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I have 1524 customer letters! This one was sent by David Foster after they had been driving around a few weeks in their new Skoda Octavia Estate

David says…
Ling,

Thank you so much for arranging this contract hire for me. This is the first time I’ve gone down this route (as far as cars are concerned) and to me, it makes nothing but absolute
financial sense. I don’t know why more people don’t use this method when it comes to
running a new car.

I know I gave you something of a headache with the specifications of the Octavia VRS Estate I wanted (which I know are like hen’s teeth to find). When the dealer’s low-loader
delivered the exact car I had asked for (and I mean in every single detail) I was speechless.

Sadly we have come to expect substandard service in this (“couldn’t give a damn”)
country. Crap customer service has become the norm. Your level of service, expertise and
professionalism stands out like beacon against every other comparable company in your field and I personally would go no further than Ling’s Cars in the future.

I’m more than happy to recommend you to any sensible person who is looking to run a new car at almost half the cost of buying.

David Foster
Consett
DH8 ***

Editor Note: Well, my God, what a letter! David, hehehe, if every customer wrote a letter like this I would be very pleased! Also, you are only 20 miles from me, so maybe I see you around in your fast Skoda VRS. I look forward to helping you again with another car… but what a standard I have to live up to, eh? – Ling

Looking at my records, the Kia Picanto 1.0 1 12v (66bhp) Hatchback 5dr 998cc Petrol Manual (5 Speed) Petrol Manual has changed today, so I have updated the environmental information on my website. You have to laugh that I can beat Kia to this update!

You need to insure the car fully comp, as normal with any new car. The car can be used for any purpose, or driven by anyone you choose. In effect, it is your own brand new car for the length of the hire period. You can even take it abroad. I tried to drive car to China once. That was damn big mistake. I suggest you do not use contract hire car for this.

When I asked Renault UK what they were doing to encourage franchised dealers to go beyond legal-minimum disclosure of environmental data, they simply said; “The majority of Renault dealers are autonomous businesses with a franchise to sell and repair Renault vehicles and as such, the internal running is outside of our jurisdiction. However, we train the dealer network, to ensure that they are aware of the different models and new technologies available. Some Renault dealerships may choose to advertise this information on their websites whereas some Renault dealerships would choose not to.”. Note that this statement is slightly misleading as Renault UK directly owns many of its larger dealerships, and in my extensive research no Renault dealer uses this information online. They could, if they wanted to. Their statement doesn’t seem to me to be very pro-active.

Having got all the info for the Kia Picanto Petrol Manual, I can publish the new CO2 figure: 101g/km. This will change across the different models of this particular car, they are all a bit different.

My Kia Picanto 1.0 1 12v (66bhp) Hatchback 5dr 998cc Petrol Manual (5 Speed) Petrol Manual gearbox is only £166.91 inc VAT per month with 3 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Kia Picanto includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £166.91 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

The comparative or “fridge” label, is compulsory in car showrooms – except you’ve got to DRIVE there to see it! I won an industry award for displaying it electronically for all website visitors. I am the proud winner of the 2008 Best Environmentalist 2008 Automotive Management Award. Like me, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair talks straight about cars versus planes. “The usual horseshit”, he says. One day, every car will be as Green as my Jolly Green Nuclear Missile Truck “Calm down dear!” – it’s only done 1,000 miles since 1970.

Plan ahead – choose uncongested routes, combine trips, car share.

Website comments come in all the time – I have got one that says…

Your site made me laugh more than many of the other sites with mad chinese girls running car leasing companies. Am on a long march to replace my Lexus so this is serious.
Bill Lane, Nottingham, NG10 1QA
billzlane_@aol.com

Biofuels also offer a way to reduce vehicles’ impacts on climate change. The fuels are not entirely CO2 neutral because of the energy used to grow and process crops, but they can offer substantial CO2 savings over fossil petrol and diesel. Today most biofuels are sold in a blends of up to 5% with fossil petrol and diesel . These are suitable for use in all vehicles. Fuel standards may be extended in the future to allow more than 5% if it is concluded that this is compatible with existing vehicles. Some manufacturers offer ‘flexi-fuel’ vehicles that can run on bioethanol blends up to E85 – a blend of 85% bioethanol and 15% petrol, as well as fossil petrol.

Everyone moans that things go up and up and up. Well, the CO2 on the BMW X3 Estate 2.0 xDrive20d M Sport 16v (190bhp) Estate 5dr 1995cc Diesel 4X4 Step Auto (8 Speed) Diesel Automatic has just come down! What a result! This post is to let you know.

Physical stock is always limited, as cars cannot be made to appear by magic, there are only so many sat in corner of field. So be brave, grab a bargain and avoid me having to make phone calls to disappointed people who have left decision too late. Remember that you have to pass finance before I can reserve you a car, so allow time for that!

On new cars for example, average CO2 has been cut by more than 10 per cent in six years. Improvements at manufacturing sites have been more significant. Published in September, the SMMT’s seventh annual sustainability report showed that average energy used � and CO2 emitted – to produce each vehicle in the UK has been halved in just four years.

I have taken a typical model of this car from my website – the BMW X3 Estate Diesel Automatic. For this car, the CO2 is now just 144g/km. Other trim levels might differ slightly.

My BMW X3 Estate 2.0 xDrive20d M Sport 16v (190bhp) Estate 5dr 1995cc Diesel 4X4 Step Auto (8 Speed) Diesel Automatic gearbox is only £402.49 inc VAT per month with 6 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my BMW X3 Estate includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £402.49 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economics Service, produced the UK Government Environmental Report on the Economics of Climate Change. I was so pleased to win an Environmental Award in 2008, myself. I am determined that LINGsCARS.com will go further than anyone else in this industry to exceed the legal minimum information disclosure. It is probably the case that my customers have the smallest environmental footprints of any new car customers in the UK!

Regular servicing helps keep the engine at best efficiency.

I have so many of these website comments, they are overflowing on my desk!

I just love the implicit honesty and the way the site is written which holds your complete attention to read the whole site.
Jackie Ragett, Rainham, RM13 9HP
charliechameleon_@yahoo.co.uk

In 1993 exhaust emission limits, (generally referred to as the Euro 1 standards) were introduced for new cars which resulted in the adoption of advanced emission control techniques, e.g. catalysts. More stringent emission limits came into effect in 1997 (Euro 2) and 2001 (Euro 3) and 1st January 2005 (Euro 4). Euro 4 came fully into force on 1st January 2007 and now covers most new cars on sale.

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I always ask my customers if they have comments about getting their new car. Really, I am looking for criticisms (so I can improve my service). However, customers like Paul Breslin show that it is hard to generate real criticism. I can only improve if I know if anything is wrong. So, no thanks to Paul Breslin 🙂

Paul says…
“Simple, easy to use website. Good communication. We are on our second car from Ling.”

Paul Breslin
Horsham
RH12 ***

Editor Note: Hello, Paul! You are Renault-man! You have had a Megane CC and now a Megane Hatch. Nice to have returning customers, you really put my critics in Automotive Management forum in their place when they say my business model cannot succeed. Up their ass… eh, Paul? Thanks – Ling

I am the fastest car supplier in the UK to update the Skoda Karoq Estate 1.0 TSI 12v (115bhp) SE Technology Estate 5dr 999cc Petrol Manual information. No one in the industry can believe how fast I am.

This is very difficult for some people to control because of the damn human nature. But try to look at your car as a simple consumer goods, like a fridge or microwave. Who would get excited by a microwave…? Because these cars are so very, very cheap, often dealer makes just a tiny profit. Almost like handling fee. Me too. I work on numbers of cars, like airline ticket consolidators sell tickets.

I also took the decision to code into HTML and make available for printing the “Comparative Labels” or the “fridge” type labels you see at Comet and Curry’s on new fridges and washing machines. No other UK website bothers (or wants) to give their customers this information. One day they will be forced to do this. I have made my code freely available for any dealer who wants to use it, and published a tutorial on how to include this in their websites. This was published on the Automotive Management forum on 26th October 2006. To date, no dealer has contacted me to use my code.

For this brand new Skoda Karoq Estate Petrol Manual, the latest CO2 figure is just 119g/km. When I chose this trim, it was because I have a few of these available. Different trims will have different CO2.

My Skoda Karoq Estate 1.0 TSI 12v (115bhp) SE Technology Estate 5dr 999cc Petrol Manual gearbox is only £172.30 inc VAT per month with 9 months initial payment, followed by 23 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Skoda Karoq Estate includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £172.30 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economics Service, produced the UK Government Environmental Report on the Economics of Climate Change. I was so pleased to win an Environmental Award in 2008, myself. I am determined that LINGsCARS.com will go further than anyone else in this industry to exceed the legal minimum information disclosure. It is probably the case that my customers have the smallest environmental footprints of any new car customers in the UK!

Use higher gears, as soon as traffic conditions allow.

I get tired of typing out these comments, but… here’s one.

Hello Ling, I found your site one of the most interesting and funny on the web. What a great concept, if only there were more people like you! Why don’t you have a recipe of the month? Your quiz was too hard for me and your teeshirt is cool.
Mary Nowell, East Kilbride, G75 8EQ
marynowell1_@hotmail.com

The external noise emitted by passenger cars has been controlled since 1929 when the Motor Cars (Excessive Noise) regulations were introduced. New cars are now required to meet Europe-wide noise limits. These have been progressively reduced from 82 decibels (dB(A)) in 1978 to the current limit of 74 dB(A) established in 1996. This means it would take 7 new vehicles to make the same amount of noise as a vehicle that just meets the pre-1978 limits.

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How much do I spend on stamps??? It must add up because I send every customer a nice thank-you letter. Graham Moorhouse replied with a letter back to me about the Skoda Fabia that was delivered, new. Here it is:

Graham says…
Apart from a slight mix-up re delivery time, your service was impeccable. Also, the supplying dealer was spot on and perfect and very professional. I will definitely use you again. Your prices are very keen and I like your personal service. Please don’t change a thing.

LING IS KING!

ps. Just saw you on Dragons’ Den tonight, wicked! Great decision. Fabia is great, what a bargain!

Graham Moorhouse
Corby
NN18 ***

Editor Note: Graham, well, thanks. never been called a King before. I had great fun on the BBC. Really sorry about the delivery confusion, all my fault. Sorted out quickly, though. Glad you are pleased with the Skoda Fabia, these are great cars, so much cheaper then their VW brothers. – Ling

The impact of CO2 is important. I always compare my figures with the Government data, so when it changes, like on this Citroen C3 Aircross Petrol Manual, I note it here in my blog.

Your car belongs to the finance company on whose documents you agreed to the contract. Many different wear and tear agreements are issued, but it is safe to say that they all are similar to the industry standard issued by the BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association). I have condensed the advice into an easy to read PDF file. If you have things to fix, I recommend 1st call to people like Dent Devils, mobile Glass Repair, etc. Cheap and often works. They usually come to you, in van. Easy. Treat this car like your own car and you will not go far wrong. If you sold a 2-year-old car privately, you would fix exact same problems. Common sense helps!

I am determined that LINGsCARS.com will go further than anyone else in this industry to exceed the legal minimum information disclosure that 99% of UK franchised car dealers refuse to go beyond (and hide behind, IMHO). So, I make sure that at-a-glance CO2, fuel economy and the coloured “greeness indicator bars” are displayed clearly on my homepage car listings for easy comparison purposes.

For this brand new Citroen C3 Aircross Petrol Manual, the latest CO2 figure is just 109g/km. When I chose this trim, it was because I have a few of these available. Different trims will have different CO2.

My Citroen C3 Aircross 1.2 PureTech Flair 12v (110bhp) Hatchback 5dr 1199cc Petrol Manual (6 Speed) Petrol Manual gearbox is only £173.99 inc VAT per month with 6 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Citroen C3 Aircross includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £173.99 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

The comparative or “fridge” label, is compulsory in car showrooms – except you’ve got to DRIVE there to see it! I won an industry award for displaying it electronically for all website visitors. I am the proud winner of the 2008 Best Environmentalist 2008 Automotive Management Award. Like me, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair talks straight about cars versus planes. “The usual horseshit”, he says. One day, every car will be as Green as my Jolly Green Nuclear Missile Truck “Calm down dear!” – it’s only done 1,000 miles since 1970.

Use air-conditioning sparingly – running air-conditioning continuously will increase fuel consumption significantly.

Read this, I have this comment up, displayed on LINGsCARS.com:

Wicked!!! Your site is great and you are hilarious!!! Worth visiting for the humour.
Marie Balchin, Ceredigion, SA48 8BY
mariebalchin_@hotmail.com

Hybrid vehicles combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor and battery. There are various ways in which hybrid vehicles can operate. For example the electric motor can be used to provide additional power during acceleration and high load conditions. The battery can then be recharged by the internal combustion engine or from energy absorbed during braking, or, in some cases, from an external electrical supply. Hybrid vehicles offer reduced fuel consumption and CO2 with potentially some reduction in emissions of local pollutants.

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I always ask my customers if they have comments about getting their new car. Really, I am looking for criticisms (so I can improve my service). However, customers like Daina Carnochan show that it is hard to generate real criticism. I can only improve if I know if anything is wrong. So, no thanks to Daina Carnochan 🙂

Daina says…
I was still awaiting quotes from some other companies 6 months down the line, but Ling was very efficient and quick. Very good service – I have already recommended you to many friends. I love my new Ford Focus and I will get my next cars from Ling, too! Good delivery.

Daina Carnochan
Inverurie
AB51 ***

Editor Note: Daina, you are a veterinary in the North of Scotland. I expect you have enough trouble with all the pesky animals (and owners) to have to worry about dealing with car supply idiots. So, I am glad I came out top for you. Why some other companies don’t perform – I don’t know? They are silly for missing out on the business. Back to those cats and dogs (or cows) and hope the Focus Estate does the job, carrying all the pets around :). You also have a nice name! – Ling

Green output is important to me, so I tell you the Mazda 6 Estate 2.2 d SE-L Nav+ 16v (150bhp) Estate 5dr 2191cc Diesel Manual (6 Speed) Diesel Manual has changed, here are the new figures. I work hard to keep everything up to date.

Sometimes new car will be delivered on a car transporter, other times it will be driven to you. Either way, I always ask you check mileage on delivery. Write mileage on delivery sheet (before signing!!!) and keep a copy. At the end of contract, you can then subtract these miles from any “excess mileage” you may have incurred (extra miles over contract amount). This is easy if you have kept a copy of the delivery note. This is hard if you have lost it.

Back to CO2 – there is no easy technical way to deal with CO2. The best way to reduce it and the other emissions is to use the car only when it is necessary and to walk or use public transport where possible. When you are choosing a vehicle and you have selected the most appropriate class of vehicle for your needs, choose the most fuel efficient vehicle in that group. This is where a franchised new car dealer really struggles. Is a Ford dealer really going to advise a customer to buy a lower-polluting Renault Megane? Did you know the fuel consumption of similar size cars can vary as much as 45%?

I am pleased to say that the CO2 for the Mazda 6 Estate Diesel Manual is now 119g/km. If you chose a different trim level, the CO2 would change, but not by much.

My Mazda 6 Estate 2.2 d SE-L Nav+ 16v (150bhp) Estate 5dr 2191cc Diesel Manual (6 Speed) Diesel Manual gearbox is only £323.00 inc VAT per month with 6 months initial payment, followed by 35 payments on direct debit. Business customers, make sure you deduct the VAT, when making decisions. As I can’t tell what type of customer you are (business or private), I can’t display the price any other way but to show VAT seperately (sorry!).

This price on my Mazda 6 Estate includes full road tax for the length of the contract, on all of my cars and vans! Free delivery to your home or work and free collection from you at the end! £323.00 inc VAT per month is based on you driving 10,000 miles per annum, but higher mileages are usually available at a small extra cost. If you go over the allocated miles, you can pay a small excess mileage charge, usually between 3p and 15p per mile.

Sir Nicholas Stern, Head of the Government Economics Service, produced the UK Government Environmental Report on the Economics of Climate Change. I was so pleased to win an Environmental Award in 2008, myself. I am determined that LINGsCARS.com will go further than anyone else in this industry to exceed the legal minimum information disclosure. It is probably the case that my customers have the smallest environmental footprints of any new car customers in the UK!

Do not compromise safety but be aware that the use of onboard electrical devices increases fuel consumption.

Every day, I get more of these little comments emailed to me –

Brilliant and informative website!! Very readable and soooooo much better than Jeremy Clarkson!
Claire Stephen, Darwen, BB3 1EA
willow_wisp3_@hotmail.com

Because of the need to maintain strict comparability of results achieved by the standard tests they cannot be fully representative of real life driving conditions. Firstly, it is obviously not practicable to test each individual new car; thus only one production car is tested as being representative of the model and may therefore produce a better or worse result than another similar vehicle. Secondly, there are infinite variations in driving styles and in road, car and weather conditions, all of which can have a bearing on the results achieved. For these reasons the fuel consumption achieved on the road will not necessarily be the same as the official test results.

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Customers often send me letters, I have 1524 in total! It keeps the postman busy. These letters are all hard copies, and none are invented. This one is from Steve Hill/Dave Watson

Steve says…
Fantastic service. Will be back for more cars/vans when we need them. Good delivery, the Qashqai arrived on time and all the controls were explained.

Steve Hill/Dave Watson
Marlborough Hill
HA1 ***

Editor Note: …unlike my bloody heating system (not from MHL!) at home which has broken 🙂 I have no idea of the controls, all I know is my shower is bloody freezing, hahahaha! So happy you are happy Steve and Dave. I look forward to your next car or van 🙂 – Ling