Your A to Z of motoring gobbledygook
Carbon dioxide
Petrol and diesel cars all emit carbon dioxide (CO²) from their exhausts to varying degrees. The levels of these emissions are used to calculate company car tax.
Climate control
Basically a more advanced version of air-conditioning. It monitors the temperature of the air inside the cabin and adjusts the air coming in to keep the cabin at a steady temperature.
Clocking
A common (illegal) trick used by unscrupulous sellers to obtain a higher price. Research shows that 1 in 12 vehicles have some sort of discrepancy. The average car does 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year, so if you think the mileage is inconsistent with the age and condition of the car it is worth investigating further. Ask to see its service records, old MOT certificates and all other documentation.
Cloning/ringing
This is the practice of changing a vehicle's identity - usually to disguise a stolen car. Crooks often use a registration plate taken from a different vehicle. Sometimes only the registration plate is changed, but often the VIN (Vehicle Identity Number) or chassis number will also be swapped with that of the 'donor vehicle'. Affected vehicles can be hard to detect, which is why it's vital to check that ALL a vehicle's VINs - stamped into the bodywork, on the chassis plate and behind the windscreen match each other.
Combined fuel economy
This is the average fuel consumption figure for your car. To get this figure, a car's official fuel consumption during town driving and out of town driving (e.g. motorway) is added together and divided by two to give an average figure. This is the most frequently quoted economy figure because it best reflects the sort of driving most people do.
Cut 'n shut
Cut 'n shut is the term used by the motor trade for a car that is made up of two cars, usually both 'write-offs'. The back end of one is welded to the front end of another, often with considerable skill. The car may look like new, but it is likely to be unroadworthy, could be lethal in a crash, and may be worthless when you come to sell it.
Things to watch out for are weld marks in the floor of the car and uneven gaps between panels and around the doors.
Also carefully check the car's documentation and make sure the chassis and engine numbers all match those on the registration document and MOT certificate.
Cylinder
An engine contains a number of cylinders inside which the pistons move up and down. As the piston moves down, it creates a chamber into which the fuel and air are drawn in and as it moves up again, these gases are compressed. A spark from the spark plug then ignites the gases and a contained explosion forces the piston down again creating driving force. The burnt gases are expelled from the cylinder as the piston rises, and the cycle is repeated. The number of cylinders an engine contains dictates how much combustive power it can generate.
