Winter Wears On

It’s winter.  Outside, it’s cold.  I’m off the ‘winter tyre’ soap box from my last news piece – well it’s back in the cellar – and now I think I’m about to get stuck on my ‘how to drive in wintry weather’  high horse. Let’s face it, sometimes the old fashioned methods are good to fall back on.  As long as they don’t drop down dead from the cold, horses could even get you where you want to go when good old technology fails! Though let’s face it, nowadays chances are it’s just you, the road and your car.  Did I mention it’s cold?  Winter conditions are just more difficult when you’re out and about, driving around. You see things – things you’d rather not be aware of.  Cars skid.  Your windscreen wipers had better be in good condition, or your vision will be impaired by snow, hale and rain. Are the roads gritted?  Carefully plan your route – it’s much more likely that major roads will be clear of ice.

Drive Carefully

Think of road conditions – drive more slowly and keep a safe distance between yourself and other drivers.  If they have to stop suddenly, you will have to do the same. By braking hard you sharply increase the risk of skidding. If someone insists on driving up your rear end, then let them go ahead of you – keeping safe is what matters.  If this isn’t possible then increase the gap between yourself and the car in front.  Slow down in advance of junctions and bends, and bear in mind that ice takes the colour of its back ground, so it is hard to establish whether it’s there. More often than not, you won’t know until you are already driving on it.  So if you can’t avoid skidding, then know how to do it as safely as possible!

How to Control a Skid

If you are unfortunate and you skid, do not brake hard, but slowly and gently. Often you can get out of it by releasing the brake and accelerating lightly. When skidding sideways, make sure you gently turn your wheel to the skid’s direction. In other words, if your rear wheels are sliding to the right, steer your wheel to the right and vice versa, but be prepared to turn your wheel again in the opposite direction, if necessary. Immediately turning the wheel against the direction in which you are skidding would just create more inertia for the car to keep on  going. Wait until you feel your tyres have grip again, before attempting to brake or accelerate away. Oh, and at the expense of seeming repetitive – the best grip is provided by winter tyres.

Rescue Kit

When travelling by car in winter, plan ahead. Give yourself enough time to get there and on longer journeys make sure you know what driving conditions are like at the other end.  Do people know you’ve left, and what time you’re due to arrive?  What would you do if you got stranded?

Take an emergency kit in the boot.  A tow rope, warm clothes, blankets, a shovel, a picnic basket! (OK, it’s cold, but you still need to eat, and just think, your drinks will be nice and cold!  Soft drinks, obviously).  Oh and take sun glasses, snow glare can be blinding – light reflects off snow and ice.

So you’re equipped for the long haul.  Do you have a fully charged mobile phone, in case you need to call or text someone for help?  Does your sat nav work OK?  You need to know where you are, in case you must let someone else know.  If you get stuck, leave the engine on for ten minutes to warm up the car, then switch it off to preserve the fuel.  Clear the exhaust pipe of any snow – if you’re not on a main road maybe leave the car and wear a reflective vest  to flag down help.  I know, I know – this is all sounding a bit like mountain rescue.  Did I tell you to put a reflective vest in the boot with your emergency rescue kit?

This may all sound over dramatic, but safety first.  Work out where you’re going.  Make sure people know.  Then get a safety kit together – you can pack it, put it in the boot – and hopefully never use it.  From one driver to another – happy winter driving!  At Mercedes Chauffeur Hire we know nothing beats safe driving.

Mercedes Chauffeur Hire – Driving with Winter Tyres

Maybe you know very little and care even less about winter tyres. Not everybody we drive around is a driver, and particularly in this fair city, even if you are, you may choose to hire a cool London chauffeur driven car rather than negotiate the motorized maze that is London traffic. In the chilly English winter, when roads may be sludgy, icy or wet, who wants to worry about driving around?  If you want a good time, and to treat your nearest and dearest to a special trip out, then you probably just want to get there and back, and if it’s in style, then surely that’s a bonus?

Travel in Safety

So I’m not here to tell you what to do with your own tyres, if indeed, you have any tyres!  Really, what I’d like to let you in on, is the use Mercedes Chauffeur Hire makes of winter tyres, and why we choose to use them.  This is very close to my own heart, as I care about safety, and if you do too, then read on, do!  It is essential that our passengers are comfortable, cosy and above all, safe.  If you only ever sit in a car that someone else is driving, before you make the decision to pay for a great ride, consider why it’s a good idea to take that ride!  Choose someone who cares whether your transport is perfectly equipped to withstand whatever the weather throws at it. Someone who cares that it will get you there happy, warm and well.

So what’s the Big Deal with Winter Tyres?

Mercedes Chauffeur Hire uses winter tyres from November to March regardless, snow or shine. They are engineered to perform to the optimum level available in unpredictable English winters.  Even so, just 0.5% of overall UK tyre sales are those of winter tyres. Quite simply, switching tyres is not something we’re accustomed to in this country.  Well, dusting off my soap box for a second here, I say  – and believe me this is my business, I know what I’m talking about – not for nothing have winter tyres been perfected, manufactured and distributed.  Here’s the technical bit – they greatly increase traction, especially in cold and on snowy roads. And talking about snowy and icy roads, if your car happens to be rear wheel drive, like our Mercedes S class or Viano vehicles, without winter tyres you will either be parked on your driveway praying for good weather or, if you are kamikaze enough to go on the road, you will be stopping everybody and anybody every 10 minutes begging for a push..

Winter tyres stay softer in cold weather – summer tyres will harden, almost seeming to take on the qualities of plastic.  In temperatures below 7C, they do not grip the road as well.  On icy roads your car will be all over the place, like a celebrity’s first try in Dancing on Ice.   Winter tyres make for better braking, so stopping times are greatly improved.. Oh, and winter tyres last longer than summer tyres in cold weather. They’re worth it!

Stick with the Experts

So there you go – I’m not just here to tell you where to go to enjoy yourself.  I’m really keen to ensure you realize that when you’re in our hands, cruising smoothly along the highways and byways of the great metropolis that is London, your safety really matters.  Come snow, come ice we’ll get you there – and we really, really care. But maybe you don’t want to be bothered about all this. You’ll leave it to the experts, thank you very much!  Well then, I doff my London chauffeur hat to your good self, and say ‘Expert?’  Thank you kindly in return. I’ll go with that!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Style!

Now I love to look at a glamorous woman as much as the next man, but I don’t know if they feel the same way when they look at me.  Frankly, and without wanting to seem immodest, I’ve never been short of attention in the love stakes, though even my own mother finds this baffling!  Well it’s no big surprise to me, as I sit behind the wheel of an S-Class Mercedes.  Mystery solved!  Every woman with taste and discernment just loves a beautiful car, and if you want to say ‘I love you’ to the love of your life this Valentine’s Day, what could be better than to celebrate in style?

Let’s face it, February’s a miserable month.  It’s cold, sometimes snowy – and though it may start off looking pretty, the sludge and ice will soon kick in.  Relax in warmth and comfort, driven by a cool, expert London chauffeur, and this Valentine’s Day will be just fabulous.

Make Mine a Rose

Flowers may speak the language of love but your lady would have to be totally deaf not to hear the love language of a Mercedes.  They say money talks, and these sleek cars speak volumes – with luxury, with comfort and with class.  When you hire your high-end chauffeur driven car, your care and consideration will definitely be appreciated by your significant other.  Allow us to take care of all your travel requirements – we’ll drop you off at the venue of your choice. Maybe you would like to go via the London Eye, which is hosting a lover’s treat, a glass of Champagne and Valentine’s Day-themed canapés.  These include pink champagne jelly and strawberries dipped in chocolate. Yummy!  Or why not take in a show, or wine and dine your loved one with a romantic dinner?  We’ll pick you up and take you home, or drive you on to your next engagement.

Make Mine a Ring?

Talking of engagements – if you’re planning to pop the Big Question on this day of days, what better place to do it than in the back of a sensational car?  If she says ‘No’ we can easily drop her off – at least you’ll have a cosy place to lick your wounds, and a friendly fellow to cry to.  Though let’s be honest – how will she be able to resist your grand gesture?  Simply all eventualities are anticipated and catered for at Mercedes Chauffeur Hire!

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week, showing the Autumn/Winter designer collections for 2012/13, takes place from 17th to 21^st February.  Of course, London is noted for the creative, innovative and edgy style of its fashionistas.  Well, I hold my hands up – my appreciation of London street cred probably extends as far as checking out the sleek and streamlined lines of beautiful high-end cars.  Let’s face it – you’d go a long way before you’d find finer vital statistics than those of an S Class Mercedes, in London or anywhere else.  But then I could be biased.

Alexander McQueen

It’s all just part of the day (and night) job for Mercedes Chauffeur Hire to deliver London’s bright young things to and from the finest, most fashionable hang outs in the capital.   So clearly, I always have my ear to the ground, and my trend antenna tuned in to the fashion zeitgeist.  This February, they tell me the place to be, the fashion show to see in London Fashion Week is McQ – from the house of Alexander McQueen.  It’s aimed at the young, the free and the fabulous so that rules me out, but Sarah Burton, the designer of that royal wedding dress for Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge is heading up the brand.  As the McQ store is also just about to open up in Mayfair, I’m told anyone who’s anyone in glitterati land will be queuing up to be there.  Or be square.  Or is that expression just not cool anymore?

Stella McCartney

Cool, square – allright, I put my hands up again.  What do I know?  I’ve also heard that Stella McCartney, Fab Macca’s designer daughter is showing at London Fashion Week, but really, I’m not an aficionado at the cutting edge of all things funky in London.  I’ll leave that to those who are stylish and elegant enough to choose to be driven about by a London chauffeur in our cool, classic Mercedes S Class cars.  If you want to strut your stuff with style on the cat walk of life, you just couldn’t look better, and be more comfortable, than to arrive at the venue of your choice in the expert hands of Mercedes Chauffeur Hire.  Some things I do know something about.  Savvy?

Chinese Year of the Dragon

Monday 23^rd January 2012 kicks off the Chinese Year of the Dragon, so I checked this out with old Mr Chan from my excellent local Chinese takeaway, and according to ancient Eastern wisdom, this year the capital will be all aflame with passion and abundant energy.  As I’d just ordered my favourite hot dish of sizzling King Prawns with Chilli and Garlic sauce, I thought I was definitely on to a good start!

Mayor of London

London has the biggest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of Asia,  and no less a dignitary than Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London is really up for it -  “With the Year of the Dragon’s themes of passion, ambition and success, I can think of no better way to help kick off a year of amazing highlights,” he said.

On January 29^th there’s a huge celebration in Trafalgar Square, with traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances, acrobats, ethnic songs and music.  Firecrackers and a dazzling light show will form an exciting backdrop to a parade of floats bearing mythical creatures like dragons and goddesses. Chinatown and also Leicester Square will hold celebrations, with Chinese performance artists and food stalls, and in Shaftsbury Avenue a stage will be erected for local Chinese artists to dress up as iconic Chinese symbols and well, all shapes and sizes of dragons!

Chinese Horoscope

I looked up my own Chinese birth year, and it seems I was born in the Year of the Horse.   Some of them can certainly gallop along at a fair pace, but I don’t know if I’d put myself in the ‘thoroughbred racehorse’ category, as I like to take life more easily.  In fact, the horsepower of Mercedes S class is much more to my taste than the use of my own legs.  If anyone wants a lift in luxury and comfort to these events, or to a restaurant all decked up for a Chinese New Year banquet, then please let us know!  To start off the Chinese New Year in style, you can’t do better than choose your very own London chauffeur from Mercedes Chauffeur Hire.

Cirque du Soleil Totem

I once queued up in a wet field with hundreds of people, all eager to enter a circus tent – and who can resist the magnificent pull of a circus tent?  The extravaganza we were eager to see was staged by Cirque du Soleil – or Circus of the Sun.  So they’re French right?  Well it’s confusing, because no, wrong.  They’re actually Canadian, but you know, a lot of them speak French.  Inside things got darker.  Apparently this was ‘nouveau cirque’ – a new, more conceptual kind of circus. There was edgy music, subdued lighting, death defying action on a high trapeze

When the little boy in front asked his mum –‘but where are the elephants?’ I knew he was in for a surprise, and maybe not one he would like.  No, there are no elephants, so you won’t step in anything nasty, unless there’s been an unfortunate accident and the magnificent man on the flying trapeze just landed with a splat in the middle of the ring.

Circus of the Sun

Oh, except nowadays it’s all got bigger, and there isn’t a ring.  You’re not here to see lions, a ringmaster in a top hat or a pretty dancer pirouetting on a prancing pony.  After all, when you take a trip to the circus with Mercedes Chauffeur Hire, and sit in the luxurious embrace of an  Mercedes S class chauffeur driven car you may not want to get out and sit in a tent. 90 million people worldwide have watched Cirque du Soleil since the company of street dancers and circus performers started up in 1984. You’re now more likely to see Circus of the Sun in Las Vegas, or a massive whiz bang venue near you, than in the middle of a muddy field

Totem

Cirque du Soleil appears in their show stopping set ‘Totem’ at the Royal Albert Hall until mid February 2012.  A massive space, they fill it up, no problem, though the underlying theme – the journey of mankind from its ‘original amphibian state to its ultimate desire to fly’ is possibly too deep for me.  The world music is inspiring though – Spanish flamenco, Native American, Indian – and the fabulous acrobatics and sensational dancing makes for a singular event. But don’t expect clowns, with a bucket of soapy water – if the thrill of maybe getting soaked is what puts a smile on your face, then stay outside in the rain.

Book your friendly London Theatre Chauffeur Here

In a breathtaking theatrical panorama woven from music, words and dance, The Nutcracker Suite tells the story of young Clara, as she embarks on a magical journey, peopled by fairies, talking toys, magicians and dancing mice.  Welcomed by our expert London theatre chauffeur you too can leave your domestic, everyday life and take your first step into an enchanted land. In the sumptuous lap of luxury, Mercedes Chauffeur Hire can whisk you away to a fabulous evening of classical music and exquisite ballet, set in the heart of London at the Royal Opera House, home of the Royal Ballet.

World Class Ballet

Famously composed by Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Suite is based on The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, written by E. T. A. Hoffmann, and set on Christmas Eve. This world class ballet produced by Peter Wright opened in mid-December, 2011, and until mid-January, 2012 it conjures a fantastical world of bewitching orchestration, conducted by Barry Wordsworth and Dominic Grier. The spectacular sets create a wondrous backdrop to superlative dance, expertly choreographed by Lev Ivanov.  Many of us remember The Nutcracker from our childhood, and it famously formed part of Walt Disney’s ‘Fantasia’, starring Mickey Mouse.  From the rousing notes of The Russian Dance, the bitter-sweet melody of the Arabian Dance and the haunting Waltz of the Flowers, you can be caught up in the magic once again.

Happy Ever After

In the company of the magician Herr Drosselmeyer and his nephew Hans-Peter, now transformed into a Nutcracker doll, Clara meets the wicked Mouse King and the enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy.  From the lovely detail of a wealthy German home in the early 19^th century, splendid with a Christmas tree and beautiful presents, to the exciting pitched battle of the mice and the toys, you too can journey to the Land of the Snow and the Kingdom of Sweets, in the opulent embrace of our luxurious chauffeur driven cars.  Watch with wonder, as Clara becomes a woman and the Nutcracker doll metamorphoses into her own real, live prince.  And what more relaxing way could we wrap up this magical theatre extravaganza than to safely escort you home through the starlit streets of London, courtesy of Mercedes Chauffeur Hire?

One of the best things about Christmas is that it’s followed by New Year’s Eve! But, with seven days between Christmas and New Year and a bank holiday afterwards, why limit your celebrations to just one night? If you’re planning to see friends and family over the Christmas period, have parties to attend or even reservations for a special dinner with someone special, there’s no better place to enjoy the festive season than the nation’s Capital.

Whatever you have planned for the festive season and beyond, one of the most important preparations is to arrange transport! With so many people booking taxis or being named designated driver, leaving the means of getting to and from the party to the last minute is never a good idea. This year, why not avoid the crush of public transport and the disappointment of being the nominated driver by treating yourself, friends and family to a London chauffeur service?

Mercedes Chauffeur Hire has some great deals on evening chauffeur services and you can split the cost with friends. For groups of three or less, we recommend our beautiful Mercedes S Class limousine, while four or more will be comfortable in an equally luxurious Mercedes V Class Viano people carrier.

Hiring a London chauffeur can be the perfect topping for a great night and gives you the freedom to go on to another club or party or just have another drink if you’d like. Leaving the driving to an experienced professional also means you can sit back and relax and really enjoy the festive season.

Last year’s snow meant a fall in the number of reported drink drive offences according to police sources but the relatively mild weather currently being enjoyed and forecast for much of the festive season has lead UK police forces to begin their annual drink drive Christmas crackdown. Figures show that in 2010, 250 people were killed as a result of drink driving and 9700 more injured.

The AA has also weighed in, reminder drivers convicted of driving while under the influence that their insurance premiums will skyrocket in the New Year with many facing an average 85% increase, a potential £5000 fine from the police and a possible jail term.

No one wants to cut the party short at Christmas so the safe solution is to leave the car keys at home and arrange another mode of transport. A London chauffeur is the perfect festive solution – a safe alternative to driving, convenient, comfortable and with a suitably festive dash of seasonal indulgence.

As well as staying safe, booking a London chauffeur service also guarantees a stylish entrance to any party or event. Simply glide out of one of our beautiful Mercedes S Class limousines and let the party begin.

Welcome to the new look Mercedes Chauffeur Hire web site.

After almost 12 months in development, we’re delighted to finally unveil our new online home and hope that you find it useful as you search for your preferred London chauffeur hire company.

We have developed the site to make it as easy as possible for you to find the specific service you need – whether you’re searching for a London corporate roadshow chauffeur, need a classically elegant London wedding car or have a London corporate event planned. Within each section, you’ll find detailed information about each speciality including a full break down of what you can expect from your uniformed chauffeur and luxurious Mercedes S Class limousine or Mercedes Viano people carrier during your time with us.

Although the website is new, Mercedes Chauffeur Hire is not – we have almost two decades experience in London chauffeur services. With this rich history, we have filled the site with the benefit of our years of experience and our signature commitment to customer care. We hope that we have provided enough information to make your choice easy but we welcome any additional questions or comments you may have.

Over the coming months we’ll be adding more pages, a library of useful and informative blog posts and articles, videos and pictures to this site. So check back or, leave us your own suggestions for things we can add to make your experience with us even smoother.