Advice & guides
Car advice, without the jargon
Answers to the questions customers actually ask us in the workshop — written to be useful whether or not you book with us.
Servicing
How often should you service your car?
How service intervals work, why mileage isn't the whole story, and how to tell when your car is due.
4 min readInterim vs full service — what's the difference?
How service levels are generally structured and which one suits your mileage.
3 min readTiming belt or chain: when does yours need changing?
How to tell what your engine uses, when it's due, and why deferring it is a false economy.
5 min readWhy service history matters more than you think
What a documented history does for reliability, resale value and warranty claims.
4 min readWhat is AdBlue and why does my car need it?
How AdBlue works on modern diesels, what happens when it runs low, and the faults we see.
4 min readDiagnostics
What does an engine management light mean?
What the amber engine light is actually telling you, when to keep driving and when to stop.
4 min readWhy won't my car start?
Working out whether it's the battery, the starter or the fuel and ignition side.
4 min readWhat does a car diagnostic test actually do?
What happens during a diagnostic session and what you get at the end of it.
3 min readWhy is my car losing power?
Limp mode, boost problems, DPF issues and other reasons performance drops away.
4 min readWhat do dashboard warning lights mean?
A plain-English guide to the colours and the lights that mean stop now.
4 min readCommon reasons your car fails to start
The faults we see most often behind a no-start, in rough order of likelihood.
3 min readDPF problems explained for diesel drivers
Why diesel particulate filters block, what the warning light means, and how driving style affects it.
5 min readRepairs
Why is my car making a knocking noise?
What knocking, clunking and rattling noises usually point to, and how to describe them.
4 min readWhat to do if your car overheats
The safe roadside procedure, and what usually causes it.
3 min readSigns your clutch is wearing out
Slipping, biting high, judder and heavy pedals — what each symptom usually points to.
4 min readWhy is my car losing coolant?
Where coolant goes when there's no puddle on the drive, and why it matters more than most leaks.
4 min readWhy is my air conditioning not cold?
Refrigerant loss, blocked filters and compressor faults — how to tell them apart.
4 min readBookings
Book your car into the workshop
Tell us your registration and what the car is doing. We'll come back to you to confirm a date.