Monday, April 22, 2013

Honda Product Recall Honda Product Recall

This is a short post to inform Honda drivers that Honda UK has a product recall on a selection of cars due to faulty passenger airbags. This...

Read more »










This is a short post to inform Honda drivers that Honda UK has a product recall on a selection of cars due to faulty passenger airbags. This recall mainly affects CR-V's between 2002-3 and a small number of Stream and Jazz models between 2001-02.

Owners will be notified by post and asked to make an appointment to visit their local Honda dealership. Work to carry out these essential repairs will be free of charge and are strongly recommended.

If you have any queries, please visit the Honda UK Product Recall  website or contact your local Honda UK dealership.

This post was brought to you in association with Honda UK.
Honda Product Recall
Car Choice: Honda Product Recall
Written By:
Popularity: 5
Rating: 168 reviews

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

'08 Toyota Verso '08 Toyota Verso

The Toyota Verso, launched in 2009, designed to be a compact MPV, was a replacement for the Corolla Verso. The Verson carries on the long tr...

Read more »

The Toyota Verso, launched in 2009, designed to be a compact MPV, was a replacement for the Corolla Verso. The Verson carries on the long tradition of safety and reliability that run through the Toyota range, with Euro NCAP declaring it to be the safest MPV on the market in 2010.


A standard Verso is comfortable, spacious and reliable, but when alterations are needed for the disabled, things can go slightly wrong. The following review was written by one of our readers, Mandy Sellars, who explains some of the difficulties that she has experienced with some of the alterations needed for her condition.

"My car is a Toyota Corolla Verso, its a 7 seater one.
I have had this for 4 years and its been adapted for me to use: it has an extended steering wheel so I can reach it as due to my condition I need extra leg space.
There are extra runners on the drivers seat so that it touches the back seats, this gives me the room I need to sit in the drivers seat.

"It's a 58 plate thats makes it 4 years old i think? sorry hopeless with these things.
well its difficult for me to give a clear definition as to whether its comfortable as i get pain from driving, but i think essentially for most people it could be.
Yes it's easy to park i dont have problems at all. Of course for me i always need to park in a disabled space as you will know thats not always easy.


"The extra seats in the boot have been removed and fitted with a hoist to lift my electric wheelchair in to the back of the car. The wheelchair is a sunrise quickie F55 so it is taken apart to fit in the boot, the arms, footplates, back and seat are removed. it fits snuggle in the boot but doesn't leave much room for anything else to fit in the boot.

"I have hand controls to drive my car and have found that Toyotas new gear control, which is known as a multi mode gear box, which they say is in-between a manual and automatic gear box. However, I would definitely say that for anyone who has to use hand controls not to go for a car that has a multi mode gear box. The reason being is that with a standard automatic you can stay static on a hill without putting the hand break on, however, with a multi mode gear box you need to use the hand break when stationary on a hill. This is where the problems start, having to find the biting point in the acceleration with one hand whilst taking the hand break off with the other and no hand to steer with!! so this in my opinion is very dangerous and such gear modes shouldn't be offered to someone using hand controls.


"I know the way to start cars has changed a lot over the years and now there is a button on the dash board, this for me personally is pretty difficult to reach, it was so much easier when you put a key in on the steering wheel to start the car."

Mandy's experiences go to show that if you have a mobility issue that requires you to alter a cars specifications, then much thought is needed as to whether some alterations will actually make you life more easier, or not.
'08 Toyota Verso
Car Choice: '08 Toyota Verso
Written By:
Popularity: 5
Rating: 168 reviews

Hybrid Cars For The Disabled Hybrid Cars For The Disabled

Hybrid cars these days are becoming more and more common place on our streets. The attraction of saving and money, as well as saving the env...

Read more »






Hybrid cars these days are becoming more and more common place on our streets. The attraction of saving and money, as well as saving the environment, is making people turn to hybrid technology. There are several manufacturers these days who produce hybrid cars, none more so than Honda. You can find out more about the range of hybrid cars from Honda UK here. But are these cars really fit for purpose when it comes to meeting the needs of the disabled?

In short answer, yes. Hybrid cars are designed to be just like a normal car. All of the controls are the same, all basic functions are the same. In fact, apart from a few additional buttons in the cabin, such as "Eco" and "EV", there is nothing significantly different. I have personally reviewed a selection of hybrid cars, and with disabilities, I can honestly say that they are just as easy to drive, and live with, as my normal car.

A lot of people worry about lack of space in the cabin due to batteries, but this simply isn't the case. In most hybrid cars, the batteries are either under the boot on under the centre arm-rest, so space is not compromised. I have yet to find a hybrid where I cannot fit my wheelchair in the boot and often there is still room to spare.

Another concern I have come across is people worrying that the batteries will die and will cost a veritable fortune to replace. The truth is that these battery cells last a very long time and most manufacturers a warranty on the batteries, Honda offers a 5 year warranty, though personally, I have known hybrids still using the original batteries more than a decade later.

Hybrid cars are the future of motoring, cutting down on carbon dioxide production and reducing fossil fuel consumption and Honda are already paving the way for the next generation of hybrid vehicles.



This post was brought to you in association with Honda UK.


Hybrid Cars For The Disabled
Car Choice: Hybrid Cars For The Disabled
Written By:
Popularity: 5
Rating: 168 reviews
 
Toggle Footer
Top