Occasionally, we’re fortunate enough for car makers to send along to our offices the odd model for assessment. Which is very kind of them.
The rush for the keys is not so pleasant among staff but I usually find that an assertion of my seniority works very well. As does keeping a firm grip on the keys.
Of course, the first thing you need to do when you get in the car is fix the business umbilical cord: the Bluetooth mobile connection.
And quite often you can find previous driver profiles popping up on the screen as you prepare to sync your phone: ‘Pair with Bob’s iPhone’ for example.
Although I’ve never thought much of it, many cars have hard drives to which you can upload your contacts book as well as your favourite music to create your own jukebox on the move.
Now this is all very good, but a recent advisory notice came across my desk from the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) which sent my data protection alarm bells ringing.
Having all this personal information and music at your fingertips while the car is in your possession makes life simpler, easier, and more enjoyable.
But what happens when the car comes to the end of its lease and it goes to be sold? Is the data still there?
Had I downloaded my contacts onto the last car I drove? And left them there inside the car, sitting all warm and digitally cosy on the hard drive?
It’s an uncomfortable thought. And I wondered how many of the fleet managers that we advise and service had considered this too?
The VRA says that ultimately it is the driver’s responsibility to erase personal data from their car before it returns to the rental company, leasing company or franchised dealer.
But I think that best practice for fleets is to ensure that all their company car drivers should delete or factory reset all settings before a car is returned at the end of its lease as part of the company car policy. And to ringfence this, have the car checked by the fleet manager too to ensure there are no possible privacy recriminations.
Which is a bit late for me and some of the assessment cars I’ve driven.
So if you find a car with a ‘Martin’s phone connect’ in the Bluetooth memory and a dodgy line in music on the hard drive, I just want you to know – it’s not me.
Honestly.
Occasionally, we’re fortunate enough for car makers to send along to our offices the odd model for assessment. Which is very kind of them. The rush for the keys is not so pleasant among staff but I usually find that an assertion of my seniority works very well. As does keeping a firm grip on … Continued
One social media wag suggested that it was just as well the fuel duty hike was delayed – it would save on ministerial fuel necessary for all the recent government U-turns… Was the Chancellor going to do anything else? I doubt it. In a tricky place, somewhere between a rock and a hard place, the … Continued
Getting your team onside is always crucial to success don’t you think? Just look at what’s been happening in the Euro 2012 qualification rounds. Holland, one of the top four favourites to win, have gone out without scoring a point. Tales from within the Dutch camp suggest dissatisfaction in the side, deep fissures dividing both … Continued
Le Mans. It’s a bit like Marmite: you either love it or loathe it. Actually, I suspect all motorsport is rather like Marmite. Personally, it doesn’t do it for me. But I have friends who visit Le Mans for the famous 24 Hour race (you know the one made famous by Steve McQueen in the … Continued
Remember 2002? I have to admit, I was still in shorts at the time but my fellow directors tell me about it… Sorry. That was uncalled for. Anyway, 2002: a freeze frame in the company car tax time line. It was that seminal moment when we moved from the sub-£20k company car special, when tax … Continued
No doubt many of you will be looking at your payslips and suddenly realising the impact of the Chancellor’s change to the company car tax rules on your take home pay. “Thanks George,” you probably muttered. Or, perhaps, something even a little stronger… But amongst all the rumblings of driver discontent, and the commentary about … Continued
Threatened tanker strikes, Jerry can gaffes, queues at fuel stations as drivers rushed to fill up, changing government advice…and that’s before we even had a strike. What a strange, frothed up concoction the recent fuel ‘crisis’ was. Despite the ephemeral basis for the run on fuel, drivers’ fears of being caught short of fuel was … Continued
Well now, the Chancellor gave us plenty to think about for company cars in his Budget. There’s extra cost – fuel goes up 3p per litre in August (proving that my sneaking suspicion aired in my last blog was, shall we say, wide of the mark). There’s stretching new company car tax targets if drivers … Continued
The Budget. It’s the one moment in the year when UK PLC suddenly concentrates on the economy – usually for a ‘what’s-in-it-for-me’ reason. Mmmm. OK, me too, actually. No harm in that of course. But what should we make of this year’s Budget? The Chancellor will be presenting the Budget on Wednesday 21 March and … Continued
I attended a conference recently where there was something that really caught my attention: a presentation on the new Vauxhall Ampera, which goes on sale this year. If you’ve not come across the Ampera before it’s a really exciting development in low emission car technology – and I’m not talking the latest green sandals here. … Continued