BreakerLink Blog

Common Issues with the Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 is a large family saloon car and one of the most popular vehicles produced by this well known Japanese manufacturer. It represents the embodiment of a new design ethos employed by Mazda in 2002 known as the Stylish, Insightful and Spirited philosophy. Since its introduction on the world stage, it’s sold over one million units, beating all previous Mazda sales records. As with all cars, there are common problems with the Mazda 6, and in this article we look at some of the most likely issues to trouble owners of this well known vehicle.

Continue reading →

Commonly Occurring Lexus IS Problems

Lexus, part of Japan’s famous Toyota company, are now recognised as one of the top high end car brands in the world. Over the last twenty years they’ve managed to rub shoulders with some of the more established European makes of car, such as BMW and Mercedes Benz. The IS from Lexus is a series of luxury compact executive vehicles that’s been available since 1998. These cars are renowned for their good, solid performance and are known to be very reliable on the road, with few common faults. However, as with all vehicles there are a few well known problems with the car, which we’re taking a look at in this article.

Continue reading →

Common parts that go wrong on the Ford Focus

Ford has a reputation for making solid, reliable vehicles. The Ford Focus is a very popular medium-sized family car. Whilst its sheer ubiquity may put some people off, the good news is that there are lots of Fords – and therefore lots of used car parts – around. This makes maintenance issues much easier.

The Focus range typically has excellent fuel economy (diesel is better with the larger engines, from 1.8 litre upwards – some of these can manage over 70mpg). It is also great to drive and very spacious. General consensus is you won’t be disappointed and repairs should be minimal.

Continue reading →

Spraying and fitting a new car bonnet

Wear and tear on the front of your car soon adds up, and even a minor prang can leave your bonnet looking in a thoroughly disreputable state. You will be able to address much of this yourself with touch-ups or – if it’s bad enough – a complete respray. But in worse cases it’s far simpler to ditch the old bonnet and start again. Double-skinned bonnets are particularly hard to repair, since they cannot be hammered out. There are ways of ‘sucking’ out dents, but these are hit and miss – and, in any case, you’ll need to repaint afterwards anyway.

Continue reading →

Refilling your Car’s Petrol

Most modern cars run on petrol or diesel fuel. This is contained in a tank usually located at the rear of the car. It needs to be regularly filled in order for the car to run. In order to ensure the good performance of your vehicle you should always try to keep your petrol tank at least 20% full – any less than this and impurities at the bottom of the tank can get into your engine and damage the pistons. If you suddenly find your car is losing petrol more rapidly than before, you should get it checked out at a service centre as the tank may have developed a leak. Continue reading →

Looking after your car battery

Batteries provide the essential power to a car’s spark plugs in order to start the engine. Whilst a failing battery will not generally result in your car breaking down on the road, it will prevent your vehicle from being started. We’d always advise that you do a quick visual inspection of your battery any time you open the bonnet of your car to check the oil, top up brake fluid or refill the car’s water tank. This way you should be able to anticipate any problems with the battery before they happen, preventing that awkward moment in the morning where your car won’t start. Continue reading →

Changing Your Car Exhaust

All combustion engines, no matter whether they are diesel, petrol, alcohol or bio-fuel driven, produce emissions. These often dangerous gasses are ejected from the vehicle via the exhaust system. This is connected directly up to the engine head via the manifold, and used to funnel all the waste fumes out of the pistons chambers. The exhaust has many parts – these include:

Continue reading →

Checking your Engine’s Coolant

All engines require coolant to stop them from overheating. This is especially true of the summer months when the bonnet of the car is already hot due to the ambient temperature, but due to the combustion process the engine is also likely to get hot even during the coldest period of the year. To make sure there is sufficient coolant in your engine you should check your levels regularly – as a rule of thumb you should check it at least every 3,000 miles, although you should check your owner’s manual, which should advise on the frequency of your checks. Continue reading →

How to check and replace your car’s air filter

Even at low speeds, your engine sucks in a huge amount of air necessary for the process of internal combustion that drives the car. This air has to be clean and free from particles such as dust and dirt, or these could clog up the engine over time causing it to lose efficiency or even break down. As a result most engines use special air filters to clean the air that they take in, trapping all the dirt and dust that could cause damage. This part has a limited lifespan before it becomes completely clogged, impeding the flow of air to the engine, and needs to be changed.

Continue reading →

Tyres – Maintaining Your Tyres

Your car tyres should always be well maintained. As these are the shoes of the car, giving you good traction on the road surface, it is essential to make sure that they are always working at an optimal pressure and that their tread is in good condition. If you do notice that the tread has degraded badly, then you should replace your tyres, taking care not to mix types across the car, as this can cause a loss of grip.

Continue reading →