About CarSpareFinder

A parts finding service that became a reference library.

CarSpareFinder started out as a way of getting used car part quotes from breakers and salvage yards. That service no longer runs, and you cannot request quotes through the site any more.

What was worth keeping was the writing. Alongside the quoting service, the site published a long run of technical articles explaining how the various systems on a motor vehicle actually work, and what routine servicing involves — written from a vehicle engineering background rather than copied from a manual. Those articles are what the site is now.

How to use it

From The Road Up works through the car system by system: the bodyshell, both engine types, fuel and ignition, the clutch, gearbox and final drive, brakes, suspension, steering, tyres and the electrical system. Read it in order, or go straight to the part you need.

Keep It Going covers servicing — weekly checks, the engine bay service, the interim service and the full major service — so you know what you are paying a garage for, or what to do yourself.

A word on your own vehicle

These guides explain principles, not procedures for one specific car. Every manufacturer does things slightly differently, and your own vehicle may well differ from the general case described here. Always check your handbook or a proper workshop manual for your model, and if you are in any doubt about work on brakes, steering or suspension, use a qualified garage.

Where we are

CarSpareFinder is run from TS17, Teesside.

Related sites

If you are after a step-by-step repair guide for a particular make and model, that lives on our sister site carsparefinder.co.uk.