Motoring Guides & Advice

An amber tyre pressure warning lamp hangs at the top. A dotted path labelled steady leads down to a squashed, under-inflated tyre labelled low tyre. A second path labelled flashing leads to a tyre valve sensor and a handheld scanner labelled system fault. A driver holding a car key stands between them, looking up at the lamp.

Tyre Pressure Light On? What Steady and Flashing Mean, Whether It Fails the MOT, and What a Sensor Costs

A steady tyre pressure light usually means a low tyre. Flashing then steady means a system fault. Here's what the MOT checks and what a sensor costs.

November 10, 2026 · 17 min read

A brake fluid reservoir full of clear, clean-looking amber fluid stands on a workbench. A magnifying glass held over a drop taken from it shows small blue water droplets inside the fluid, hidden water you can't see by looking, beside a thermometer reading low.

Brake Fluid Change: When It's Really Due, What It Should Cost, and What the Garage's Test Measured

Told your brake fluid failed a test? Find out which test the garage used, what your carmaker's schedule says, what the MOT checks and what a change costs.

November 6, 2026 · 13 min read

A cracked windscreen floats in the centre, a small camera box above its mirror. Around it sit three badges: a shield labelled excess, a target board labelled calibration, and a garage labelled your garage. A driver in a winter coat holds a policy booklet and looks up at the chip.

Windscreen Replacement Cost in the UK: What You'll Pay With or Without Insurance, and the Camera Calibration on the Bill

A new windscreen averages about £344 if you pay yourself. See what six providers charge in excess, what they pay at your own garage, and the camera calibration.

November 3, 2026 · 17 min read

An overhead view of a small car taking a left-hand bend, with red sound waves coming from one front wheel. Dotted lines link that wheel to a tyre under a magnifying glass, to a wheel bearing, and to an MOT clipboard with a tick. The labels ask: tyre or bearing? Which corner? MOT check.

Wheel Bearing Noise or Tyre Noise? How to Tell, Which Corner It Is, and What the MOT Actually Checks

A hum that rises with speed could be a wheel bearing, or just your tyres. Here's how to tell, which corner it is, what fails the MOT and what it costs.

October 20, 2026 · 13 min read

A small hatchback seen from behind, sitting lower on one side. Cutaway windows over the rear wheels show a sound coil spring on the left and a broken one on the right, with a price tag hanging between them asking whether the quote is for one spring or both, and an MOT sheet on a clipboard beside the car.

Coil Spring Replacement Cost: What One Spring or the Pair Should Cost, and What Your MOT Sheet Is Really Telling You

One coil spring fitted costs about £110 to £280, the pair about £175 to £400. Here's how to read your quote, and what your MOT sheet really means.

October 16, 2026 · 15 min read

A long paper quote slip labelled SERVICE PRICE runs diagonally from the upper left towards the lower right, with an amber engine oil bottle, a teal oil filter and a red panel air filter standing on it and a small spanner beside the filter. At the lower left, a blue tray with a dotted outline, labelled EXTRAS, holds a spark plug and a gear cog, joined to the slip by a dotted line, with a small coin beside it. At the lower right, a person in a blue jumper holds the end of the slip and studies it through a magnifying glass, with a closed book labelled HANDBOOK lying at their feet.

How Much Is a Car Service in the UK? What the Chains Charge, and What the Price Leaves Out

What an interim, full or major service costs at the big UK chains, which parts each price covers, and the extras like spark plugs and VAT that reach the bill.

October 13, 2026 · 13 min read

A driver's view over the steering wheel of a diesel on a frosty morning. On the dashboard one amber coil-shaped lamp is lit and flashing. Beside the dashboard, two badges compare the light that comes on steady then goes off, which is normal, with the light that flashes, which means a fault.

Glow Plug Light On or Flashing? What It Means, Whether It Fails an MOT, and What Glow Plugs Cost

A steady coil light at start-up is normal. A flashing one isn't. Here's what it means, when it fails an MOT, and what new glow plugs should cost.

October 9, 2026 · 14 min read

A shop shelf unit seen straight on, with three shelves. The top shelf, labelled GRADE, holds a row of seven plain oil bottles in different shapes and colours. On the middle shelf, labelled APPROVAL, one green bottle is lifted clear of the row and turned to show a back label of ruled lines with one line picked out in amber, a magnifying glass beside it and a tick and a cross to its right. A dotted line runs down from that bottle to an open handbook standing on the bottom shelf, labelled HANDBOOK.

What Oil Does My Car Need? Why Two Bottles of 5W-30 Are Not the Same Oil

Two bottles can both say 5W-30 and not be the same oil. Here is the second thing your car asks for, and the three places it writes it down.

October 6, 2026 · 15 min read

Looking down into an open engine bay under a raised bonnet on a frosty morning. Two hands hold a meter and its probe leads against the two terminals of a car battery, taking a resting reading. A label on the battery reads battery type, a snowflake is marked cold start, and a small clock hints at waiting before you measure.

How to Test a Car Battery: What Your Reading Means, and Why 12.6 Volts Can Still Mean Trouble

Put a meter on it and you'll get a number. Here's what that number means at rest, while the engine cranks and with it running, and what to ask before paying for a new battery.

October 2, 2026 · 12 min read

A workbench seen from directly above. An open car handbook lies in the centre with one line on its right page highlighted and labelled approval code. Four coolant bottles sit at the corners, seen from above as four plain caps in pink, orange, blue and green, none of them labelled. A dotted line runs from the highlighted line to just one of the four caps. A tester tube lies below the handbook, and two hands rest on the open page.

What Coolant Does My Car Need? Forget the Colour, Find the Code, and Test What's Already In There

The colour on the bottle won't tell you. Your car asks for a code, and you can check the strength of what's already in there in about two minutes.

September 29, 2026 · 13 min read

A flat illustration of a workbench. In the centre stands the front end of an engine with its timing cover hinged open like a door, showing a toothed cambelt running around a large pulley and a small one, labelled CAMBELT. Dotted lines run from the belt across to a squared calendar block labelled MONTHS and a rounded odometer drum labelled MILES, both standing on the same bench. An oil drop and a curled offcut of toothed belt lie on the bench, and a pair of hands rests on the edge of the open cover.

Does My Car Have a Cambelt or a Chain? How to Tell, and Why the Years Can Matter More Than the Miles

Your car has a cambelt, a chain or a wet belt, and each one needs something different from you. How to tell which, when it's due, and what the job should cost.

September 25, 2026 · 17 min read

Flat illustration of a car wheel seen face on, with a cut-away window between two spokes revealing the brake disc, the caliper clamped over its top edge and the outer and inner pads, while a kneeling person shines a torch into the opening.

How to Check Your Brake Pads at Home: What You Can See Through the Wheel, and the Number That Fails an MOT

Look at your brake pads through the wheel. What 3mm, 1.5mm and the MIN TH on your disc mean, and why passing an MOT doesn't settle their condition.

September 22, 2026 · 12 min read