With the increased media attention on the eco-friendly benefits of smaller cars all over the world, it comes as no surprise that the smallest car ever made will be entering production once again!

That’s right, the 1962 Peel P-50 is coming back, for a small production run of 50 new cars. The 50 cars are expected to sell out fast with the media attention the car has acquired from having spotlight slots on world renouned programmes such as Top Gear, where over 6 foot giant Jeremy Clarkson drove to work at the BBC in a blue Peel P-50 for the show.

Here’s some stats to help further demonstrate the micro-ness of this microcar!

Wheelbase – 50 inches
Total Length – 52.8 inches
Height – 47.2 inches
Weight – 130 pounds

At just 47 inches high, you’d be right in thinking we’re surely in toy car sizes now, and no full grown man could fit inside, but if Jeremy Clarkson can do it, so can you!

The new Peel P-50’s are expected to cost around £12,499 a pop, so not cheap, but a relatively small price to pay to own the smallest car ever to have been in production. The new cars will use an electric powertrain instead of the scooter engine used previously.

Oh, did I mention the car also features one, yes one door, and an inability to reverse, unless you fancy jumping round back and pulling on the grab bar at the back?

Sometimes finding high quality used car parts can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. There is so much choice available in the market today making it increasingly complicated to find the best deals.
In addition with the increasing use of the internet, many smaller car parts dealers have begun to exploit this marketing channel as a primary method of enabling consumers to access their current available car parts.

This is where Car Parts Euro steps out and offers a comprehensive service that enables fast, reliable searching for high quality car parts from all over the UK and Europe. Consumers are given results quickly enabling them to purchase over the phone or direct with the car parts supplier.

Car dealerships often offer car parts direct from the vehicle manufacturer because they are able to stipulate that car parts not purchased from an authorised dealer will result in invalidating the cars warranty. This results in the manufacture being able to mark up the price of the car parts substantially to gain a huge profit.

In my own experience I have found that sourcing your own car parts can be considerably cheaper. For example a CEL light came on in my old Celica which was causing the engine to run lumpy. I knew this was due to a faulty lambda sensor but Toyota quoted £1500 to have the entire exhaust manifold replaced. £50 from Car Parts Euro and fitted myself in no time fixed the problem and the engine ran fine ever since. Obviously the car was out of warranty so this is where I reaped the benefits, though warranty can help if the car is recalled for specific car parts.

During this experience I found an overwhelming amount of choice online but what lead me to make the decision was the company that was able to offer quick, reliable and cost effective service.

If you have a specific car part request then why not try out the Car Parts Euro search tool and find the part you require? I can guarantee you will find what you are looking for from the thousands of suppliers all over the UK.

If someone were to ask you, what is the most dangerous aspect of a car? You’d probably say exhaust fumes, or getting hit by one! However, new research has uncovered the dangers a dirty car interior can pose to your health. If you’re not cleaning your seats and dashboards regularly, you could be creating a breeding ground for disease causing bacteria.

Swabs were taken from sample cars at Halfords branches in the UK as part of a project they were running. Scientific analysis of the swabs revealed two kinds of bacteria that are linked to skin infections such as impetigo and food poisoning. An article in the Telegraph explained these contagious bacterial infections were found on door handles, gear sticks, dashboards and steering wheels of the cars.

The tests also showed the presence of the staphylococcus bacteria responsible for skin rashes, on door handles, radio control buttons and below the seats. The other variety of bacteria called Bacillus Cereus was mainly found on the gear shift knob, car mats and below the seats. Researchers believe that these bacteria entered the car via the shoes worn by the driver and passengers.

The telegraph article quotes Dr. Anthony Hilton, who explained that not all of the bacteria found in the tests were harmful. Dr Hilton compared eating from a car dashboard with eating from a toilet seat, explaining that a similar infection would occur from the two.

Halfords also surveyed many of the tested cars drivers and found that more than half of all those surveyed cleaned their car interiors less than once a month. The same proportion also admitted to spilling food or drink in their cars at least once a month.

With the warmer weather arriving over the summer months, Dr Hilton warned of the importance of cleaning food debris from their cars as bacteria can thrive on the tiniest crumbs! Dr Hilton suggested treating your car the same as your dining room, maintaining the same levels of hygiene in both.

As part of our continual development to make it even easier for our customers to search and find new and used car parts we have created a new Facebook application. Accessible from within Facebook users can now easily and quickly find new and used car parts online. The application communicates directly with our internal systems and places enquires to our network of suppliers simultaneously.

We are really pleased with the way the application has come out. To use the app simply click the image below.
We value feedback so please let us know what you think of it, good or bad!!!

Car Parts Euro now has an online Forum to access and discuss various related topics on the automotive industry. From the most recent available car parts to the analysis of current common faults on all vehicle manufacture models our new forum provides users with an interactive resource for all the latest updates.

Users can easily login and submit questions or comments to threads, start new topics and request specific details. We have already been busy publishing technical information so please feel free to take a look and if you have a query about your vehicle why not ask online?

We look forward to seeing you at http://forum.carpartseuro.com/

The primary function of the engine throttle is to regulate the air/fuel mix. This is achieved by increasing or decreasing the volume of incoming air by means of a butterfly valve in the throttle body. In general, there are three main types of throttle system:

• Mechanical throttle valves controlled via physical linkage from the accelerator pedal
• Electromotive throttle valves controlled through a combination of the accelerator pedal and an ECM
• Electronic throttle valves controlled via an electronic signal from an ECU
  

It takes more than simply a tank of fuel to bring an engine to life. Before that fuel can release its energy it must be combined with air. The resulting mix can then be ignited using a carefully timed high-voltage spark.

To achieve optimum combustion in every cylinder under all load conditions, modern engines are equipped with a range of actuator devices which are under the direct control of engine management system. One of the key functions of these devices is to maintain a constant idling speed despite varying demands made by the air conditioning or other electrical systems.

However, a number of faults can still occur that may adversely affect the air/fuel mix. Actuator components can become soiled or seized, which short circuits in the ignition coil can undermine performance. Other potential problems include faulty electromagnetic drive components or a loss of power to individual devices. In each of these cases, it is usually advisable to replace at least one actuator component.