A warning light on the dashboard is a symptom. On a modern lorry, coach or van, the same light can be triggered by a sensor, a wiring fault, a control unit or a genuine mechanical problem, and the code stored in the system only narrows it down. Our job is to find which one it is before anything gets replaced, because parts fitted on a hunch cost money and very often leave the fault where it was.
When the light comes on near Long Eaton
The roads around the town do not leave much room for a struggling vehicle. The A50 has no hard shoulders, junction 25 of the M1 is a busy interchange, and the A52 Brian Clough Way carries heavy traffic between Derby and Nottingham. If a vehicle goes into limp mode on any of them, leave at the next junction if that can be done safely, or stop where it is safe, and ring 01332 916028. A derate is the engine protecting itself, and pushing on can turn a small fault into a large one.
What we trace
Engine faults and derates, emissions and AdBlue problems, charging, wiring and lighting faults, no-starts and fuel contamination, air and brake warnings, clutch and gearbox symptoms and overheating all come our way. Because our technicians carry diagnostic equipment, many of these are found and fixed where the vehicle has stopped, whether that is a lay-by off the A52 or a yard in town. When a fault needs more time or a vehicle on lifts, it comes to our workshop at Calke Mill Farm in Melbourne.
Short hops and emissions systems
With Nottingham about 6 miles away and Derby about 9, a vehicle working out of Long Eaton can spend a whole day on short journeys without ever settling into a long run. Short-trip work rarely lets exhaust after-treatment run as it should, and faults in the AdBlue system, its sensors or its dosing can pull power without much notice. Clearing the code buys time at best. We look for what set it off.
Faults that won't show themselves
Intermittent faults need patience. Before we start testing, tell us when the fault appears, whether it is constant or comes and goes, whether the vehicle was hot or cold, loaded or empty, and whether anything changed recently such as a refuel, a repair or a different trailer. A dashboard photo taken while the light is on can save a lot of time.
What you get afterwards
A plain account of what failed, why, what we did about it and whether anything else needs attention. If a repair is only meant to get the vehicle home, you are told that before the technician leaves.
Ring 01332 916028 to arrange a diagnostic visit or a workshop slot. The line is answered at any hour for faults that have stranded a vehicle.
