Engine repairs and cooling

We repair engines and cooling systems, from a timing belt that’s due to a head gasket that’s already gone. Some of it is planned work you can book in. The rest turns up as a temperature gauge climbing in traffic. Either way we find out what’s wrong first and quote it before anything starts.

Signs your engine or cooling system needs looking at

• The temperature gauge climbs in traffic and settles once you’re moving.
• Coolant on the driveway, or a sweet smell after a drive.
• The heater has stopped blowing warm.
• The coolant level keeps dropping and you can’t see where it’s going.
• The engine is using oil, or the oil light flickers at idle.
• A rattle, whine or ticking from the front of the engine that follows the revs.

What engine and cooling work involves

A timing belt is scheduled work. The manufacturer sets an interval in kilometres and time, and on a lot of engines a belt that breaks takes valves and pistons with it. Because it’s scheduled, it can be planned and quoted in advance. While the belt is off, the tensioner, the idlers and often the water pump are replaced with it, because they sit behind the same covers.

A cooling system is a loop. Radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, cap and the coolant itself, and a fault in any one of them looks the same from the driver’s seat. Finding it means pressure testing the system, checking where it loses coolant or heat, and looking at the condition of the coolant.

Head gaskets are the serious end of it. Whether one has gone is something to test for, and we’d rather confirm it than have you pay for a repair the car didn’t need. Engine repairs run from a leaking seal or a set of injectors up to a rebuild, and turbochargers and fuel injector cleaning sit in the same territory.

Qualified motor mechanics do the work, and nothing starts until you’ve approved the quote. If something goes wrong with work we have done, we will fix it, no arguments.

Engine work and your logbook service

Timing belts, coolant changes and drive belts are all on the manufacturer’s schedule, so the tidiest time to do them is with a logbook service. If the rego is due as well, the eSafety check can be scheduled into the same visit, which saves a second trip for a pink slip.

What to tell us when you book

Tell us what the gauge is doing and when. Whether it climbs in traffic or on a hill, whether the heater still works, and whether you’ve been topping up coolant. If there’s a light on the dash, say which one and when it appears. Where a fault turns out to be electronic, it goes to diagnostics first.

Questions about engine and cooling repairs

When does a timing belt need replacing?

At the interval the manufacturer sets for that engine, which is in the logbook and usually given in kilometres and time. Some engines use a chain instead, which is a different job. Tell us the make, model and kilometres and we’ll check what yours needs.

Can I keep driving if the temperature gauge is high?

No. An overheating engine can turn a small repair into a large one in minutes. Pull over somewhere safe, let it cool down, and ring us before you drive it any further.

Is white smoke from the exhaust always a head gasket?

No. A puff of white on a cold morning is usually condensation and clears as the engine warms. Steady white smoke, coolant disappearing, or a milky film under the oil cap are the ones worth testing.

How do I know if it’s the water pump or the radiator?

From the driver’s seat you often can’t. Both lose coolant and both show up as a rising gauge. It takes a look underneath and a pressure test to say which.