When cars get to three years old they must take the government’s annual MOT roadworthiness test. Every year around four in every 10 cars fail this, yet the government claims around half of all failures could be easily prevented. Although garages frequently don’t charge for retests when it’s just a minor fault, having garages fix […]
How to scrap a car and save money
It’s a fact that many of us will have to scrap a car at some point in our motoring lives. Not all cars grow old gracefully. Many may have failed their MOT or be plagued by more misfires and maladies than Mr Bean’s Mini. At which point the cost of having them repaired to keep […]
How to protect a car’s alloy wheels from damage
A beautifully presented alloy wheel can finish off a car like a freshly polished brogue completes a suit or perfectly arranged window boxes give a house the edge over neighbouring properties. Unfortunately, as most drivers know from experience, alloy wheel damage is a very real problem. Parking scrapes from unforgiving kerb stones, shocks from potholes […]
Is your car safe for the school run? Easy checks every driver can make
September means the end of the summer holidays and for mums and dads it’s time to ensure their car is school run safe. Kids might complain that their uniform doesn’t fit and worn-through shoes let in water. But parents who live more than a walk away from school also have the family motor to worry about. […]
Clean car checks: inspect your motor without getting your hands dirty
You probably think car checks involve donning overalls and preparing to get down and dirty. Of course, that’s one way of doing it. But you can perform some important tests on a car without ending up looking like a grease monkey. Here are six clean car checks that don’t mean wearing old clothes or scrubbing […]
How to prevent the most common causes of car breakdowns
It is a common complaint amongst drivers: cars are now so complicated that when you open the bonnet it’s impossible to tell what’s what – so surely it’s pointless trying to carry out any checks. Yet surprisingly, it’s actually some of the simplest things on cars that go wrong and cause car breakdowns. And those […]