Car Care

The quote came in higher than you think the car is worth, and now you have to decide. Comparing those two numbers is where the advice usually starts, and on its own it settles nothing. Here are the three numbers that do, written by the workshop that would be paid for the repair.

You reverse off the driveway and there is a stain on the concrete where the car was. Colour gets you most of the way to what it is, and where it sits under the car gets you the rest. Here is what each one usually means, which two are worth stopping for, and the cardboard trick that finds the source overnight.

You ring up to book a service and the first thing you are asked is which one you want. Nobody explains the question, so most people guess. The short answer is that a logbook service follows the list your manufacturer wrote, a standard service follows the workshop’s own, and which you need comes down mostly to whether the car is still under warranty.

You get out of the car after a short trip and something smells hot. One wheel is far warmer than the others, but the brake pedal feels exactly as it always has. That combination usually points at a sticking brake caliper, and it will eat a set of pads and a disc while the pedal keeps telling you everything is fine.

You booked a service, and at the counter you were told the car would benefit from an engine flush or a fuel system clean on top. Neither one is scheduled maintenance, and a car serviced on time usually needs neither. Here is what each job involves, when it earns its money, and the three questions worth asking before you say yes.

Not sure if your car has a timing belt or a chain? How to tell, when a belt is due, and why getting it wrong can wreck your engine.

A stamped logbook isn’t proof a car was serviced. Here’s how a mechanic tells a genuine service history from a faked one before you buy.

New car warranty inspection: what to check before coverage ends, from service history and warning lights to leaks, brakes and aircon.

Weak car AC? Learn when a car aircon regas helps, what it may cost, and when leak testing or repairs should come first.