Luccombe Garage

Luccombe Garage Independent Bristol garage since 1983. Servicing, repairs, MOTs, diagnostics & tyres. Quality work, honest advice and reliable service.

🔋 JAMES’ TIPS – DON’T LET A FLAT BATTERY SPOIL YOUR DAYThe colder mornings are starting to creep in… and that’s often wh...
01/10/2026

🔋 JAMES’ TIPS – DON’T LET A FLAT BATTERY SPOIL YOUR DAY

The colder mornings are starting to creep in… and that’s often when a struggling battery decides it’s had enough!

The good news is, a weak battery will often give you a little warning first.

🚗 Taking longer than usual to start?
🚗 Mostly doing short journeys?
🚗 Battery getting on a bit?

They can all be signs that your battery might not be quite as healthy as it once was.

If you’re unsure, get it checked before the colder weather really sets in. A quick check now could save you the inconvenience of a car that won’t start on a cold morning.

A little Luccombe know-how along the way. 🧡

Got a motoring question you’d like James to cover in a future tip? Leave it in the comments!

Luccombe Garage – looking after you on every journey.

💡 Can Other Drivers See You?As the evenings begin to get darker, it’s worth taking a couple of minutes to make sure your...
17/09/2026

💡 Can Other Drivers See You?

As the evenings begin to get darker, it’s worth taking a couple of minutes to make sure your car is as visible as possible.

It’s amazing how many simple things can make a real difference when driving in low light or poor weather.

Before setting off, check:

💡 All your lights are working (don’t forget your brake lights and indicators!)

🧼 Your headlights and rear lights are clean – even a thin layer of dirt can reduce how well they work.

🚗 Your number plates are clean and easy to read.

🌧️ Your windscreen is clean inside and out to reduce glare from oncoming headlights.

🪟 Your wiper blades clear the screen properly without smearing.

👀 And while you’re there, make sure your mirrors and windows are clean too.

A couple of minutes now can help you see more clearly—and just as importantly, help other road users see you.

Drive safely and enjoy the season. 🍂

🧡 Looking after you on every journey.

💬 Have a motoring question you’d like James to cover in a future tip? Leave it in the comments!

🏁 THE RAT RUN – FINAL DAY! 🏁THEY MADE IT! 😂🙌🇪🇸After setting off from Bristol at 10am on Monday, James and the little £60...
11/09/2026

🏁 THE RAT RUN – FINAL DAY! 🏁

THEY MADE IT! 😂🙌🇪🇸

After setting off from Bristol at 10am on Monday, James and the little £600 Civic finally rolled into Benidorm at 3:30pm on Friday! ☀️🍺

🚗 Today: 290 miles
⏱️ Driving time: 4 hours 15 minutes
🛣️ Total distance: 1,356 miles
⛽ Average MPG: 49!

Five days, three countries, some absolutely incredible scenery, plenty of laughs… and only one slightly dramatic moment involving a rising temperature gauge, a faulty cooling fan switch and some impromptu roadside engineering outside a French boulangerie. 😂🥐🔧

Thankfully, when your Rat Run driver also happens to be a skilled mechanic, a 25-year-old Honda having a moment in France doesn’t necessarily mean game over!

A bit of Luccombe-style problem solving and she was back on the road — and she hasn’t missed a beat since. 💪🚗

If there’s one thing you can rely on a Luccombe Garage mechanic for, it’s getting you back on the road. 😉🔧

And she didn’t just limp to the finish either. The old girl carried them all the way through France, over the Pyrenees, across Spain and into Benidorm under her own steam. ❤️🇪🇸🏁

Now it’s time for a few very well-earned days enjoying the Benidorm sunshine. ☀️🍺🍺

And as for the Civic? Her Rat Run might be over, but after 25 years and one final 1,356-mile adventure, we’d say she’s earned her retirement. ❤️🚗

Tomorrow she’ll make her final journey to be recycled — so while this might be the end of our Civic adventure, who knows what parts of our little £600 banger might rise from the ashes and live to see another road. 🔥♻️😂

£600. 1,356 miles. Mission accomplished. 🏁

🚙 Today’s Road Trip Log! 🇫🇷➡️🇪🇸First stop was Pau-Arnos Karting Circuit 🏎️💨… but unfortunately, due to an incident, the ...
10/09/2026

🚙 Today’s Road Trip Log! 🇫🇷➡️🇪🇸

First stop was Pau-Arnos Karting Circuit 🏎️💨… but unfortunately, due to an incident, the track was closed until late afternoon — apparently they had to repair the tyre wall! 🙈😂 So no karting for us!

We carried on and made our way across the border into Spain via the Pyrenees Mountains 🏔️. The views were absolutely amazing! We travelled through the Somport Tunnel and officially made it into Spain 🇪🇸.

Then it was onwards towards Zaragoza, with a much-needed quick coffee stop on the way! ☕️

🚗 Around 6½ hours driving today
🛣️ 300 miles covered

She’s now all tucked up safe for the night 🚙❤️, ready for the FINAL LEG tomorrow… Zaragoza ➡️ BENIDORM! ☀️🇪🇸🏁

Finish line, here we come! 🍻😂

DAY 3: ROUEN → BORDEAUX 🇫🇷VIA LE MANS 🏁Well… the Civic behaved herself today. We’re as surprised as you are. 😂🔧After yes...
09/09/2026

DAY 3: ROUEN → BORDEAUX 🇫🇷

VIA LE MANS 🏁

Well… the Civic behaved herself today. We’re as surprised as you are. 😂🔧

After yesterday’s overheating drama, Day 3 was thankfully a little less eventful — although there were still 393 miles to cover.

Heading south from Rouen towards Bordeaux, the boys made a slight detour to the legendary Le Mans circuit, where the £600 Civic got to pose outside the home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 🏁

Sadly, she wasn’t invited onto the track. Probably for the best. 😂

They also headed into the museum for a look at some rather more sophisticated machinery — cars that have presumably never required emergency roadside attention outside a French boulangerie. 👀😂

Then it was back on the road for the long haul south, eventually arriving in Bordeaux after 393 miles of driving.

And after all that? A wonderful Italian meal…

…in France. 🇮🇹🇫🇷🙈😂

The Civic is still going.
The boys are still going.
And tomorrow…

🇪🇸 SPAIN BOUND!

DAY 2: DOVER → ROUEN 🇬🇧➡️🇫🇷Well… it wouldn’t be the Rat Run without a little roadside engineering. 😂🔧After making it acr...
08/09/2026

DAY 2: DOVER → ROUEN 🇬🇧➡️🇫🇷

Well… it wouldn’t be the Rat Run without a little roadside engineering. 😂🔧

After making it across the Channel, the Civic found herself sitting in around 45 minutes of stop-start traffic — and apparently decided France was quite warm enough already. 🌡️

The temperature gauge started climbing dangerously close to the red, so James pulled over and switched her off before things got expensive.

Once she’d cooled down — conveniently outside a boulangerie, because apparently emergency diagnostics are best performed with French pastries nearby 🥐😂 — James got to work.

Coolant level: fine. ✅
Problem: faulty coolant fan switch. ❌

With no replacement switch available, a little Rat Run ingenuity was required. Armed with some wire cutters, James borrowed a section of wiring from the rear heated window — because we’re hopefully not going to need that in Spain — and bypassed the faulty switch.

The result? The cooling fan now runs continuously, the temperature is behaving itself, and the £600 Civic lives to fight another day. 😂

185.97 miles and 7½ hours later, they’ve made it to Rouen.

Disaster avoided. Day 2: DONE. ✅

Luckily, she’s survived… for now! 😂🤞🚗🇫🇷

🏁 RAT RUN 2026 — DAY 1: DONE!Bristol ➡️ Dover: COMPLETE! ✅The Rat Run is officially underway, and we’re pleased to repor...
07/09/2026

🏁 RAT RUN 2026 — DAY 1: DONE!

Bristol ➡️ Dover: COMPLETE! ✅

The Rat Run is officially underway, and we’re pleased to report that the £600 Civic has successfully completed its first 201 miles without falling apart. 😂

First pit stop of the rally?
Not quite Formula One… McDonald’s. 🍟🏎️

From there it was onwards to Dover, with even the motorway signs wishing the Rat Runners good luck!

They’ve now made it safely to the port, where the banger gets a well-earned rest before the ferry tomorrow morning. ⛴️

Next up: 🇫🇷 FRANCE!

Dover ➡️ Dunkirk ➡️ Rouen

That’s when the Rat Run really begins… 👀

201 miles down. Benidorm still a very, very long way away. 😂

AND THEY’RE OFF! 🚗💨The testing is done. The stickers are on. The bags are packed. And somehow, nobody has talked James o...
07/09/2026

AND THEY’RE OFF! 🚗💨

The testing is done. The stickers are on. The bags are packed. And somehow, nobody has talked James out of it. 😂

Today the £600 Civic officially leaves Bristol and begins its journey to Benidorm for The Rat Run 2026.

First stop: Dover. 🇬🇧

From there, it’s five days, three countries and around 1,300 miles between this very old Honda and the finish line in Benidorm. 🇪🇸

We’ve tested it.
We’ve checked it.
We’ve even sent it to Liverpool and back for absolutely no sensible reason.

Now there’s only one thing left to do…

See if it actually gets there. 🤞😂

We’ll be following James and the Civic throughout the week, with updates from each leg of the journey.

Benidorm or bust. Let’s go! 🐀🚗

MEET THE BANGER 🚗If you saw our first Rat Run post, you’ll know that James is planning to drive from Bristol to Benidorm...
03/09/2026

MEET THE BANGER 🚗

If you saw our first Rat Run post, you’ll know that James is planning to drive from Bristol to Benidorm in this 2001 Honda Civic.

It currently has 158,107 miles on the clock, has seen better days cosmetically, and cost comfortably within the Rat Run’s £600 maximum car budget.

Naturally, James has therefore been putting it through a rigorous pre-Benidorm testing programme. 🔧

Local journeys? ✅
Motorway miles? ✅
A 350-mile Bristol → Liverpool → Bristol round trip to collect a customer’s replacement engine? Apparently that counts too. 😂

To be fair, if you’re going to test an old Civic, loading a replacement engine into the back and sending it on a 350-mile motorway round trip isn’t a bad way of finding out what you’ve bought.

So far, so good.

Next stop: approximately 1,300 miles of Europe.

What could possibly go wrong? 😬

🚗💨 JAMES IS OFF TO BENIDORM… IN THIS. 😂Some ideas are good ideas.Some ideas involve taking a 25-year-old Honda Civic wit...
31/08/2026

🚗💨 JAMES IS OFF TO BENIDORM… IN THIS. 😂

Some ideas are good ideas.
Some ideas involve taking a 25-year-old Honda Civic with 158,107 miles on the clock and attempting to drive it from Bristol to Benidorm.

We’ll let you decide which category this falls into. 😂

On Monday 7th September, James will be setting off on The Rat Run 2026 — a five-day charity banger rally taking him (hopefully) from Bristol, through France and Spain, and eventually to Benidorm.

There is, of course, a catch.

💷 Maximum spend on the car: £600.

And this magnificent specimen is the chosen one. A 2001 Honda Civic which has already seen rather a lot of life and is now being asked to see quite a lot more of Europe.

The route:

📍 Day 1: Bristol → Dover
📍 Day 2: Dover → Rouen
📍 Day 3: Rouen → Bordeaux
📍 Day 4: Bordeaux → Zaragoza
📍 Day 5: Zaragoza → Benidorm 🏁

Over the five days we’ll be following James and the Civic here on the Luccombe Garage page — the journey, the stops, the inevitable questionable decisions and, quite possibly, some roadside repairs. 😂

What could possibly go wrong?

Address

62a Lower Redland Road
Bristol
BS66SS

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+441179735021

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