Breakdown Problem
Engine Overheating — Why You Should Stop Immediately
Overheating is the breakdown where carrying on for another few miles turns a hose into a head gasket, and a head gasket into an engine. If the gauge is in the red or there's steam from under the bonnet, the cheapest thing you can do is pull over and stop the engine.
What you're likely seeing
- Temperature gauge climbing past its normal position or into the red
- Steam or a sweet smell from under the bonnet
- Heater blowing cold when the engine is hot — classic sign of low coolant
- Coolant warning light, or a puddle of pink, blue or green fluid under the car
- Loss of power and rough running as the engine protects itself
Do this before anything else
- 1Never open the expansion tank cap on a hot engine. The system is pressurised and the scald risk is severe.
- 2Switch the engine off, but leave the ignition on if the car has an electric cooling fan that keeps running.
- 3Turning the cabin heater to full hot and the fan to maximum pulls heat out of the engine while you find somewhere to stop.
On a motorway or dual carriageway, ring 999 and ask for National Highways before you call any recovery company. Motorway breakdown advice →
How we move the vehicle
Overheated vehicles go on the flatbed, not on a tow. We don't top up and send you on your way, because a car that has lost its coolant has lost it somewhere and the same thing will happen again in twenty minutes. We take it to your garage so the leak can be found properly.
What it costs
This is a standard recovery to your chosen destination, priced on distance and quoted before dispatch. If you'd rather it went to your home than a garage because it's the weekend, that's fine — same job, same price basis.
Full recovery cost guideQuestions we get asked
The service you probably need
Other problems we're called to
Tell us what the car is doing
Describe the fault on the phone and we'll tell you honestly whether this is a roadside fix or a recovery — and what it will cost — before a driver leaves.