Help, Safety & Advice

If the worst happens

Returning to your car from the beach or some other fun holiday activity to find it broken into or damaged is not a pleasant experience. However, before you sink to your knees in despair, remember that many things can be fixed reasonably simply and quickly.

Broken windows

One of the more annoying problems is replacing a smashed window. First, you must sweep up the broken glass - or even better use a car vac if you have one in your boot.

Once you have bought the replacement glass windowpane, the tricky bit is slotting it into the gap where the old one was. To do this it pays to have your car's specific repair manual with you. Firstly, remove the inside door panel. Under the panel you should find a weatherproof plastic sheet, which you need to carefully peel back. Once you have done this, remove the rest of the broken glass if you can see any.

Then take the new windowpane and fit it into the door through the two-inch wide slot at the top. This can be awkward and you may need to undo some of the other bolts in the door panel - again refer to your manual if you have it. Once the window is in place, tighten up the bolts, replace the weather-stripping and plastic sheet, and put the door panel back on.

Damaged lights

If any of your lights or indicators have been damaged, it's as well to tape them up until you get to a garage to buy replacements. At most car supply stores these days you can pick up strong transparent tinted tape that you can use over car lights. It comes in a variety of colours so you can put red tape over brake lights, clear tape over headlights and so on. Of course, ordinary gaffer tape will do at a pinch as well.

Changing a tyre

Even if you don't get broken into, lots of things that can go wrong can be repaired easily without needing to call out Green Flag or visiting a local mechanic.

Changing a tyre after a puncture, for example, is a vital quick fix as you will not travel very far on three wheels.

If you are driving when the puncture happens, come to a stop on a firm, flat surface. Dig out the spare wheel, the jack and the wheel wrench, which will all - hopefully - be under the floor of the boot, under the car itself, or on the back door.

If you can't find a spare wheel your car should instead be equipped with inflating mousse that can be squirted into the tyre through the valve. This is only a temporary solution to get you home or to a garage, and you should still get the tyre changed as soon as possible.

To remove the old tyre, loosen the wheel nuts with the wrench, but don't remove them. If you can't see the wheel nuts, you may have to first prise off a wheel cover. Then, check that the handbrake is firmly on and put the car into first gear. Find the jacking point by looking in your car's manual, and use the jack to raise the car so that the wheel is just off the ground.

Now fully remove the wheel nuts and take off the wheel. Lift the spare wheel onto the wheel hub, line up the holes and screw in the nuts. Once the wheel is secure, lower the jack fully and use the wrench to tighten the wheel nuts a bit more.

Electric windows

It can also be a pain if you have electric windows and they stop working, especially if your car has no air conditioning and you are in a hot country. While a broken electric window may require expert attention, check first that the fuse hasn't simply blown. Most fuse boxes are under the dashboard. You'll be able to tell the blown fuse as the metallic strip in the centre will be broken. If it has blown, simply replace it with a new compatible fuse from a hardware shop.

Remember, Green Flag can rescue you if the worst happens. However, you can save yourself some time with a few quick fixes, especially if you have brought your car's repair manual with you.