Dashboard warning lights are essential indicators, alerting you to potential issues within your vehicle’s systems. Knowing what these lights mean can be crucial in preventing further damage and avoiding unexpected breakdowns. In this guide, we’ll cover the most common warning lights and explain what actions you should take when they appear. Engine Warning Light One of the most common indicators, the engine warning light, typically signals an issue with your engine or its emissions system. When it lights up, it’s important to get help as soon as possible.   If the engine warning light is flashing, it can be a sign of a serious problem, and you should stop driving as soon as it’s safe to do so. If you’re on a busy road or motorway, Euroroute Recovery offers expert breakdown rescue to ensure you’re safely off the road and can get the car towing services you need. Battery Alert A battery warning light usually means there’s an issue with the battery charging system. This could indicate a problem with the battery itself, the alternator, or the cables connecting these components.   Check the battery and alternator connections if you’re comfortable doing so, or seek assistance. Continuing to drive could lead to a complete battery failure, leaving you stranded. In such situations, Euroroute Recovery’s vehicle recovery service can provide the assistance needed to transport your vehicle safely to a repair location. Oil Pressure Warning The oil pressure warning light indicates that there may be low oil levels or a lack of oil pressure, both of which can damage the engine.   If this light appears, pull over immediately and check the oil levels. If they’re low, topping up could solve the issue. If the light remains on, you may need breakdown rescue to get your vehicle safely to a mechanic before further damage occurs. Tyre Pressure Monitor Modern vehicles often include a tyre pressure warning light, which signals low or uneven tyre pressure. Keeping your tyres at the correct pressure ensures optimal fuel efficiency and safety.   Check your tyres as soon as possible, as uneven or low pressure can lead to blowouts. If you’re uncertain about tyre pressure adjustments, consider seeking professional help to avoid unnecessary breakdowns on the road. Brake Warning Light The brake warning light could indicate anything from low brake fluid to a more serious issue with your braking system. Since your brakes are crucial for safety, any warning in this area should be addressed without delay.   If this light appears, make sure that your hand brake isn’t on. If it’s not your hand brake, stop driving immediately and contact a vehicle recovery service like Euroroute Recovery to transport your vehicle to a professional for repair, ensuring your brakes are restored to a safe condition. Call Euroroute Recovery for Reliable Breakdown Support Dashboard warning lights are there to keep you safe by alerting you to potential vehicle issues. If you encounter an urgent warning light on the road, don’t ignore it. Euroroute Recovery offers dependable breakdown rescue, car towing, and accident vehicle recovery  across Scotland, ensuring you’re never left stranded.   For more information, please visit the Euroroute Recovery website and learn about our car breakdown recovery services . Alternatively, contact us  today to get back on the road with peace of mind.

A breakdown is an inconvenience that many, if not most drivers worry about, yet is one of those things that is extremely uncommon and often unavoidable. When it comes to motorways, however, this not only turns into an inconvenient situation but a dangerous one. With vehicles driving along the carriageway at an average speed of 70mph, experiencing a car breakdown and becoming stationary makes you incredibly vulnerable. As such, it’s important that you know the correct action to take in such a situation. Read on to see what you should do in the event that you break down on the motorway. Get onto the Hard Shoulder If your car is showing you signs that it’s about to break down - i.e. warning lights on the dashboard, smoke coming from the bonnet or your car not driving properly and starting to slow down - then it’s important that you leave the motorway. If it’s not possible for your car to make it to the nearest service station, then you should instead pull onto the hard shoulder. Use your left indicator and move over to the left lane (if you aren’t in it already) when it’s safe to do so, then pull onto the hard shoulder as far left as you can (leaving enough space to open the passenger door). You should then put your hazard lights on - regardless of whether it’s daytime or nighttime. Locate an Emergency Telephone Once you’re on the hard shoulder, exit your vehicle on the passenger side of your car, staying far away from the carriageway. Make sure you have any essential items with you, such as your mobile phone, a hi-vis vest/jacket, water and any medication you take. If there is a safety barrier and it’s safe to do so, then get behind this for extra protection. You should then locate an emergency telephone. These are located approximately a mile apart along the motorway and are coloured orange. There will be various posts at every 100-metres along the hard shoulder that will show an arrow indicating where the nearest emergency telephone is - follow the direction of these until you reach one. Once you reach the telephone, you will then be connected to the Highways Agency or the police, who you should inform of your situation. They will then give you further advice and assistance based on your circumstances. Wait for Breakdown Rescue After phoning the Highways Agency, return to where your vehicle is located - staying as far away from the carriageway as possible - you can then call us here at Euroroute Recovery for further assistance. Once we’re on the way, then simply sit tight and wait for our help to arrive! We cover all areas of South Scotland, the Borders and the Central Belt and boast an impressive average attendance time of 40 minutes. For car breakdown and recovery services  in Scotland that you can rely on, remember to call us on 03 300 300 100 . Alternatively, get in touch  with us today to learn more about the range of services that we offer.

If you’re a vehicle owner, then you’ll understand the pain and hassle of something going wrong with it - not to mention the associated costs! Prevention is the way to go when it comes to managing vehicle health, with issues being much simpler (and cheaper!) to resolve the earlier they are detected. As such, it’s important that you find a garage that you can trust to offer you the essential services you need to keep your vehicle in running order. But, what exactly are the services a garage can offer you, and how can these benefit you in the long-run? Keep reading to find out. What Does a Garage Do? If you run into an issue with your vehicle, then there are often two options available to you: Take it to a chain car dealership Take it to a local garage Unless you’re required to take it to a dealership (i.e. under the conditions of a lease), the majority of motorists prefer to take theirs to a garage. Garages, as we affectionately refer to them, act as your one-stop shop for automotive repairs. They can offer a range of services from servicing and preventative maintenance to repairs and the replacements of faulty parts. At a garage, your car will be in the care of a fully-trained and knowledgeable mechanic - assuming the garage in question is a reliable one, of course. A large majority of mechanics will not only have the necessary knowledge required to oversee your vehicle, but will have extensive hands-on experience working with vehicles of all kinds, offering you peace of mind that your vehicle is in safe hands. Garage Services: From Car Wheel Alignment to Vehicle Servicing The services that may be offered to you can differ from garage to garage, but you can expect to see the services below from our garages here at Euroroute Recovery. Wheel Alignment There are certain factors that can occur whilst driving that can subsequently have an impact on your car’s wheel alignment. This relates to how the wheels connect to your vehicle, which is otherwise known as suspension. Alignment then, is simply adjusting the angles of suspension to ensure optimal tyre contact with the road. One of the most common issues that can impact alignment is if your wheel experiences some kind of impact whilst driving. For example, if you’re driving and hit a pothole, go too fast over a speed bump or bump into the kerb, this can be enough disturbance to misalign your wheels - even slightly. If you find that your vehicle keeps pulling to one side, your tyres are wearing down rapidly or your steering wheel is crooked when you’re driving straight or feels unresponsive, these are all signs that you could have poor wheel alignment. A garage will be able to assess any issues with your steering and suspension, realigning your wheels so that your vehicle steers properly again. Tyre Changes Tyres, of course, are essential components of your vehicle - if something is wrong with them, then it’s essential to have them checked out for peace of mind that you can continue to drive safely on the road. There are various reasons why you may require a tyre change. One common issue is that they have worn down over time. The legal limit for the tread depth your tyres can have is 1.6mm, any less than this and you may be at more risk of skidding, which could cause a road accident. If your tyres have worn below this depth, then they will need to be replaced. Punctures are another common issue that require a tyre change. Sometimes a puncture is obvious and instant, however other times you may have what’s known as a slow puncture. This is when a sharp object causes a tiny hole in your tyre, resulting in air escaping gradually from it over time. If you notice uneven tyre wear and a change in comfort when driving, this could indicate that you may have a slow puncture. It’s important to take your vehicle into a garage to be seen in such an instance, where they can repair or replace the damaged tyre. The longer you continue to drive on a slow puncture, the more damage that can occur to your vehicle - compromising your safety on the road. Vehicle Servicing & Diagnostics Whilst a vehicle service is not a legal requirement, it’s highly recommended to get between MOTs. It's recommended to have an interim service every six months and a full service every year. This is where a mechanic will carry out a vehicle inspection based on the guidelines provided by your vehicle manufacturer. There are various checks that are carried out during a vehicle service, including but not limited to: Oil check and change Oil filter check and replacement Coolant check and top-up Windscreen wash check and top-up Windscreen wipers check Brake check Exhaust check Battery check Tyre tread and pressure check Steering check Suspension check Light check During a service, the mechanic will also have the opportunity to perform diagnostics. This is where they can identify any issues that are wrong with your vehicle that you otherwise did not know about or where there were no obvious signs of damage, advising you on the next steps to take in order to rectify any identified issues. MOT Testing An MOT test is a legal requirement that all vehicles must undertake every year (other than brand new vehicles, which don’t require their first MOT test until three years after their registration). As a vehicle owner, we’re sure you know this (at least we hope so!). The purpose of an MOT test is to determine whether your vehicle is road safe, or whether it requires work/repairs in order to make it so. An MOT test will look at the following areas of your vehicle: Lights Horn Steering and suspension Windscreen Wipers/washers Brakes Tyres, wheels and TPMS Bonnet Body / vehicle structure Battery and electrical wiring Seats Seat belts / SRS Fuel system Exhaust system and emissions Registration plates When booking your vehicle in for its MOT, it’s important that you do so with an approved provider. All garages that are approved to conduct MOT tests will have the ‘three triangles’ symbol displayed at their stations. There are also different classes of MOT tests, with not all garages being able to provide testing services for every class. Here at Euroroute Recovery, we are equipped to provide class 4, 5 and 7 MOTs, which covers most vehicles under 3,500kg in weight. Benefits of Regular Vehicle Maintenance Checks Enhanced Long-Term Savings Now that you know all the services that a garage could offer you, you may be wondering what the actual benefits are of undertaking such regular vehicle maintenance checks. Well, for one, you’ll save yourself more money in the long run. The worse any issues or damage to your vehicle get, the more expensive they will be to repair. As such, by paying for regular services and maintenance, any issues will be identified and rectified early on, before they get too costly. As such, you will ultimately be saving more money down the line than if you were to avoid regular maintenance and have to pay for costly repairs. By booking your car in with a local garage for said maintenance, there is potential to save even more money; independent garages are known for having better deals on their services compared to the prices offered by dealerships. You can rest assured that, with a reputable garage, you’ll be paying a reasonable price that covers the exact repairs your vehicle needs, rather than being charged for any unnecessary services on top of this. Legal Compliance As well as having your vehicle registered with the DVLA and having a valid MOT certificate, it’s a legal requirement for your vehicle to be roadworthy - if you’re pulled over and it isn’t deemed road worthy, then you could find yourself being faced with a fine and/or points on your licence. This includes (but isn’t limited to) having: Clean mirrors and number plates Working lights Working brakes Enough engine oil Correct tyre depth Booking your vehicle in for regular servicing and maintenance and being proactive when you notice any issues with your vehicle helps ensure each of these factors, keeping you on the right side of the law. Extended Vehicle Lifetime By regularly maintaining your vehicle’s health through the use of garage services, you will be extending your vehicle's lifetime. Regularly changing fluids and filters and checking key components to keep it in smooth and safe running order ultimately helps to keep it running for longer and reduce the likelihood of breakdowns. Maintenance & MOT Booking with Euroroute Recovery Are you looking for a reliable garage that can offer you comprehensive services for your vehicle? If so, then look no further than us here at Euroroute Recovery. Whether you require our garage services and MOT testing or require vehicle recovery, we’ve got you covered. With bases in Dumfries and St. Boswells, we’re a local and friendly garage you can rely on. Get in touch with us today to book your vehicle in to be looked at.