AAA Servicing and Repairs

11/01/2025

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SPECIALIST GERMAN VEHICLE CARE AND DIAGNOSTICS

04/11/2024

PSA to all BMW Fxx owners.

Suspension knocking comming from the front when you rock the wheel side to side is a very common fault on these cars.

Pictured below is a thrust bushing inside your steering rack.
The one on the right is the old worn bushing and the one on the left is a brand new Genuine BMW superseeded part.

I've had customers tell me that they have been advised that their vehicle needs a new steering rack when in fact all that was needed was this little repair kit.

Have you got a suspension noise comming from the front of your F series BMW?

Book it in with us for diagnosis and repair.
Message us on WhatsApp on 07729 020196

02/11/2024

To book your car message us on WhatsApp on 07729 020196

Case Study #2 - BMW E82 123d

This one is about being a little bit proactive with maintenance of your diesel engines.

Diesel engines are great, you get the power, torque and fuel efficiency in one package but there are downfalls. Namely emission control devices.

This diesel is equipped in a few of those.

Positive Crankcase Ventilation - The PCV systems main job is to regulate internal pressure inside the engine. Over time the valve gets blocked or damaged and isn't sealing properly and lets excessive air and oil into your intake. This can cause excessive oil consumption, excessive soot deposits inside the intake and particulate filter as well as oil leaks. We recommend replacing the PCV system at around 100K intervals. In the case of this BMW this meant replacing the full valve cover as the PCV was integrated into that cover.

Injector Sealing Washers - Underneath your diesel injectors there are copper sealing washers that prevent combustion gasses leaving the combustion chamber as well as the loss of compression. Those washers over time burn away and don't seal properly anymore. Sometimes the seals failing is obvious and you can clearly hear "chuffing" from the engine bay, carbon deposits around the injector and exhaust smell in the cabin. However, most of the time the seals fail way before this happens and they start to let the exhaust gasses into oil and create carbon deposits in the oil degrading its lubricating and cooling properties. This mixed with extended service intervals could lead to major failures of turbochargers or even engine themselves overtime. We recommend replacing those washers and injector mounting bolts at 80K intervals. Parts are cheap enough and if done proactively should be an easy enough job to do. Becomes much harder when they fail and injectors get seized in the cylinder head.

Exhaust Gas Recirculation - Does what it says on the tin. Let's exhaust gasses back into the engine. This has a few jobs, but all of them lead to one thing, emission control. IT does create a few problems to us. Carbon and soot deposits in the intake = less space for air to pass through = less air = richer fuel mixture = more soot. It's a vicious cycle.
In the pictures below you can see the intake manifold, this needs cleaning periodically, which we recommend at 3 to 5 year intervals. We had customers tell us that they noticed a massive improvement in responsiveness and even fuel economy of their engines after intake system cleaning.

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) - A filter in the exhaust system which stops harmful soot and particulates from going into the atmosphere. When they work they work great and you don't really notice that they're there but they are the first thing that gets the brunt when there's anything slightly off with the running of your diesel engine. Manufactures predict that those filters are good for about 160K miles but we've seen them go a lot longer if they're being looked after. Doing all the above will help your DPF live a lot longer without the need for replacement or removal.

We always say that we only want to see your vehicles once or twice a year. Namely for the annual service and the MOT. Looking after those systems will give you better chances of that happening.

To book your car message us on WhatsApp on 07729 020196

26/10/2024

This little Audi A1 in for a Major Service today including front brake discs and pads.

All filters and fluids used exceed manufactures specifications.

A major service includes a brake service which we recommend at at least 2 year intervals to keep your brakes performing their best.

To book your car for an annual service message us on here or whatsapp at 07729020196

19/10/2024

This E82 123d in for a little bit of work this afternoon.

Customer complained of heavy vibration under acceleration.

We have replaced the propshaft centre bearing and support as well as rear gear shifter bushing.

You'll be seeing this beast a few times as we tick all the maintainance and upgrade boxes with some M Performance suspension bits coming too.

12/10/2024

This Mazda Bongo is back with an electrical fault this time. Namely neither of the windows are operating.

We found that all but 2 wires in the door loom were either snapped or insulation worn through.

We have opted for making a brand new loom to got between the door and the car. Watch this space for end results.
Photo picures the loom in the door stripped to clean wire, and new plugs wired in.

What we call OEM plus. Fully weatherproof.

08/10/2024

This little pocket rocket in today for rear brake discs and pads.

Theres an important aspect to servicing these brakes to prolong their life.
Namely the cleanliness of components.

Because of the drilled holes and slots they are brilliant at dissipating heat but also really good at collecting brake dust.

If you leave the dust in the holes it will harden and cause uneven wear of both discs and pads. They also act as a cheese grater and wear down the pads much faster.

This is why at every service we get these holes nice and clean and free of any debris.

30/09/2024

Case Study #1

Patient: Audi A6 C6 2.0TDI

The radio stopped working.
These work a bit different as they use Optical BUS diagnostic system which means they use light rather than electricity to communicate in a loop between all of the comfort components as well as traditional VAN communication.
We found that there was no light getting to the back of the vehicle as well as there was a short to ground on the VAN network and the carpets were soaked in water. This led us to strip the carpet up expecting a broken loom or wiring between the modules in front and the back of the vehicle but what we found was the telephone and bluetooth module submarged in water and fried.
We did away with the module, bypassed it on the optical network and programmed it out of the gateway network on customer request as he wasnt bothered for bluetooth fuction.
The next point to attend was the water ingress which was caused by a blocked drain under the scuttle panel under the ECU enclosure.
We can call that one mended.

Contact us on WHATSAPP : 07729 020196

09/09/2024

Call or Message to book

27/07/2024

Todays electrical diag work.
This Golf came in with an Engine Light and a fault code for Engine Coolant Temperature Signal too high.

Testing the wiring should always be the first thing to do whenever diagnosing a faulty sensor.

This time there was a break in wiring on the 5V side of the circuit.

The reason for this was that the wiring loom was not mounted correctly and was rubbing on the airbox.

The sad thing is that this car already had a box of parts thrown at it because of improper diagnosis before it came to us.

We can call this one mended.

15/06/2024

You'll be seeing a bit more of this amazing car as the months go on and we get it back to its glory.
For today rear brake discs and pads and a caliper as it was missing a weather seal and has seized.

08/06/2024

This Pug Partner come to me with a crank no start condition After being to other garages where a battery, starter and alternator has been replaced and issue not fixed.

Turns out it was a broken wire to the Camshaft Position Sensor.

Call that one mended.