Westerleigh Car Centre
We are a local independent garage serving Downend and the surrounding areas.
RAC & AA Approved
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to help you with all your motoring needs.
As an RAC Approved Garage, we deliver quality work and exceptional customer service.
We are proud to be an AA Approved Garage, All AA Approved Garages are hand-picked and have an excellent level of service.
Diagnostics tests on all makes and models with industry best equipment.
Book your Car, Van, Motorhome, Pick-Up, 4×4 or Campervan in for it's MOT.
Forgot your MOT date? Click to check the status of your vehicle’s MOT and Tax.
Book your Car, Van, Motorhome, Pick-Up, 4×4 or Campervan in for it's service.
Get in contact with Westerleigh Car Centre, we are happy to help...
Vehicle Repairs and Servicing are carried out on the following: Cars, Vans, Motor Homes, Camper Vans, Mini Buses.
MOT Tests for class 4-5-7 Vehicles.
As an RAC Approved Garage we follow the RAC Customer Charter for Approved Garages. This means you will every time you bring your vehicle you will get honest pricing, quality work and exceptional customer service.
For more information about the RAC and the Approved Garages network, please click below…
All garages are hand-picked and have recognised industry accreditations and an excellent level of service, to ensure you and your car are taken care of.
4 weeks ago
This is HUGE.
Mercedes is SCRAPPING their plans to only make electric vehicles.
They will continue to develop petrol and diesel engines for many more years.
And Audi is doing the same.
What's going on, why are they abandoning their previous EV plans?
The decision by Toyota to direct investment into hydrogen technology and not EVs is looking like a very smart move.
We always said hydrogen was the way it would go and it looks like vehicle manufacturers are turning away from Electric. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook 105183756310634_925048689624473
Ze Germans have been doing development of a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel derived petroleum and diesel And they have cracked it
1 month ago
-----ADDITIONAL VEHICLE TECHNICIAN REQUIRED----------
we have a vacancy and require an additional Vehicle Technician with NVQ level 3 working to a high standard and having a good understanding of modern vehicles- working a 40 hour week -MOT Licence and Electric/Hybrid qualifications would be a bonus. A Clean driving licence required.£40.000 per year. Please email your cv to [email protected] if this position may be off interest. ... See MoreSee Less
5 months ago
Tesla model S in today for MOT Test- 9 Years old 2014- failed on TPMS light on-Customers tells us they want 5K to rectify the fault at the dealer. 😉Expensive repair ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook 105183756310634_840899064706103
Did you sort it neil
He was going to sell it😁😉
Unbelievable
7 months ago
Always said this the way it would go-Electric Vehicles are not green. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook Always said this the...
Jerry Friedman
7 months ago
Wow we are fully aware how busy the MOT bays and garage are in fact extremely busy booking at least a month in advance-However we have just taken a MOT and Service booking for January 2024.This person is well organised. ... See MoreSee Less
9 months ago
We have a number of wisper folding electric bikes and 24 inch step thru bikes with 575wh batteries on a special price -prices that you will not find elsewhere. ... See MoreSee Less
9 months ago
Toyota Study Shows EVs Unnecessary To Lower CO2 Emissions
Published on June 14, 2023
Written by Thomas Lifson
Virtually alone among major auto manufacturers, Toyota has been a skeptic about the conversion of vehicle fleets to battery-powered electric vehicles
For people incapable of thinking 2 or 3 steps ahead, EVs are “zero emission” and therefore “save the planet” from CO2 (presumed to control the Earth’s temperature despite no statistical correlation).
But this leaves out the environmental and CO2 cost of generating and transmitting electricity (mostly by burning coal in the US and many other countries), manufacturing (and recycling) the enormous batteries, and the energy and wear and tear cost of the much-heavier cars that result.
Energy losses due to resistance in power lines generate heat and cost a substantial fraction of the energy input before the consumer uses the output.
Nonetheless, rival manufacturers such as Ford and GM have leaped into the transition and are investing billions—and enduring billions in losses to convert their products to EVs.
Yesterday, Toyota released a study demonstrating that the use of the “eco mode” on some of its gasoline-powered vehicles saves CO2 emissions and gasoline consumption far more than people realize and may rival any potential savings from conversion to EVs.
Karl Furlong of Car Buzz writes:
Toyota has conducted a study that demonstrates the significant reduction in tailpipe CO2 emissions that can be achieved if more customers use their vehicles’ Eco or EV driving modes. The latter mode applies to plug-in hybrids like the RAV4 Prime, which have large enough batteries to sustain brief periods of driving on only electric power.
While such driving modes are usually associated with sluggish throttle response, customers inclined to ignore these more efficient driving modes could be encouraged to use them more often if they knew the benefits.
That’s what Toyota aims to achieve with this study, which involved Toyota employees and family members covering over 400,000 miles in Eco or EV mode. Some Lexus vehicles were also used as part of the test, and by comparing data from these cars running in their most efficient modes with vehicles that weren’t, Toyota was able to come up with some telling insights.
Collectively, the emission reductions achieved by the study’s participants represented $18,304 in fuel cost savings when matched against the national average. 5,091 gallons of gasoline were saved, and Toyota said the reductions in CO2 were the equivalent of 748 trees sequestering carbon for 10 years. Compared to the baseline, 45,235,623 g of CO2 greenhouse gases were saved.
Using Eco mode in a non-hybrid model sees the most significant benefits, with a reduction in tailpipe CO2 of 26 percent. In a hybrid model, the reduction is 4% since the vehicle already operates more efficiently in general driving.
Remapped throttle inputs in Eco mode and more efficient operation of the HVAC system are the main changes that bring about these reduced emissions.
I drive a Toyota-manufactured car with Eco mode and use it most of the time, getting a lot better mileage than my previous same-sized car got. It doesn’t affect performance that much, but I am not a peel-out sort of guy at stoplights, anyway. Ben Stratton of Wilde Toyota (a dealer) explains eco mode:
When you turn the eco mode on, the system regulates air conditioning, heated seats, and other instruments that use power in your vehicle. This alleviates pressure from the engine. And when your engine isn’t working as hard to drive and power all of those instruments, it contributes to better fuel efficiency.
In comparison to other driving modes, the eco mode makes driving more economical. That means that you’re saving money on fuel costs. But you’re also contributing to fewer emissions and, ultimately, reducing your ecological footprint.
President Akio Toyoda of Toyota, a direct descendent of the firm’s founder, has long been skeptical of EVs. Two and a half years ago, he warned:
Toyota Motor Corp.’s leader criticized what he described as excessive hype over electric vehicles, saying advocates failed to consider the carbon emitted by generating electricity and the costs of an EV transition.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda said Japan would run out of electricity in the summer if all cars were running on electric power. The infrastructure needed to support a fleet consisting entirely of EVs would cost Japan between ¥14 trillion and ¥37 trillion, the equivalent of $135 billion to $358 billion, he said.
“When politicians are out there saying, ‘Let’s get rid of all cars using gasoline,’ do they understand this?” Mr. Toyoda said Thursday at a year-end news conference in his capacity as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. (snip)
In a country such as Japan that gets most of its electricity from burning coal and natural gas, EVs don’t help the environment, Mr. Toyoda said. “The more EVs we build, the worse carbon dioxide gets,” he said.
He said he feared government regulations would make cars a “flower on a high summit”—out of reach for the average person.
That last item, pricing cars out of reach for average families may be a feature, not a bug, in the eyes of WEF-style elitists intent on reducing the standard of living of advanced countries.
President Toyoda’s views may be the reason why Toyota only offers one fully electric vehicle for sale in the US and is ranked last by Greenpeace in decarbonization.
There is no indication if Greenpeace is aware of the benefits of the eco drive, or if it calculates the emissions generated by manufacturing EVs and generating the electricity that powers them.
As far as I am concerned, Toyota has the right idea, and the alleged benefits of EVs are vastly overstated, while the costs are understated. In my book, it is a reason to prefer Toyota vehicles.
Full disclosure: Toyota was a significant client of mine when I was a consultant. But I have had no financial relationship with them, other than as a customer, for well over a decade.
See more here climatechangedispatch
Header image: Auto Beeb ... See MoreSee Less
10 months ago
Excellent news for the British motorist and the independent garages and parts suppliers going forward-
UK AFCAR, the lobbying coalition comprising UK trade federations and commercial organisations, has secured critically important gains in the revised Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Order (MV-BEO) ensuring effective competition and choice for millions of UK motorists.
In the accompanying guidelines, UK AFCAR has secured full access and recognition for independent garages, parts distributors and parts suppliers/manufacturers to full repair and maintenance information and data from vehicle manufacturers.
For parts distributors as well as the workshops who finally fit these parts, software and coding must now also be made available to ensure their ability to complete vehicle repairs.
Importantly, the inclusion of the reference to Chapter II of the UK Competition Act introduces the basis for ‘horizontal’ agreements between vehicle manufacturers and independent operators.
The previous Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulations (MVBER) expired on 31 May 2023, with the new post-Brexit competition law and guidelines now in effect.
Months of intense lobbying by members of UK AFCAR has created significant improvements when compared to the European MV-BER and guidelines, in particular clearer definitions to support the way vehicles are diagnosed, repaired and maintained.
References are also made in the guidelines to the type approval requirements for access to RMI, which will also need to be revised to ensure continued effective competition that supports consumer choice and affordable mobility.
Mark Field, IAAF chief executive and UK AFCAR chairman said: “This is major achievement for the independent automotive aftermarket, and I would look to pay tribute to intense work of the UK AFCAR and its members, Neil Pattemore and our colleagues in FIGIEFA.
”I’d also like to acknowledge and thank CMA for their detailed understanding of the need to protect consumer choice and their commitment to working with UK AFCAR to ensure compliance of MVBEO.” ... See MoreSee Less
11 months ago
Full Timing chain replacement and balance shaft on a Audi A4 2 litre petrol due to bearing noise from the balance shaft and timing being out of specifications due to wear in the chain and gears. ... See MoreSee Less
12 months ago
And the government is thinking of extending the MOT Test-This vehicle came in today with one wheel bolt holding the wheel on.😗 ... See MoreSee Less
1 years ago
Vauxhall Zafira in for MOT Test failed on Emissions Light being on -fault traced to Timing issues removed timing cover to find right hand timing chain guide missing.The guide was in the sump pan in bits.Timing chain was rubbing through a bolt fixing.Lucky customer-requires new
Timing Chain kit-Sump removal and broken guide removed. ... See MoreSee Less
1 years ago
Just replaced our PCL tyre inflators that have given us over 15 years service with 3 new PCL tyre inflators made in England and simply the best.🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧-we need to see more products with the made in Britain flag on the packaging. ... See MoreSee Less
Westerleigh Car Centre Ltd
84 Downend Road
Downend
Bristol
BS16 5UE
01179 574757
Monday | 08:00 - 17:30 |
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Tuesday | 08:00 - 17:30 |
Wednesday | 08:00 - 17:30 |
Thursday | 08:00 - 17:30 |
Friday | 08:00 - 17:30 |
Saturday | 08:00 - 12:00 |
Sunday | Closed |
© Westerleigh Car Centre - 2024