At this time of the year as winter really takes hold some car owners begin to find a problem starting their car especially on cold, damp mornings. This may be because there is an issue with the car battery and can easily be resolved by replacing the battery with a new one. A battery that has started to deteriorate can be recharged but it is unlikely to be reliable in the future and so it is better to change it if possible. Many garages will check whether the problem is with the battery or whether it is an issue with the charging system of the vehicle. There are a range of different batteries on the market and it is important to get the correct one for your vehicle. Most car...

If you are purchasing a caravan or trailer you may find that your car does not have a tow bar fitted and so you will need to factor this into the costs. Most new cars do not come with a tow bar fitted as standard so unless you can source a used car which has a tow bar already fixed in place you will need to fit one but how easy is it to fit one yourself or is it a job that should be left up to the professionals? It is obviously going to be cheaper to fit the tow bar yourself, but it is not an easy task and certainly should not be attempted unless you have some mechanical and electrical knowledge. The forces involved in towing a...

Owning and running a car is expensive and the last thing any car owner wants to hear is that they have gear box problems. Often gear box problems cost well over a thousand pounds to fix and it usually means you have to fork out for a new or reconditioned gear box, not to mention the hours of labour to remove and refit it. The first sign that you may have issues with your gear box is that you struggle to get it to go in to certain gears. It may be that over the next few weeks, more and more gears become stiffer. Ideally you need to get the car checked out on the first sign of any issues as this gives you the best chance of picking it...

If you are thinking about what present to get a loved one or just fancy treating yourself then you may consider a private plate. A private plate also known as a cherished plate is a way of making your car more individual. You’ll pay extra money to have your own choice of numbers and these are normally associated with a name, age, nickname or company name and are growing in popularity. There are very strict rules that apply to private number plates concerning spacing, combination of numbers and letters you can have and even the word they are trying to suggest. Number plates that are purposely made to look like offensive words are not aloud and the DVLA have the right to remove a plate if they believe that it...

If you find that you need to buy a new tyre due to a puncture, damage or simply wear then you may be baffled by the number of different options you have. There is often a huge difference in price from the budget range up to the premium and you will need to decide which tyre is best for you.  Many people are tempted to just go for the cheapest tyres as they just need to know the tyre is legal but if you use your car a lot, often driving in wet or icy conditions then budget tyres may not be the best option for you.  Tyres are often rated with wet grip / braking distance, fuel economy and road noise. These rates can really important when it comes...