Category Archives: Maintenance

There are many potential causes of a misfiring engine. Some of the most well-known include issues with worn out spark plugs, a weak pressure through the fuel injectors, a vacuum leak, fatigued valve seals, or even issues with the power going to the engine coil. Whatever the reason behind a misfiring engine, you’ll want to get eyes on the problem as soon as possible, as it can rapidly get worse, causing associated systems and parts within your engine to suffer damage. What are some of the most common causes and symptoms of a misfiring engine?

The alternator generates charge from the movement of your engine. The engine turns, the alternator turns, and this in turn creates power, which is used to keep the battery fully charged.

If the alternator fails, the battery will rapidly lose charge, and be unable to keep powering your vehicle’s electrical systems, causing some of them to start failing and worse still, they could shut down completely.

Engines are the powerful centre of your car. You put your foot down, fuel surges into the cylinder heads and away you go. However, despite its importance, it’s all too easy to overlook problems with the engine, and turn a blind eye to some of the warning signs. Left unchecked, many of these can lead to a breakdown (leaving you stranded miles from home) or worse still, to a bank-balance breaking repair bill. In the most extreme cases engine problems can leave the car beyond viable repair – which then means you’ve got to go to the trouble of spending time finding and shelling out your hard-earned cash on a new vehicle.

To avoid the hassle and expense of experiencing engine failure, watch out for these minor and major warning signs to keep the costs of repair down.

As car’s become more advanced, some of the older rules that were applicable to car maintenance schedules are no longer true. However, because many of these are passed around via word of mouth, they can take quite a time to disappear from common culture.

Follow the wrong advice, and there’s a real-life implication. You could find yourself stumping up cash for unnecessary costs or reducing your vehicle’s performance. Worse still you could end up doing some serious damage to car parts that leaves you requiring replacements, and a mechanic’s bill for labour.

What are some of the best-known car maintenance myths that are simply no longer true?

From old fashioned headlights and windscreen wipers, through to onboard computer systems and ABS braking; today’s car is packed with electrical systems. Just like mobile phone apps that put a lot of strain on your phone’s battery, these systems may cause your car battery to run out faster and stop working.

Last thing you want is for the battery to give up the ghost on a cold February morning, when you need to get to work (or somewhere worse, such as the airport on time). Thankfully, with a little vigilance, you can be aware of your battery coming to the end of its lifespan, as there are usually a few give-away signs.

Cars are complex, technical machines that needs to be properly looked after. Part of any maintenance schedule should be regular service checks, where parts can be inspected and changed if necessary. Whilst some services, particularly for more high-end vehicles, can be expensive, they will save you money in the long run, preventing breakdowns, and increasing your chances of passing an MOT.

So, if you’re wondering about those strange noises or some weird car behaviour, then this is the list for you. And if you’re currently on a tight budget, and don’t want to drop money on a service for no reason, then use this list to check for where issues could be getting to the point where avoiding a service could potentially cost you more…

A judder is a jerking motion or shaking feeling you get behind the wheel. For example, you put your foot down and expect to move forward in a continual motion, but instead you jerk and stop. This can be a frightening experience, and your passengers won’t thank you for it either. Juddering can be caused by a number of issues and in several scenarios and should never be ignored; it’s often a sign other problems could develop in your vehicle if left unchecked. What are the various symptoms and how can you complete a little amateur diagnosis yourself?