If you have just bought a car or even if you just want someone to give your existing car a once-over, there are many garages now offering a free visual inspection. If you call up one of these garages and explain to them that you want a free visual inspection they can often fit you in the same day. The car is put up on a ramp in the workshop and then the mechanic will check over it to find out any damage on the car. They sometimes will ask you over to have a look whilst it is on the ramp so you can see for yourself what needs doing. This service is usually designed to check many components such as the brakes, suspension, tyres and sometimes the battery....

Tracking or sometimes also called wheel alignment is the process that is used to check that your wheels are in the optimum position according to the manufacturers recommendations. Many garages will offer a tracking service and often there are a few different types of tracking available. Tracking can be affected by a number of things but is often caused by driving over a pot hole, hitting the kerb or excessive wear to the suspension or steering components. Did you know that if your wheels are not aligned correctly, this can damage the tyres and cause them to wear unevenly? It can also have an effect on your fuel efficiency. Often the misalignments are described as either toe in or toe out. In the toe situation the wheels front of the...

Breakdowns companies often offer a variety of packages to suit all. The usually have a basic package which will cover you for breakdowns within the UK. This package often does not include home start and will only become effective when over a mile or two from home. The basic package also often only recovered you to a local garage (local to where you broke down) rather than any destination within the UK. IF you are looking for something a little more substantial, then you may need to go to the next level of cover. This will usually include the above and often have a no call out limit. When calling out your breakdown company, what can you expect from them? Usually, when you put a call into the breakdown company,...

If you need a new tyre or new tyres, then it is important to not only check the size of the tyre that is currently on the vehicle but also to check that it is the right one according to the manufactures specifications. If you have not owned the car from new, then at some point someone may have changed the tyres or the wheels and they may have fitted the correct ones. Some cars do have different sized tyres fitted on the front to the back but they should always be the same size on each axle. If you notice that one of your tyres is a different size (regardless of if its width, depth or diameter) to the one that is on the other side of the vehicle,...

Often cars need to have routine or emergency repairs done and taking a day off work to take the ca to a garage can be disruptive. If you are able to drive the car then you may consider taking it to work and asking a mobile mechanic to come and work on it at your work premises. If you are thinking about doing this then it is vital that you obtain permission to do so from the owner of the business before booking the mobile mechanic. They may be more than happy to allow for this but may want the car situated out of public view, especially if the business is open to members of the public. Another way to get the work done on your vehicle is to ask...