Annabelle Clarke

PR Manager

Annabelle Clarke | Author

Eduardo Rodrigues

Content Writer

Claudia Tuñón

Isobel Coughlan

Joseph Law

Bumper Content Writer

Alastair Shephard

We’re pleased to announce the Dealership of the Month award for October 2021 goes to Burrows Toyota Sheffield. 

The team at Toyota Sheffield have performed exceptionally well this month with Bumper. Since undertaking Bumper's new online training sessions, the team have introduced PayLater as key part of their aftersales process. 

During the training, the team learned how to complete applications in under 60 seconds and how to appropriately provide a credit product to consumers in an aftersales environment. 

Not only did the team perform well in sales this month, but they also provided outstanding customer service. Here’s what some Toyota Sheffield Customers had to say: 

“It was well explained, it was great we could split the bill over 4 months interest-free” 

“An easier option to spread payments without any interest. Thank you very much for providing this facility.” 

“Large garage bill, thanks to Bumper I can spread the cost with no interest or fees. Thank you” 

“Very good service, with no complications” 

Well done to Nikki, Ben, Codie, and the rest of the team at Burrows! 

Burrows Toyota Sheffield: Dealership of the Month October 2021

Cars are complex things, there are many different mechanisms, moving parts and components that can fail. This is why the noises they make when faulty, can be a great indicator of what is going wrong.

Below we’ll explain what some common car noises mean, and when to be concerned with them and get them fixed. 

Bumper knows a large repair bill on your car is the last thing you want to spend your money on, but sometimes repairs can't be avoided. 

Look after your car and your bank balance by splitting the cost or repairs into with

Clicking noise and the engine not starting 

If you hear a clicking noise when you try to start your vehicle, there may be a problem with the electrics – and more specifically the battery in your car. 

This clicking noise may be a sign that the battery does not have enough power to crank the engine because it is faulty, or your car has a 

Most service centres or garages will be able to do a free battery health check. Batteries most commonly fail around 

winter time, when the engine is harder to turn over

 and the battery is at near zero temperatures. 

If your engine squeals when started, it is usually the auxiliary belt. Also known as the fan belt or serpentine belt, it drives the ancillary components such as 

Because these components all draw rotational power from the engine, the belt is under a large load when first starting, this in combination with rubber belts becoming harder and less ‘grippy’ when cold, the belt can slip and cause a noise. 

Whilst the noise will usually go quickly when it first develops, it will get worse the longer its left. In some cases the belt can simply be tightened and this will remedy the problem, 

If the belt is not tightened or replaced to prevent the squeal, it will ‘glaze’ meaning the surface becomes shiny and no longer grips. Once this happens the belt will slip much more. 

Whilst this does not appear to be a huge problem, the belt will eventually snap due to the unindented wear. A snapped auxiliary belt will leave you stranded, as the battery will no longer be charging, and in some cases the 

, which could cause serious engine damage. 

If you sometimes hear a loud metallic sounding, high frequency tapping when the engine is started, that fades away after a few seconds, you may need to check your engine oil. 

Some cars have hydraulic tappets on the camshafts. These are simply devices that allow your engine to run with less maintenance than the old fashioned alternative - manual adjusted tappets. 

Because the tappets are hydraulic, they use the engine’s oil to operate. If your car's engine oil is low, it can take a few seconds for the oil to reach the tappets, which are right on top of the engine. 

Learn how to spread your car repairs over monthly repayments

Are loud hydraulic tappets a big problem? 

In some cars, the tappet noise is perfectly normal, even with the correct amount of oil in the engine. It is likely to be more prominent on 

, and when the car is left with the engine off for a period of time - such as overnight. 

If your engine oil is at the correct level and is the right grade for your car, and your engine makes a loud tapping noise when started every time, it may be a good time to take it to a mechanic. 

It is important when trying to diagnose or describe a car noise that you think is causing a problem, to listen out for the particular circumstance that causes the noise. These details can help a mechanic diagnose the problem and fix your car faster! 

Suspension systems are made up of multiple links and joints. Over time these wear out and become loose, causing noises when the car drives over a bump or pot-hole at speed. 

Another potential source of noises from the underneath of your car is the exhaust system. As this is suspended from rubber hangers, these wear out and allow the

 itself to move excessively, banging into the underside of the car. 

What causes a loud bang under my car when driving? 

If you hear a loud bang from your car where the noise is a deeper tone and sounds as though it's coming from the back or front of the car, it could be the suspension. Common replacement parts are wishbone bushes, track rod ends and drop links. 

If it appears to be coming from directly underneath and is more hollow and metallic in tone - like the sound of a metal pan being hit with a spoon, it’s more likely an exhaust issue. 

Find out more about car warning lights and what to do about them.

Is your car making a "whirring noise" when driving?

A car making a "whirring noise" can be caused by any 

. For example, if there’s an issue with your power steering system such as a leak, you may hear this noise when turning the wheel, and especially when turned all the way in either direction. 

You should address any issues with power steering as soon as possible with 

Also, if you hear a whirring noise that seems like it's coming from your engine then you'll want to get to your local mechanic quickly. 

Other common sources of whirring noises and water pumps, alternators, air conditioning pumps and worn clutches - anything that spins, will have a bearing in, and can wear out. 

 can cause parts such as the pump pulley to wobble as they rotate causing the noise as you drive. If you don’t replace any faulty parts in your water pump, your engine may overheat and fail. 

A consistent humming noise may have very different causes based on where the noise appears to be coming from and when it happens. 

If the noise occurs when the car is stationary, it’s a sign that the issue may be a leak from a part that moves irrespective of whether the car is moving or not, e.g. your exhaust system. 

What causes a humming noise when driving? 

If the humming noise only happens when you’re driving it may be something more serious, such as 

. In short, wheel bearings allow the wheels of your car to rotate without friction or excess heat. 

These bearings wear over time and typically need to be replaced every 80-120,000 miles, depending on the usage. 

There are two main things to check in identifying a wheel bearing noise: if the noise get faster/louder with increased speed, and if the noise changes when turning at speed. 

Wheel bearings are critical to the safety of your car, and will affect tyres and vehicle control if left too long - if the two points above are true about the noise in your car, take it to a mechanic as soon as possible. 

Find out more about replacing wheel bearings.

A whistling noise while you drive is most likely caused by a leak somewhere in your engine, maybe as a result of a faulty or cracked hose in your turbo or vacuum system. 

These pipes are vital for keeping your engine running properly and would affect performance and economy. The parts usually don’t cost a lot to replace, but failure to do so will eventually lead to bigger problems. 

You may notice that your car makes a specific noise when your car is turning. Depending on the noise, it may signify any number of issues. It’s important to differentiate if the noise happens when turning the steering wheel, stationary or not, or whilst turning a corner. 

Noise when turning the wheel usually indicates a fault with the power steering system. Often the pump will cause a noise when the bearings become worn. It will usually coincide with heavier steering. 

If your car makes a noise when driving round corners, such as at roundabouts, it could indicate a fault with the suspension or tracking, or maybe be a wheel bearing, as described above. 

Another possibility is a worn CV joint. A Constant-Velocity joint is what enables the drive from the

 to be transferred to the wheels whilst turning. When worn they make a distinctive clicking sound, which increases in frequency with the speed of the vehicle, and volume with the level of steering angle. 

Whatever the noise, sounds when you turn can indicate there is an issue with your steering and should be addressed as soon as possible. 

Any engine issues will usually be more apparent when pulling off and accelerating uphill, than when at cruising speed. Similarly, braking noises will often get louder the harder the brakes are applied. 

Typically heard from the top of the engine bay, and sounds like air leaking from the engine. You might also hear a noise from underneath the car. 

If the noise is upfront, a turbo pipe leak could make a roaring noise, this will be accompanied by a lack of power and often more smoke than normal from the exhaust. 

At the other end of the spectrum, an exhaust leak from underneath the car could also cause a louder noise when accelerating. This will often be alongside a strong smell of exhaust fumes inside the car. 

Both noises would be easier to hear from outside the car. Try having someone gently rev the car's engine - in neutral - whilst you hear from the outside. 

Worried a noise in your vehicle may be a sign of something serious? Use 

 to find your local garage and pay for repairs in manageable monthly instalments, at no extra cost with a car repair loan. 

 has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his five cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

9 Car Noises To Look Out For (And What To Do)

9 Ruidos en el coche: de qué son, cómo identificarlos y encontrar las causas

9 Autogeräusche, auf die Sie achten sollten (und was Sie dagegen tun können) 

Nissan is partnering with Bumper to offer aftersales customers the option of interest-free payments for servicing and repair work across its 194-strong dealer network. 

The announcement follows the successful launch of Bumper’s Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) digital payment platform with West Way, the UK’s largest Nissan dealer group. 

Bumper’s service is available from now to all participating Nissan dealers, with customers given the opportunity to split their aftersales bills – including accessories, maintenance and 

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Bumper to provide the option of more flexible payment options to aftersales customers across the UK,” said Chris Marsh, Aftersales Director, at Nissan. 

“The ability for our customers to split their bills into affordable interest-free monthly payments will further enhance the customer experience and innovation offered by our retailers. We have already seen great outcomes for dealer workshops using the Bumper platform, with an average transaction of £670 on a typical six year-old-car – a key target area for our retailers.” 

Jack Allman, CCO of Bumper, said: “Working with Nissan, as its sole recommended supplier of BNPL, will provide owners with greater flexibility in how they pay for aftersales work. 

“The provision of BNPL in workshops is still a relatively new concept which is resonating with customers as it removes the need for them to find cash to pay for work or use a credit card. 

“This flexibility is also enabling aftersales departments to retain customers and sell unbudgeted work that might otherwise prove difficult.” 

Recent months have seen Bumper, the eighth fastest growing company in the 2021 FT1000, also partner with Ford, Volkswagen Group and Jaguar Land Rover as well as Arnold Clark and CitNOW. 

Bumper provides an interest-free digital payment platform for vehicle repairs and services, enabling owners to spread their costs. 

Bumper is based in Sheffield and London, with a tech development centre in Ankara, Turkey. 

Nissan partners with Bumper to offer aftersales customers interest-free monthly payments 

Bumper, the digital payment platform for vehicle repairs, services, accessories and add-ons, has announced the appointment of James Hind as a non-executive director.

The co-founder and CEO of carwow brings a wealth of digital automotive experience to the business as it prepares to launch across Europe.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome James Hind as a non-executive director. His extensive experience of successfully scaling a disruptive automotive tech business in the UK, Spain and Germany will be invaluable to us,” said James Jackson, CEO and co-founder, Bumper.

“As an entrepreneur James is highly regarded across the automotive sector having grown carwow from a small start-up to an international business with over 400 employees and £5bn of car sales through it in 2021 alone, so we’re thrilled to have him onboard,” he said.

Speaking about his appointment Hind said: “Car repair and servicing bills are often a big financial burden for many consumers and Bumper has created a great way to spread the cost of that, helping avoid the need to take on expensive loans. Its platform is great for dealers too, providing them with a full suite of digital payment options for customers to fund workshop and add-on bills which has been a gamechanger and that shows with the huge adoption they’ve got.

“I’ll be supporting the management team as they grow its operations and offerings in the UK and across Europe. I’ve followed Bumper’s rapid rise with keen interest and look forward to working with the business to assist the next phase of its growth,” he said.

Hind joins Bumper following the recent expansion of its executive team with four new appointments: Francisca Gutierrez (chief product officer

Paul Edgecombe (chief compliance officer), 

Matt Williams (chief growth officer) and Leah Ellis (

named by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing FinTechs in its FT1000 rankings of Europe’s fastest growing companies.

Bumper appoints carwow’s James Hind as non-executive director

Research carried out over the last couple of years by companies such as Kwik Fit and Evans Halshaw has highlighted the extent to which motorists put off vital car maintenance; often opting to drive their vehicles in an unroadworthy state, simply because the cost of repairs exceeds their financial limits.

As revealed in an article from This Is Money, over 1.2 million UK motorists have admitted to knowingly driving cars that are not fit for the road. A large proportion of owners have also chosen the 'cheap fix' route of DIY repairs. Although this may sometimes be an acceptable move for those who know their way around an engine, repairs from the 'have a go' novice or 'friend of a friend' are extremely worrying. Indeed, as Kwik Fit discovered, of those who decide to carry out repairs themselves, "a third said the quality of the work they or a friend or relative did concern them".

Many motorists fail to realise that, as well as being dangerous, driving an unroadworthy vehicle is actually a criminal offence. A faulty exhaust system, faulty brakes, worn-out tyres, damaged seatbelts or even cracked 

 could all result in a fine of up to £3000 and 3 points on a licence. In some cases, motorists could even find themselves on a 'careless driving' charge. Of course, driving a vehicle that is unroadworthy can have far more dire consequences; posing a serious risk to the lives of the driver, other motorists, passengers and pedestrians.

Regional police units are routinely pulling dangerous cars from our roads as part of a national operation aimed at tackling unsafe and unroadworthy vehicles. Where possible, however, we need to prevent these cars from being on the roads in the first place! Given that cost is the main reason cited for the avoidance of repairs and maintenance work, dealerships can play a key role in promoting road safety; specifically, by offering cash-strapped motorists an affordable, achievable way of paying for repairs.

As with Bumper, the option to spread payments over a realistic time frame, at no extra cost, encourages motorists to put safety first:

A responsible lending solution means drivers can have work carried out at a reliable franchised workshop. It eliminates the need to 'shop around' and risks choosing somebody less reputable for the sake of a 'cheap fix'.

The ability to comfortably meet payments lessens the temptation to carry out DIY 'bodge jobs'.

For customers who may have otherwise been tempted to skip repairs altogether, interest-free payment plans offer the flexibility to 'fix now, pay later'. Motorists are given peace of mind that their vehicle is in safe working order and financial outlay is controlled.

Aftersales finance offers many benefits for dealerships, but it isn't always about enabling a larger proportion of red and amber work to be sold; it's also about demonstrating a duty of care to the customer.

Demonstrating your duty of care with aftersales finance

While 2015 saw the average British household spend just under £800 over the festive season, recent studies suggest 2016 could prove even more costly. According to research carried out by the Centre for Retail Research, UK Christmas spending is expected to hit a record £77.56bn, almost double the European average.

During a time of Christmas budgeting, we're all under pressure to funnel our money into the festivities and delay any non-urgent financial outlays in order to free-up some seasonal spending funds. Unfortunately, these 'non-urgent expenditures often extend to winter servicing and car repairs. Deterred not least by the prospect of the upfront payments these require, there is often a temptation for motorists to underplay the importance of car checks and maintenance; a decision which could have severe implications for road safety. (Indeed, the Christmas period tends to coincide with a peak in road accidents!)

Aware of the tendency for motorists to delay car servicing and repairs during the Christmas period, many dealerships choose the option of giving discounts to entice customers. Although a good idea in theory, in practice this is far from ideal. Not only does this eat into a dealership's profits, it does very little to resolve the problem of motorists having to pay out a lump sum upfront at a time when funds are destined to be spent on the highstreet.

As an alternative, interest free payment plans offer a much more practical solution, one which, crucially, has the potential to benefit both the motorist and the dealership. For drivers, payment plans offer the flexibility to 'fix now, pay later'. Payment dates can be arranged according to personal preference, meaning that instalments can be scheduled for after the festive rush. Motorists are given peace of mind that their vehicle is in safe working order and financial outlay is fully controlled. Dealerships on the other hand can charge full price for a service/ repairs with no reduction in profit, while still demonstrating their duty of care to the customer.

How dealerships can help the Christmas budget dilemma

In total, the company has raised more than £950,000 from a number of private investors. The funding will be used to enhance the machine learning capabilities used to process customer applications quickly yet responsibly.

It comes after the business enjoyed 1,000 per cent year-on-year revenue growth in 2016 as the total amount of repairs, servicing and accessories funded through Bumper exceeded £6 million, a 100% increase over the last six months. This followed an increase of more than 150% in its customer base, with the number of UK dealerships offering Bumper rising from 300 to 850 over the last 12 months.

The popularity of Bumper’s solution has led to it being rolled out across franchised dealerships belonging to some of the world’s biggest vehicle brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Peugeot Citroën, Ford and Vauxhall. Dealerships have found their customers have been able to go ahead with work using Bumper that they otherwise couldn’t have afforded, allowing them to ensure their vehicles are safe and operational, while managing the cost.

The payment method is funded exclusively by dealers, who pay a small transaction fee on any sales made through Bumper, meaning the customer gets flexibility with no extra or hidden costs. It is the only funding solution available that focuses solely on the repairs and service market.

James Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Bumper, said: “It is clear there is great demand for more options when it comes to covering the cost of maintaining our vehicles, which is all too often an expensive and stressful experience. Bumper provides greater flexibility and transparency to enable motorists to stay on the road without the hassle of high, and often unplanned for, one-off bills."

“Dealerships have been offering finance packages on vehicle sales for many years, and they are beginning to recognise the importance of adopting interest-free payment methods within their service divisions."

“This investment will enable us to continue our rapid growth by growing our technology team to enable us to further improve the customer experience, adding more features and even greater flexibility."

Bumper secures major investment boost

Now in it’s 19th year, the FStech awards celebrate innovative and outstanding technologies in the UK and EMEA financial services sector.

Bumper is pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Best Use of Social Networks or Gamification category. The nomination is a result of the implementation of our service advisor dashboard; an area for users in which they can earn points and prizes for helping customers to pay their repair bills.

We are competing against two other start-ups. Invstr, an app for aspiring investors and Yu Life a mindfulness and wellbeing app. Also in the running, is investment bank JP. Morgan.

Bumper CEO, James Jackson, said, “it’s an honour to be shortlisted at the FStech award and is testament to the team’s hard work and dedication in continuing to improve our product’s user experience”.

The awards ceremony will be held at London’s Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square on 21st March and hosted by Kerry Godliman, comedian and star of Ricky Gervais’ sitcom Derek.

Bumper Shortlisted for Best Use of Gamification at FStech Awards

Find all the latest industry news and handiest car repair and service tips on the Bumper Blog. Want to get the Bumper view on something? Let us know and we’ll drop a blog post on it as soon as we can.