Allianz Blog Your Car

Preparing Your Car Windscreen For Winter

Fill Up on Screen Wash

Aside from the likelihood of more rain, driving in winter months can result in more dirt, salt and other road grime being thrown up on your car. That means you’ll be using your windscreen washers more frequently and in colder temperatures. To make sure that it keeps working optimally, keep the washer fluid bottle topped up with the right mixture of screen wash.

This fluid is designed to have a lower freezing point than just water, so it should also prevent the washer jets from freezing up. However, if these do freeze over, don’t keep the washer lever pulled in as this can burn out the pump. Just p...

How to Prevent Road Accidents This Winter

There are many things that you do to prepare for winter; ensuring that the central heating is working, topping up your home heating oil perhaps, or merely making sure you have a good supply of movies to watch while you curl up on the sofa. But, as winter approaches, it is just as vital to ensure that you have made the correct preparations for your car to reduce the risk of it letting you down. Here are some of our top tips.

Make Sure ALL Lights Are Working

With fewer hours of daylight in winter, it’s more likely that you will be doing at least some of your driving in darkness. Combined with poorer weather conditions, th...

Top Causes of Motor Insurance Claims

Here at Allianz, our Motor Claims teams handle lots of car insurance claims every day. From little tips, bigger bumps, fire and theft; our team is busy trying to resolve claims as quickly and fairly as we can.

Third Party Claims

44% of the motor claims we dealt with last year involved a third party. These claims come in all shapes and sizes, from fender benders to sadly much more serious accidents.

It is estimated that 90% of all road traffic accidents are caused by human error. So, by being a diligent and conscious driver we can reduce the number of third party claims. Being aware of what distracts you while driving is ...

How to Save Money When Buying a Car

If you’re looking to buy a new or new-to-you car there are some bargains to be had without having to import. You just need to be a little savvy with your shopping. To help you save some cash when car shopping, we’ve put together a list of our top tips for dealing with the dealers and driving a car away at a reasonable price.

Pre-Registered

The practice of pre-registering (when dealers and car makers essentially sell cars to themselves to boost sales figures) means there are some ‘one previous owner’ cars to be snapped up. Negotiate well and you could buy a pre-registered model for around 17% less than a new version.

Ex-D...

Vehicle Maintenance

It is important to give your vehicle regular TLC and maintenance checks to ensure road worthiness and safety whilst driving.

There are several benefits of keeping your vehicle well maintained;

• Reduces risk of breakdowns and vehicle deterioration.

• Increases Driver and Passenger safety.

• Reduces the chances of penalty points due to vehicle roadworthiness.

• Can improve the resale value.

• And most importantly it ensures that your vehicle meets the minimum standards.

We have put together a list of six basic vehicle checks that you can do to keep your car healthy and running smoothly.

Tyres

Car tyre maintenance is one of the most impor...

Driving Safety This Christmas

New research from Allianz Ireland has revealed that the majority of Irish drivers (82%) will consume alcohol over the holidays this year. Despite a strong campaign from RSA Ireland to inform the public of new drink driving legislation, over one-third (35%) claim to remain unaware of the stricter limits set by the new regulations.

With Christmas preparations in full-swing, 1 in 3 Irish drivers are likely to drive more often than normal leading up to Christmas. Irish drivers are much more likely to be in their cars shopping, visiting family and friends, and attending parties during the festive season, which results in a ...