Polishing the exterior of your vehicle helps to extend the life of the paintwork by removing contaminants and defects, and preparing the bodywork for the application of a wax layer.

Your car’s paintwork is constantly in contact with contaminants ranging from dust and grit from the road to insect debris and bird droppings. If left unwashed, these contaminants can begin to corrode your car’s paintwork.

Washing your car regularly can be extremely useful in helping to extend the wellbeing of your car’s bodywork.

Most cars undergo a daily barrage of contaminants such as salt and grit from the road, brake dust and bird droppings. By cleaning your car regularly and removing these contaminants before they attack the paint work on your car, you will help extend the life of your car’s exterior.

Cleaning your engine may seem a daunting task but with the right materials and time it is a worthwhile task in helping to keep your engine working to the best of its ability.

Regular cleaning reduces the risk of corrosion on your engine but only if done correctly.

The very idea of changing the transmission on your car is going to be something that kind of strikes fear into a number of people because it does sound as if it is going to be a difficult task and, at times, that can very well be the case.

However, that is not to say that it is impossible as you will now discover.

For many people, the idea of changing the suspension and shock absorbers in their car is something that will fill them with absolute dread.

So, you have looked at a range of OBD diagnostic tools that are available on the market and you have come to the conclusion that they actually are extremely useful items to use.

You have then taken it one step further and went ahead and purchased one, but now there is only one issue to focus on: how exactly do you use it?

Taking care of your car properly includes the basic and mandatory garage visits like MOT, servicing or tyre changes as well as the small fixes of e.g. window cracks or brake issues before they become a serious problem. Maintaining a car unfortunately takes more effort and is more costly than many people think. We have developed a useful tool called “My garage” to support you in all areas around maintaining your car, so that taking care of your car is as cheap and simple as possible. Below you can learn how to use “My garage” on Autobutler and make the most out of your car maintenance.

For many drivers, the addition of a tow bar to their vehicle is a useful accessory. There are three main types of tow bars on the market - the self-aligning vehicle mount, the self-aligning receiver mount and the rigid a-frame mount. Each type of tow bar is suitable for different uses so it's important to ensure that you have had a proper think about what you plan to use the tow bar for and to make sure you purchase one that is suitable for your needs.

The sole purpose of the fuse box in your car or van is to protect every electrical circuit in the vehicle. There are a number of circuits in your vehicle including the main computer, the engine, the transmission as well as components such as the lights and windscreen wipers. On occasion, a relay or fuse can blow, which in itself is a quick fix, but if replacing the relay or the fuse does not rectify the issue then the problem may be the fuse box itself.

The radiator of any car is an essential component related to the cooling system, ensuring an engine does not overheat and create a component's failure. It is an integral part of the cooling system that discharges heat from the coolant within the cooling system into the atmosphere, resulting in a cooling process known as the thermal transfer.

When first investigating signs of a leaking head gasket, the cap of a coolant reservoir or radiator, should not be opened on a hot engine! The next step is checking the oil dipstick and if it’s showing a higher level than normal, the cause could be coolant leaking into the crankcase, by way of the cylinder. This can be confirmed if the oil dipstick displays a milky, yellow, or brown looking substance.

Diesel Particulate Filter cleaner is designed to give your engine a good clean from the inside out. It is a chemical treatment which helps to reduce the soot emissions generated by your engine, regenerate the Diesel Particulate Filter and clean away any existing soot particles.

If the DPF warning lights comes on then you should attempt to use a cleaner to clear any blockages first as this is a much cheaper and less intrusive way of fixing the problem.*

Most car owners will never need to replace their catalytic converter during the lifetime of their vehicle.

Windscreen wipers are one of the parts of the car which often go forgotten and neglected. We usually don’t notice or remember that they need changing until we get caught in that rainstorm whilst driving on the motorway and suddenly realise that the windscreen is not being cleared as quickly as it should be.

In many respects, the process of checking that your winter tyres are still in good condition does not differ too much from checking your summer or all season tyres. The difference lies in the fact that since you may only use these tyres for a few months a year, they could last a very long time before they need replacing.

You should check your winter tyres thoroughly every year before you put them back on your car for winter, to check that they will still do their job well. If they are not in good condition then there will be very little benefit in changing them over at all.

All modern exhaust pipes have been designed to be rust resistant but this only slows down the inevitable. The best way to keep your exhaust pipe rust-free is to take preemptive measures to stop it from building up in the first place; but if you already have a rusty exhaust, here are a few tips to help you clean yourexhaust.

The good news is that nowadays all car exhausts are made from a material which is rust resistant. This means that some of the work has already been done for you in terms of protecting your exhaust against the elements. However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t things which you can and should do to protect your exhaust further.

Your car’s exhaust system is a vital working part of the vehicle. It is important that the internal components are maintained in good, working condition, but the pipe itself also plays a crucial role in the running of your car.

Exhausts are tricky things and can often cost a lot of money to replace. But, as a general rule, fixing a problem with your exhaust when it first appears is much less expensive than waiting for the broken exhaust to cause further problems elsewhere in the engine.

The exhaust is a vital part of the car’s internal workings. It doesn’t just dampen the noise of your engine, it also makes sure that the fumes generated from burning petrol are kept well away from the passenger cabin. More so, it ensures the smooth running of the engine, maintains maximum fuel efficiency and reduces the quantity of harmful emissions generated by the vehicle. It is therefore extremely important to ensure that the exhaust is in full working o...