Author Archives: Justin Smith

About Justin Smith

As the man at the helm of BreakerLink, it is no surprise that its Director, Justin Smith, has always had a keen interest in cars, bikes and most things wheeled. Having spent over two decades in the car parts industry, Justin combines his passion that since 2002, has successfully united those looking for new and used car parts with the breaker that supplies them. Follow Justin on LinkedIn.

Why Does Your Car’s Engine Stall?

Unless you are still a novice driver, you should not really be stalling your vehicle (save for the occasional moment where your motoring skills suddenly go on holiday). But if your car starts regularly stalling, then you may have an underlying problem with the air flow, fuel system or electrics.

And when stalls happen on the open road they can be downright dangerous. What’s worse is that they’re always unexpected; stalls come with no warning signs. The check engine light doesn’t illuminate on the dash board and no signs come out of the engine. You could even be motoring on quite dandily and then bang out of nowhere, the stall happens.

If you are experiencing stalls on a regular basis when you’re on the road, then you may want to get the car checked out.

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Avoiding Driver Stress – Keeping Calm Behind the Wheel

Many of us have been victims of road rage. Traffic jams, aggressive driving and bad handling can give you that feeling like your blood is about to boil. When you are more stressed behind the wheel, this is likely to increase the risk of you having an accident. Stay cool and in the best frame of mind with our tips for remaining calm on the road:

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Motorway Myths – Falsehoods from the Fast Lane

There’s lots of confusion about motorway rules. Especially if you don’t use motorways often or you’re new to driving.

At BreakerLink we love to bust driving falsehoods and get to the truth of the matter. To ensure you’re doing the right thing on the motorway, we bust some of the more well-known myths and falsehoods, hopefully giving you a clear picture of what you can and can’t do…

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Stay Safe – Simple Rules for Avoiding Car Park Accidents

Cars are getting bigger. Spaces are getting smaller. Car parks are overcrowded. Parking a car can be a nightmare, especially at 3.30pm on a Sunday afternoon, when everybody’s popping out to grab some bread, milk or a bottle of wine that they’ve forgotten. In the past, we’ve discussed what steps you need to take if you are involved in a car park accident… But as prevention is better than cure, how can you avoid one?

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Oil Myths – What’s True and What’s Not…

You know oil is essential for your car. It’s right up there with water and coolant. And getting your oil management wrong can be fatal to various parts of the engine. If you leave it too long, then you could be looking at all manner of problems from early fatigue to at worst, total engine failure. However, as with many things in life, if you’re relying on anecdotal information from friends and family, without mechanical experience, you could come a real cropper.

Fortunately, the team at BreakerLink has put our heads together, and come up with a quick breakdown (see what we did there) of what’s right, and what’s not so right, about some of the common oil myths you might hear doing the rounds.

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Pooch Proof the Peugeot – Ensuring Your Dog doesn’t Wreck your Car

Man’s best friend. Dogs equal great walks in the countryside. And they can travel in the back of the car. Of course, if you’re a long time follower of our blog, you’ll know we love our animals and have given you advice in the past about protecting both you and your hound in transit. But with muddy feet, smelly dogs and even water finding their way into your car, after a good romp out down a National trust park or at the beach – how can you better protect the other essential best friend in your life – your vehicle?

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Who’s that in the Rear View Mirror? Dealing with Tailgaters

Give people space. Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule. And have you seen how much braking distances are impacted by the wet, snow and ice? Doesn’t matter. People still love to tailgate.

However much of a rush you might be in, this is annoying at best, and at worst, downright dangerous. And could lead to a severe crash if someone has to brake suddenly. So what’s the safest and most sane way to deal with tailgating drivers?

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The Truth is Out There… Debunking Popular Car Insurance Myths

Like death and taxes, car insurance seems somewhat inevitable. You want to drive on UK roads? You must be covered by some kind of acceptable policy. But perhaps because you must have insurance, there is a lot of chit chat that goes around pubs, dinner tables and other social meeting places, which discusses the potential intricacies of costs, policies and covers.

If you’re one of those people who’ve whipped out your phone or powered up your computer to check on some rumours you’ve heard – then you’ve arrived in the right place. Let’s go through some of the most popular assertions and fact check them to see if they’re the real deal, or just some old fake news.

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Help… I’ve Been Hit by an Uninsured Driver

You’ve been hit, and you know it wasn’t your fault. Once you’ve shaken yourself down and regained your composure, you speak to the driver of the other vehicle. Then you discover they don’t have any insurance or you get the details, only to find it’s a made up policy, or an older one that’s already expired.

Or worse still, the offending vehicle simply pulls off and drives away. The dreaded hit and run incident. Not only bad from a legal standpoint, but a truly callous act if someone has been hurt and injured. Fortunately there have been laws and organisations in place to protect you from uninsured drivers – but what are the practical steps you need to take should such a situation arise?

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It’s Never a Good Time when You Lose Your Car Keys

You never realise you’ve lost your car keys, until you need to use your car. And this is often the most inconvenient moment to realise this small, but essential bit of kit has either gone walkies or been stolen. Your partner may have a spare set, but this won’t resolve your peace of mind, if you think they’ve been taken by a nefarious third party – or you might have to get on the phone to a locksmith.

Worse still, if you’re out in the middle of nowhere, or about to embark on the return journey home, you may have less options available to resolve the issue. What should you do if you lose your car keys, and is there any way you could potentially make the moment less awful if it happens?

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