As usual, the first of September registration plate change (we’re on a ‘61′ now) meant that thousands of UK car buyers took delivery of their new pride and joy. The unmistakable smell of a new car’s interior, plus knowing that nobody else has ever eaten a scotch egg and dropped breadcrumbs down the seat back  is a costly privilege, but one that still tempts many buyers to reach for their chequebo0ks.

Unlike buying most household consumable goods ‘off the shelf’, most new car buyers like to choose their dream specification and colour combination in the showroom before placing their order. Then, having placed a deposit, the waiting begins! Choose a car in a common colour and standard specification from many manufacturers and you’ll often expect delivery within a few weeks. That’s not too much of a problem for many buyers and often allows them to prepare their old car for sale.

Spare a thought hen for buyers wanting a Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi or Volkswagen in a hurry. Due to their popularity and a variety of other factors involving the manufacturer, there’s a waiting list of between 6 and 10 months for most models! Even a Hyundai Santa Fe 4 x 4 can take 10 months to be delivered from the date of signing the order, and many would-be buyers simply can’t wait and look elsewhere.

The Skoda Yeti we ordered in march (expecting a September delivery) is now unlikely to appear before January 2012 and even that’s not definite. Many salesmen seem to spend all their time on the phone delivering bad news to waiting buyers. At least if you’re having a baby, the waiting time is generally pretty accurate to within a week or two!

The world of car maintenance is becoming ever more complex as the electronics systems in even the most mundane family hatchback make the space shuttle look  simple! There’s barely a single function in a car that isn’t controlled by some kind of ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and these ‘black boxes’ can cost a small fortune to replace when they inevitably fail.

Take your humble brake lights. What could be simpler than a little switch on the brake pedal that operates when you brake, causing the brake lights to illuminate. This wonderful system has worked perfectly for at least 70 years and most manufacturers saw no need to change it. If your brake lights stop working, it’s either going to be the bulbs, the fuse or the switch at fault and a competent technician minutes to locate the fault.

Not so if you’re the lucky owner of  BMW Mini or a 1 series. Instead of using a simple pedal switch with a wire that runs to the brake lights, they came up with the bright idea of adding a little ECU in down by the driver’s feet. Called a ‘Body Control Module’ this harmless looking box controls the brake lights, indicators, heater, air conditioning, immobiliser, central locking and dashboard lights. If it gets a drop of water in it, almost everything in the car stops working. A new module costs £200 plus it has to be programmed by BMW for another £130 before it’ll even work! Try explaining to a customer that their malfunctioning brake lights will cost over £450 to fix! And they say that it’s progress