Latest Citizens Advice column

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is:

Q: I need a new car for work but I can’t afford to buy a new one so I’ve been looking at second-hand options. I’ve heard so many horror stories about people buying cars that turn out to be faulty. I’m worried that I won’t know what to check, especially as I know very little about cars. How can I make sure I don’t buy a dud car? 

A: For many people, buying a car is a major purchase and whether it’s new or second-hand, the process can seem daunting and complicated. But don’t worry, there’s lots of information on the steps to take when buying a car and what you can do afterwards if something goes wrong on the Citizens Advice website. 

First of all, where are you going to buy the car? If you’re buying from a trader, choose a trustworthy one with an established name with a good reputation. Ideally, they will be part of a trade association or follow the industry’s code of practice. 

If you’re buying via an auction, this is much riskier as you’ll have fewer legal protections like the right to returns or refunds so carefully read the terms and conditions before you bid. 

If you buy from a private seller, there’s a few extra steps to take. For instance, try to inspect the car at their home address so if something goes wrong later, you have a record of that. 

Make sure the car’s details are correct by using the DVLA’s free online vehicle information checker. You’ll need the registration number, MOT test number, mileage and make/model of the car to do this check. Also, check the car’s MOT history for free on gov.uk 

Keep a copy of both these results (take a screenshot or download the information) as well as the original advert or description of the car. You might also consider getting a private history check to see if the car’s been reported stolen, still has money owing on it, or has been in a serious crash. This will cost about £20. 

Before buying a car, it’s good to check if it meets emissions standards as it could mean paying extra charges when driving through London’s ULEZ or clean air zones across the UK. 

Inspecting the car is crucial before buying. Ideally, do this during the day when it’s not raining (scratches are harder to see on a wet car) and take it for a test drive for at least 15 minutes and on different types of road, if possible. Check you have the appropriate insurance for a test drive (either your own or the seller’s policy might cover you). 

Once you’ve decided on a car, don’t be afraid to negotiate on the price. If you take out a loan or finance to buy it, make sure you can afford the repayments over the lifetime of the contract. If you pay with cash, you will have fewer protections than other options like debit. 

Often, despite doing all these checks, you might find something wrong with the car after you’ve bought it. You may have a legal right to a repair, the cost of a repair or some money back but it’s on a case-by-case basis and some examples might be the car’s mileage is wrong or the car keeps breaking down. 

* For more information, check out the Citizens Advice website or call its consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Opportunity for Denbighshire photographers

Denbighshire County Council is giving local photographers the chance to feature their best views of the region on a new generation of service vehicles. 

Earlier in the year the council made operational two Dennis Eagle e-Collect lorries which are used on the county’s northern rounds including Rhyl, Prestatyn and down to the Trefnant area. They are able to put in up to 100miles and 1000 bin lifts per single charge. 

They are part of the drive to reduce the council fleet tailpipe carbon emissions where appropriate. 

Both lorries were kitted out with a striking livery to help encourage people to reduce general waste collection.

They also carry snapshots on either side of picturesque views Denbighshire has to offer to encourage residents further to help cut waste across the county to safeguard these sights for future generations. 

The council is now offering local photographers the chance to send in their own chosen special Denbighshire views to help safeguard these sites for years to come by encouraging the reduction of waste. 

Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are looking for more images to go on the livery for future vehicles in our waste and recycling fleet. Our fantastic communities know best the sites and views that are special in the county and that we should be doing our best to protect, we want to give these pride of place on these vehicles to carry this message.” 

If you would like the chance to have your image used it will need to be of high quality so that it can be blown up to a very large size.

For that reason, for small wagons we need images of:

•  5000x3000 pixels and above

•  300 DPI (dots per inch) and above 

For large wagons, images are needed of:  

•  13000x4000 pixels and above

•  600 DPI (dots per inch) and above

You must give us permission to use the image for the lifetime of the vehicle.

If your image is chosen for a vehicle your name will be clearly displayed with the image on the vehicle.

The image must be of an area within Denbighshire.

* Images can be sent to Fleet.photography@denbighshire.gov.uk  (use a dropbox link or similar for images over 10MB).

Police warn over social media property scams

Detectives from the fraud team at North Wales Police Economic Crime Unit are warning the public to be vigilant against a scam that is happening on Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms. 

They say there’s recently been an increase in the amount of fraud committed in which potential tenants are paying a deposit to view a property that either doesn’t exist or is already occupied. 

Often, people who are already renting a property have had visits from people wanting to view, who have all paid deposits ranging from £125 to £1000.

Detective Constable Rachel Roberts said: "The property rental market is currently very competitive, and potential tenants may be fooled into thinking that paying a deposit will help them secure a property.

"Legitimate landlords will never ask you to pay money just to view a property, and we would encourage anyone who receives such a request to contact us via our live webchat or by calling 101.”

MP asks for creation of Investment Zone covering this area

* Simon Baynes MP with Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton during Treasury Questions in the Commons.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has asked Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to consider establishing an Investment Zone covering his Clwyd South constituency, Wrexham and the wider north east Wales region. 

Investment Zones were announced by the UK Government last year. 

They will grant a small number of geographic areas with tax and regulatory rules designed to promote economic growth. 

A total of 12 locations across the UK will receive this designation, with each zone receiving approximately £80 million in UK Government funding over five years.

 

Speaking at Treasury Questions Mr Baynes asked: "Would the Chancellor agree with me that my constituency of Clwyd South, that of my Honourable Friend, the Member for Wrexham, and the rest of north east Wales represent one of the best candidates for a new Investment Zone? And would he also consider making this cross-border, given our very close economic, commercial, and cultural ties with the north west of England?”

 

The Chancellor replied: “I know that there are some great businesses in his constituency and I much enjoyed meeting Robin and Helen Jones from the Jones Village Bakery at a recent reception in Number 10, and I know they’re going from strength to strength. I holidayed in Clwyd last year, and from the top of Moel Famau I saw a very impressive offshore wind farm and I completely agree with him there is enormous potential in Clwyd for clean energy and as discussions continue about Investment Zones I wish him, as well, every success.”

 

Speaking after his question Mr Baynes said: “I welcome the Chancellor’s response to my question. Investment Zones represent a unique opportunity and demonstrate the desire of the UK Government to deliver on its promise to Levelling Up. Going forward, I look forward to continuing to work with Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham, and other parliamentary colleagues to maximise the chances of an Investment Zone being established in our area.”

Triumphant triathlon duo raise £1,000 for Alzheimer's Research

* John Palmer, left, with son Nic, both proudly showing off their triathlon finisher's medals.

* John Palmer in action at Ellesmere.

Neither a Llangollen man or his son were able to splash out in the triathlons they completed to raise cash for Alzheimer's Research last weekend.    

Last Sunday both John Palmer and his son Nic, from Glyndyfrdwy, each took part in a triathlon challenge in memory of Lyn Palmer - respectively their wife and mother - who died from dementia last March after being diagnosed with the condition in 2013.  

John joined the fray in the sprint triathlon in Ellesmere, Shropshire while Nic took on the Bala Standard Triathlon at Bala Lake.

But, although they both finished their events things didn't go exactly according to plan for either of them.

John explained: "I was supposed to do a speed triathlon which was a 7.5 km in the lake followed by a 25 km bike ride and a 5 km run.

"But when we arrived there had been a blue/green algae bloom on the water so it was not safe to swim.  

"Nic was supposed to do an Olympic triathlon which consists of a I.5 km swim followed by a 40 km bike ride and a 10 km run. However, when he got to Bala the mist was so low and thick that it would not have been possible to see the swimmers.

"In the end the organisers in each case changed things, so we both did run-cycle-run in the end.

"We managed to complete our triathlons successfully and the next day I could even walk down stairs without assistance."

John added: "We would both like to thank everyone for their very kind support and we were delighted to reach our goal of £1,000 for Alzheimer’s Research."

Alzheimer's Research UK is the UK's leading dementia research charity. 

It funds world-class pioneering scientists to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.

* There's still time to support Nic and John on their gofundme page at: https://gofund.me/99c861be

Roadworks alert from Aber Adda

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Aber Adda, Llangollen, Denbighshire 07 September - 13 September   Roadworks, Delays unlikely   Traffic management: Traffic control (give & take)   Description: Long Comm pipe Renew 25mm Job in Carriageway (6mm Bitmac (Tarmac) )   Works location: O/S BUILDING KNOWN AS HOMELEA   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Hafren Dyfrdwy.   Responsibility for works: Hafren Dyfrdwy   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: ZU0028102/000060514151B

EV like nothing you've ever seen before from Subaru

Putting the record straight on Subaru Solterra

I need to clear up a bit of a misunderstanding in my electric Solterra review, writes Steve Rogers

What I thought was the Limited model was actually the top of the range Touring. Why would that be a problem? Because the range on Touring is 257 miles against the 289 miles for the Limited, so my home charge of 247 miles was only 10 off target, not 42 miles, and would, not doubt, only drop 10 miles on the Limited model.

 Of course top model commands a higher price so £55,495 for Touring. Sorry for taking you down the wrong road.

 

Subaru Solterra drive by Steve Rogers

Meet Solterra, Subaru’s first electric car and unlike anything seen before from the Japanese car builder.

The company’s reputation has been built on its sophisticated all wheel drive system and, of course, the rally winning Imprezza which was also favoured by the cops because no one could outrun it.

Solterra is all wheel drive but is no Imprezza, although Subaru’s expertise in chassis control has turned this family SUV into a more than capable drive.

Before we go any further let’s put the record straight. Solterra is a virtual clone of the Toyota bZ4X. It is a joint project with Subaru chipping in with its all wheel drive and chassis expertise.

There are a few subtle changes around the body but not obvious enough without close scrutiny. That said Solterra is a fine looking car so all credit to the Toyota designers. Everyone has an opinion on style but if there is a better sculptured rear end on an SUV I would like to see it.

Something that will divide opinion is the lack of a rear wiper. The thinking is that water will run off the steeply raked tailgate glass so why spoil the look? Solterra has a rear camera, backed up by a 360 degree view, so the designers reasoning seems sound but time will tell.

Inside is a bit special too, we have Toyota to thank for that as well. The all round quality is excellent with particular praise going to the dashboard which is a mix of textured fabric and soft plastics covering an unusual design which will also split opinion.

The driver’s binnacle sits high, similar to a Peugeot, but works better because the digital speedometer is always in your eyeline once the downsized steering wheel and seat height are sorted.

Solterra is well equipped with most of the little things we like along with a full suite of safety features, including adaptive cruise control, a brilliant aid that brings on emergency braking to avoid a front end shunt. We can thank Toyota for that as well.

At all but 4.7 metres long Solterra is big enough for an adult family of five. Rear legroom is particularly generous and although boot capacity is not class leading is big enough without too much intrusion from the battery pack stored under the floor.

So what is driving this car? Because Solterra is all wheel drive there is an electric motor on each axle powered by a 71.4kWh battery pack. The end result is 215bhp and a sprint to 62mph in 6.9 seconds, not a lot slower than an Imprezza, but nowhere near as swift as some key rivals.

The official range is 289 miles, but I only got 247 on a full charge from my Podpoint home charger, and then lost 12 miles with the heating on so I was down to 235 before leaving my cul-de-sac. That loss is common and a lot higher in some, I recall losing 25 miles with the heat turned on in a Volkswagen ID3.

If you can find a 150kW public charging point you should be able to achieve an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.

I have been giving Toyota a lot of credit but the plaudits for Solterra’s trouble free handling must go to Subaru. The ride is comfortable and the suspension deals admirably with everything our pot holed roads throw up. And it keeps its composure through tight bends with hardly any body roll. Should the going get a bit slippery then there is plenty of help from Subaru’s highly praised X-Mode which deals with different driving situations whether it be snow, sand or mud.

Apart from a car park full of rivals, the burning question is why choose Solterra over the Toyota? The cheeky answer is who wants a car called bZ4X? In most cases Subaru needs to rely on brand loyalty because Toyota also offers a two wheel drive version for a lot less than the fifty odd thousand Subaru which, of course, has to be all wheel drive.

That said I am going to be generous and put it into my top five.

What the wife says: Solterra is a good looking car and I warmed to it. It is an easy drive with no dramas if caught out by a sharp bend. The e-pedal that slows the car almost to a stop without using the brake is a brilliant way of putting energy back into the batteries. I was irritated by the number of warning bleeps, some of which are a mystery, with one sounding like someone breaking wind!

Fast facts

Solterra Limited

£52,495

Twin electric motors; 215bhp

0-62mph 6.9secs; 99mph

Range: 289 miles

Max charge: 150kW

Road tax: Zero

Boot: 441 litres

Insurance group 46