Car Repairs in Churston

If you live in Churston, you sit on the road between Paignton and Brixham, with the steam railway line close by and the routes towards Dartmouth on your doorstep. Cars here do a lot of short hops and plenty of stop-start driving, and that is hard on engines, cooling systems and fuel components alike.

At Automaster we handle general mechanical repairs for petrol and diesel cars, from engine diagnostics through to cambelts, water pumps, turbos, radiators, oil leaks and injectors. We are an RAC Approved Garage at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, and drivers from Churston and the surrounding area bring their cars to us.

Is it time to replace my cambelt and water pump in Churston?

A timing belt, often called a cambelt, keeps the crankshaft and camshaft turning in step. If it snaps or jumps a tooth on many engines, the valves and pistons can collide and the damage can run to a rebuild or replacement engine. Other engines use a timing chain, which is built to last longer but can still stretch, rattle and need attention.

The water pump is often driven by the same belt and sits in the same place, so it is usually sensible to replace both at once. Doing the pump later means paying for that access twice. The right interval depends on your make, model and engine, so check your service history or ask us.

• Rattling from the front of the engine on start-up
• Cambelt past its due date or with no record of a change
• Coolant weeping from around the pump

My car is overheating, can I keep driving it?

No. If the temperature gauge climbs into the red or a warning light comes on, pull over safely and switch off. Driving on with an overheating engine can warp the cylinder head or blow the head gasket, turning a modest repair into a major one.

Common causes include low coolant from a leak, a failing water pump, a stuck thermostat, a blocked or leaking radiator, or a fan that is not switching on. We inspect the cooling system, find where the pressure is being lost and repair or replace the radiator, hoses or pump as needed.

What does a failing turbo sound and look like?

A tired turbocharger tends to announce itself with a whining or siren-like noise that rises with revs, a noticeable loss of power, and blue or grey smoke from the exhaust.

Turbos usually fail because of oil starvation, contaminated oil or worn bearings, so simply fitting a new one without finding the cause can lead to a repeat failure. We look at the oil supply, the pipework and the air intake first, then advise on repair or replacement once we have inspected it.

• Whistling or whining under acceleration
• Loss of power or slow response
• Smoke from the exhaust

Why is my engine leaking oil or running badly?

Oil leaks most often come from worn gaskets and seals, such as the rocker cover, sump or crankshaft seals. A small weep is worth watching, but drips on the drive, a burning smell or a low oil light mean it needs looking at soon.

Rough running, hesitation, poor fuel economy or black smoke can point to worn or dirty injectors or a fault elsewhere in the fuel system. Diagnostics tell us whether it is an injector, a pump, a filter or a sensor before we replace anything.

• Oil spots where you park
• Smell of burning oil after a run
• Hesitation, rough idle or hard starting

Do you cover Churston and where do I bring the car?

Yes. Drivers from Churston, Brixham, Paignton, Dartmouth and the wider Torbay area come to Automaster. You bring the car to Longcombe Cross, Longcombe, near Totnes, and we take it from there.

When you ask for a quote, tell us the make, model, year and engine, what the car is doing and any warning lights showing. If the problem happens only when the engine is hot or under load, say so, as it helps us find it faster.