Blog
Fault codes, sensors and the tricks of diagnostics: what the codes mean, where to start checking and why a cheap adapter sometimes lets you down.
The alternator or the battery: telling them apart
The car would not start this morning. Three voltage readings say which one to replace — and they cost nothing.
5 September 20262 min
Overheating: what to do right there on the road
The needle is climbing. The next five minutes decide whether this costs a thermostat or a cylinder head.
5 September 20263 min
The diesel particulate filter: signs, regeneration, codes
The diesel got sluggish, consumption is up, the fan roars when parked. Here is what is happening and how to help.
5 September 20262 min
Failed the emissions test: what to do
Turned away at the test station. Here is what exactly failed and which of it is an evening's work.
5 September 20262 min
Bad fuel: telling from the live data
The car got worse after a fill-up. Here is how to tell bad fuel from coincidence.
5 September 20263 min
Leaving the adapter plugged in: what it costs
Unplugging it every time is a nuisance. But an adapter left in the socket can flatten the battery over a week of standing.
5 September 20263 min
In winter a car behaves differently: what is normal
High revs on start-up, white vapour, higher consumption — all normal. Here is what is not.
5 September 20263 min
Fuel trims: how to read them
Two numbers that show what the unit thinks of the mixture. They find an air leak before the lamp comes on.
5 September 20263 min
The freeze frame: half a diagnosis in one table
Along with the code the car stores the conditions it was recorded under. That is what tells a one-off from a permanent fault.
5 September 20262 min