Car Diagnostics in Dartington

Dartington sits just outside Totnes on the A384, and its roads are busy with commuters during the week and visitors heading for the Dartington Hall estate, the gardens and arts events. A car that fails to start in a car park full of people is the last thing anyone wants.

Automaster is at Longcombe Cross near Totnes. We handle warning light diagnostics, electrical fault finding and the usual run of battery, alternator and starter jobs on petrol and diesel vehicles.

My engine management light has come on. What now?

The engine management light is an amber engine symbol. If it is steady, the car has stored a fault, and it is sensible to book a check rather than wait for it to get worse. If it flashes, the engine may be misfiring, which can damage the exhaust, so ease off and get the car looked at promptly.

We read the stored codes, check the live data and then test the circuits involved. That avoids swapping parts on a guess.

Why does a fault code not give you a parts list?

Fault codes describe what the control unit noticed, such as a signal out of range, not what broke. A sensor reading can be wrong because of a bad sensor, a chafed wire, a loose plug or a genuine mechanical problem elsewhere.

Good diagnostics is about testing each possibility in a sensible order. That is why we describe the first step as finding the cause, with repair to follow once we know what we are dealing with.

Battery, alternator and starter faults on the commute

Mixed commuting and short trips around the village can leave a battery partly charged, especially in cold weather. Signs of trouble include slow cranking, dim lights, a battery warning light and electrics that reset themselves.

A battery replacement is often straightforward, but on some cars the new battery has to be registered with the car's electronics. Whether that applies depends on the vehicle, so tell us the model when you ask for a quote.

• Slow or clicking start
• Battery light on while driving
• Dim headlights at idle
• Windows and wipers sluggish

Parking sensors, cameras, alarms and immobilisers

Tight visitor car parks make parking sensors and reversing cameras more useful, and a fault with either is irritating. We check sensors, wiring and connectors, and replace faulty items where needed.

If an alarm keeps going off or an immobiliser warning stops the engine starting, we look at the key, the receiver and the wiring before deciding what needs doing.

Do you cover Dartington?

Yes. Drivers from Dartington can bring cars to our garage at Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, Totnes TQ9 6PL, and we also look after cars from Totnes, Buckfastleigh, South Brent and Ivybridge.

If you can describe when the problem happens, such as only on cold mornings or after rain, tell us. Intermittent electrical faults can be the hardest to catch, and that detail is a real help.