-      Sports enthusiasts with converted vans face £100 daily charge when travelling in London

-      Two choices ell the vehicle or get it fitted with a particulate filter

-      Used vans registered before 1 October 2006 based around London will be greatly de-valued in the South East

The latest Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) regulations that will be introduced on the 3 January 2012 are set to impact on the thousands of converted vans, minibuses and motor caravans owned by sports enthusiasts.

Surfers, windsurfers and mountain bikers alike who own a sub 3.5 tonne Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) registered as new before 1 October 2006 will face a daily charge of £100 if they want to travel in and around London due to their high emissions. An unpaid charge will mean a fine of £500, but the long term benefit is improved air quality for Londoners, but those consumers who own vans as part of their lifestyle will get caught in this net.

The only way to avoid the charge is to have a filter fitted which captures the Particulate Matter (PM),  the fine particles of soot emitted by vehicles, which contribute to asthma, heart and lung disease and other respiratory illnesses. This might be worth the cost and hassle if a consumer has a prized Transporter T3 or T4 conversion, but for older, shabbier models it may mean the end of the road.

Alex Wright, managing director of Shoreham Vehicle Auctions, and self confessed wind surfing fanatic is keen to warn owners before they are sent their first £500 bill for not adhering to the new legislation.

“Transport for London estimates 72,000 vans and minibuses will be affected by the new LEZ regulations. We believe that many will be owned by drivers that have converted them to meet the requirements of their passion for outdoor sports with sleeping and cooking facilities in the back and a rack to store a surfboard on the roof,” said Wright.

“The most efficient option is to have a Particulate Filter fitted as any vehicle registered before 1 October 2006 will be soon worth nothing in the used vehicle market,” he added.

One last word of advice from Wright – “don’t forget to get your vehicle retested after the filter has been fitted to ensure the Government’ central database recognises your new lower emission vehicle and to avoid future charges or fines,” he said.

For a full list of the vehicles affected by the legislation and for a list of converters who can fit a filter to a vehicle can be found at www.tfl.gov.uk.

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For further media information please contact Kally Carder, Tel: 01628 526208 kally@nobull-communications.co.uk

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Providing used car buyers with online images and descriptions as early as possible prior to sale is the key to successfully negotiating the current tough used vehicle market.

Buyers are bidding on fewer vehicles at auction and when it comes time to spending money they are doing more research than ever to prove a vehicle’s provenance before parting with their funds.

“Online images and descriptions are a key part of the modern auction environment, but buyers are now relying on these more to do their pre-auction research, to ensure they are as clued up on the market as possible,” explained Shoreham’s managing director, Alex Wright.

“We’ve noticed a big difference – as soon as we upload new vehicles onto our website for forthcoming sales, the phone starts to ring with traders asking more detailed questions about a vehicle, which we welcome. We are seeing a steady growth now, with the number of buyers increasing every day.”

Shoreham has been a relative latecomer to uploading images and descriptions of sale stock prior to sale, only adopting this procedure when it re-launched its website six months ago. It now chooses to upload ALL vehicles for sale onto its website free of charge and is extending each vehicle description to be accompanied by a minimum of four images.

“Even if a car or van comes in for an auction that is two weeks away, we still get it on the website as soon as possible. The long term benefit has to be more buyers buying more vehicles from Shoreham more often. It’s got to be the same for any vendor in this very tough used market, if they want to sell their stock fast and efficiently.”

Forget to load an image or enter a vehicle too late and the price to pay is high, according to Wright. The earlier an image is uploaded, the earlier the buyers can do their research and the more likely you are to see your vehicles shifting. Images are vitally important, as they are making the trade work harder.

He said: “We have seen entries arrive on sale day, just a few hours before the start of the sale, which can result in a car being uploaded without the image or full description. In the current market it is not surprising that buyers are prepared to ignore this stock. Rightfully they are managing their risk and only buying the stock they have pre-qualified or that they have found a buyer for. Everyone has to work their cashflow hard in the current economic climate.”

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For further Information contact Steve Carman or Kally Carder on 01628 526208 or email steve or kally@nobull-communications.co.uk

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