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If your car is fitted with generator and oil pressure indicator lights, check the lamp bulbs by noting whether they light when you switch on the ignition. If one should fail to light, you'll know that either the bulb or the sender unit is not working.

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You can cover worn interior panels - especially those under the dash - with pieces of embossed aluminium. Just lever off the old panel and using it as a pattern, cut the aluminium it as a pattern, cut the alum-inium to fit, but allow enough extra on all sides to bend over the old panel.

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If you are having trouble with hard starting or a low charging rate, disconnect the high tension wire from the coil so that the engine won't start and get someone to press the starter switch while you listen carefully at the battery. If there is a sizzling noise, corrosion is causing a bad contact. Cure is to clean the terminal and clamp and tighten securely. If smoke appears from one of the cells it's a bad sign. A battery doctor could replace the cell but usually replacement of the whole battery is best.

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You can prevent damage to the alternator on your car by fitting an on-off switch to disconnect the battery from the alternator and the voltage regulator. When recharging the battery, open the switch to save the rectifier diodes.

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A Cracked or burned distributor cap can be repaired with sealing wax until a replacement can be obtained. Hold the wax so that it can drip into the damaged area and melt it with the flame from a match. But make sure the surface of the cap is clean and dry before you apply the wax.

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In a real emergency you can use water instead of brake fluid in the hydraulic braking system but make sure the system is drained and thoroughly flushed out as soon as posible afterwards.