The Fastest Lap Record At Nürburgring

The fastest official lap recorded at Nürburgring Nordschleife is now held by the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, which was achieved in just under 6 minutes and 45 seconds (6:44:97). The expert driver who set the new record was Marco Mapelli, and you can watch the actual lap from the Aventador SVJ's passenger seat in the video below.

The previous record was held by the Porsche 911 GT2 RS. If you go and have read on some of the Porsche and Lambo forums, and also browse the comment sections on related YouTube videos (including the one below), you'll quickly see that there is somewhat of a bad taste in the mouths of some, but not all, Porsche fans with the record being broken.

It's nothing too serious, just friendly banter really between petrol heads. But its clear that competition between the two sides is alive and well. And that's a good thing. At the end of the day, regardless of what make of car, records are made to be broken. No doubt there will be a new car coming along shortly, possibly a Porsche or a Ferrari, that will break the new winning time and be the new king of the ring for however long, before eventually being beaten itself.

The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is an absolute powerhouse of a supercar. The 6.5 Litre V12 engine produces an eye popping 759BHP, and has a 0-60 time of around 2.8 seconds. It's an all-wheel-drive super car with a top speed of 218 MPH. How much does it cost to buy? It'll set you back around half a Million Dollars. Convert that into Pounds (GBP), which is around £380,000, and it doesn't sound like that bad of a deal for such an exciting car. For those who can afford to spend such an amount on a car, it must be tempting. I'll have to keep daydreaming. That's the price of two nice houses in my neck of the woods.

Worrying Times For Jaguar Land Rover

If it wasn't bad enough already that around 1,000 workers were relived of their jobs at Jaguar Land Rover within past year, now the situation gets even worse with the announcement that workers at the Castle Bromwich plant will now be put on a 3 days work per week schedule on the run up to Christmas. After Christmas, who knows what may be suggested. But the word is that the cutback in hours will not be ongoing, and should be restored once into 2019. However, nothing is 100% certain in these crazy times.

The UK car icon has stated that with the decline in orders for diesel models, coupled with the Brexit uncertainty that the UK is going through at the moment, has forced them to re-evaluate what the future holds, and take the appropriate action, including previous job cuts for agency staff (already taken place) and hour reductions for staff  (coming into force) to ensure everything remains balanced.

If there is a no deal Brexit its possible that JLR could much more suffer serious damage, with some people in the Auto industry and government claiming it could actually force the company to have to stop production all together. Not only would that be devastating for the UK economy and Automotive industry overall, but the amount of JLR workers who would end up unemployed and having to look for a new job is very concerning.

One thing Jaguar does have in its favour, is innovation and the ability to adapt. They haven't been in business for so long (around 80 years) just out of chance. They've lasted this long and not long ago were actually thriving. Rolling with the times, they've also invested heavily into electric car technology. But due to these recent hard times, investment budgets into this area will no doubt be slashed. Let's hope they can find their way through.

2018 Lexus LC 500 Coupe Spec + Pictures

Here we have a real beast of a Coupe, a real stunner. Reminds me a bit of an Aston Martin from the back. The rear wheel drive 2018 Lexus LC 500 auto is packing a 5 litre V8 engine that produces an impressive 471 BHP. It can reach 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds, with a top speed of 160+ MPH. Rockets like this are definitely not for the faint hearted.

Apparently, the inside of the car, interior, dashboard etc is amazing. The Mark Levinson sound system that's in this car is widely praised as being outstanding. The sound system has a total of 12 speakers. And for a sports Coupe that can seat 4 people, it's surprisingly comfortable, or so they tell me anyway.

The above image: Lexus LC 500 side view, taken by Car Auto can be reused under the CC Attribution 4.0 International License. Please visit this page to read about how to give appropriate credit to the author when reusing.

I wasn't lucky enough to sit inside, or even worse, take it out for a test drive. But I did manage to take some quick pictures. Apologies for the sun glare, it was a very sunny day. What's the price? Well, if you take a browse on Autotrader UK, You'll see they are priced up from between £65,000 - £80,000 depending on spec + extras and year (2017 or 2018). Of course, finance packages are available. I did hear from a few people in the know that there was a slight niggle with the LC 500, and that is with brake squeal.

As annoying, and somewhat embarrassing as that type of issue can be, it's a much better problem to have than some of the other costly issues I can think of. Especially with a high-end sports car like this. However, with such an expensive car, it shouldn't really be happening at all, and Lexus should probably offer a free or cheap fix for owners who are currently experiencing the brake squealing.

Also worth noting, however I'm not exactly sure how widespread this problem is, or how many vehicles are potentially affected, is some talk about a recall on the fuel injection system. But other than that, what an amazing car. And rest assured, if you are thinking of buying one, it does come with a standard 4 year warranty (or 50,000 miles).

Bentley Continental GT Twin Turbo

I know it's a bit late, but a new 2018 / 2019 Bentley like this is always worth a post. Mat Watson from Carwow.com gets to review the new GT. Yes, that includes taking it out for a quick test drive. The new Continental GT 4 seater Coupe is, in my opinion, one of the best looking Bentley's ever produced.

The above image: The Bentley Showroom In Birmingham, taken by Car Auto can be reused under the CC Attribution 4.0 International License. Please visit this page to read about how to give appropriate credit to the author when reusing.

It is, however, ever so slightly let down by the way the back has been designed. The small oval rear lights and the way it narrows down makes the rear of the car not as "Beastly" as what the rest of the car is. I'm just being picky, It's still a real beauty, a real statement of a car. What a monster.

The exterior is something special, but inside is almost just as good. As you would expect from Bentley, the quality of the interior, including all those small but noticeable details and beautiful finishing touches that give it the wow factor are second to none. Except to Rolls Royce of course.

The dials in the new Bentley Continental GT Coupe, although they look analogue, they are actually digital. The doors can automatically close on their own if they are left ajar. The new Continental GT Coupe weights over 2 Tons, but it can still go from 0 - 60 MPH in 3.7 seconds. Mat apparently did it faster @ 0 - 60 in 3.6 seconds.

The 6 litre W12 Twin Turbo engine @ 635 BHP is extremely powerful, but smooth and super refined. Being so powerful, and petrol powered, as you can imagine, the cost to run this thing won't be cheap. But if you've got the £160,000 to spend to buy the car, it's pretty obvious you're not going to be counting the pennies to scrape the cost of a full tank of petrol together.

Mat Wilson provides a good, honest review of this car in the video. I liked the 5 not so good points and 5 features that really stand out about the car. This video review keeps it real. Yes, it is a super car, and it's not perfect, but its not far off the mark. Stunning vehicle.

Gender Change To Save On Car Insurance

That is exactly what one male did. And guess what, he managed to save well over £500 on his car insurance. The man, from Canada, got a quote for a new car that was through the roof. Not happy, he asked how much the insurance would be if he was a woman, and was surprised to discover that it was much cheaper than he had been quoted for being a male.

But it should be noted that the man's driving record wasn't 100% clean. He did have a few blemishes in the form of a small collision and a few speeding fines. So these past issues may have been part of the reason why his insurance was quoted so highly. But that doesn't change the Canadian car insurance price increase for younger males.

You see, in Canada, if you are a man under the age of 25, the laws are that car insurance premiums are more expensive because a greater number of collisions take place among people who are of that age group. This is fair enough. Even in the UK, younger drivers are responsible for a big majority of accidents that could have been avoided.

But should there be a difference whether a person is male or female to determine how much they should pay? Well, if it is Canadian males that cause most of the crashes in this age group, then perhaps it should be a bit more expensive. However, that does tarnish all the good male drivers who are under 25 years old that have never been in an accident and are careful drivers. So really the premium should be worked out on an individual basis.

And to some extent, although still extortionate and suspiciously (and secretly) discriminatory (just take a look at some of the story's out there of - example: "James" changing his name to "Mohammed" and getting £1,000 put on his premium), in the UK it generally is worked out on a person to person basis. But Canada do things a little different. It's going to cost "David" more money, so he opted to legally change over to being female.

Gender Change - Time for the Chop then?

Well, thankfully no, he didn't have to take things that far. There's a bit of a glitch in the Matrix here. You see, all this man (David) had to do was change over to being a woman on paper. He did not have to have to go under the knife. A quick visit to the doctor and a chat about he now wants to be a female, and that was the starting process to getting himself legally "changed" over to becoming a woman. On paper at least.

After completing the required paperwork he now has a new Birth Certificate and driving license of "himself" as a "Woman". I'm not sure what name he chose, but I doubt he is still called David. The extreme lengths some people will go to save some money!

David was 24 years old at the time. Should he have just waited until he reached 26, and in the meantime made do with a smaller engined car that was cheaper to insure, or did he make the right choice and get one over on the greedy car insurance industry. I supposed he can always change his mind and become a male on paper again once he reaches over the age of 25. Got an opinion on this story. Comment below.

How To Open The Boot - Hyundai Getz

How to open the boot on a Hyundai Getz. This may seem like a no-brainer to most people, but the amount of people who end up on this website from typing that into Google is fairly high. Like all the easy "How To" things to do with cars, they seem easy when you know how its done. But if you don't know they can be a real pain. Especially when you're in the moment, such as at the petrol station, running low on petrol and can't find out how to open the petrol cap. Anyway, today I wanted to help the people who have ended up on this website looking for the answer for how to open the Hyundai Getz Boot.

If you are already inside the car and only want access to the boot, all you have to do is take the seats down, which is very easy to do on a Getz. If you're outside the car and confused with how to access the boot, read the following instructions and see the pictures below. Click to enlarge if you need a closer look.

Needless to say, go to the back of the car. At the back, the Hyundai Badge / Logo is located on a small handle / panel. See the image below where it is highlighted in red.

Directly underneath this panel (in the middle) there is an opening. This is where the handle / release mechanism is located. Put your hand underneath the handle / lip and press in with your fingers. This will then release the lock and open the boot. See the image below for the exact location of the handle.

Press the handle in to open the boot. When closing the boot you don't have to use this lever at all. The boot can just be closed like any other car, with a good slam. It's only needed when opening the boot. Hope this helped you out.

Clarke 4000 Auto Jump Start Review

Clarke 4000 Jump Start Review. What do you need, more portability or more power. Generally speaking, the more powerful a jump starter is, the bigger it is. So in that regard, the Clarke 4000 Heavy-Duty Jump Start is packing much more power than the hundreds of hand-held jump starters that are out there. The Clarke 4000 is still portable, but weighing in at around 17KG, it's certainly not something that can compete with' the mini handhelds when it comes to easy concealment.

Check Clarke 4000 availability

Or take a look at a new model now available below

MAXTOOLS JS500 /  JS1000UK Professional Portable Jump Starter for Cars and Vans

There are two heavy duty MAXTOOLS models to choose from. Both work with petrol and diesel engines, start / stop batteries and automatic vehicles. 

But that's the compromise you have to make to ensure maximum starting power. Sure, on paper some of the little guys claim to have a seriously high specification, and some are impressive. But the truth is, in reality most are lacking the sheer power needed to start the really big petrol and diesel engines.

The Clarke 4000 Jump Start boasts a maximum turn-over capability of being able to safely start up to a 6 litre petrol and 4 litre diesel. Because its known for high power, there is a little bit of confusion with potential buyers as to whether its compatible and safe to use on smaller engines. The answer is yes, it can safely be used to start engines of all sizes lower than the stated maximums.

Anything over the maximum engine sizes and it will more than likely fail to start the car. And usually with jump starters, its wise to shave a litre off each end of what the manufacturer claims it will start. But, in saying that, there are quite a few people who have reported using the Clarke 4000 on petrol engines well within the 4.5 litre to 5.5 litre range with close to a 100% success rate. That also goes for diesel engines within the 2.8L - 3.5L range, too.

Whilst not without some unhappy customers (show me a product that doesn't have some), take a thorough look at the customer reviews for the 4000 and you will see that the cordless Clarke 4000 has managed to consistently start some seriously big engines. From the big diesel Range Rovers and vans, to the powerful petrol engine Audi's, BMW's, TVR's and Jaguars (XF, XK8 etc).

Checkout the new heavy duty jump starters by MAXTOOLS

These reviews are frequent online wherever you look. One buyer even uses this model for jump starting a variety of industrial farming vehicles. Which Caravan Magazine rated this model as an excellent buy, or "best buy" in their own words. So it's definitely one of the top products in its category and price range.

Build quality is good for the price. It's a tough, robust item that will last many years if treated with respect. Although the front stickers (main branding illustration and warning sign at the top) are known to peel off. Not really a big deal though, as long as the item itself doesn't fall apart, right? This unit is all about power. If you've had your fair share of smaller portable jump starters in the past and they have struggled to start your car because of its big engine size, this is the item you need to invest in.

Clarke 4000 Heavy Duty Jump Start Specification

• 1500Amp peak power output
• Max starting power - 6 Litre Petrol / 4 Litre Diesel
• Instant battery energy level test button (with gauge / needle indicator)
• Charging indicator lights (Red: Charging - Green: Fully charged)
• Audible incorrect polarity (terminals connected the wrong way round)
• Low battery alarm
• Battery Isolator switch
• 1 meter long lead length
• Front facing torch-light
• Chargeable via mains or car auxiliary socket (both adaptors included)
• 1 year warranty

Clarke Jumpstart 4000 Potential Problems

The one potential weak point on all car battery jump starters / boosters, whether big heavy-duty models like this one or cheaper priced models for starting smaller engines, is the shelf life of their internal battery. This is the backbone of all portable jump starters, so its essential that a good quality battery is used in order to get a device that can potentially help you out for a good few years.

If a low quality battery is used, the ability to retain a charge over a long period of time is significantly diminished. This also applies to how many times the battery can be recharged before reaching the end of its life. With most portable jump starters once the internal battery pack doesn't charge anymore, or can't hold a charge for very long, it's the end of the line, and a new device will need to purchased. This is because for most of these products they come with what they come with, and that's one internal battery that's not easily replaceable.

In that regard, these products are much like Tablets and Smartphones, where if you want to replace the internal battery, you will need to either source the battery and do the job yourself, or take it to a professional, which, with the price of the new battery added to the labour for fitting, will most probably cost you more money than if you were to just buy a newer model.

Clarke Replacement Power Pack

Thankfully, the Clarke 4000 does not fall into this category. Once you get to the point where the internal battery is starting to get weaker you can just buy a replacement. Fitting is fairly straight forward. But be warned, they are not cheap. However, for what they cost, and considering the amount of power you get from the Clarke 4000, the price comparison to other models would be a good quality, but much smaller in size and power 600A - 800A (15000mAh - 18000mAh) unit.

So really, it makes sense to buy the replacement battery, that is, if you have been happy with the Clarke 4000 and have had considerable usage from it before needing to replace the battery.

I mention this because out of the huge amount of extremely happy users of this item (Read the reviews - model now sold out), unfortunately there has been a few reported cases of this unit failing to charge after a short period of ownership. In many cases this is most probably due to a faulty charger, battery cell damage from a knock / fall, or the internal battery being low or empty of any power and not being charged for a long time.

This can lead to a strange case of permanent cell damage from the long period of dormancy that can see the unit totally refuse to accept a charge. To prevent the issue of irreversible dormancy make sure you give the unit a charge every few months.

Please note: These issues are rare, and you most probably won't encounter any of these problems. But if you do, this item is covered by a 12 month warranty, so you can either send it back to be repaired, or potentially be given a refund. All things considered, this is an excellent product if sheer power is one of your main requirements.

Pioneer TS-WX120A Underseat Subwoofer

Whether you're getting a bit too old for driving around with a boot that's basically a speaker box, or your just looking for a mini upgrade to your additional audio equipment, the small but fairly mighty Pioneer TS-WX120A Underseat Subwoofer makes an excellent little space-saving companion for enhancing your cars sound range and quality. It's fairly powerful for its size @ 150 Watts, very inconspicuous, and weighs under 4KG. It's compatible with many standard, and after-market car stereos.

The Pioneer TS-WX120A has a built-in MOSFET amplifier and comes with a wired remote control for easily adjusting the bass and frequency to your preference. In appearance, the TS-WX120A looks very similar to the many portable Bluetooth speakers that everyone seems to be going crazy for. The differences are that the WX120A is specifically made for a car.

There's always a work around if you wanted to use it for another purpose, such as in the home. But there are so many other bass units out there for sale that are purposely made for larger spaces, that it makes much more sense to go for something else that has been specifically made for home use.

 

Another difference between this and the portable Bluetooth devices is that this is a wired unit (not controlled via Bluetooth), and while small for a Subwoofer, it is bigger than most of the wireless examples for home / personal use. The dimensions of the Pioneer TS-WX120A unit are 28cm (length) x 7cm (depth) x 20cm (width). The aluminium coned internal speaker size is approximately 8" x 5". The small size makes it able to fit nicely under, or just behind the passenger seat of many different makes and models of vehicle, from small car to SUV.

I say just behind the seat because some users want to be more courteous to their passengers, as there is some feedback from buyers that when the bass is pumping, the vibrations through the car seat can be a bit of an annoyance for some passengers. You could also put this unit in the boot of the car, but it's not really packing enough power to be nearly as effective in the boot as it would be when located under the passenger seat, or somewhere else within the seating area of the car.

It's not a full-blown subwoofer, but a great little hideaway unit for adding extra depth and hitting some of the lower, and higher bass tones that many smaller speakers, especially when it comes to standard door speakers, can't really manage to reach. If you have no option but to put this the boot of your car, this would obviously lessen the effect and intensity of the Subs bass in the car. And for the money this costs, while not really expensive for what you get, you can pick up something much more powerful and substantial for the boot.

Even an old second-hand bass box would do the job, and will be much cheaper in price. But if you're past the stage of bass bins in the boot, have a newer car that already has a decent standard set-up, or just don't have the space anymore, the Pioneer TS-WX120A is an excellent mini woofer that, when placed somewhere in the main area of the car, definitely has enough power to provide a noticeable increase in both bass and overall sound depth. The sound is nicely balanced, not ridiculously overpowering.