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Ever had a chip on your windscreen and wondered if you needed to repair it? Chipped windscreens can be a nuisance, but they can also be hazardous – windscreen chips reduce the structural integrity offered by windscreens, as well as have the potential to spread as a crack.

There are two types of glass that can be used for windscreens – Laminated and toughened glass. Laminated glass, which is the most common type of glass used for windscreens, contains two sheets of glass with a transparent plastic sheet in between the layers. This lamination prevents pieces of glass from shattering into sharp pieces. Toughened glass, which is no longer used in new cars, is manufactured with a heat treatment that allows the glass to crack into many granular shapes when struck – this prevents glass slinters from causing injuries.

If your windscreen is chipped or damaged, it’s important to follow a few simple do’s and don’ts

Do’s

-          Measure the length of the chip or crack; chips or cracks smaller than 10 centimeters, it may be repairable.

-          Placing clear tape over the chip will keep the area free of dirt, dust and moisture.

-          Seek repairs if the chip or crack is in the drivers line of sight.

Don’ts

-          Don’t keep your car parked in direct sunlight.

-          Avoid pressure washing your car and windscreen.

-          Don’t try to fix the chip or crack yourself, rather seek professional help.

The 2018 CX-8 diesel seven-seater has just gone on sale – and Mazda revealed details just days ahead of its 1^st July on-sale date.

The CX-8 range includes 3 models – the Sport FWD ($42,490 before on-road costs), the Sport AWD ($46,490 before on-road costs) and the Asaki AWD ($62,490).

The base Sport FWD showcases red-and-black cloth trim, black dashboard garnish with chrome highlights. Other features include rear air vents and three-zone climate control. Safety features of this model feature blind-spot monitoring, high-beam assist, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control with stop/go, rear cross-traffic alert and autonomous emergency braking, rear-view camera and parking sensors.

Up a level, the Asaki adds nappa leather trim, heated seats – both in the front and outboard rear as standard. Rear-window sun blinds, a 10-speaker Bose audio system and a heated steering wheel round up the standards in the Asaki.

Safety features in the Asaki trim-level gain a 360-degree surround-view monitor, adaptive LED headlights and keyless entry.

The CX-8 is powered by a 2.2-litre four cylinder twin turbo diesel.

2018 Mazda CX-8 pricing (before on-road costs) 

• CX-8 Sport FWD - $42,490
• CX-8 Sport AWD - $46,490
• CX-8 Asaki AWD - $61,490

The fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny has been officially revealed and is soon to be officially released globally. The compact and rugged off-roader retains a ladder frame and dual-range 4x4 drivetrain, still making it one of the world’s only true compact off-roader.

The new generation Jimny remains faithful to the original Suzuki Jimny design of 1970 – with some calling it classically retro. Showcasing its classic boxy, two-door exterior. Available in eight new paint colours, the 2019 Jimny will be available in Kinetic Yellow hero hue, Jungle Green, Silky Silver Metallic, Brisk Blue Metallic and Chifon Ivory Metallic.

The interior of the Jimny centres around a compact four-seat cabin. Remaining simple and highly utilitarian, the 2019 Suzuki Jimny has gained modern-day features. The all-new dash incorporates a rectangular instrument binnacle, a large central touch-screen and multifunction steering wheel.

The 2019 Suzuki Jimny offers two model variants – the standard Jimny, offering a 660c turbo triple, and the wider Jimny Sierra powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine and features side steps as well as wheel-arch extensions to match matt-black front and rear bumpers. Both models will be offered with either five-manual and four-speed auto transmissions.

While Suzuki Australia cannot yet confirm whether the new Jimny will be available or not, it should be confirmed soon.

Second row seating is sometimes overlooked by buyers – but a lot can separate a good second row from a great one. Here are a couple of things to look out for.

Space and comfort

How big the seats are in the second row can make or break the potential comfort. From the width, back height and seat base depth, there are a few factors to consider. Do you prefer flat bench-like seat bases or more contoured seats? When looking at the space in the second row, knee and foot room is equally important. The only true test however, is actually sitting in the second row – this will give you the best idea of how much knee and foot room there is.

Safety

Children are often the biggest consumers of second row seating – so it’s important to consider the safety aspect when considering a new car. Something that is often overlooked is adjustable head restraints in all three seating positions in the second row of seats. The head restraints need to be positioned to the back of your head, for maximum protection in case of an accident.

Storage/

Simple storage solutions can come in handy when considering second row seating. From bottle or cup holders to back of seat pockets, these solutions offer a safe repository for items as well as a spot to keep items off the floor.

Technology

Light and smaller cars often don’t showcase technological features in the second row seating – often only providing basics like directional air vents. However, features such as tri-zone climate control, heated seats or second row lighting can be advantageous in the second row of seating.
Are you looking for a new car? Talk to our team – we will help you find a new car that suits all of your needs!

Have you noticed how ‘overboost’ has become a thing when talking about extra power from turbocharged engines? But what is overboost?

In order to fully understand overboost, we need to look into turbocharger is. Turbocharger is designed to increase the amount of compressed air into an engine. A turbocharger will typically pump around eight pounds per square inch of compressed air into the engine. This means that you can generally expect to increase performance of an engine via turbocharging by around 40%.

A turbocharger uses exhaust gases to spin its turbine, the more exhaust gases you pump into the turbine, the faster it will spin.

The idea of overboost on a turbocharged engine is about getting the most amount of power out of the engine while keeping the engine safe and the emissions down.

Overboost is when the turbo runs at a higher pressure than would be safe to the engine on a constant basis – it’s safe by limiting any boost to a set time of around 10-20 seconds with the hike in power around 5% or more.

Overboost is usually an automatic response to when the vehicle is in a certain gear, at certain revs and the throttle is pinned. The idea is to provide a burst of power when the vehicle determines it is needed.

Volkswagen has introduced the new-generation Polo - physically much larger than before,  and better equipped than most offering similar boot space.

At $20,490 plus on-road costs, the 85TSI launch edition offers a 85kW/200Nm, 1.0 turbo petrol three-cylinder offers a fuel economy of 5.0 l/100km – a car ideal for getting you through city driving.

The interiors of the Polo range offers basics such as keyless entry, automatic headlights and wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirrors, vanity mirror lights, rear map lights, cloth trim, power windows and mirrors, cruise control and manual air-conditioning.

The 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming showcases Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring, wireless phone charging and six speakers.

A Driver Assistance Package can also be bought into – which includes adaptive cruise control, blight-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors with auto reverse-park assistance and electric fold door mirrors.

All Polos – except the GTI – share the same suspension, the 85TSI Launch Edition showcases 16- inch wheels with Continental ContiPremium Contacts.

This new generation Polo offers an ANCAP rating of 5 stars – with safety features including dual front, front-side and full-length curtain airbags, ABS, ESC, reverse-view camera, forward collision warning with low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection.

Polo 70TSI Trendline starts at $17,990 (plus on-road costs) delivers 70kW of power plus 175Nm torque and wears 15-inch steel wheels.

Next model up, the Comfortline comes in at $19,490 (plus on-road costs), 85kW/200Nm showcases 15-inch wheels, auto on/off headlights and wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, rear map lights and map pockets, vanity mirror lights and a front center armrest.

The 85TSI Beats edition is also soon to be available, at $22,490 will offer all of the above plus sports seats, 300-watt Beats audio and a full-colour driver display.

Perhaps one of the most important factors to some when buying a new car, is how safe it is – ANCAP or the Australasian Car Assessment Program rates cars from 1 to 5 in terms of safety, where a 5 star rating is the highest that a car can receive.
ANCAP safety ratings are published for a range of new cars – including passenger, sports utility (SUVs) and light commercial vehicles (LCV).

The safety rating indicates the level of safety that the vehicle provides for the occupants of the vehicle as well as any pedestrians in the event of a crash. Other factors that influence the rating include the vehicles ability, through technology, to avoid or minimize the effects of a crash. Consumers can then use these ratings to compare the safety between vehicles of similar mass.
But how are cars given their ANCAP safety ratings? The cars are put through a range of internationally recognized, independent crash test and safety assessments. These include destructive physical crash tests, an assessment of on-board safety features and equipment, and performance testing of active collision avoidance technologies.
Vehicles are evaluated against four key areas, including adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist.
Adult occupant protection considers the level of protection offered by the vehicle, in the case of an accident, to the adult occupants – seated in both the front (driver and passenger seats) as well as the second (back seats) rows. While the child occupant protection assesses the level of protection offered to any child occupants – while seated in appropriate child restraints – in the rear seats of the car.
The pedestrian protection evaluates the design of the front of the car to minimize injury risk to a struck pedestrian. Factors that influence the pedestrian protection include the car’s crumple zone as well as the height of the front bumper. Vehicles are also assessed for their ability to avoid or mitigate impacts with pedestrians.
While the more stars the better, a vehicle that achieves the maximum of 5 stars in its ANCAP safety rating must exhibit the highest standards in all tests and feature advanced safety.

A large family car offering a premium feel and extra safety, the 2019 Peugeot 508 Touring has recently been unveiled. With added practicality, the French brand has shown off the wagon version of the 508. If you didn’t catch all of the highlights, then read on!

A few of the design features include frameless doors and the integration of Peugeot’s high-tech i-Cockpit. Lending to a more premium feel, the inside of the 508 wagon features premium materials such as leather upholstery as well as a panoramic sun-roof and a 10-speaker Focal stereo.

Safety was also made a feature of the new 508 – the 508 Touring wagon includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, adaptive headlights, park assist and night vision which uses infrared technology to detect people beyond the scope of the headlights.

Another nifty selling feature is the amount of space. The rear seats can be folded flat – giving the 508 Touring a total cargo space of 1780-litres.

The 508 Touring will be offered in a range of petrol and diesel options that are matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission – while a plug-in hybrid petrol version will join the range later on.

The German-built Holden Commodore wagon is its closest comparison; however, the Peugeot 508 has generated a large amount of interest. While the Peugeot 508 wagon is set to go on sale in Europe at the start of 2019, Peugeot Australia has yet to announce whether the wagon will be on sale closer to home.