Car guides: warning lights, maintenance and paperwork

Dashboard warning lights, service intervals, inspections, accidents, buying and selling: clear guides to keep your car in shape.

Free maintenance calculatorOil change, timing belt, brake pads, battery, inspection: your next due date in 10 seconds.Cost per kilometre calculatorFuel, insurance, maintenance, loss of value: what your car really costs you.

Dashboard warning lights

Dashboard warning lights: what each color means and what to do

Red, amber, green, blue: car warning light colors explained plainly, the lights that mean stop right now, and the ones that can wait for the garage.

Orange engine light: can you keep driving?

What the amber check engine light means, the difference between steady and flashing, how far you can reasonably drive, and what it usually costs to diagnose.

Red or amber oil warning light: what to do right now

Red oil light on, flashing, or coming on and off: what it means, why you should switch the engine off, and how it differs from the amber oil level light.

Coolant temperature light: red, blue, flashing, what to do

Red, blue or flashing temperature light: what it means, why you must never open the reservoir when hot, and what makes an engine overheat.

Brake warning light on (exclamation mark): parking brake, fluid or pads?

The red exclamation mark in a circle: the three possible causes, the one-minute test that tells them apart, and when you really must not drive.

Battery light on while driving: the real cause, and how long you have

A red battery light that comes on while driving almost always means a charging problem, not the battery itself. What to do, and what waiting costs.

ABS light on: can you still drive, and will it pass inspection?

Amber ABS light on its own, with the traction control light, or with the red brake light: what it changes when braking, the most common causes, and what inspections say.

Airbag light on: the real risk, the causes, and inspections

Airbag light on or flashing: why the airbags may not deploy, the most common causes (often under a seat), and how inspections treat it.

DPF light on: regenerate the particulate filter or go to the garage?

Diesel particulate filter light on, with or without loss of power: how regeneration works, the drive that triggers it, and when it's no longer enough.

Glow plug light flashing: what your diesel is trying to tell you

Glow plug light steady at startup, flashing while driving or staying on: the difference between normal operation and an engine fault, and what to do.

Tire pressure light: why it stays on and how to reset it

Amber tire pressure light steady or flashing: what it means, how to inflate properly, and why you often need to reset it afterwards.

Maintenance

Oil change intervals: how many kilometres between services?

How often a petrol, diesel or hybrid engine really needs an oil change, why the manufacturer's figure is the one that counts, and how to stop guessing.

Timing belt: when to replace it, and what it costs

Timing belt intervals in kilometres and years, why age matters on a car that barely moves, what the job costs in 2026, and the warning signs worth acting on.

Brake pads: when to replace them (signs, mileage and discs)

At what mileage to replace brake pads, the noises and feelings that don't lie, minimum thickness, and when the discs need replacing too.

Brake fluid: when to change it, and why almost everyone forgets

Why brake fluid ages even when the car isn't driven, the most common replacement interval, signs of tired fluid, and the difference between topping up and bleeding.

When to replace your tires: legal wear, age, and the signs that don't lie

The 1.6 mm legal limit, the recommended threshold well before it, a tire's maximum age and how to read its manufacturing date, and the wear signs to watch.

Car battery lifespan: how long it lasts, and how to make it last longer

How long a car battery lasts, the signs it's weakening, how to test it with a voltmeter, and the habits that kill it faster.

Winter car checklist: tyres, battery, coolant, and the mountain-area rules

What to check before winter, and the French winter-equipment rule in force every year from 1 November to 31 March in 34 mountain départements.

Car health score: how it's calculated, and why it sometimes shows nothing

How a health score out of 100 is built from part wear, warning lights and faults, why a part you never logged isn't counted, and when a score should stay silent.

Strange engine noise: how to describe (and record) it so your mechanic can find it

Squeal, hum, tick or knock: the questions that narrow down a noise, what belts, alternator and wheel bearings tend to sound like, and how to record it for the garage.

Paperwork and the unexpected

French roadworthiness test 2026: what actually changes

The confirmed change to France's contrôle technique on 1 January 2026, the Takata airbag recall rule, what did not change, and how to prepare so you pass first time.

European accident statement: how to fill it in without losing your claim

What to write on a constat amiable, the mistakes that cost claimants money, the five working day deadline, and the photos worth taking before the cars move.

Lost your service book? How to rebuild the history

What a missing service book costs you at resale, how to reconstruct the record from garages and invoices, and why a digital log is now the practical replacement.

Car documents you must carry in France in 2026 (and what to keep at home)

Which papers you must show at a roadside check in France, what changed for the insurance certificate in April 2024, the fines, and how to keep the rest safe.

Car expense reports: how to log business trips and what to keep for the tax office

How to keep clean records of fuel, tolls, parking and mileage for work trips, what French tax rules say about actual expenses, and how long to keep receipts.