This Ford Galaxy came into us after the owner had tried several other garages who kept telling him that he would need to replace the DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) on the exhaust system to be able to turn off the EML (Engine Management Light).

The first thing we did was to carry out a full diagnostic of the cars control modules to see what faults were causing the EML to come on, the main faults related to excessive soot accumulation inside the DPF which was stopping the car carrying out its own Regen (Regeneration of the DPF is carried out by the engine ECU which cleans out the DPF).

We removed the DPF to examine the soot content, and decided to try cleaning it out with a hot pressure washer.

Once the DPF was clean and dry of water we refitted it to the car and carried out a ‘Forced Regen’ (telling the ECU to carry out a regen whilst it is stationary).

Once the ‘Forced Regen’ was complete and all the codes were cleared and it was time for a road test, straight away on the road test it was apparent that the car felt smoother and had improved power.

The customer brought the car back a week later for us to check for any codes, all the modules were clear and the customer was very happy.

These two lovely 2014 Ford Rangers came in today for their first annual services, due to the block exemption law we can service the newest of vehicles without affecting their warranties.

Is servicing important on a new car?

The simple answer is yes, all new cars come from the show room with a PDI (pre delivery inspection check) but this is only a very simple check so basically your car has never been fully checked over since it left the production line! Also lubricants age with time and filters get full of all the dirt and contaminants that your engine produces.

Most new models also have teething problems and therefore require specific items to be checked on the annual services, for example Ford have sent a memo out about this particular model saying that the wheel nuts must be torqued to 136nm even if they have not been removed (and they all did need tightening!).

Servicing is expensive!

If you go to the dealers then Yes servicing can be expensive, but there are many independent garages out there like ourselves who offer the same quality of service if not better for a considerably lower price.

Can I trust an Independent Garage?

If you do your homework you can find plenty of trust worthy garages for example if you check our review page you will see some great reviews. I know what your thinking “anyone can put the best reviews on their website” that is why we have links to several independent review sites and urge new customers to check them first before letting us work on there cars.

Any questions about car or van servicing please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01332 205070 or drop us an email to dave@aaronsautos.co.uk

This Honda Civic Type R came in to us to have a full steering and suspension checkover and then it was to have its geometry setup for fast road and slight track day use.

The first thing we did after checking all the components is to take measurements of the car as it was when it came into us so we can see what changes are needed.

The most obvious problems were the ride height and the lack of front camber, but after taking our measurements we could see that the rear tracking was toeing out by 4.5mm and the camber was not equal on both sides.

Once we had made all the necessary adjustment on the ride heights, camber and front and rear toe the car was ready for a simple road test to make sure all the adjustments had worked for the better.

The customer collected his car and took it for a spirited drive and later that day he sent us a message saying how much better the car felt.

If you are looking for a full geometry setup or just a 4 wheel alignment make sure the garage you are using know what they are doing, and have a full understanding about the adjustments they are making to your car.

If you would like more information or just some friendly advice give us a call on 01332 205070 or drop usan email to dave@aaronsautos.co.uk