AlcoMoto - Bespoke Vehicle Solutions - Waterlooville

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AlcoMoto - Bespoke Vehicle Solutions - Waterlooville The South’s Premier GO TO Performance, Prestige, Diagnostics, V.A.G, Security, EV & Hybrid Specialist
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- General repairs & maintenance
- Hybrid and electric vehicle maintenance
- Minor, Intermediate & Major Servicing
- Diagnostics & fault finding
- Air conditioning repairs & servicing
- Wiring repairs
- MOTs
- Welding
- Performance enhancements
- Fleet servicing and management

10/10/2026

🤔 Ever wondered why your DPF warning light can stay on even after a regeneration?

A DPF regeneration burns off accumulated soot, but it doesn’t necessarily remove everything trapped inside the filter. Over time, ash and other deposits can build up, restricting the filter and affecting how well it works.

This is where our specialist DPF cleaning machine comes in. 👀

At Alcomoto, we can remove the DPF and put it through our dedicated cleaning process, helping to clear the stubborn build up that a normal regeneration cannot remove.

Our machine is designed to clean the filter thoroughly, with filtration down to around 3 microns, helping restore its ability to trap fine particles and allow exhaust gases to flow through more freely.

The result? A cleaner DPF that can perform much closer to how it should, without automatically jumping straight to the cost of a replacement.

Of course, if your DPF warning light keeps coming back, it’s important to diagnose the underlying cause too. Issues with sensors, the engine or the regeneration process can all contribute to recurring problems.

That’s why we believe in proper diagnostics, not just clearing the warning light and hoping for the best. 🔧

Having DPF trouble? Get in touch with Alcomoto and let us help you find the right solution.

08/10/2026

🤔 Do you really need to service your car if you only drive a couple of thousand miles a year?

This Toyota came into us with an issue relating to the VVT valve, and after carrying out some investigation, Alex discovered something rather important.

The owner hadn’t had the car serviced for a couple of years because it only covers a few thousand miles each year.

Unfortunately, low mileage doesn’t mean your car doesn’t need maintaining.

The lack of regular oil changes had started to have an effect on the engine, with contamination affecting the VVT system and ultimately stopping the VVT valve from operating as it should.

This is exactly why manufacturers recommend servicing based on time or mileage, whichever comes first.

Even if you barely use your car, the oil and other fluids still age and can become contaminated over time.

Alex has been working through the diagnostics to make sure we properly understand what has caused the issue rather than simply throwing a new valve at the car and hoping it fixes the problem.

Because replacing a part might solve the immediate fault, but if the underlying cause is still there, you could quickly end up with the same problem again.

Regular maintenance might feel like an unnecessary expense when you barely drive your car, but as this Toyota shows, neglecting it can end up costing considerably more in the long run.

Look after your car, even when you aren’t using it very often. 🔧

05/10/2026

AdBlue Nightmare on an Audi-
Solved in a Flash!
This Audi came in with a serious AdBlue issue—a total blue nightmare! Luckily, Alex quickly diagnosed the fault and carried out a simple fix, turning potential disaster into smooth performance i sunove Watch as he explains how to tackle AdBlue system problems like a pro and keep your car running at its best.

01/10/2026

🤔 Can you believe this brand new Ford Transit doesn’t come with self locking doors?

This Transit came into us brand new, and Alex discovered something rather strange.

The vehicle had a self unlocking function, but didn’t have the automatic self locking feature enabled.

So rather than fitting anything or changing any hardware, Alex went into the vehicle’s software and found the hidden settings needed to activate the function.

After some coding and programming, the Transit now has its self locking feature working exactly as it should. 🔒

It’s pretty crazy to think that this new Transit shares its platform with the latest Volkswagen Transporter, yet features like this can still vary depending on how the vehicle has been configured.

It really shows how much of a modern vehicle is controlled through software these days.

But it does make you wonder…

Should features like automatic self locking come as standard on every new vehicle?

And why do you think Ford chose not to enable it on this one from the factory? 👀

Let us know what you think!

27/09/2026

🤔 Did you know there’s a limit on how often you can use your seatbelt?

Okay, not quite! 😂 But there is actually more going on inside a modern seatbelt system than you might think.

This Volkswagen ID came into us with an issue relating to its seatbelt pretensioner.

The pretensioner is designed to tighten the seatbelt when the vehicle detects a significant braking event or impact, helping to keep the occupant securely positioned.

This particular Volkswagen is used as a learner vehicle, so the pretensioner is likely being activated far more frequently than it would be in a normal car.

What we didn’t realise until looking into this system is that the pretensioner has a programmed activation limit. Once it has been triggered a certain number of times, the unit needs to be replaced.

So this wasn’t simply a case of fitting a new seatbelt unit and sending the car on its way.

The replacement unit also needed to be correctly coded and calibrated to the vehicle before everything could be put back into service.

It might seem like a lot of technology for something as simple as a seatbelt, but modern vehicles are packed with safety systems that all need to communicate correctly.

This is just a little behind the scenes look at another job that comes through the doors at Alcomoto. 👀

21/09/2026

🤔 How do you prove whether a headlight fault is actually the headlight, or a problem with the car?

Welcome back to Part 2 of our Mercedes E63 diagnostic series, and this time Alex has managed to narrow down exactly where the problem is.

After finding that the DRL module still wasn’t working, Alex swapped the headlight over to the opposite side of the car.

This is a really useful diagnostic test because it allows us to rule out the vehicle wiring and confirm whether the fault is actually within the headlight itself.

Once swapped over, the fault followed the headlight.

So we now know that the headlight and its module are faulty. 👀

The customer originally supplied the headlight and asked us to programme it, so at that point our job was simply to carry out the programming. Once further diagnostic work was requested, Alex was able to establish exactly where the fault was coming from.

We’ll now look at sourcing another module and potentially the complete headlight assembly, especially given the amount of damage this headlight has sustained.

But that wasn’t the only problem we uncovered.

During the vehicle health check, we also found that the oil cooler is leaking and has clearly been leaking for some time. It has also sustained a significant dent.

This could well explain why the engine oil level was found to be so low in Part 1.

Another great example of why proper diagnostics and a thorough vehicle health check can uncover problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.

20/09/2026

🤔 What would you check if a replacement headlight still wasn’t working after being coded?

We’ve got another two part diagnostic series for you, and this time it’s a Mercedes E63 that came into us with a faulty headlight module.

The owner had already replaced the headlight and was told that it would require coding, so Alex got to work getting everything programmed correctly.

However, once the coding was completed, the DRL module was still not working.

That immediately raised another question. Is the control module itself faulty, or could we be dealing with an underlying wiring fault?

Rather than simply replacing more parts and hoping for the best, Alex is going to investigate further and work out exactly where the problem is coming from.

But that wasn’t the only thing Alex spotted during the vehicle health check. 👀

The E63 was also running extremely low on engine oil, with the oil level sitting right down at the bottom of the dipstick.

That is something we certainly wouldn’t want to ignore, especially on a performance car like this.

So that’s Part 1 done. We’ve got the headlight problem, a possible module or wiring issue, and an engine that desperately needed its oil level checking.

👀 Stay tuned for Part 2, where Alex gets further into the headlight fault and we start to work out what is actually going on.

🤔 How cool is it to see a Mitsubishi Evo 8 like this still coming through the workshop?We absolutely love seeing perform...
16/09/2026

🤔 How cool is it to see a Mitsubishi Evo 8 like this still coming through the workshop?

We absolutely love seeing performance cars come through Alcomoto, and this Evo 8 is a seriously cool example. 🔥

This particular build has been fitted with loads of Mitsubishi Ralliart parts, giving it that proper rally inspired look and making it a really interesting car to see up close.

It came into us for some diagnostic work, so while Alex was getting stuck into that, we had to take a moment to appreciate the build!

From the Ralliart parts to all the little details, there is plenty to check out on this one. 👀

We work on everything from everyday vehicles to some seriously special performance cars, so it is always great to see something like this come through the doors.

Have a look through the pictures and check out this awesome Evo 8! 🇯🇵🔥

13/09/2026

🤔 Could a huge amount of carbon build up be the reason this Volkswagen GTI is running so badly?

Welcome back to Part 2 of our GTI diagnostic mini series, and this time Alex has uncovered something pretty worrying.

Once we got further into the investigation, we found a massive amount of carbon build up around the valve stems, valve seats and behind the valves.

With this much carbon build up present, it can affect the way the valves are able to operate and potentially disrupt the correct flow of air into the engine, which could contribute to the poor running and rich mixture we were seeing.

We also spotted a small amount of pitting, but with so much carbon build up covering the area, it was difficult to determine whether there was any underlying damage or whether what we were seeing was simply carbon.

So rather than immediately throwing parts at the car, we are going to clean everything properly first.

Once the carbon has been removed, we can inspect everything again and determine whether there is any genuine damage that needs addressing.

Hopefully, this GTI simply needs a really good clean and we can get to the bottom of the original running issue without having to go any further. 🤞

This is exactly why proper diagnostics matter. Sometimes you need to clean away the evidence before you can see the real problem underneath.

12/09/2026

🤔 Why would a Volkswagen GTI run perfectly when cold, but completely fall apart once the engine gets hot?

This GTI came into us with a rather strange running issue. When the engine was cold, it would run absolutely fine, but as soon as it reached operating temperature, things changed dramatically.

The engine would start spluttering, backfiring and running incredibly poorly. You could also see and smell that the engine was running extremely rich.

So Alex got straight to work with the diagnostics to find out exactly what was going on.

In Part 1, we start by checking the injectors and seeing whether any of them are leaking when they shouldn’t be.

But this is only the beginning of the investigation…

👀 In Part 2, we uncover some more worrying findings and reach a conclusion on what we think needs to be tackled first before going any further.

This one turned into a really interesting little diagnostic series, so make sure you watch Part 1 and stay tuned for Part 2!

Address

41 Aston Road
Waterlooville
PO77XG

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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