Servicing and maintenance
Intervals, fluids, filters, wear items and preventive work. ← Browse sections
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Digital service records: what the car stores and what it proves
The stamped booklet is being replaced by data held by the manufacturer. That changes what a buyer can verify, and what a seller can quietly omit.
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Roof bars: fitting, limits, and what changes on a journey
Roof bars change aerodynamics, centre of gravity, and the load the body carries. Fitting, limits, and the real consequences.
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A windscreen chip: repair or replace
A chip the size of a grain becomes a crack in one frost. What can be repaired, and why replacement now involves the electronics.
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Car covers and outdoor parking: when they protect and when they harm
A cover looks like obvious protection, but with wind and dust it works as an abrasive. When it is justified.
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Car washing and electronics: what pressure water damages
A pressure jet finds what rain never does. The zones not to wash at close range and the consequences for sensors.
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Stone chips: why they get fixed now rather than in spring
A chip is exposed metal. How it turns into rust, what to do yourself, and where DIY ends.
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The oil filter: the wrong place to save money
A cheap filter saves a few coins and, in the bad case, costs an engine. What is inside and why the valves matter more than the can.
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Road salt and corrosion protection: winter work that saves spring bills
Salt works all winter and the result shows a year later. What genuinely protects, and when washing does harm.
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Oil change intervals: why the schedule and reality disagree
The schedule was not written for your route. What "severe conditions" means, why it applies to most drivers, and how to work out an honest interval.
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Nothing but short trips: why that is the hardest regime for an engine
Two miles to work looks harmless, yet it is the hardest possible duty cycle. What accumulates in the engine and what to do about it.
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Tools in the boot: what is genuinely useful and what rides along for nothing
A big socket set in the boot almost never saves the day. What actually works at the roadside, why an adapter beats spanners, and what belongs at home instead.
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Engine Oil and OBD-II: P0520–P0523, Oil Life Monitor and Codes Caused by Bad Oil
OBD-II oil pressure codes P0520, P0521, P0522: how Oil Life Monitor (GM OLS, BMW CBS, Ford ILM) relates to OBD-II, which DTC codes are early warnings of degraded oil — VANOS P0011, timing chain P0016, P0087.
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How to reset service intervals via OBD-II — and why sometimes it's impossible
Step-by-step guide to reset the "Service in 500 mi" reminder on VW, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota. Button method vs diagnostic method, when online activation is needed, and why the dealer charges $80 for a 30-second job.