Guides, checks and honest answers from the technicians who work on European cars every day at our Artarmon workshop.
Latest article
Warning light on: what a factory-grade scan reads that a generic code reader cannot
A code is not a diagnosis. Live data, adaptations, module-to-module communication and the faults that never produce a code at all.
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Brake pads, discs and sensors: what a European brake job really includes
Why the light comes back after new pads, what gets measured before a quote, and the parts a cheap brake job leaves out.
Read articleWhy your European car keeps going flat in the driveway
Short trips on the Lower North Shore, a module that never sleeps and a battery nobody registered to the car. How the fault is measured instead…
Read articleBuying a used European car in Sydney: what an inspection finds that a test drive never will
Twenty minutes behind the wheel tells you how a car feels today. It says nothing about the gearbox fluid, the stored faults or the panel that…
Read articlePre-purchase inspection in Sydney: the 12 checks that decide if you should buy
What we actually look at before you hand over money for a used European car, in the order it matters, and what each finding is worth…
Read articlePorsche servicing outside the dealership: what changes and what does not
Same schedule, same fluids, same diagnostic access, different invoice. What an independent workshop can and cannot do on a 911, Cayenne or Macan.
Read articleVolkswagen DSG service: the interval most owners in Sydney miss
The wet-clutch DSG needs fluid and filter at around 60,000 km. What happens when it is skipped, the symptoms in order, and why city driving makes…
Read articleAudi warning lights: which mean stop now, and which can wait until Monday
Red, amber and the ones people ignore for months. What each light actually reports on an Audi, and the three that should end the drive immediately.
Read articleAudi servicing in Sydney: what changes between a 60,000 and a 90,000 km service
The two intervals are not the same job. Spark plugs, brake fluid, haldex, DSG and the items that only appear once the odometer passes 90,000 km.
Read articleYour rego is due: what the eSafety inspection checks, and what fails it
The annual eSafety inspection is a minimum safety check, not a health check. What is actually looked at, the five items that fail most often, and…
Read articleDoes servicing outside the dealership void your warranty in Australia?
No, and the ACCC has said so. What has to be true for the warranty to survive an independent service, and what a manufacturer would have…
Read articleMechanic near me in Artarmon: what to ask before you leave the car
Proximity and star ratings do not tell you whether the person opening your bonnet has worked on your car before. The six questions that do.
Read articleBMW logbook servicing in Artarmon: what your car actually needs at each interval
The logbook does not care where the work happens, it cares that the right operations are done at the right interval with the right parts. What…
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