used vehicle market and choose a car and bike of the month. head of valuation services gavin amos said: “the launch of the new mercedes c class has made the previous generation models a great value route into this prestige brand. all 2007 onward derivatives are well built, drive beautifully and can stand the miles, with the economical yet powerful diesel variants particularly desirable. there are plenty out there to choose from and full main dealer service history is always a good start. ”
this website uses cookies to improve your experience. we' ll assume you' re ok with this, but you can opt - out if you wish. accept read more
gov. uk uses cookies to make the site simpler. find out more about cookies
research by dvla shows that over a quarter of uk motorists have named their car, with 28% of those surveyed saying that they had given their car a name .
dvla is reminding customers that the only official place to find our services and information is on gov. uk. cyber scams are common so we want to help our customers to spot fraudulent activity .
drivers are being warned their cars will be taken away if they are not taxed, as part of dvla’s national advertising campaign launching today (friday 3 november 2017) .
what will a career in dvla offer you? flexible working hours, great on - site facilities and fantastic opportunities to develop your career are just some of the benefits you can expect .
we’re the driver and vehicle licensing agency (dvla), holding over 48 million driver records and over 40 million vehicle records. we collect around £6 billion a year in vehicle excise duty (ved) .
use the link to find the right number, email or address to contact dvla about vehicle tax and registration, driving licences and drivers’ medical issues .
read about the freedom of information (foi) act and how to make a request .
read about the types of information we routinely publish in our publication scheme. find out about our commitment to publishing in welsh. our personal information charter explains how we treat your personal information. read our policy on social media use. find out about our services .
don’t include personal or financial information like your national insurance number or credit card details .
to help us improve gov. uk, we’d like to know more about your visit today. we’ll send you a link to a feedback form. it will take only 2 minutes to fill in. don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone .
all content is available under the open government licence v3. 0, except where otherwise stated
car theft in the uk might be at its lowest level for years, but professional gangs targeting luxury vehicles are still making huge profits on the black market .
andrew thornton * thought he’d taken every precaution possible when he carefully locked his prized mercedes clk, closed the driveway gate and went to bed .
it was the last he saw of it. the next morning it had vanished, plunging him into a maelstrom of calls to police and insurers. it was only months later, after he had bought a replacement, that it came to light in a very sorry condition indeed. it was discovered, in bits, in a container after australian police mounted a raid on the docks at perth. unfortunately, andrew’s story is far from unique .
despite the uk experiencing the lowest level of vehicle theft for years – down from 347, 000 in 1991 to 95, 681 last year – the proportion of vehicles never returned to their owners is rising .
last year, figures from retainagroup reveal, only 41 per per cent of stolen cars were recovered compared with 51 per cent in 2008 and 70 per cent in 2002. insurer swiftcover says that in 2011 alone, 65, 000 british - registered vehicles worth £300 million were stolen and never recovered .
experts say a range of new factors are to blame, starting with the number of dedicated police stolen - vehicle squads actively hunting “missing” vehicles falling from about 50 two decades ago when most police forces had one, to just four today, as they fall victim to savage budget cuts .
this, says dr ken german, former member of the new scotland yard stolen car squad and former president of the international association of auto theft investigators, has given car gangs a “clear run”. it has also coincided with professional gangs using new, hi - tech means to switch their focus to top - of - the - range models, which they frequently spirit abroad, where they make huge profits on the black market .
“once, when cars were easier to steal, many thefts were by so - called joyriders, ” says dr german. “vehicles were often stolen for parts, too, as they sometimes are now. today the big money is in high - value cars for illegal export. large but unknown numbers are shipped abroad to fund organised crime. ”
ian platt, director of the international association of auto theft investigators, agrees. “when car security improved in the 1990s, it became necessary to steal the car keys first, by breaking into someone’s home. now thieves don’t need your key, just a blank one they can electronically reprogram with a piece of kit bought online. organised gangs can easily target luxury cars that fetch high prices abroad. you are unlikely to see it ever again. ” this is underlined by the fact that only about 1, 000 stolen cars were brought back to the uk last year, by specialised bounty - collecting repatriation agencies .
the bad news for owners of higher - end cars is that many, once stolen, leave the uk within days to feed what the police acpo vehicle crime intelligence service calls an “insatiable appetite” for vehicles in africa, with other popular destinations, say experts, including cyprus, dubai and the far east, spain, eastern europe, the middle east and pakistan .
“today, it is often highly organised gangs who steal cars and they are far more adept at getting rid of them, ” says platt. “they are run like businesses with almost professional infrastructure they employ the best methods of obtaining cars and the best ways of disposing of them. they have a virtual' export business’, complete with documentation for stolen cars, and they have the shipping all lined up in advance. they can change number plates and now even have methods of re - registering cars in countries such as slovakia and romania. once your car has been spirited abroad, it can be almost impossible to trace. ”
dr german says, “given that about five million passenger vehicles transit through ports and the channel tunnel, along with more than three million haulage vehicles, plus millions of containers entering and leaving ports, it all provides highly fertile ground for organised crime. ”
the issue recently made headlines when bbc watchdog reported that luxury cars – in particular high - spec bmws – were disappearing from driveways, even though owners still had both sets of keys .
as watchdog reported, thieves broke into the cars before illegally programming the blank keys on hand - held, online - sourced obd devices that access data from the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic port, and driving off in them. bmw, which says it took the matter “extremely seriously” and launched its own investigation, is contacting owners of cars vulnerable to hi - tech attack and is “taking steps to mitigate this type of theft”. it says none of its models built since september 2011 is vulnerable to the methods highlighted by watchdog .
platt says sophisticated obd devices, which are legitimately on sale for the automotive trade, cost £6, 000 to £8, 000 online but that cheaper, simpler devices, small enough to be concealed in a fake mobile phone, are now going on sale for as little as £100: “we are going to see a lot more luxury cars disappearing in future, ” he warns. “generally, any car with a diagnostic port could, potentially, be open to attack and it’s the luxury ones that give thieves the best profits. ”
once your car has been taken, your gps tracking device might not guarantee its return either, says mr platt. thieves are now turning to hi - tech “jamming” devices that block the signal, to ensure they cannot be traced. fortunately, gsm - based tracking devices are harder to foil .
“often, luxury cars which are stolen are immediately sent abroad and resold, ” says robin reames, chief claims officer at swiftcover. he says that more expensive cars, up to £25, 000, are “more likely to disappear without trace”. mainstream brands are more likely to be reunited with their owners, with renault (72. 8 per cent), rover (72. 7 per cent) and fiat (69 per cent) reporting high recovery rates .
a one - way ticket to an exotic destination is not the only fate awaiting your stolen car, says dr german. “vehicles are only reported stolen for four reasons: theft for short - term use (so - called joy - riding), for physical value (scrap metal or stripped for parts at illegal “chop - shops”), for financial value (illegally exported or given false identities and sold on to unsuspecting uk buyers, with estimates for number - plate fraud ranging up to 46, 000 a year) or fraud, when owners falsely report a theft for insurance purposes .
“it is a very serious problem and it’s not going to go away, ” says dr german. “last year £1. 5 billion in criminal profit was generated by car theft in the uk. there’s a lot at stake for the criminals; they’re not going to let that kind of money go without a fight. ”
smartphones are increasingly delivering better money - saving apps for consumers. photograph: sarah lee
azimo lets people transfer money from the uk to more than 100 countries at a fraction of the rates charged by banks or money transfer services .
to send money, users need to register and enter the recipient' s bank account details. azimo charges about 1% of the value of the transaction, up to a maximum of £15 per transaction .
the app claims big savings versus other money transfer methods. for example, sending £500 from the uk to poland would cost £42. 50 at a typical high street bank, £20. 90 with western union, or £19. 70 through paypal. amizo would set you back just £6. 25 .
most banks and mobile phone networks have developed mobile money apps, most of which work across all networks. it' s also worth considering o2 wallet and barclays' pingit. both are free and open to anyone .
already used by a huge number of under - 25s, whatsapp is a cross - platform app that allows you to text people without paying .
to achieve this, whatsapp sends messages across the internet using either wi - fi or the data plan you use for email and browsing the web. the big money savings come while travelling abroad using free wi - fi. whatsapp is so popular there are rumours (regularly denied) that google is on the verge of paying $ 1bn to buy it .
but it does not have the market entirely to itself. other services, such as viber, allow you to make free calls and texts to other viber users through 3g or wi - fi .
owned by auction site ebay, redlaser enables shoppers to scan barcodes while out shopping and compare the price of an item with both offline and online stores. you can also read reviews, ratings and information about searched products .
once you find the cheapest price you can buy the item via the app, have it delivered to your home or arrange to pick it up from a local retailer. redlaser can also scan food labels and barcodes and alert you to any ingredient to which you might be allergic .
there are a number of other comparison shopping apps that do similar things. idealo also lets you scan the barcode on a product and search for the cheapest place to buy it .
calling
free
0800 numbers or premium rate 0845 and 0870 numbers from a mobile phone can cost a small fortune. o2, for example, charges contract customers 20. 4p a minute to call 0800, 0845 and 0870 .
08 wizard works by replacing 08 calls with an 01 or 02 landline number. this allows you to make the call using your free inclusive minutes if you' re on a contract, or at a lower rate if you' re on pay - as - you - go .
to use, simply input the 08 number and the app will come up with the corresponding 01 or 02 number and redirect your call .
instead of having your wallet weighed down by numerous loyalty cards, loyalli combines them into a smartphone app. already, 600 retailers use loyalli as their loyalty reward scheme. each has a
qr code
which the customer scans with their phone in order to add a
stamp
to their
card
. however, it is still early days for this app and others like it, such as stampme, and few of the big - name coffee chains are members .
there are numerous
daily deals
sites available now including groupon, wowcher, living social, kgb deals and secret escapes. they all work in a similar way by negotiating discounts with retailers and service providers and passing on savings to consumers .
redeemia saves you the hassle of trawling through each individual website or app each day by capturing the best deals from each site based on your preferences and location. so if you' re looking for a spa day in bristol, for example, it lists all the deals from the different providers .
the app from the website of the same name, myvouchercodes uses gps to send you the best money - off deals for eating out, shopping, health and beauty, travel, entertainment etc, wherever you are .
instead of printing a voucher off the internet and taking it to a retailer, you simply show the voucher on your phone screen at the store to get your discount. handy if you' re in pizza express and realise you' re the only one about to pay your bill without a money - off voucher .
whereas other apps and websites compare the cost of hotel rooms, trivago goes one step further and compares room rates on the main hotel booking websites such as booking. com, urltoken and lastminute. com. so if you want to stay in a particular hotel it can tell you the cheapest site to book it through .
alternatively, if you need a hotel bed for tonight it can also use your current location to find a nearby hotel with availability and, again, the cheapest agent to book it through. kayak runs a similar
search one and done
service for comparing hotel websites .
the aa parking app promises that you' ll never need to waste time and petrol looking for a parking space again. it directs drivers to nearby available parking spaces (where car park data is available) and enables them to compare the cost of each car park .
it' s also worth taking a look at the park - up app, which claims to find the cheapest parking spaces in most major british cities .
admittedly only useful if you' re buying a secondhand car, but spending a few quid on this app could save you a lot of money in the long run .
for £2. 99 you can check a car' s history and see if it has been stolen, was an insurance write - off, is registered as scrapped or any other signs that mean you should steer well clear .
if the listed mileage seems too good to be true, a further £2. 99 will bring up records from the dvla, garages and dealers that will reveal if it has been
clocked
.
for another £1. 79 you can get a valuation check and find out the forecourt, private sale, trade - in and auction prices for the vehicle .
this article was amended on 12 april 2013. we incorrectly stated that redeemia is available on android phones. in addition, we incorrectly said that it would cost £32. 64 to send £500 to poland using western union. to clarify, using a western union agent would cost £20. 90. customers would be charged £37 if using the money in minutes service or £9. 90 for the direct to bank account service .
this article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. all our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. the links are powered by skimlinks. by clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that skimlinks cookies will be set. more information .
© 2018 guardian news and media limited or its affiliated companies. all rights reserved .
new and used car sales are accelerating and with the new 63 number plate registration available from september, now could be a great time to buy .
motorists have always loved having the most recent plate on a brand - new car, says mike baunton, interim chief executive at the society of motor manufacturers and traders (smmt) .
“whether it’s the kudos of a new plate or the knowledge it’s the most efficient and secure vehicle on the road, there is pride in ownership. and there are some cracking deals now. ”
according to the smmt, new car sales this year are expected to pass 2. 2 million, the highest number since 2008. used car buyers are also getting into gear, says david bruce, director of aa cars. “we’re expecting dealers to be busier than they have been for some years. ”
whether buying new or used, these 10 tips will help you drive away a bargain .
whether you’re buying a new or used car, draw up a checklist of everything you need from a vehicle, says lee basham at ford retail. “how many people will be using the car? will you need it for long journeys or pottering about town? how efficient does it need to be? how many doors do you want? do you need a big boot? ”
draw up a shortlist of cars that fit your criteria and check out expert and owner reviews such as whatcar. com, autotrader. co. uk, urltoken and buyacar. co. uk .
don’t just focus on the car’s price tag, work out whether you can afford to insure, tax and fuel it. check insurance costs for various makes and models on websites such as confused. com, urltoken or comparethemarket. com .
you should also compare fuel efficiency and vehicle tax status at the government website carfueldata. direct. gov. uk .
a new car may cost more than an old one but it should be cheaper to run .
a brand - new peugeot 208 costs £1, 030 a year to run on average but a five - year old example of the same vehicle costs £1, 778 which is £748 more. similarly, running a new ford fiesta costs £1, 134, compared with £1, 673 for a five - year - old model: that’s an extra £539 .
new cars are more fuel - efficient and cheaper to insure, says peter harrison at moneysupermarket. com, the website that conducted the research. “a new vehicle will always cost more to buy but savings on running costs could help you finance a new or nearly - new model. ”
the best time to buy is at the end of the month as salesforces attempt to hit their targets, says adam harvey, managing director at london executive. “you will typically get a better deal on the 29th rather than the second of the month. ”
larger used - car dealers will rotate cars on the showroom floor every two months, then auction off cars that haven’t sold, harvey says. “if you regularly monitor when a new car comes up on the showroom floor, wait till the seventh week to make an offer and you might just get lucky. ”
if you’re looking to buy a convertible, you are likely to get a much better deal in the winter months because the prices shoot up in summer, he says .
september is a good time to pick up a bargain, says tim naylor, editor of the bca used car market report. “most new car sales trigger a chain of used car sales. the plate change will also create an influx of ex - fleet cars and dealer part - exchange cars. good news for buyers. ”
you could try to pick up a bargain at auction, naylor says. “set yourself a budget, examine the stock carefully and inspect the car before you bid because motors are ‘sold as seen’. ”
find the location of a nearby auction house at urltoken or buy online from used car supermarket sites such as autotrader. co. uk, exchangeandmart. co. uk, urltoken and carcraft. co. uk .
if you can pay cash, you’re in a strong position to haggle down the price, says david black at consumer intelligence .
“some manufacturers offer 0 per cent deals on cars but whether you get this rate depends on your credit status. ”
peer - to - peer finance site zopa currently offers competitive unsecured loans starting at 4. 8 per cent for a £7, 500 loan, black says. clydesdale bank and derbyshire building society also offer competitive aprs from 5 per cent. the less you borrow, the more you pay. if you want to borrow just £2, 500, zopa offers the cheapest deal at 9. 5 per cent followed by hitachi at 10. 6 per cent .
the array of finance options can be confusing, says steve fowler, editor - in - chief of auto express and carbuyer. co. uk. “compare the overall cost of all finance options, including deposit, monthly payment and final payment, before sitting in front of a salesperson who may be hellbent on trying to bamboozle you. ”
remember to take computer print - outs of car prices and finance deals with you into the showroom as bargaining tools, fowler says .
take a test drive and check everything works, fowler says. “test the engine and gearbox, all the lights and anything electrical, even the stereo. if you’re not sure, get an expert to check the car over first. ”
if the car is more than three years old, a full year’s mot is a good sign of mechanical fitness. “also get a history check to make sure there are no hidden secrets such as major accident damage or outstanding finance (see box below left). ”
if there’s a shadow of doubt about a car or dealer, walk away. “there’ll always be another car that’s just right for you, ” fowler says .
some cars are more reliable than others, according to research from what car? and warranty direct .
japanese brands still top the reliability list, filling seven of the top 10 places, led by honda, followed by suzuki, hyundai, subaru, toyota, lexus, chevrolet, mitsubishi, ford and mazda .
chas hallett, editor - in - chief at what car? , says: “luxury and prestige marques bentley, land rover and porsche are most likely to break down. ”
haggling is easier if you come prepared, says stephanie savill, who runs a motoring club for women, the foxy lady drivers club .
she says: “too many motorists pay over the odds for new cars, not knowing how far to haggle or what their own car is worth in exchange. ”
my car check is a british vehicle history checking company owned by cdl vehicle information services . my car check works with the police , the national vehicle crime intelligence service ( navcis ) , the driver and vehicle licensing agency ( dvla ) , the association of british insurers ( abi ) , the motor insurers ' bureau ( mib ) , the finance and leasing association ( fla ) , the british vehicle rental and leasing association ( bvrla ) and the national association of motor auctions ( nama ) , among others , to confirm if a vehicle has ever been clocked , scrapped , stolen or written-off , is still subject to a finance arrangement , or has had a registration plate or colour change . my car check holds data on all types of vehicles registered in the uk , including cars , vans and motorcycles . the data is sourced from organisations including the dvla , the police , the association of british insurers , plus members of the finance and leasing association and ccta it has provided advice on a wide range of consumer motoring issues including used car scams , vehicle crime , motor finance , new legislation , the best times to buy and specific makes and models .
my car check is a british vehicle history checking company owned by cdl vehicle information services. my car check works with the police, the national vehicle crime intelligence service (navcis), the driver and vehicle licensing agency (dvla), the association of british insurers (abi), the motor insurers' bureau (mib), the finance and leasing association (fla), the british vehicle rental and leasing association (bvrla) and the national association of motor auctions (nama), among others, to confirm if a vehicle has ever been clocked, scrapped, stolen or written-off, is still subject to a finance arrangement, or has had a registration plate or colour change. my car check holds data on all types of vehicles registered in the uk, including cars, vans and motorcycles. the data is sourced from organisations including the dvla, the police, the association of british insurers, plus members of the finance and leasing association and ccta it has provided advice on a wide range of consumer motoring issues including used car scams, vehicle crime, motor finance, new legislation, the best times to buy and specific makes and models.
my car check is a british vehicle history checking company owned by cdl vehicle information services. my car check works with the police, the national vehicle crime intelligence service (navcis), the driver and vehicle licensing agency (dvla), the association of british insurers (abi), the motor insurers' bureau (mib), the finance and leasing association (fla), the british vehicle rental and leasing association (bvrla) and the national association of motor auctions (nama), among others, to confirm if a vehicle has ever been clocked, scrapped, stolen or written-off, is still subject to a finance arrangement, or has had a registration plate or colour change. my car check holds data on all types of vehicles registered in the uk, including cars, vans and motorcycles. the data is sourced from organisations including the dvla, the police, the association of british insurers, plus members of the finance and leasing association and ccta it has provided advice on a wide range of consumer motoring issues including used car scams, vehicle crime, motor finance, new legislation, the best times to buy and specific makes and models.