TheBrake-Man

20/10/2026

20/10/2026

The Audi TT revisited. Today we had the task of fitting the new radiator, refilling the coolant, getting the vehicle up to operating temperature and ensuring the thermostat opened to be able to correct the level. We allowed it to get up to pressure and ensure there were no leaks and to make sure the fan cut in and out as it should.

We also took the time to do a heater matrix flush to ensure there was a free flow of coolant through that. It's also had a cam belt and water pump, fresh engine oil with a new filter. Job's a good'un!!

13/10/2026

Today we've been resolving an oil leak from the oil filter housing/oil cooler on a Vauxhall Zafira. The oil was falling onto the exhaust where the cat meets the flexi pipe creating a burning smell, so it was turbo and exhaust manifold off with the catalytic converter as it's all one assembly to gain access. Replaced the oil filter housing. Replaced the coolant and Ran the vehicle up to temperature for a good 30-45 minutes to ensure the cooling system presssurised as it should and the levels didn't drop, and most importantly, confirmed the leak had been resolved.

12/10/2026

We've been busy, but as usual, I forget to take photo's.
I did snap these from this week where we've been looking at a Jaguar with a window fault, and an Audi TT that we've stripped the bumper off and radiator out ready for a replacement.

With the TT, we're going to be doing a bit of work with this car to get it up to scratch and ready for the owner to get back on the road after 8 months or so of not being able to drive it.... keep an eye out.

11/09/2026

We haven't posted for a while due an extremely busy summer, but please do get in touch if there's anything we can help with.
Next availability is the 5th of October.

28/06/2026

We love these jobs, especially on a Sunday!!
We came to this car with a strange electrical issue where it wouldn't start, and occasionally, it would. The customer reported that strange things would happen where it would run for a while, and then all of a sudden the side lights would come on and the only other thing that would work was the radio.

We carried out an investigation and finally found that there was water ingress under the passenger seat. We found a correded earth point and water had gotten into the passenger seat... weird one.

We've removed the seat and fixed the earth point and the vehicle started. Luckily e ough we have the weather to allow the carpet to dry out, so we've left that out of the vehicle and we'll return on Tuesday to see if it's dried out enough. If not, we could be looking a seat strip down, and possibly a replacement 😬.

Keep an eye out for the updates.

26/06/2026

There was a bit of typo on the last image I posted. I did mean June and not July.... apologies for the confusion.

14/06/2026

The stunning Scottish coast.

My deployment has potentially been extended until the 24th, but I'll keep my socials updated to keep customers up to date for their vehicle repairs.

03/06/2026

A sneak peek of some of the instrumentation and equipment we deploy from the stern of the vessel for the acquisition of data to give us a picture of what's going on down on the sea floor.

The smaller piece of equipment is a side scan sonar, used to gather real time imagery of the seabed. And the other is a scanfish towing a fixed frame katria containing 8 magnetometers used for detecting ferrous objects, and in particular, unexploded bombs from WW2 on this project. We'll be running 2 of those scanfish frames, and the side scan at the same time. Exciting stuff!!

Remember, we'll be back to fixing vehicles for around the 14th of June!! Feel free to reach out and book in early!!

23/05/2026

Episode 2 of the VW caddy. Bank holiday weekend...? Pft, we don't stop for that!
Today we continued with this little gem, replacing:
NSF shock absorber
NSF brake calliper and brake flexi hose
NSF drive shaft
Both front anti-roll bar drop links
Front brake discs and pads
Rear brake discs and pads
Both rear shock absorbers

Now for a cool shower, some after sun and some nice cold ciders!

Do let us know if you get stuck over the bank holiday weekend. We're here to help!