Car smell removal gets much easier once you pay attention to when the odour appears and where it's strongest. A sour smell might come from milk under the carpet, while a musty odour that arrives with the blowers points towards the ventilation system. Covering either with fragrance only buys you a bit of time. This guide follows the order we'd tackle the job in the workshop. It shows you where to check first and how to clean each cabin material without damaging it. You'll also know when the sm …

Stand at a parts counter long enough and you'll hear the same argument play out. One camp swears by genuine VW parts and won't touch anything else. The other reckons you're paying over the odds for a badge on the box. Both sides have their own point, which is exactly why this question deserves more than a shrug. We've spent over three decades fitting and testing VAG parts of every description, so we're not coming at this cold. Our stance is straightforward: for safety-critical components like …

If you’ve ever parked your VW under petrol-station lights and noticed fine rings across the bonnet, you’ve seen the swirl marks car owners often miss in normal daylight. They’re easiest to spot on dark paint, although any colour can develop them when grit is dragged across the surface during washing or drying.  This guide explains how to remove swirl marks from car paint without reaching straight for the strongest compound in the garage. It covers the checks to mak …