With temperatures reaching the high twenties this week, the AA are warning motorists to be aware of their car overheating due to lack of coolant for several reasons. Firstly, there is the inconvenience of breaking down which could be very costly if motorists do not have roadside assistance cover such as Greenflag Breakdown insurance. Secondly, there is a risk in the current hot weather of stranded motorists and their passengers, which could include children, of suffering dehydration if no fluids are carried. Thirdly, the cost of repairs could easily run into four figures never mind the fact the car could be off the road for a long period of time. The estimated cost of repairs for a cooling fan is £250 and a head gasket is £1000.

This warning from the AA comes following a survey of some 14,500 members which revealed that 25% of women drivers admitted to never checking their vehicle’s coolant level. Men faired better with only 10% not checking. Geographically, Londoners appeared to be worse than any other drivers with 18% of them never checking levels. This contrasts to 24% of Welsh drivers who admitted checking their levels once a week.

The advice from the AA is to regularly check coolant levels especially if you are making a long journey. One of the issues is that many cars are used for short distance trips which don’t pose too much of a problem, however, if the vehicle is suddenly used for a long journey, any weakness in the vehicle is suddenly exposed.

While Germany has seen a 40% increase in new car registrations against Britain’s 30% decrease in the same year, any UK motorist with a car over 9 years old could qualify for a £2000 scrapping allowance under a proposed scheme to be announced by the Chancellor in the latest budget. China, Brazil and other European countries have also enjoyed a significant boost in car sales under similar compensation schemes, and the motor industry estimates that a demand for up to a quarter of a million new cars could be created if a parallel system is implemented in the UK.

The issue of funding the project is still subject to negotiation and reassurances are being demanded from car manufacturers that a government-backed allowance would not replace existing discounts on car sales, so even though there are finer details still being thrashed out in Whitehall, a positive result is anticipated in time for the new budget. Once agreed and finalised, the plan is to offer a voucher in return for scrapping any car over 9 years old, redeemable against a new or nearly-new model.

Fears that such proposals would ultimately benefit other car-producing countries more than the UK have been dismissed when in fact, Britain’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has been pushing for this allowance for months, criticising Whitehall’s previous reluctance to implement an incentive scheme to rival those that have already proved to have had a positive impact on the motor industry in many other countries of the world.