Under The Hood Vehicle Services

08/08/2025

We had this absolute power house in this week,

Engine management light was on and showing a misfire on cylinder 2.

After confirming with listening to the engine and using the diag equipment to monitor live data of the spark plugs and the misfire count we confirmed the misfire to be in cylinder 2.

Checking the service history we found the plugs hadn’t been changed in 10yrs. The plugs in these vehicle are lifelong plugs but that doesn’t always mean they are going to last a lifetime.

Fresh set of plugs and a test no misfire was found

Regularly servicing prevents damage reduces wear and tear on engine components and also saves you money without having the worry if you have an unexpected breakdown.

We do all types of servicing from

🟢 Dynamic servicing

🟢 Intermediate serving (from £90)

🟢 Full servicing (from £180)

🟢 Brake servicing

Contact us today for a price on your service.

29/06/2025

🚘 Here we have a Ford Transit in, which suffered from a lost 5th gear.

🚖 Being a private hire vehicle, this Transit gets used extensively which could contribute to the loss of 5th gear.

✅ After running a few quick checks to confirm a gearbox issue, the customer ordered a replacement to be delivered to us.

✅ Once the refurbished gearbox arrived, it was time to get the Transit on the ramp and prepare the old box for removal.

💪 We’ve seen these gearboxes done on the ground (off the back) but we went with the overhead, be strong or it could go very wrong option 🥵😅.

👍 The clutch was inspected but due to being less than a year old there was no valid reason to warrant a clutch replacement.

✅ Once we had the new gearbox located and secured in place, it was onto torquing the bolts and filling with gearbox fluid.

🩸After double checking all the works carried out, we proceeded to bleed the clutch and she was out for a test drive.

✅ All gears working with a smooth transition including 5th gear back in the game, we confirmed this Transit was good to go.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

📍
Unit 12a
Blackberry Lane
Blackberry Farm
Ibstock
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

27/06/2025

🫣 Oh Deer 🦌

🚘 Here we have this Jaguar F-Pace in for a few bits including rectifying some damage caused by a deer strike.

List of works as follows ⬇️

✅ Repair front parking sensors and rehouse

✅ Rehouse front grill and bumper skid panel

✅ Source badge replacement

✅ Service: brake fluid change, cabin filter, air filter, oil, oil filter, on ramp inspection and report.

✅ ZF gearbox service (new sump with built in filter and ZF oil)

✅ Diagnostics due to engine light coming on intermittently.

🫣 Once carrying out the service side of works on the vehicle we noticed what looked like oil/carbon that had been projected across the right side of the engine bay.

🤔 We then found the culprit which turned out to be injector 2 blowing, visibly causing a bit of a mess.

🛠️ Due to the nature the injectors, we called the customer stating our findings and advised on moving forward to rectifying the issue which they agreed to.

✅ We proceeded to remove the injector which at first just did not want to come out, so we proceeded to get our special injector removal tool (officially named Ronnie Coleman, light work baby 😅).

✅ Injector came out with little effort once Ronnie went to town on the culprit and found that the injector copper seal had excessive wear causing blow by.

✅ We cleaned the injector, surface cleaned the seal housing and fitted a new copper seal 👍.

✅ We then carried out the ZF service on the gearbox following the multiple step procedure along with temperature checks to ensure this was done correctly.

😳 We also found an exhaust bracket just sat on the sub frame which was left by someone previously working on this vehicle 🫣.

👀 Discovered a pin hole in a coolant hose (possibly caused by hot carbon) which even when pressure tested was almost impossible to see, hawk eyes and the torch revealed where the pinhole was.

✅ New hose ordered ready for replacement, inspection and service completed, this vehicle was ready to be picked up and handed back over to our customer.

🦌 If a deer happens to run out in front of you and you drive an F-Pace Jaguar, chances are the damage will be minimal as these cars are solid.

😢 Unfortunate for the deer as we have no control over nature even if we take great care when driving. 🙏

🚘 Stay safe behind the wheel.

🛠️ Under The Hood Vehicle services 🛠️

📍
Unit 12a
Blackberry Lane
Blackberry Farm
Ibstock
LE67 3DH

☎️ 07939 341007

26/06/2025

🚘 We had this Range Rover in for a new drive shaft as it decided to spit all of its grease everywhere and was making an undesired noise.

🤔 Usually a pretty straight forward job but being a typical Land Rover vehicle she was seized and needed some skilled encouragement.

✅ Once removed, her new shaft was fitted along with the correct lubricating grease applied on the shaft.

✅ Wheel back on (23 inches of wheel I might add) 😅, torqued back up to Range Rover spec, test driven and dropped back off to the customer.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

📍
Unit 12a
Blackberry Lane
Blackberry Farm
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

25/06/2025

20/06/2025

🚘 Here we have a VW Passat Estate in for new OE quality shocks and springs due to an advisory on the MOT.

👀 Upon wheel removal and inspection, we noticed the rear brake pads were getting low and wearing unevenly.

🤔 The current pads would have done a few more thousand miles but informed the customer incase they wanted to replace them now rather than come back in the near future which they went for.

✅ With the pads being agreed to, secured this customer an attention to detail brake service FOC where we noticed the sliding pins were dry and needed cleaning along with the correct grease being applied.

Why would this 👆make sense to do now you ask?

✅ Quite simply saving on labour time as the car was on the ramp and labour time was pretty low so much more cost effective for the customer.

✅ Removal of old shocks did confirm misting around the strut which also lost some recoil pressure which would have made the handling noticeably less stable on the rear end.

💪 Once everything was put back together, torqued up, fluids topped up, (not much to do as the car is well maintained) the customer collected their car and was back on the road. 🛞

❤️ A massive thank you to our new and existing followers for your continued support which enables us to grow 🙏.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

📍
Blackberry Farm
Blackberry Ln
Unit 12A
Coalville
Ibstock
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

06/06/2025

🤔 Rotary engine swap, completed it mate 😅.

🚘 Here we have a Mazda RX-8, well actually two of them, one with such low compression that it struggled to start while warm with suspected Apex Seals worn.

🚘 The other RX-8 had good compression so we were requested to swap the engines over on behalf of a trade customer.

👨‍🏫 We’ve never done a rotary engine swap before so was a learning curve for us which presented a few challenges as the layout is a bit different to a traditional engine.

💪 After removing the good compression engine, it was then time to repeat the process for the bad engine to be removed. (Was like a bad dream at times 😅).

✅ This job required removal of gearbox etc along with a few other things being swapped over but once completed, fired up first time and pretty much problem free.

🤔 Would we do a rotary engine swap again? Possibly but probably not 🤣.

😲 A little fun fact, the driveshaft in this RX-8 was made of carbon fibre and was no more than 4-5kg (expecting it to be quite heavy and was a shock to be light as a feather 😅).

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

Blackberry Farm
Blackberry Lane
Ibstock
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

02/06/2025

🤯 Unbelievable what the previous owner done to this E46 330D, you DONT want to miss this one ⬇️.

🚘 This is the second BMW we worked on for this valued customer and they requested an apple car play stereo to be fitted along with splitter, diffuser and side skirt kit.

🫣 Once Dave got into removing the centre console he called me over to show me that someone had hacked away at the old heater matrix exposing half of the unit which should be covered.

😅 God knows why this was done (I have so many questions 🤣) but the owner was shown the Sweeney Todd bodge Job and mentioned excessive heat entering the cab and this was the cause. 🫣

👍 After requesting if we could replace the unit they arranged a replacement, once nearly all the front dash, steering wheel, airbags etc was completely removed, the whole system was replaced without the butchery 🤣.

✅ The new and improved sound system was then correctly wired up with all steering controls fully operational along with a new Harmon Kardon passenger front speaker.

💪 This E46 then gained a new styled and unique look with its new body kit which transformed the look of this BMW.

✅ When the customer arrived, the sheer joy of having music (went without a stereo for some time) made our day and reminded us of why we enjoy what we do so much 🙏.

🎶 The smile never disappeared as they took in the new look of their loved E46, thanked us and drove away enjoying their favourite tunes.

✅ An unexpected repair but resolved with the customer being fully informed and left to decide where to go next, was a pleasure to work on this German powertrain 🙏.

❤️ Big thanks to all that follow and support us and to the customer for letting us take care of his other German Automobile.

👍 Great work Dave as this required such patience and a photographic memory (maybe the odd naughty word too 😅).

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️


Under The Hood Vehicle Services
📍
Blackberry Farm
Blackberry Lane
Ibstock
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

21/05/2025

🔥 Here is a very special car we had in for a few requested jobs by the customer, so let’s get into a bit about this 911 (996) Porsche Carrera 2.

🥵 If your interested in stats then this Porsche 996 has a very capable 315BHP, 3.6L, Flat 6, Naturally Aspirated RWD powerhouse that’s capable of 177mph 🏎️💨.

😎 We carried out a few jobs on this 996 which we were honoured to work on.
Fuel sender seal replacement, coolant temperature sensor replacement and a new ignition switch.

🤯Some of these parts are main dealer only, the ignition switch alone from Porsche was over £200.
A quick phone call to our usual Porsche specialist had the exact same part sent out for a fraction of the cost 🤯.

✅ Once the requested works was completed/checked, the owner came to collect his pride and joy, explained this was his dream car and about his love for the 996.

✅ A very cool owner and a cool car back to enjoying the roads, an absolute joy to carry out such articulate and attentive work on such an iconic car.

💪 This is not the first Porsche we have worked on and most definitely not the last but gives an idea that we cater to nearly all types of vehicles.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

📍Blackberry Farm
Blackberry Lane
Ibstock
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

#911 #996

21/05/2025

🚘 Ford Kuga in for a last minute oil service before the family holiday.

🙏 We managed to fit this family car in for a service last minute as the oil service was due just before their scheduled holiday.

✅ This normally takes around an hour as we never just change the oil but also top up all fluids and do a full in air and on ground vehicle check and report of findings (all inclusive).

😊 The customer requested to wait with the car but as there is a lovely cafe and garden centre close we offered to drop and collect them once the car was ready which they were delighted with (all part of the service).

🚘 Ford recommends a specific oil designed for the wet belts which should be followed along with a quality oil filter which we know too well why.

✅ Once the car was ready we contacted the owner and went to pick them up, handed over a report findings all in time for the school run.

Another happy customer we were glad we could help and make the experience as enjoyable as possible.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

📍Under The Hood Vehicle Services
Blackberry Farm
Blackberry Lane
LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007

14/05/2025

🤔 Did this car pass its MOT test?

👍 Well this customer played it smart, booked their car in for a service which entailed a free thorough inspection and requested an MOT.

✅ Yes indeed it passed its MOT, being in pretty good condition and well maintained, there was no doubt she would sail through her yearly test.

🛠️ After giving this Hyundai Tucson her TLC service and having a fresh MOT, we returned this Hyundai to its owner at their convenience (collect and deliver).

😲 Worried about your car?

🫣 Not sure when it should be serviced or how?

Drop us a message or give us a call and we can advise or get you booked in.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

☎️ 07939 341007

📍 Under The Hood Vehicle Services
Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Lane
Ibstock
LE67 3DH

05/05/2025

🚘 One for the B58 fans here and if your not then this 3 litre, straight 6, twin scroll turbocharged, xdrive 330+ bhp convertible came to us for a few issues.

😲 Fun fact incoming: The new generation Toyota Supra also comes with a B58 engine 💪, now back to the topic.

🤔 This pocket rocket convertible came to us for a ZF8 gearbox service due to holding the gears a little and brake pulsing on moderate braking.

✅ After a test drive confirming the front brakes need attention and the ZF8 gearbox was holding back a little, it was front wheels off and brake service.

✅ We found the disc to have built up a rust lip and pads had collected debris due to the disc.
Both discs cleaned up, pads/pins cleaned and lubricated and built back up.

✅ We then serviced the ZF8 gearbox to spec, checking the temperatures and using the correct ZF8 fluid (If you DIY this, don’t use normal ATF or non ZF oil on these gearboxes as you risk breaking them🥲💸).

✅ New filter and ZF sump casing (comes built in), bolts torqued to spec and following the procedure of the service.

🤔 Another fun fact: BMW themselves say this is a lifetime oil 👎, unfortunately it’s just not true and should be serviced around 60k miles or 6 years, whichever comes first.
BMW won’t pay for a repair if you decide to try the lifetime route (unless under warranty) 🤣.

🤷 If you are unsure if your ZF6/ZF8/9 needs servicing then give us a call or message and we can check for you and provide a very competitive and thorough service.

🩺 Symptoms are usually a slowed gear change, holding or hesitation of gear selection and usually lack of smooth transition into gears.

🛞 After a test drive this convertible was back to insanely rapid, smooth gear changes and responded faultlessly to the different modes along with the brakes being just like new.

☀️ Car handed back over the customer ready for its new owner to enjoy this spirited Convertible Coupe and the lovely sunshine we’ve had recently.

🛠️ Another day on the tools 🛠️

Under The Hood Vehicle Services

📍 Blackberry Ln, Coalville, Ibstock LE67 6DH

☎️ 07939 341007