Tag Archives: servicing

Name that Tune? How to Diagnose Faults from Car Noises

Car making noise

It’s time for us to take a look at the sonic symptoms of various car issues, particularly when braking, cornering or even putting your foot down and accelerating. It’s always worrying when you hear an unfamiliar sound coming from somewhere in your car and you’d be forgiven for thinking that if you don’t do something about it the problem might grow. As a result noises cause anxiety and can even distract you from keeping your eyes on the road.

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How to Prepare Your Car for its MOT

MOT Logo

In 2015 nearly 40% of all cars failed their MOT, according to the DVSA. Many cars fail for simple reasons, which could have been checked and fixed by the owner before they dropped of their vehicle at the test centre.

Avoid wasting time and save yourself money with our simple guide that helps you prepare your car for its MOT. All you have to do is follow each section and we will give you some guidelines and tell you what to do if your vehicle isn’t up to the required standard.

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How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Key Car Parts

Car parts

Naturally you understand the importance of regular oil changes. You probably even know about keeping the coolant and water topped up in your reservoirs. All of these simple tasks help keep your car working properly. And of course, if you look after your car then you’ll not only reduce service and maintenance costs, but you’ll also extend the lifespan of the vehicle.

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You won’t believe these 12 weird maintenance related car laws from around the world

Car on a map

Every country has their own strange cultures and customs. But did you know that this also extends to car maintenance laws? You might be surprised to find out that there’s some pretty strange regulation and legislation controlling the state of your vehicle in far off countries. So in our opinion, what’s the weirdest?

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Replacing an indicator stalk

Indicator stalk

The indicator stalk is the part of the car’s control systems that is used to control your vehicles indication lights. It is usually mounted on the steering column, giving you easy access without having to remove your hands from the steering wheel. Most indicators have a mechanism in them that turns them off when the steering wheel is rotated in a contrary direction to the indicator light.

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How to Replace a Car’s Instrument Cluster

Instrument Cluster

Your instrument cluster is the part of the dashboard that tells you what’s going on with your vehicle’s internal systems. It contains the speedometer, the rev counter and all the lights and status displays that warn you of problems such as low fuel and battery charge issues.

Every instrument cluster has a lifespan and will eventually wear out. It’s quite a simple problem to spot as the speedometer and other dials and gauges will stop moving and lights will not function, such as the full beam warning or the hazard indicator. Do of course bear in mind that if it’s only a bulb that’s blown, you may be able to replace certain bulbs in certain positions and then you won’t need to replace the whole cluster.

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Learn These 16 Ways You Can Avoid Getting Ripped Off by a Car Mechanic

Car mechanic holding spannersBelieve it or not garages are now overcharging men, blondes and older people according to a recent survey. With cars getting increasingly technical thanks to computer control systems and non-serviceable parts, it can be tough to understand what’s going on under the bonnet, giving your mechanic a knowledge advantage if they are looking to overcharge on parts or labour.

So what can be done about it? Obviously changing your gender, hair colour or dress style is out of the question, but there are certain ways of approaching a car mechanic that greatly reduces the chance of you paying over the odds. In this article we explore some of the easiest action points you can employ to avoid unscrupulous mechanics. Continue reading

How to check and replace your car’s air filter

inspecting an 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.

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