Good motoringThe magazine for members of GEM Motoring Assist Winter 2019 Low-alcohol beers: Just how smart Six of the best ales and are you? lagers tested by our Gather round for our fun enthusiastic panel Christmas automotive quiz! Operation Road Challenge Motorways outsmarted What’s going in your tank? Tackling London’s worst We knew there had to be change... We check out the latest road offenders but what has gone wrong? vehicle fuel developments A very warm and festive welcome to the Winter edition of Good Motoring! I hope you will enjoy the interesting and varied selection of articles, reviews and updates we have put together – and as usual for this edition we allow ourselves the indulgence of a little seasonal fun! Occupying the middle four pages of this edition is the quiz I hope you will enjoy trying out. We have all completed it here in the GEM office, with varying levels of success! Some of the car identification questions were a little ‘challenging’ for me, I have to admit. I reckon the best way to do it is in teams, though there’s nothing to stop you working through it alone if you prefer to shut yourself away for a bit of Christmas peace and quiet. And as it’s Christmas, we do advocate kindness and generosity when it comes to awarding marks! There’s no space on the pages for your answers, so please make sure you have paper and pen handy. Good luck! As a road safety organisation, it will be no surprise that we take a stern and straightforward approach to alcohol and driving. If you’re planning to drink, then don’t drive. If you need to drive, then don’t drink any alcohol. The Christmas season tends to opens the door to a good few social gatherings, so for this edition we had There are often great fun selecting and reviewing six low-alcohol beers. It wasn’t long ago that some simple most enthusiastic beer drinkers turned their noses up at beverages of this kind. But, “ we’re told, the quality of these beers has improved to such an extent that some are things you can almost indistinguishable from their proper-strength equivalents. So whether you’re a designated driver or just curious to try out a few new drinks, we hope you will find our do to avoid a tasting both entertaining and useful. breakdown... Finally, I just want to reassure you that our roadside assistance teams are here for you if you need us at any time during the festive season, and I know they will do their utmost to help you, whatever the time of day, whatever the weather. Do remember that there are some simple things you can do to reduce the risk of a breakdown, so we do encourage you to get your battery checked before winter and to carry out some other basic maintenance checks. With this in mind I hope you will find our new ‘How ” to...’ video guides particularly helpful. Details on page 59. All I should now do is convey our very best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful and safe Christmas. Paula Williams, Chief Executive GOOD MOTORING is the magazine for Good Motoring is the property of GEM problems arising from advertisements members of GEM Motoring Assist. Motoring Assist. All rights reserved. The within Good Motoring. In the first instance, Editor: James Luckhurst views expressed in this magazine do complaints and correspondence relating to Road Test Editor: David Motton not necessarily reflect the views of GEM advertisements should be directed to the Motoring Assist. GEM does not accept any advertiser concerned. Should you not reach Advertising: Centuryone Publishing responsibility for errors or omissions. a satisfactory conclusion within a reasonable (01727 893894, centuryonepublishing.uk) Good Motoring is distributed quarterly via period of time, please contact us by post or Royal Mail to members of GEM Motoring email. Assist worldwide. For questions and Write to: Good Motoring, GEM Motoring Good Motoring is published by comments relating to GEM membership, Assist, Station Road, Forest Row, East Sussex, GEM Motoring Assist. Good Motoring subscriptions and editorial, RH18 5EN © GEM Motoring Assist 2019 contact GEM Motoring Assist. Telephone: 01342 825676 Email: [email protected] Complaints policy: We hope you never Please note: magazine enquiries only to this experience any problems relating to the email address. contents of Good Motoring. GEM Motoring Assist can accept no responsibility for www.motoringassist.com 6 Good Motoring Cracking Christmas gifts Additional research by David R Stokes David by research Additional If you know someone who has always wanted to drive an E-type, a Morgan or even a Morris Minor, then how about a weekend hire from Bespokes (020 7833 8000, bespokes. co.uk). The E-Type Jaguar 4.2 Roadster costs an eye- watering £1074 and this price includes 300 miles. You can buy extra miles in advance, or pay through the nose at £2.40 for each additional unauthorised mile. The Morgan +8 and Morris cost £714. To hire, you need to be at least 28, with fewer than six points on your licence. Glovely Editor’s choice Keep your hands warm with these Stuck for a Christmas present? smart Dents Something from our fabulous Silverstone Touchscreen Men’s Driving Gloves selection should inspire you! in black with red piping (£59.95 from countryattire.com). The manufacturers promise you Breaking the ice won’t need to remove these super-soft, unlined Play safe with the £10 Halfords five-piece leather gauntlets before touching a screen winter kit. You get pre-icer and de-icer, (which you would only do when stationary, screen wash, ice-clearing aerosol, ice scrap- of course). The inner wrist is elasticated and er and sponge. Ideal for quick removal of there’s a press stud on the outer wrist. winter’s worst. Head for Silverstone’s fab new ‘Experience’ The archive of the British Racing Drivers’ Club is to go on display in a newly-restored Second World War RAF hangar as part of a £20m project to tell the story of Silverstone motor racing circuit. The Silverstone Expe- rience gives you the chance to learn about the science behind modern- day motorsport as well as seeing historic cars and bikes. On display will be Barry Sheene’s 1979 Suzuki, British Grand Prix-winning Williams. silverstone-experience.co.uk. Tickets leathers and helmet – modified with For more information about The bought online cost £20 for adults, £10 a hole to allow him to smoke whilst Silverstone Experience, including for under 15s and £57 for families of wearing it – and Nigel Mansell’s 1992 how to purchase tickets, please visit four. 14 Good Motoring It’s a steal... Get those winter Here’s a good, traditional and effective way of keeping checks done! opportunist thieves away. The Argos Stoplock Pro (£50) is made from hardened steel and boasts an WE RECENTLY decided to get a ‘free winter car anti-drill lock. It’s strong and bright yellow (sounds check’ at Halfords and Kwik Fit. But before doing like a Watford defender!), ensuring an effective visual so, we asked one of our recovery operators (Hobbs deterrent against car criminals. in Copthorne) to give the car a quick once-over. They advised that nothing needed doing to it, except perhaps a top-up of fluid levels. Keep it clean The free Halfords Autocentre check can be booked online and includes headlights, brake lights, wiper The Meguiars Mirror blades condition, a battery health check, windscreen Bright Kit (£40) chip check and MOT due date reminder. A more includes shampoo, thorough 10-point check is available for £15, though spray, wax and wheel there was no pressure to upgrade. cleaner, to guarantee We left them to complete the checks. When we you a lovely glossy returned an hour later it was all done – they had finish every time you topped up the fluids and found no other issues. Just as treat your car to a we had expected. good clean. With Kwik Fit we could book a drop-off slot online but this wasn’t an exact appointment time. That said, being first thing in the day, our car was ready Finding your within the hour. The free winter check is a bit more comprehensive and includes checks of tyres, battery, way around coolant/antifreeze, wiper blades, screenwash system How about a TomTom and light bulbs. There are also online explanations of Go Camper satnav? each check. At a hefty £379.99, it’s When we collected the car, they advised that designed to give you nothing needed doing at all. We did notice on the in- worry-free travel and car computer that they had topped up the air in one of keep you away from roads too narrow for your camper the tyres. van. The system will help you avoid traffic holdups Both Halfords and Kwik Fit made us feel at ease, (there are dynamic updates provided using WiFi). carried out the checks quickly and didn’t try to sell us anything unnecessarily. Based on both experiences, we would feel confident taking the car back to either of them for a basic check. It makes scents One thing to bear in mind is that the ‘free winter car Hold your breath before opening the check’ does differ. For instance Halfords do not check Yankee Candle Car Jar Ultimate Air your tyres, unless you upgrade to the 10-point check Freshener (£23.99). If it’s to your taste, then for £15. So if you won’t pay for a winter check but you’ll delight in a delicious mix of orange, want the convenience and peace of mind they offer, mandarin and black cherry fragrances that it’s worth doing your research and choosing the most will last up to four weeks in your car.