Rattling over bumps: how to find the loose part
Rattles are frustrating because they only happen while you are driving. A systematic bounce test in the driveway finds most of them in twenty minutes.
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Reading live data as graphs: spotting the fault in the shape
A number tells you a value; a graph tells you a behaviour. Most sensor faults are visible in the shape of the trace long before the value goes out of range.
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Renault Kangoo and Trafic: van OBD diagnostics
Two of the most common working vans in Europe, both running well-documented Renault diesels. The fault list is short, predictable and mostly preventable.
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SEAT Leon and Ateca: OBD diagnostics and VAG shared parts
Mechanically these are Golfs and Tiguans with different bodywork, which means every fault is already documented under another badge. Here is what transfers and what does not.
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Skoda Kodiaq and Karoq: OBD diagnostics on VAG SUVs
Skoda SUVs run VAG engines and gearboxes, so the fault list is shared with Volkswagen and Audi. That is useful — everything is already documented somewhere.
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Smart Fortwo: OBD diagnostics on a very small car
A rear-engined city car with an automated manual gearbox has a fault list unlike anything else on the road. The gearbox is where most of the money goes.
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Steam from under the bonnet: stop or drive on?
The decision has to be made in about ten seconds, and getting it wrong turns a cheap hose into a cylinder head. Here is how to read the situation from the driver seat.
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Steering wheel locked and the key will not turn
Nine times out of ten this is not a fault at all, and the fix takes five seconds. The other one time is a lock cylinder, and it is worth knowing which you have before calling anyone.
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Subaru Outback: OBD diagnostics on the boxer platform
A horizontally opposed engine and permanent four-wheel drive give the Outback a fault list nobody else shares — including one tyre rule that can destroy a transmission.
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Suzuki: common OBD-II codes and where they come from
Suzuki engines are simple by modern standards, which makes their fault patterns predictable. Here are the codes that recur and what each usually turns out to be.
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Suzuki Swift and Vitara: the faults an OBD scan finds first
Two very different Suzukis sharing an engineering philosophy. The Swift fails predictably around ignition and idle; the Vitara adds a drivetrain worth checking separately.
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Temperature gauge going up and down: thermostat or air lock
A needle that will not settle is telling you coolant flow is intermittent. Whether that is a lazy thermostat, trapped air or a failing pump is decided by when it happens.
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