What do I do if my car is stolen?
The order of calls that actually matters, why the DVLA and your finance company both need telling, and the deadlines that quietly govern an insurance claim.
beginner25 min5 min read
Motoring
Faults, tyres, servicing, insurance, tax and the paperwork — for people who own a car rather than work on them. These guides explain what is happening and what it means for you, and say plainly when a job belongs to a garage. They are not repair manuals, and they recommend no insurer, lender or product.
206 guides
What is car leasing, and how is it different from buying on finance?
How personal contract hire works, why there is never an option to buy, what the initial rental actually is, and the rights you do not have because it is not a credit agreement.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat is the difference between a car loan and car finance?
Why an unsecured personal loan puts you in a different legal position from dealer finance, what each one is secured against, and the protections that differ between them.
beginner15 min5 min readWhat is voluntary termination on car finance?
The statutory right under the Consumer Credit Act, the half rule and how the half is actually calculated, which agreements it covers, and what it does to your credit file.
beginner15 min6 min readWhat maintenance does an electric car actually need?
What disappears from the service schedule, what stays, what is new, and why EV tyres wear faster and need a specific load rating.
beginner18 min5 min readWhat personal information does my car hold, and how do I clear it out?
The eight places a car quietly stores your life — paired phonebooks, satnav destinations, garage door codes and the manufacturer's connected-car account — and the order to clear them in.
beginner45 min5 min readWhich engine oil does my car need and how do I top it up?
Reading the grade and the manufacturer specification your engine actually needs, checking the level properly, and topping up without overfilling.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does my car heater blow cold?
Why the heater is the first thing to fail when a cooling system is in trouble, how to tell a stuck thermostat from an airlock from a blocked matrix, and the one version of this that means stop.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy does my electric car have a 12V battery, and what happens when it dies?
Why a car with a huge traction battery still fails because of a small conventional one, the symptoms it produces, and what you can and cannot do about it at the roadside.
beginner15 min6 min readWhy does my electric car lose range so much faster on the motorway?
Why an EV is the opposite of a petrol car, how much difference ten miles an hour actually makes, and how to plan a long journey around it rather than being surprised by it.
beginner12 min5 min readWhy does my electric car lose so much range in winter?
Cold reduces EV range through three separate mechanisms, only one of which is the battery. What each one costs you, and the settings that recover most of it.
beginner15 min5 min readWhy is my ABS or traction control light on, and is the car safe?
What the ABS, traction control and stability control lights actually mean, why one failed sensor takes all three out at once, and the combination that means stop driving.
beginner12 min5 min readCan I leave my car running to defrost it?
The Highway Code prohibits leaving a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running, and there is a separate fixed penalty for unnecessary idling. What is actually allowed, and the faster way to clear a screen anyway.
beginner10 min5 min readHow do I actually improve my car's fuel economy?
Which changes make a measurable difference to miles per gallon, which are folklore, and why your car's own display is probably flattering you.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does my car pull to one side?
Road camber, tyre pressures, a dragging brake and misaligned tracking all feel similar from the driver's seat. How to tell them apart before paying for an alignment you may not need.
beginner15 min4 min readAre budget tyres a false economy?
What the tyre label actually measures, how big the wet braking difference really is, and when a mid-range tyre is the sensible answer rather than either extreme.
beginner15 min5 min readCan I diagnose my own car with an OBD reader?
What a code reader can and cannot tell you, how to read a fault code without being misled by it, and why the code names a circuit rather than a broken part.
beginner20 min5 min readHow do I cope with being dazzled by headlights at night?
Why modern headlights feel so much brighter, what actually helps rather than folklore, and the small maintenance jobs that make the biggest difference to how well you see in the dark.
beginner12 min5 min readHow do I cope with low sun glare while driving?
Why a dirty windscreen is the real problem rather than the sun, what to do in the moment you are blinded, and the seasonal preparation that makes the whole autumn easier.
beginner12 min5 min readHow do I drive and load a van for the first time?
What changes about driving when the vehicle is tall, long and blind behind, how to find and respect the weight limits, and how to secure a load so it cannot move.
intermediate25 min6 min readHow do I drive safely in strong wind?
Where the gusts actually come from, how to hold the car through them, which vehicles are most at risk, and when the answer is simply not to go.
beginner15 min5 min readHow do I hire a car abroad without being stung?
The excess and deposit trap, the fuel policies to accept and refuse, and the ten-minute inspection that prevents a damage charge.
beginner1 hr4 min readHow do I join a motorway or dual carriageway confidently?
The slip road is an acceleration lane, not a queue. How to time the merge, what lane discipline actually requires, and why the middle lane is the one to leave.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I replace a blown bulb on a car?
Working out which bulb has gone, checking all the lights on your own, and the access problem that makes some cars a garage job.
beginner25 min4 min read