Why do we get so many questions about used car clutch problems?
One of the most common questions we get is about used car clutches. The questions from readers usually go something like this. “I’ve bought a used car and driving home…
Category: Mechanical
Find out how your car works – in plain English. We reveal all those tricky technical things that might have baffled you about your car
How do I open my car bonnet?
All cars are different so it’s hardly surprising that people get confused with how to open their car bonnet. After all, there aren’t many openings on a car that need…
Does charging extra electrical accessories like sat navs shorten battery life?
One of the weak links of a regular combustion engine car is the battery. These days we all want more electronic equipment. Whether that’s sat navs, charging mobile phones or…
I was nicked for speeding recently. How accurate is my speedometer?
Our reader was caught going at 34mph in a 30 zone. He thought he was safe because his car’s speedometer was showing 35mph and he believed there was a tolerance…
Why does no one talk about LPG as a fuel? It’s clean and cheap. Why hasn’t it caught on?
Liquefied Petroleum Gas is a type of fuel that can be used instead of petrol. It’s a versatile, low-carbon fuel that was once simply burnt off because it’s a by-product…
What is an air conditioning evaporator? My garage says my car needs a new one
We take air conditioning for granted but it’s far from simple. The evaporator is a vital part if your system is going to work properly. Read on to find out…
I recently bought a new petrol car and a friend then drove it very aggressively. Will hard driving damage an engine?
Our reader adds that ‘his friend’ drove the car at up to 70mph and floored the accelerator to ‘test its top speed’. When he stopped, there was a smell of…
My Volkswagen Touran overheats when it goes past 60mph. Any idea what the problem might be?
Our reader’s VW Touran is the 1.6TDI model and it appears to overheat on motorways when he exceeds 60mph for any length of time. Garages have given up trying to…
I changed the timing belt and water pump on my Ford Fiesta diesel. Why is white smoke now coming from my car exhaust?
Our reader has a 2010 Ford Fiesta 1.6 diesel. He recently changed the timing belt and water pump himself. He now gets white smoke coming from his car exhaust pipe…
My car doesn’t have an autohold handbrake function. Is there any way I can add one?
Cars are increasingly doing away with the traditional manual handbrake and replacing them with electronic parking brakes. One of the benefits of these is they come with an autohold function.…