Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we’re asked most often about booking, pricing, and the car body repair, MOT, servicing, diagnostics and recovery work we carry out across Greenford, Perivale and West London.
West London Coverage
Greenford, Perivale & surrounding areas
Free Vehicle Inspection
On every vehicle
6-Month Warranty
On completed repairs
Browse FAQ Categories
Booking, Pricing & Coverage
Booking, pricing, hours & our areas
Car Body Repairs
Dents, scratches, paint & bodywork
MOT
Testing, failures & retests
Car Servicing
Interim, full & major servicing
Vehicle Diagnostics
Warning lights & fault finding
Vehicle Recovery
Breakdown & accident recovery
Suspension & Steering
Shocks, springs & steering
Insurance Repairs
Claims & accident repairs
Brakes & Tyres
Brake pads, discs & tyre care
1. Booking, Pricing & Coverage
Questions about pricing, coverage and how to book your vehicle in.
We’re based in Perivale, Greenford and cover the surrounding West London area, including Northolt, Southall, Ealing, Hanwell, Acton, Wembley, West Ealing, Alperton, Park Royal, Brentford, Harrow, Ruislip and Hayes. If you’re unsure whether your address falls within our coverage, contact us directly and we’ll confirm.
Every vehicle is different, so we don’t publish fixed prices. Send us a description of the issue, and photos if that’s useful, via WhatsApp, and we’ll talk you through next steps. Every vehicle we look at also gets a free inspection.
Yes, recovery is available — see our Vehicle Recovery page for more detail, or contact us directly to discuss your situation.
Costs vary depending on the vehicle and the work involved, so we don’t publish fixed prices. We’ll talk you through the likely cost after assessing your vehicle, and every inspection is free.
Contact us by phone, WhatsApp or email with a description of the issue and your vehicle details. We’ll confirm availability and the next steps from there.
We use genuine parts where appropriate for the vehicle and repair. We’re happy to discuss parts options with you before work begins.
2. Car Body Repairs
Dents, scratches, paint and general bodywork.
Small dents without paint damage can sometimes be manageable at home, but anything with cracked or chipped paint, a sharp crease, or a dent near a panel edge usually needs a professional assessment to avoid further damage or rust developing underneath.
It depends how deep the scratch is. Light surface scratches that haven’t gone through the clear coat can often be polished out. Deeper scratches that reach the primer or bare metal usually need proper paint repair to protect against rust.
Yes — paint is colour-matched to your vehicle before any respray or touch-up work is carried out, so the repaired area blends with the surrounding panels.
This depends on the extent of the damage and the work required. Some jobs may take around 3–5 days, though we’ll give you a clearer timeframe once we’ve inspected the vehicle.
In many cases, yes. Whether a panel can be repaired or needs replacing depends on the extent and location of the damage, which we’ll assess and explain during inspection.
It can be, depending on your policy and the circumstances of the damage. We can support you with assessing accident damage — see our Insurance Repairs page, or speak to your insurer to confirm your cover.
Yes, every vehicle gets a free inspection so we can assess the damage and explain what’s needed before any work begins.
3. MOT
Testing, failures, repairs and retests.
An MOT test checks the key safety and roadworthiness elements of your vehicle, including brakes, suspension, tyres, lights, emissions, bodywork condition and seatbelts. See our MOT page for a fuller breakdown of what’s covered.
You’ll be given a list of the faults that caused the failure. We can explain what’s needed and carry out the repairs, then arrange a retest.
It’s worth booking before your current MOT expires, so there’s time to carry out any repairs if your vehicle doesn’t pass first time.
Yes. If your vehicle needs work to pass, we can carry out MOT repairs at our workshop — see our MOT Repairs page for more detail.
Yes, a pre-MOT inspection can help catch likely failure points before your official test — see our Pre MOT Inspection page for more detail.
Common causes include worn tyres, faulty lights, worn brake components, and issues with suspension or emissions. A free inspection can help identify these before they become an MOT failure.
4. Car Servicing
Interim, full and major servicing explained.
An interim service is a shorter check, usually recommended around every 6 months or 6,000 miles, covering the essentials like oil, filters and a general safety check. A full service is more comprehensive and is usually recommended annually or every 12,000 miles.
This depends on your vehicle, mileage and manufacturer recommendations, but most vehicles benefit from a service at least once a year.
A major service is the most thorough level of servicing, typically covering everything in a full service plus additional checks and replacement of parts such as spark plugs, air and fuel filters, and other wear items depending on your vehicle.
Yes — regular servicing helps catch small issues before they become bigger, more costly problems, and keeps your vehicle running safely and efficiently.
Manufacturer warranty terms vary by vehicle. We’re happy to talk through what a service at our workshop involves if you have questions about your specific situation.
A standard service typically includes oil and filter changes, fluid level checks, brake and tyre inspection, and a general safety check, with the exact scope depending on whether it’s an interim, full or major service.
5. Vehicle Diagnostics
Warning lights, fault codes and electrical issues.
Dashboard warning lights can indicate anything from a minor sensor issue to a more serious fault. A diagnostic check reads the fault codes from your vehicle’s computer to help identify the specific cause.
It depends which light and its colour — a red warning light generally means stop as soon as it’s safe to do so, while an amber light suggests getting it checked soon. If you’re unsure, it’s best to get it looked at.
Engine diagnostics involves connecting to your vehicle’s onboard computer to read fault codes and identify what’s causing a warning light, performance issue or unusual noise.
Yes, diagnostic equipment can help identify a range of issues including electrical faults, ABS and airbag warning lights, and battery-related problems, not just the engine.
There are many possible causes, from a loose fuel cap to more significant issues with the engine or emissions system. A diagnostic check will identify the specific fault code so we can explain what’s needed.
This varies depending on the fault and vehicle, but we’ll give you a clearer idea of timing once we’ve had a look.
6. Vehicle Recovery
Breakdown, accident and vehicle recovery.
Breakdown recovery covers vehicles that won’t start or can’t be driven due to a mechanical fault, while accident recovery is for vehicles involved in a collision that need to be brought safely to our workshop for assessment.
In most cases, we recover vehicles to our workshop in Perivale, Greenford so we can assess and, where possible, repair them. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.
Yes, we provide accident recovery so your vehicle can be brought safely to our workshop, where our bodywork team can assess and repair any damage.
Yes, we support recovery for vans and light commercial vehicles alongside cars.
It helps to know what’s happened, roughly when it happened, whether the vehicle is driveable, and your exact location — this helps us understand the situation before we arrange recovery.
Recovery costs depend on the vehicle, distance and situation involved. We’ll talk you through this when you contact us, and every recovered vehicle receives a free inspection once it’s with us.
7. Suspension & Steering
Shocks, springs, steering and alignment.
Common signs include a bouncy or unsettled ride, the car nose-diving when braking, uneven tyre wear, or visible fluid leaking from the shock absorber itself.
This can be caused by a wheel alignment issue, uneven tyre pressure, or a fault in the steering or suspension system. It’s worth having it checked, as it can affect handling and tyre wear.
Suspension deals with how your car absorbs bumps and stays stable, using components like shock absorbers and springs. Steering relates to how you control the direction of the vehicle. The two systems work closely together, and a fault in one can sometimes affect the other.
Signs include the car sitting lower on one side, a rougher ride, or unusual noises over bumps. A visual inspection can usually confirm whether springs are worn or damaged.
Wheel alignment adjusts the angles of your wheels to the manufacturer’s specification. Poor alignment can cause uneven tyre wear, reduced fuel efficiency and the car pulling to one side.
Wheel bearings wear naturally over time and mileage. Common signs include a humming or grinding noise that changes with speed, and in some cases, play or looseness in the wheel.
Yes — suspension components are checked as part of an MOT, and worn shocks, springs or steering components can result in an MOT failure if they don’t meet the safety standard.
8. Insurance Repairs
Claims, estimates and accident repair support.
Yes, we can assess accident damage and provide the information needed to support an insurance claim. Speak to your insurer to confirm your specific cover and process.
This relates to how liability for the accident is determined by insurers, which affects how the claim and repair process is handled. We can carry out the repair work either way — check with your insurer about claim specifics.
Many insurers require an assessment or estimate before authorising repair work. We can provide an accident damage estimate to support your claim.
Yes, private repairs (paid for directly rather than through an insurance claim) are an option if you’d prefer not to make a claim, for example to avoid affecting your no-claims discount.
We aim to carry out all repairs, whether insurance-funded or private, to the same standard, using genuine parts where appropriate.
It helps to have your policy details, photos of the damage where possible, and a description of what happened. We can talk you through what’s needed when you contact us.
9. Brakes & Tyres
Brake pads, discs and tyre care.
Common signs include a squealing or grinding noise when braking, the car taking longer to stop, or a warning light on the dashboard. If in doubt, it’s worth having them checked.
Tyres should be replaced when tread depth approaches the legal minimum, or sooner if there’s uneven wear, cracking, or damage to the sidewall. Regularly checking tread depth and pressure helps catch this early.
It depends on the size, location and type of damage. A small puncture in the central tread area can often be repaired, while damage to the sidewall usually means the tyre needs replacing.
Brake discs wear over time and with mileage, and are usually replaced alongside brake pads when they’re worn, warped or below the minimum thickness.
Wheel balancing corrects uneven weight distribution around the wheel and tyre, which can cause vibration, uneven tyre wear and reduced comfort if left unaddressed.
Winter or seasonal tyres are designed to perform better in colder, wetter conditions. Whether you need them depends on your driving conditions and personal preference.
Still have a question?
Our friendly team is here to help. Get in touch by phone, email or WhatsApp and we’ll be happy to help with your enquiry.
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Areas We Cover
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Car Body Repairs
Dents, scratches, paint & bodywork
MOT
Testing & MOT repairs
Car Servicing
Interim, full & major servicing
Vehicle Diagnostics
Warning lights & fault finding
Vehicle Recovery
Breakdown & accident recovery
Suspension Repairs
Shocks, springs & steering
Insurance Repairs
Claims & accident repairs
Tyres
Fitting, replacement & repair