Winter Driving Tips from Pulman

1. Check your tyres, worn tyres will make day to day driving on snow and ice very dangerous.
2. Charge your mobile phone fully, and leave a blanket plus a shovel in the car should you become stuck in a remote area, or even on a main road overnight.
3. Plan your route. Try and aim for main roads which should be maintained and gritted. Especially aim for bus routes are these are usually prioritised.
4. Completely clear your windscreen of snow AND roof. If you brake and the snow slides off the roof of your car,  your visibility will be completely compromised and your windscreen wipers may break if you try to use them. Also fully clean your headlights and rear lights to aid visibility, not only to yourself but other road users.
5. When setting off, cars with manual gears, try and use 2nd gear to pull away. This minimises wheel spin.
6. Once on the road, give yourself 4 times the normal stopping distance to cars and junctions.
7. Drive as if you are on eggshells, brake gently, accelerate gently, but do not too be too timid as a small inclince can cause you to stop and slip backwards should your speed not be adequate.

Drive safely this winter and remember, we can check your car and make sure it's fully set for the harsh winter period with our exclusive Winter Safety Check

Pulman in a winter wonderland

All our showrooms are still open for business despite the hazardous driving conditions and wintery weather. Pop into our showrooms for a nice hot drink and a look at the latest Volkswagen & SEAT models.

Check out the photos below from our Durham site with some great clean up work by our sales team.

Swap your old car for new with Pulman Volkswagen

Our exclusive Swap Shop is back by popular demand!

We will give you the best possible price for your car plus an additional £500.

This fantastic offer is only available on the 19th, 20th and 21st of November 2010.

Simply download the voucher below, print it out, and hand it over to the sales person at our showrooms during the event. Alternatively, just quote the voucher code.

Get your exclusive swap shop voucher here

Don't forget, 3 years free servicing is also available on all new cars purchased with Volkswagen Finance.

Terms and conditions apply. Voucher valid only on 19th, 20th and 21st November 2010. Cannot be redeemed for cash. 3 years free servicing available for up to 3 years or 30,000 miles whichever occurs sooner and is only available when purchasing cars on Volkswagen Solutions. Free servicing offer ends 31st December 2010.

Double Celebration Draws Crowd to Dealership

England cricket captain, Paul Collingwood, and Pulman SEAT Franchise Manager, Chris Slater, help unveil a mint condition SEAT Ibiza Mk1 – one of the very first SEAT models launched in the UK 25 years ago.

More than 150 people gathered at a Sunderland car dealership on Thursday evening for an exciting double celebration.

The dealership formerly known as Alexandra Bridge Cars – one of the oldest SEAT dealers in the country – hosted the lavish bash to mark 25 years with the sporty Spanish brand and, more importantly, becoming part of  the Pulman family.

Now known as Pulman SEAT, the Southwick car retailer pulled out all the stops to deliver an action-packed evening of entertainment for the assembled customers and VIP guests.

Top local band The Longsands provided the soundtrack to the evening as the guests enjoyed authentic Spanish cuisine and wine and the chance to look over current SEAT models as well as a Leon touring car driven by Tom Boardman and a mint condition Mk1 Ibiza which was among the first cars launched by SEAT in the UK.

Then came the highlight of the evening – a lively question and answer session with England cricket captain and local lad, Paul Collingwood.

Finally, a raffle was drawn with the winners picking up an iPod Touch and tickets to see comedian Peter Kay on stage. The raffle itself raised almost £200 for the dealership’s chosen charity NSPCC.

Speaking afterwards, Pulman SEAT Franchise Manager, Chris Slater, said: ‘This was a great occasion for the dealership and we were absolutely delighted that so many people, including lots of our long-standing and valued customers, were able to join us.

‘Firstly, we wanted to celebrate the fact that we were among the handful of dealerships that helped launched SEAT UK a quarter of a century ago and have played an important role in helping to make the thriving brand the enormous success it is today.

‘We also hope everyone left with the impression that things will be even better now we’re part of Pulman which has grown to become one of the very best Volkswagen franchises in the country thanks to its out and out commitment to delivering a fantastic customer experience.’

SEAT UK Director, Peter Wyhinny, was keen to pay tribute to the team at its long established Sunderland outlet and the handful of other original SEAT dealers that helped bring the brand to the UK.

He said: ‘Launching a new brand into a fiercely competitive market place is never easy, but that small initial group of professional and enthusiastic dealers helped SEAT UK hit the ground running and build real momentum.

‘The skill, experience and contacts of the original dealers were obviously instrumental in allowing the company to get a foothold, build sales and grow the network.

‘Today, as a thriving and well-established marque, it’s wonderful to see members of that original group still with us and going strong.

‘The future looks very bright for Pulman SEAT, SEAT UK and SEAT customers in the North East.’

Volkswagen Passat sets economy record

A Passat BlueMotion driven by Sunday Times journalist Gavin Conway has set a new Guinness World Record for the distance travelled by a production passenger car on a single tank of fuel.

 

The attempt involved driving from Maidstone in Kent to the South of France and back.  The Passat BlueMotion finally ran out of fuel close to Calais after completing a distance of 1,526.63 miles – the equivalent of driving from London to Moscow or New York to Los Angeles without having to refuel.

 

The route mainly followed French autoroutes, but included some town driving, resulting in an average speed of just over 45 mph. The amount of fuel used was 77.25 litres, giving an overall fuel consumption of 90.0 mpg –substantially higher than the Passat’s claimed combined figure of 64.2 mpg. The resulting fuel cost for the journey works out at just 6.17p per mile travelled.

 

The Passat BlueMotion used for the record attempt was a standard production model, powered by a 1.6-litre common-rail TDI engine developing 105 PS. In common with Polo and Golf BlueMotion models, the Passat is fitted with aerodynamic modifications to the bodywork, a lower ride height, Stop-Start, programmed battery charging, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tyres.

 

The record-breaking feat was monitored by the AA for Guinness World Records.

 

More information on the Volkswagen Passat

Another winner with Pulman Volkswagen!

Congratulations to Mr Craig Playford in winning the Pulman Showroom competition. Mr Playford correctly guessed the number of balloons in our showroom Volkswagen Polo at Abbey Road Durham and won a meal for two at our Durham based café along with a brand new Sat Nav worth over £100.

Mr Playford commented, “It’s absolutely fantastic to win, I came in to order a new Volkswagen Polo from Pulman and saw the competition Polo. It was a bit of fun and never thought I would win. I was actually looking to buy a Sat Nav so this is perfect and good timing.

What’s great about Pulman is that everyone’s very friendly and they go out of their way to help you. It truly is a fantastic experience and I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”

Pulman pride themselves on delivering a fantastic customer experience! Look out for the next showroom competitions where you could be the next winner of a Sat Nav or AutoGlym kit worth over £100.

Winner of The Pulman ipod Touch Competition!

Congratulations to Doreen McAllister, winner of our last customer newsletter competition. We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition, over 200 entries, which was a fantastic response! Unfortunately there can only be one winner of the brand new Apple Ipod Touch (8GB) and that was Doreen McAllister.

 

When asked what it meant to win the Ipod Touch, Doreen McAllister commented, 

"I'm absolutely thrilled. I can't believe I've been so lucky as I've never won anything before. I'm looking forward to using it and listening to it in my car (Volkswagen Golf).

 

I've been a customer here for over 7 years and can honestly say I've always had an excellent service. It's so lovely to walk in and to know everyone by name and that everyone know's me. Everyone at Pulman are very friendly, always dropping me off or picking me up when I book my car in for a service."

 

Look out for our next customer newsletter and our next competition, you can be as lucky Doreen McAllister and be our next Pulman winner.