Category Archives: Maintenance

As the heat rises in the air and the harvest becomes full, sap is often extruded from the trees around your home and on the roads. Whilst parking under a tree is a great way to protect your vehicle from the heat, it may leave it prone to drops of sap landing on the paintwork. Although this won’t cause immediate damage, if left unattended it can dry like cement on your vehicle.

Catalytic convertors are an essential car component that works to reduce the amount of harmful emissions that come out of your car’s engine. This metal canister operates as a fixed part of the exhaust system and uses a chemical catalyst to remove pollution from the engine’s exhaust gasses making them dramatically less harmful.

In modern fuel injected cars, the throttle body is an essential part of the air intake system, controlling the flow of air into the engine, which is used to effectively combust fuel in the pistons. Getting the right amount of air is vital. Too much air or too little air can make your engine run lean.

When the throttle body is working correctly, it is synchronized with the fuel intake and the accelerator pedal. Put the pedal down and the flow of fuel is increased into the engine and the throttle body pulls in extra air to aid combustion, allowing your vehicle to perform at the best level and run smoothly.

Power steering is a great invention. Without it, turning your car’s steering wheel would be quite hard work, especially when driving slowly. It’s hydraulics and electrics are designed to support your efforts in the driving seat, keeping you free from fatigue and making the car’s drive an altogether more promising experience.

Scratches in your windscreen are more than annoying. They can also impact your clarity of vision and stop you from ascertaining full visibility on the road. A small scratch can lead to a big crack that can only be fixed by a costly replacement, meaning that it seriously pays to mend a small scratch before it turns into a big bill.

An ABS pump is a vital part of many modern braking systems. In previous articles we have discussed how you can replace your ABS pump – but what are the sure signs it needs changing?

Your car’s air conditioning system has two switches that protect the compressor and the refrigeration circuit. The low pressure switch turns the system off when the pressure is too low to prevent damage to the compressor. Like all parts of your vehicle it has a limited lifespan. If you are suffering from problems like an intermittent response from the AC unit when you turn it on, a lack of cooling or an outright failure of the system then the problem could be a faulty low pressure switch.

When you are driving it is inevitable that small stones will fly up and cause damage to your paint job.  Big scratches and dints take specialist skills in the spray booth to resolve, especially when your paint has faded.

However, if the damage is smaller than a 50p piece then it is possible that you can use touch up paint to save yourself the costs of a professional job. Obviously the results may not have that fine finish, but with our simple to use guide you can achieve a passible look all on your own.

What causes wheels to go out of alignment? It doesn’t always have to be a knock or prang. Wheels can simply stray as you drive over rough surfaces and speed bumps. However if you hit a pothole or bump a kerb whilst at speed it can severely throw out your alignment.

Obviously it is normal for a little smoke to come out of your exhaust pipe, which is like your vehicle’s chimney. Air pressure draws waste gases from the engine and then expels them into the atmosphere.

Sometime these gasses are expelled as smoke, and with modern cars becoming increasingly fuel efficient with less emissions it is becoming easier to spot problematic smoke coming from your engine.

An occasional puff of smoke from the exhaust should not cause you any worry. However if you are noticing persistent smoke coming from your car it could spell trouble. Check out what different coloured smoke could mean for your engine with our helpful article.