Signs that something is wrong with your car (and you need to have it fixed!)
Every day, we get inside our cars, start the engine and begin our journeys to wherever for whatever reason. We tend to take our cars and their maintenance for granted at times, especially when in the hustle and bustle of modern living and the higher cost of living. In our desire to stretch our budgets, we often scrimp on car maintenance which is one of the easiest and most obvious ways to save. However, car safety and reliability should not be trivialized at all. We need to be sensitive to the needs of our vehicles because in the worst case, it can break down, leave us stranded in the middle of nowhere at an ungodly hour, or even figure in an accident. Here are a few things to look out for in your car. If you notice them, immediately have it checked at a shop and book it in for that possibly long-delayed service.
1.) Hard Starting. When your engine keeps cranking upon start-up but doesn’t want to turn over completely. It could be as simple as a weak battery, to poor wiring to your sensors or bad sensors themselves, to something more serious as a dying fuel pump or ignition coil/s or worse, a hydro-locked engine. It may start now, but it may die on the road, or fail to start later, leaving you stranded.
2.) Squeaking brakes. A sign that your brake pads are completely gone and it’s the metal backing plate that’s scraping against the brake disc. Or just as bad, fine debris is stuck between the brake pad and brake rotors/discs which will damage both in the long run and prevent full braking power. Don’t even think twice, bring it to the shop as soon as possible.
3.) Inconsistent / mushy brake pedal. Dangerous as this could mean air in the brake lines, to spoiled brake fluid as these are hygroscopic (absorbs moisture over time and when subjected to continuous heat cycling) or a leak in the brake lines. Again, any of these conditions will prevent full braking force in the event of an emergency. Brake fluid should be a clear golden-colored fluid. If it looks like soy sauce or fish sauce (patis), you need to have it completely flushed and replaced. This needs immediate professional attention.
4.) Wooly steering feel. If your steering wheel feels weird and wooly and pulls to one side especially under braking or acceleration, something is wrong with your steering components. The harder and stronger the pulling sensation, the more serious the damage can be, and the greater the danger you can be faced with. It could be a simple tire pressure imbalance to wheel alignment issues or worse, damaged steering, suspension and even driveline components. A gas station is the first stop to pump up the tires and make sure they are within spec. If the problem persists, bring it to a wheel alignment shop to check the alignment and inspect for damage. If those are fine, it could be a driveline damage, like worn out wheel bearings in the hubs.
5.) You keep adding water/coolant to the radiator or coolant reservoir. Your cooling system is a sealed system and should not be constantly losing its contents. If you need to keep adding water or coolant, it could mean a number of things, from a leak somewhere in your cooling system, to the reservoir spitting out coolant excessively after engine’s been shut-off (a sign that there’s potential overheating continuously occurring with your engine) to a warped mating surface between the cylinder head and the block. The last issue could also mean a damaged head gasket or head bolts / studs in your engine which is causing coolant to seep slightly into the combustion chamber and thus get burned off. Best get it checked before you overheat or cause more serious engine damage.
6.) Smokey exhaust pipe. Smoke from the exhaust even after the engine reaches normal operating condition means something is very wrong. Black thick smoke means your car is not combusting the fuel fully and completely. This could be due to faulty sparkplugs or ignition coil/s, a damaged oxygen sensor/s or a vacuum leak. White smoke means your engine is burning coolant because the coolant from the cooling galleys are leaking into the combustion chamber, or if it’s bluish smoke then that means your engine is burning oil. Book your car into the shop and get it diagnosed and repaired ASAP to prevent more serious damage.
Remember, car ownership is also a responsibility. We are responsible to keep them in a safe condition and drive them safely, avoiding potential accidents that can cause traffic and endanger the lives of others. Proper care and maintenance will see many long years of enjoyable and reliable use out of your car.