Category: Diagnostics

Do you have a coolant leak?

Written by Declan
Coolant is very much needed in your car and without it the engine will very quickly overheat often causing irreversible damage. You may not realise that you have a coolant leak until a warning light comes up on your dash, you notice a puddle on the floor under your car or your car goes in for repair work or an MOT and it is picked up there. Another tell tale sign that your coolant is running low is your temperature gauge shotting up and down. You may also notice that your heaters in the car begin to blow hot then cold air, this can be a warning to top up your coolant. Occasionally coolant will need to be topped up anyway but if you are having to do it every...
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Are you having issues with your alternator?

Written by Declan
Cars can be a bit of a nightmare. You may find that you seem to be constantly having to have work done, especially on older vehicles. A common problem with older cars are alternators. You may notice that you are having issues with your car battery and you may be surprised to find that it is actually the alternator causing the issue and not the battery. Alternator issues can cause issues with a number of other aspects of the vehicle. You may notice that the car struggles to start up or that when driving your lights dim, this may be a sign of an alternator issue. The best way to find out if you have an issue with your alternator or if it is indeed the battery, is to take...
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What does that smell say about your car?

Written by Declan
No, we don’t mean the old MacDonald’s wrapper or half-drunk bottle of milk that is left in your vehicle, we are talking about smells that are coming from your vehicle when it is running. If you notice a certain smell when using your car it is very important to try and establish quickly where it is coming from. If you have your fans on, it may be that you are picking up smells from the outside or even from the car in front of you, but if after opening the window you realise the smell is confined to your vehicle, then it’s time to do some investigating. Below are some common smells that you may discover and what they may mean: Rotten eggs – this is often linked to the...
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DPF Care – what you need to know

Written by Declan
First off, I’d probably best explain what a DPF is. DPF stands for Diesel Particulate Filter, which should give you some clue. Essentially it filters out the harmful particulates that diesel generates more of, before burning them off when you meet the optimum conditions. This then allows emissions to stay within ever-tightening environmental guidelines. The issue comes in not meeting those optimum conditions often enough, as the particulates won’t get burnt off, leading to the DPF becoming full, blocking and ultimately breaking. Your first warning will be your DPF light – hopefully, this will be yellow. That means you can fix the problem yourself by completing a regeneration cycle. Often the car will tell you what to do, but if not, check your manual. Generally, it will involve driving at...
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Why is your car wobbling when driving away?

Written by Declan
Wobbles and shakes in vehicles can be very common but that does not mean that there isn’t something wrong that needs to be looked at. Sometimes you can tell what the problem is by understanding when the car shakes and wobbles. If for example, you notice a vibration through the steering wheel which gets worse at speed it can often be due to poor balancing of the wheels. If the car is pulling to one side it is usually your tracking is out and you need the wheels aligned. The tyres can often be one of the main reasons for vibrations or wobbles on the vehicle as listed above but also the tread and condition of the tyre can have a huge impact. If your car is wobbling when pulling...
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