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What to Check When Buying a Used Van

August 14th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

Going second-hand is a great way to make your van purchase more affordable. If you’re buying several of them at once, the savings can be significant – and you needn’t compromise on quality, provided that you know what you’re looking for. We like to think that we know exactly what we’re looking for, and so what better way could there be to share our knowledge than via this blog? Let’s run through a few points. Rust Once steel has rusted, it’s impossible to replace. As well as looking unpleasant, rust also weakens the structure of the van, and shortens its lifespan. It’s easy to spot rust on the outer body of the van (particularly around wings and bumpers where water is more likely to settle). To detect underlying corrosion, however, you’ll need to press lightly on the metalwork. Internal rust will give itself away with a characteristic cracking sound: this is air being forced out of tiny pockets left by the rust. Dashboard When you start the van, the dashboard should be the first place you look for signs that something is amiss. Look for the battery indicator. Check the aircon while you’re at it. Lights If the headlights, brakelights…

Why does Fuel Cost so Much?

July 16th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re running even a one-person business that needs to travel from place to place, then the chances are that the cost of fuel ranks highly on your list of concerns. And this cost is getting steeper. Let’s see if we can prise apart the causes of this rise, and see if we can estimate the running costs for our vans in the coming years. Or, at the very least, equip you all to blag your way through a conversation about why it costs so much to fill up your Transit. The Weak Pound Following the Brexit vote in 2016, the pound collapsed. This was great news for exporters, but not so great for importers. Since oil is extracted and refined overseas, and its crude form is exchanged in dollars, this leaves the British motorist out of pocket. The Price of Crude Oil Oil prices have been rising throughout 2018, thanks to a combination of Donald Trump pulling out of the Iran deal, cuts in production by Russia and OPEC, and a seemingly-neverending political crisis in oil-rich Venezuela. We should also bear in mind that the global economy is performing better than even the most optimistic economist expected, which bolsters…

7 Ways to cut your fuel costs

July 16th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

Fuel costs represent a large chunk of expenditure for many on-the-road businesses. Anything that can be done to keep them under control is surely to be welcomed! If you find yourself wincing every time you fill up, then read on: we’ve put together a few tips that’ll ensure you get maximum mileage from every litre. Don’t Overload Sometimes, taking stuff out of the back of your van can be a hassle. But even the smallest load can be significant if it’s left in there for long enough. A roll of carpet weighs as much as several burly blokes – and if you’re hauling it around for weeks on end for the sake of convenience, the result can be wasted fuel. The same can also be said of smaller items left in for longer periods: that shovel you break out on the one week where it snows can probably be left in the garage. If you’re driving short distances regularly, then the weight of your fuel tank might even play a role, so keep it half-full. Inflate your tyres It’s probably the most obvious step, but it’s one that many of us neglect. Tyre inflation will improve your vehicle’s grip on…

How Often Should I Replace My Tyres?

July 16th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

While a quality van, car or lorry can comfortably run for several decades before needing to be replaced, the same cannot be said for the tyres upon which it’ll rely. To do their job, tyres need to be made from rubber – a small portion of which will rub off on the road with every rotation. This wear means that tyres will need to be occasionally replaced. What do treads do? With the notable exception of F1 cars, tyres are covered with small channels called treads. These channels allow rainwater to drain from between the tyre and the road, allowing your van to maintain grip even when the road is slippery. As your tyres wear down, these channels will become shallower, and thus less capable of squeezing away water during wet conditions. How can I tell when the tyres need replacing? In the UK, the legal limit for tread depth is 1.6mm. Certain manufacturers, like Michelin, imprint narrow bridges into their treads so that you can see exactly when this occurs. If the surface of the tyre is level with the bridge, it’s time to get a replacement. You might also employ a set of callipers, or take the edge…

Preparing for the MOT

June 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

The modern MOT test can be an intimidating prospect for any driver. It involves an extensive list of checks and tests administered to all aspects of your car. MOT testers will carry out assessments of your brakes, car suspension, lights and electrics, power steering, windscreens and tyres to name just a few. If you want to be 100% sure of a pass you can have a professional assessment and full service of your car carried out. However, if you are confident enough in the state of your car to send it directly to the test, here are some basic checks you can carry out yourself to increase your chances of success on the first go. 1. Lights Check anything that lights up on your car and make sure that every bulb is in good working order. A third of all MOT failures can be attributed to some kind of light or electrical issue, but you can alleviate a huge amount of this risk by replacing any bulbs that need it. 2. Tyres Tyre issues are among the most common causes for MOT failure. As well as checking for any bulges, lumps or splits, you should also ensure the pressure is…

Prepare Your Car for the Summer

June 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

The summer days are well and truly here and the last thing you want to think about is car maintenance. Well tough! Just because your body naturally adapts itself to the warmer days, it doesn’t mean your car does as well. That’s science! So, today we are going to run through some of the basic checks and updates you should be doing to prep your car for the warmer days. Change/check the oil Oil should be checked regularly in all seasons. However, with the rising temperatures and the intense heat that can accrue under the hood of your car, it is important to do summer-specific checks on this essential element. This is doubly true if your car is one that requires a change from winter-grade oil to summer grade oil. Oil designed for the extreme cold of winter is thinner and will not have the right viscosity for warmer seasons. Consider your tyres Perhaps you are one of them fancy dandy’s who got themselves a set of all-season tyres so that they can ride in comfort all year round. If you are, then forget this part. If you are not, you may want to consider switching to summer tires. These…

Assembling Your Emergency Breakdown Kit

June 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. With such certainty about the outcome, it seems bizarre that so few drivers are prepared for the inevitability of car failure! Today, we are going to give you our thoughts on the must-haves when it comes to kitting your car out with an emergency break down kit. ‘Always be prepared’ is the motto of the Boy Scouts of America, and most of those guys aren’t even old enough to drive. What’s your excuse!? Item number 1: First Aid Kit. Now this doesn’t haven’t to include everything from a scalpel to a defibrillator (but if you happen to have one lying around then why not?). A standard store-bought first aid kit should have all the basic stuff included and may prove invaluable in an emergency situation. Even having some plasters and disinfectant ready to hand in the event that you nick yourself while doing basic repairs is a good thing. Item number 2: Tool kit/Multi-Tool Ideally, a small tool kit including things like screwdrivers, car jacks and tire irons would be top of the dream wish list. However, if that seems like a little too much, a good multi-tool…

Why buy a used van?

June 5th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re running a small business (or even a large one), then a used van is a sensible investment. Of course, you might think that we’re biased – and that’s fair enough. That’s why we’ve come up with this list of six water-tight reasons to go used. Let’s get going! Used vans cost less We’ll start with the most obvious reason to go used: you’ll be spending less money. As well as being a good thing in-and-of-itself, this will free up funds for additional accessories like Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation systems and fluffy dice. If you’re investing in multiple vehicles, you might even find that you’re able to buy more of them for the same price as if you’d bought new. What’s more, if you’re buying used, you’ll be afforded greater flexibility. Looking to make a part-exchange? We’ll make it happen. There are more used vans to choose from When you’re buying a new vehicle, you’re restricted to the models that manufacturers are currently putting out. But when you buy used, you can choose from everything they’ve ever put out. This breadth of options allows you to more easily find a fit for your circumstances. And, let’s face it, some…

Dealing with an overheating van

June 4th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

Summer is here. The sun is shining. Birds are singing. Ice-cream vans are once again doing the rounds. Angry conversations about England’s dismal World Cup campaign are imminent. The nation’s van drivers, naturally, can look forward to spending quite a lot of their time sitting idle in heavy traffic, watching their temperature gauges creep steadily upward. Overheating engines are worth paying attention to. They tend to suffer from all manner of knock-on problems, and so should be checked regularly. After all, there are more pleasant ways to spend a summer’s day than waiting for a tow-truck by the side of a scorching-hot motorway! Check the radiator Your engine is kept cool by a radiator, whose job it is to disperse heat away from the interior. You’ll find a fan on one end of it, which will blow that hot air away more quickly. If this fan breaks, then this won’t happen. Check that the blades are able to move freely. If they can’t, it’s time to replace the fan. You’ll also want to check the fins of the radiator itself. If they’re filled with gunk that’s gotten thrown up from the road surface, then air won’t be able to pass…

Keeping your tyres in good condition

May 31st, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

The tyres on your van are expected to absorb an enormous amount of punishment. They carry heavy goods through rugged environments, they massively influence your fuel economy, and their condition might even spell the difference between life and death. In return, it’s only fair that you spend a little bit of time looking after them. Much like cleaning your teeth and paying the occasional visit to the gym, it’s worth it in the long run. And if the improvements in your fuel economy and safety aren’t enough to persuade you, you might consider that every illegal tyre is a £2,500 waiting to happen. With that in mind, let’s run through a few maintenance tips. Check the pressure. Obviously. Invest in an accurate pressure gauge for the job. It’ll save you from handing over fifty pence every time you visit the petrol station, where they really do charge you for fresh air. Do it when the tyres are still cold – which ideally means before you’ve gotten the van moving. You’ll find most manufacturers recommend specific tyre pressures in their vehicle handbooks, for both loaded and unloaded vehicles. Get leaks repaired If your pressure is dropping rapidly even after reinflation, then…

Top 3 Selling Commercial Vans if They Were Boxers

April 18th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

When it comes to things like sports cars and boxers, people will spend hours and hours debating and listing the greatest of all time. Yet for some reason, the epic commercial vehicles of our time never seem to get the same treatment. This never seemed to make sense to us here at BCS given that the commercial van represents the perfect combination of both those worlds i.e. a beautiful vehicle that can take a punch. Now, we know what you’re thinking. Why are you a punching your van? An excellent question, but that’s a list for another day. Today, we’re going to review the top three best-selling commercial vehicles of all time…as if they were boxers. No seriously, stick with it. It’ll be good. Number 3: The Toyota Hiace (6.7 millions sold) The Hiace is considered the workhorse of workhorses. In boxing terms, it is probably most similar to sluggers like ‘Irish’ Micky Ward, in as far as the Hiace sticks to a basic format based on brutal practicality making it both dependable and straightforward. Considered by many to be essentially a box on wheels (the Hiace, that is, not Ward), the well-loved vehicle for Toyota is actually technically the…

How to Jump Start Your Car

April 18th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

These days, it’s hard for most of us to imagine what it was like before modern technology changed everything. If our WIFI goes down, one is likely to find us sitting in one place for hours and hours trying to remember what we did for entertainment before the internet (TV and board games, in case you were wondering). Yet even those who grew up before the age of the web knew the feeling of being thrust back into the state of nature that arose the moment they tried start their car and nothing happened. Today we are going to give you a brief guide to how you can try to jump start your car and some common errors to avoid. However, jump starting a car can come with some inherent risks for those who don’t know what they are doing. If you are less than confident in your abilities, we advise contacting a qualified roadside assistant instead. Preparing the scene The unfortunate failure of your battery has essentially sent you back in time and put you on a level with your pre-industrial ancestors. Perhaps it is fitting then that your ticket out of this conundrum lies in the rediscovery of…

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