Oil Changers Emphasises Transparent, Efficient Vehicle Servicing Across New Zealand
At its Lower Hutt branch, Oil Changers offers a range of services including oil and filter changes, air filtration, transmission servicing, and free fluid top-ups. The car servicing in Lower Hutt centre is staffed by trained technicians who follow manufacturer recommendations to ensure all work maintains vehicle warranties. Most services are completed in under 10 minutes, and customers consistently rate the branch highly for both speed and clarity of communication.
Oil Changers also provides specialised transmission services at multiple locations, including Christchurch. The transmission servicing in Christchurch covers most makes and models, subject to manufacturer requirements. The service is designed to remove nearly all old transmission fluid from the system, including the torque converter and cooler, helping to extend transmission life and reduce the risk of premature failure. The process also aims to promote smoother shifting and reduce wear on internal components.
Across all branches, Oil Changers stocks a variety of oil types—conventional, synthetic, and specialty blends—to suit a wide range of vehicles, including SUVs, utes, and European models. The company's approach centres on providing clear, practical advice and using only the products recommended by vehicle manufacturers.
With locations in key regions and a consistent emphasis on efficiency, transparency, and customer education, Oil Changers remains a trusted choice for vehicle owners seeking reliable maintenance without unnecessary upselling.
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NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
US President's new deals contain mostly top-line figures but have landed at politically useful time
'I'm very surprised how the EU gave in to Trump's demands,' said Douglas Irwin, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College. 'I thought the EU would be the most prone to retaliation. And yet, they didn't do it. They really gave in to most of what Trump wanted.' Though many details of the agreement were unclear, the EU and the US agreed to a broad-brush trade deal that sets a 15% tariff on most EU goods, including cars, averting what could have become a painful trade war with a bloc that is the US' single biggest source of imports. The EU also agreed to purchase US$750 billion worth of US energy, which Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU's executive branch, said would be spread over three years. That, she noted, is roughly the length of Trump's remaining term in office. The bloc also agreed to increase its investment in the US by more than US$600b. The two sides agreed to drop tariffs to zero on a range of goods including aircraft, plane parts, certain chemicals, certain generic drugs, semiconductor equipment and some agricultural products, von der Leyen said. She acknowledged that the tariffs could prove tough for some European businesses but defended the deal in light of higher tariffs Trump had threatened. 'Fifteen per cent is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,' she said. It was a positive political development for Trump on a number of fronts. Economists have mostly been sour on the idea of his sweeping tariffs, warning of dire consequences including inflation and rising unemployment. And even as many criticised the wisdom of Trump's economic policies, his Administration came under added fire over its struggle to negotiate deals. The agreement with the EU, the America's largest trading partner, may tamp down some of the criticism. The agreement may also offer Trump a way to divert the news cycle from his Administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files - a controversy that has dogged him for weeks. At a news conference on the trade deal, a reporter asked Trump whether he had rushed the agreement forward in an attempt to knock the Epstein story line out of the news. 'You've got to be kidding,' a frustrated Trump responded. 'That had nothing to do with it.' Trade negotiations are famously complex and time-consuming, so most analysts doubted that Trump could have much success in quickly striking deals. The Peterson Institute for International Economics said in a 2016 analysis that negotiations for a single trade deal can take more than a year, with implementation taking multiple years. That didn't stop the White House from issuing bold predictions. Within days of the April 2 announcement of tariffs on countries across the globe, White House officials said about 70 countries were calling to strike deals. Trump's trade adviser predicted 90 agreements in 90 days. As the deals proved tougher to negotiate than advertised, Trump lamented the pressure he was under. 'Everyone says, 'When, when, when are you going to sign deals?'' he said in May. At one point he said: 'We don't have to sign deals'. The agreements Trump has announced in recent days contain mostly top-line figures. They are not the detailed, complex documents that the US has historically negotiated, which can number in the hundreds of pages. And the new deal with the EU could still run into trouble. The Trump Administration faces nearly a dozen lawsuits seeking to have its tariffs declared illegal on the grounds that Trump does not have the authority to impose them without the consent of Congress. Should those suits succeed, Trump would be back to square one. Andrew Hale, a trade policy analyst for the conservative Heritage Foundation, cautioned against reading too much into the deal with the EU until the text is released and the lawsuits are resolved. 'These are not comprehensive free trade agreements,' he said. 'Let's make that very clear. And much of this may evaporate.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Luke Broadwater ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- NZ Herald
US tariff tussles stuff of nightmares for Bordeaux winemakers
While Trump said European exports face 15% tariffs across the board, both sides said there would be carve-outs for certain sectors. EU head Ursula Von der Leyen said the bloc still hoped to secure further so-called 'zero-for-zero' agreements, notably for alcohol, which she hoped to be 'sorted out' in the coming days. Philippe Tapie, chairman of regional traders' union Bordeaux Negoce, which represents more than 90% of the wine trade in the Bordeaux area, is worried by the uncertainty. 'One day, it is white, the next it is black - the US Administration can change its mind from one day to the next and we have no visibility,' he told AFP. In mid-March, Trump had threatened Brussels with 200% tariffs on alcohol in response to a proposed EU tax on US bourbon. Then in April he brandished a new threat of 20% across the board on EU products, a threat ultimately suspended. Since then, the level first held at 10% but, in late May, the US leader threatened to revert to 50% before pivoting to 30% starting August 1, the deadline for the negotiations with the EU that led to a preliminary accord after Trump and Von der Leyen met in Scotland. In vino, veritas is unpredictability 'At 10% or 15%, we'll find solutions. At 30%, no. End of story,' Tapie warned just ahead of the announcement as he criticised a 'totally unpredictable American Administration'. To export wine, 'there's a minimum of 30 days by boat. If you go to California, it's 60 days. We can't think in terms of weeks,' says Tapie, who says he has 'never been confronted with such a situation' in 30 years of business. Twins Bordeaux, one of Bordeaux's leading wine merchants, also laments the tariffs' impact. 'The American market represents about a third of our turnover, or around €30m,' explains Sebastien Moses, co-director and co-owner of Twins, which usually ships upwards of a million bottles a year to the US. Since January, 'our turnover must have fallen by 50% compared to last year,' he says. 'So far, we've managed to save the situation, because as soon as Donald Trump was elected we anticipated this and sent as much stock as possible to the US,' explains Moses, though longer term he says this is not a 'stable' strategy. Fly it out? As an attempted work around Twins Bordeaux even shipped cases of around 10,000 bottles by air in March. 'But only very expensive wines, at no less than €150-200 per bottle, because by air it's at least two and a half times the price of shipping by sea,' he said. For Bordeaux wine merchant Bouey, the US market represents less than 10% of its exports. 'We have long since undertaken a geographical expansion. Faced with the global chaos, commercial strategies can no longer be based on a single- or dual-country strategy,' Jacques Bouey, its chief executive, told AFP in April. The tariffs come with the industry already struggling with declining consumption that has led to overproduction and a collapse in bulk prices. By early 2023, a third of Bordeaux's approximately 5000 wine growers admitted to being in difficulty. 'We're starting to become world champions in terms of accumulating problems,' complained Tapie. -Agence France-Presse
NZ Herald
15 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Round three - United States and China hold economic talks as trade truce nears end
The Trump Administration has been trying to win concessions from many countries before an August 1 deadline for reimposing tariffs announced in April. Those levies were suspended in order to reach trade deals. Over the last week, the Trump Administration has announced deals with some of America's biggest trading partners in quick succession. Last week the US and Japan finally agreed to a deal that included a 15% tariff on Japanese imports and a pledge from Japan to invest US$550 billion in the US. Today, Trump announced that he had also reached a deal with the European Union, whose economies rely on exports to the US. The deal would put a 15% tariff on many European exports, including cars. One of the biggest unknowns is what will happen with China, which remains one of America's largest source of imports. After a tit-for-tat period of tariffs and retaliation, the two nations have come to something of an uneasy truce after talks in Geneva in May, and in London in June. Today, before he met with European officials, Trump implied that some kind of trade arrangement with China might be close at hand. 'We just struck a deal with Japan as you know, and we're very close to a deal with China,' he said. This will be the first meeting between the countries without an imminent crisis, like the tariff standoff or China's economically crippling ban on rare earth exports this year. Trade experts said the list of potential topics for discussion was long, ranging from Trump's push to get China to stop the flow of fentanyl to the US, to America's concerns about its purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, and recent exit bans that have prevented US citizens from leaving China. US officials appear to be looking forward to more ambitious trade talks in the months to come. Those could include Chinese purchases of American products, steps to open the Chinese market and, potentially, Chinese investment in the US. They are also likely seeking to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, this year. Administration officials are considering a trip to Beijing before a meeting of Asian and Pacific countries in South Korea in October or potentially connecting Trump and Xi on the sidelines of an international meeting. Michael Pillsbury, a former government official who has advised the Trump Administration on China, said this would be Trump's sixth summit meeting with Xi. Each of those summits had a minimum of two hours of dialogue, and Trump went prepared with specific dealmaking requests, he said. 'The President feels it's better to deal face to face,' he said. Trade experts are also wondering whether US technology controls or an agreement to transfer ownership of TikTok may be on the negotiating table. On CNBC last week, Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, said that the US had submitted a proposal to China for transferring ownership of TikTok to American companies, and that the Administration was waiting for the Chinese response. The topic was 'not officially' part of the trade talks, he said, 'but unofficially, of course'. Tensions between the US and China started to spiral after Trump announced his 'Liberation Day' tariffs in early April. China was the only country to immediately retaliate, matching Trump's tariffs of 34% with 34% tariffs on American products. Beijing also set up a licensing system to restrict exports of seven rare earth elements that are processed almost exclusively in China and used in electric cars, smart bombs and other high-tech devices. Trump then responded by ratcheting up tariffs on Chinese products to a minimum of 145%, which brought much of the trade between the countries to a halt. The previous rounds of negotiations secured a temporary truce that included China's relaxing its restrictions on shipments of valuable rare earth minerals and magnets needed by US manufacturers. In return, US officials agreed to roll back limits on exports of US products and technology, including ethane and airplane parts, as well as the proposed visa restrictions. US tariffs on Chinese imports were scaled back to 30%, while China has 10% tariffs on American products. The truce is scheduled to expire on August 12, after which tariffs would rise by 10%. However, Bessent has been optimistic that the truce could be extended. In an interview on the Fox Business Network last week, Bessent said that 'trade is in a good place' with China. He added that he hoped to begin having broader discussions with his counterparts about rebalancing the Chinese economy and encouraging China to curb purchases of Russian and Iranian oil. Bessent said China was in a manufacturing slump and faced a residential real estate market crisis. He argued Beijing must focus on building a consumer economy. 'They can't export their economic problems to the rest of the world; they need to solve them,' Bessent said. US companies continue to have a rash of criticisms about doing business in China, including the country's newly established rare earth licensing system. The processing time for licences is long, American firms say, and China requests proprietary and sensitive business information as part of the applications. In a survey released this month, members of the US-China Business Council said strained relations and tariffs between the two countries remained their biggest concerns. But they also said Chinese policies favouring domestic companies were eroding confidence in doing business in the country. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Alan Rappeport and Ana Swanson ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
