Shark Helmets is taking the unprecedented step of releasing a selection of new 2012 colour options into the UK dealer network early, just a few months before the French manufacturer unveils the rest of the 2012 range.

The Vision –R helmet, introduced in 2011, is the first model to bring a new theme early, as the Syntic offers three different colour options, featuring fresh and bold designs with blocks of colour and thin lines running through. Designed, as the name suggests, with added sight in mind, the Vision -R currently has the largest visor aperture on the market. The Syntic is available in black/grey/white, white/red/black and white/black/grey and priced at £279.99.

The popular S700 series has received a face-lift for the new season and now too includes an internal sun shield, as does the Vision -R. The Stipple colours are sporty and mimic Sharks’ top-of-the-range helmet designs. The Stipple is available in white/grey/black, white/blue/red, and black/grey/white and priced at £159.99.

Last of the preview helmets is the mid-range S600 Moonlight, featuring a high-visibility version with florescent streaks, on top of a black base. The two alternative colours are very subtle in black/white or white/black, with opposite coloured streaks and priced at £109.99.

The preview helmets will be available in Shark dealers from mid-September, with the rest of the collection due for release in November, to find your local dealer visit www.nevis.uk.com

A new range of original equipment brake products, designed to help owners keep their Fiat Group cars authentic, has been unveiled by the manufacturer’s dealer network.

Among the latest offerings are an extended range of brake pad and disc kits, which allow the network to reduce the fitted price of replacement brake parts by up to 44 per cent. The kits are now available on around half the Fiat and Alfa Romeo car parc and include Grande Punto, Panda, 500 and Bravo, along with Alfa Romeo’s 147 and MiTo models, with an average price reduction of 29 per cent across the range.

As part of the initiative a new collection of original equipment brake pads and separate fitting kits has also been launched, reducing the price of a replacement pad procedure by up to 53 per cent.

And to help customers with cars no longer in production, the brake kit line-up is completed with a Magneti Marelli range, called Classic Line, which covers out-of-production models and reduces prices by up to 70 per cent. The range includes popular models such as Alfa 156, original Fiat Punto and Fiat Ulysse.

“I’m delighted we have been able to bring down the prices of these important parts,” says Rob Calver, parts and services director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “It means that Fiat’s authorised dealer network is now competitive in price with the aftermarket, offering even greater value and peace of mind for customers.

“There’s no better place for customers to keep their Fiat and Alfa checked, repaired and operating to its optimum performance, than an official dealer.”

Examples of prices for fitted kits include:

Fiat Panda – from £136 inc VAT
500 – from £128 inc VAT
Grande Punto – from £176 inc VAT
Bravo – from £193 inc VAT

Alfa 147 – £211 inc VAT
Alfa MiTo – £191 inc VAT
Alfa 156 – £178 inc VAT

Oil manufacturer Castrol will use traffic cameras to advise drivers about the right oil for their cars in a groundbreaking new initiative being trialled in London from 21 September.

Castrol’s campaign will encourage drivers to drive past specially installed cameras safely in order to get ‘flashed’. Rather than identifying cars driving over the speed limit or which haven’t paid the congestion charge, the cameras will help drivers by spot checking cars, and will flash a personalised engine maintenance message to the driver on a nearby billboard.

The cameras, which will be positioned by the side of the road, will pick up passing cars’ registrations and match them to the make and model of car via the DVLA database. A message to the driver with the correct oil recommendation for their car’s engine will then be flashed on digital billboards further down the road.

Motoring expert Quentin Willson says: ‘I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to use the right oil for your car, and I love the idea of reaching motorists whilst they are actually driving their cars. Nearly half* of Britain’s drivers are currently driving around with the wrong grade or specification of oil in their car but by using the right oil it can help to protect the health of the engine and may also save on maintenance costs. This new initiative means that for once drivers may actually be pleased about being caught on camera.’

The initiative will be the first time in the UK that personalised messages have been communicated on advertising billboards. The process of registering the number plate to the message appearing on the billboard will take less than two seconds, and due to data protection, no registration plate data will be stored.

Drivers can get their personalised oil recommendations by driving past the five trial sites in London for two weeks from 7 September:

* Blackfriars – Stamford Street
* Lambeth – Vauxhall Cross
* Hammersmith – Fulham Palace Road
* Hounslow – Chiswick roundabout
* Kensington & Chelsea – Warwick Road

Failing to put oil in a car’s engine, or using the incorrect oil grade or specification for your make and model of car, could have detrimental effects on the engine – resulting in large repair bills which can cost motorists anything up to £5,000. To keep a car’s engine healthy it needs regular topping up of oil.

The oil information service is part of a campaign by Castrol to help educate drivers on the importance of using the right oil for their car. The ‘Right Oil Right Car’ campaign highlights the effects of using the wrong oil and raise awareness among motorists of where to get advice on the right oil to use.