The Car Scene

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about using The Car Scene.

Getting Started

Is The Car Scene free to use?

Yes. Creating an account, building your garage, logging modifications, and browsing the marketplace are all free. Pro membership adds extras like weekly boost credits for your listings, and a small listing fee applies when you post a car or part for sale.

How do I add my car to The Car Scene?

Go to Garage, then Add a Vehicle, and enter your registration or details manually. Once added, you can upload photos, log modifications, and track maintenance, all on one build page.

What is a build timeline?

A build timeline is the running history of every modification you've logged against a vehicle, in the order you made them, each with photos, cost, and category. It's the core of a garage profile on The Car Scene, letting other members (and future buyers) see exactly what's been done to a car.

Marketplace

How do I list a car or part for sale?

From Sell, choose Car or Part, add your listing details and photos, then pay the one-off listing fee to publish. Cars listed for sale must first exist in your Garage, so buyers can see the full build history behind the price.

What does a Premium listing get you?

A Premium (Spotlight) listing is boosted to the top of search and browse results for a set period, getting it seen by more buyers. Pro members get a boost credit every week; anyone can also buy a one-off boost per listing.

How does the Wanted (WTB) board work?

If you can't find the part you need, post a free Wanted ad describing it, and sellers with a matching part get notified automatically. It's the reverse of a normal listing: you're the one asking, not selling.

How do seller ratings work?

After a sale, buyer and seller can rate each other, and that rating shows on their profile for future transactions. It's a simple trust signal for a marketplace where cars and parts change hands between individuals.

How do I contact a seller?

Every listing has a message button that opens a direct conversation with the seller inside The Car Scene, so you never need to share personal contact details to ask a question or arrange a viewing.

Vehicle History

How do I check a car's modification history before buying?

Search the registration on our Vehicle History Lookup page, and if the car has ever been listed or built on The Car Scene, you'll see its logged modifications and any community-reported accident history. It's aimed at helping a buyer research a specific car they're considering, not a general public lookup tool.

Tuner & Garage Directory

What is the Tuner & Garage Directory?

It's a directory of UK garages, tuners, and performance specialists, searchable by location and specialism, each with its own profile page, reviews, and contact details. Businesses can also showcase builds they've worked on directly from a customer's garage profile.

My garage or tuning business is listed, but I don't own the profile. How do I claim it?

Open the business's profile page and click Claim This Business, then verify you're the owner. Once approved, you get full control to edit the listing, upload photos, and reply to reviews.

How do reviews work for garages and tuners?

Customers can leave a rating and review on any business profile, and the business owner can post a public reply, but they can't remove or pre-approve reviews before they go live. Reviews are moderated reactively by our team, not gatekept by the business itself.

Community

What are Points and Levels?

You earn points for activity like adding a vehicle, logging modifications, and getting reactions on your build, and your total points determine your level, from Newcomer up to Legend. It's a simple way to recognise active, established members of the community.

What are Expert Badges?

An Expert Badge is a specialist tag (for example, "BMW Specialist") awarded by our admin team to members who've shown real depth of knowledge in a particular area, shown next to their name across the site.

What is the Common Faults database?

It's a searchable, community-built library of known issues for specific makes and models, each with how to identify the problem and what it typically costs to fix. Anyone can submit a fault they've experienced, and it goes live once approved.

How do Events & Meets work?

Browse or create meets, track days, and shows on the Events calendar, then RSVP to let organisers and other members know you're going. Track day events also support lap time submissions and post-event photo galleries.

Account & Membership

What's included in Pro membership?

Pro membership includes a weekly boost credit for your marketplace listings, plus other account perks, on a monthly or annual subscription with a 7-day free trial. You can cancel any time from Settings.

Can I change my notification preferences?

Yes, go to Settings to control which email notifications you receive, for things like new followers, messages, and listing activity. In-app notifications and web push (where enabled) are managed separately from the same page.