Seasons, weather and road conditions
Winter starts, summer heat, floods, mountains and long trips. ← Browse sections
-
Belt squeal on a cold start: tensioner, pulley or contamination
A few seconds of squeal on a damp morning is a warning rather than an emergency — but the belt drives the water pump, and that changes the stakes.
-
Fuel flap stuck shut: the release you did not know about
Standing at a pump with a flap that will not open is a bad moment to start learning. Most vehicles have a manual override, and it is worth finding now.
-
Washer pump silent: fuse, pump or a frozen line
A trivial system until you need it on a salted motorway. The causes are cheap and the checks take minutes.
-
Speed limiters and driver assistance: what they do and what they do not
A limiter and cruise control are different things, and assistance systems have limits the advertising skips. The functions and their boundaries.
-
Parking in the sun: what it ruins and what to do about it
Sunlight destroys a car slowly and on several fronts at once. What suffers and which measures genuinely work.
-
Cruise control: when it helps and when it gets in the way
Cruise saves fuel on level motorways and wastes it in hills. The modes, the adaptive version, and its limits.
-
Frozen shut: glass, doors, locks, and handbrake — doing it right
Half of all winter damage is done by the owner in the first five minutes. What not to do with ice.
-
An emergency kit: what to carry so you do not depend on strangers
A kit in the boot is not for repairing the car but for waiting safely for help. What works and what rides along for nothing.
-
Fuel economy: what actually works and what is a myth
Most economy tips deliver nothing or make things worse. What genuinely affects consumption, in order of payback.
-
Breaking down on a motorway: the procedure that protects you, not the car
The most dangerous part of a motorway breakdown is not the breakdown but what driver and passengers do in the first few minutes. The correct order.
-
Deep water on the road: what breaks and what to do afterwards
Hydrolock is not the only risk, nor the most common. What depth is critical, why speed is more dangerous than depth, and what to check once it seems fine.