If you’re not a mechanic, then it’s important that you know what your car’s warning signals are. You need to know what to look and listen out for, it might be your car silently screaming for a service without actually breaking down on you.
The earlier you are aware that something is wrong with your car, the earlier you can take it in to be fixed and save yourself from a possible accident or unwanted breakdown in the middle of nowhere. If you’ve been driving your car for a long time, then you can probably tell when something doesn’t feel or sound how it normally does.
But for those who are completely oblivious to what their car is doing because they’re 100% focused on the road, this article can help you notice when your car is doing anything it’s not supposed to. Because, no, your car isn’t meant to make those whistling, squealing, grinding or popping noises.
Lights
Your main warning that something’s up are the light up, well, warning signals on your dashboard. A few of the different warning lights that should grab your attention are:
- Brake system: Usually this light will come on when your handbrake is still up. But, should this light come on while you’re driving, it’s an indicator that there could be something wrong with the braking system. Seeing as you need your brakes to stick to the rules of the road and stop yourself from bumping into anyone, you should really take this warning seriously and make a plan to have them checked out as soon as possible.
- Airbag: People should get a little bit nervous when their airbag light goes on. There could either be something wrong with the airbag itself, meaning it won’t be released when there is high-impact, or it could mean that the airbag system is faulty and could go off at any given time. This would be highly inconvenient while driving and could easily lead to an accident.
- Engine: When your engine light comes on, you need to act fast. Your car may have a “safe mode” that kicks in so you can keep driving, but that’s usually just a means of getting you to the car dealership or service station to have it booked in and sorted out. But an engine warning light is generally accompanied by other physical signs you, most definitely, would notice.
- Coolant: You don’t need your engine or car to overheat, so you should keep tabs on your coolant level. If the light comes on, head to your nearest petrol station and add some coolant to prevent possible engine damage or breakdown.
- Oil: Your engine needs oil to operate smoothly and keep the engine lubricated. Without it, you risk damaging your engine, which can be an extremely costly element to fix or replace. It’s as simple as having your oil and water checked whenever you fill up with petrol or at least once a month.
- Battery: Your battery warning light will illuminate if there are any problems with your car battery or connected elements. It could signal that something is wrong with your alternator, battery connection, cabling or, simply, something wrong with the battery itself. And unless you plan on getting stuck somewhere if your battery dies, you should take your battery in to get tested and changed if necessary.
If these lights are illuminated, but you don’t notice any signs of fault and the mechanics can’t find the problem, the chances are there is an auto-electric issue that just needs to be taken care of. But also, remember, warning lights aren’t the only warning signals to look out for.
Smoke
It can be quite the scary moment when you’re driving along and then, all of a sudden, all you see in your rearview mirror is a cloud of smoke (which you hope isn’t coming from your car but, unfortunately, it is). There are three different colours of smoke for you to look out for:
- White: A small white cloud of smoke that appears when you start your car on a chilly early morning isn’t anything to worry about too much. But when it is thick and blowing out in high-volumes, then you need to start worrying. This can be a sign of overheating and a problem with the gasket (which you really don’t want to damage). It indicates that the coolant and oil separation system (the gasket’s function) could be compromised. Your best advice is to head to the service station as soon as possible.
- Black: You’d think there’d be more to worry about when dark, black smoke starts emitting from your exhaust pipe, but it’s usually just an indicator that the air to petrol ratio is off and there’s an issue with the fuel pipe. The most it will do is increase your fuel consumption and limit the air flowing to the cylinders. Best to have it seen to in any case.
- Blue: Unlike black smoke, which is a result of an air and fuel mixture, blue smoke is the result of air, fuel and oil mixing in the cylinders. It happens when there is a leak due to a damaged valve and will lead to your car losing power. As a general rule of thumb, when there’s smoke coming out of your exhaust, don’t try to ignore it, just take your car in and have it sorted out.
Even if there aren’t immediate threats to your car’s functioning, if you leave smokey conditions to keep going, you’ll damage your car in the long term and it will end up costing you a lot more than if you took it in when you first noticed it.
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair – Essential to Road Safety! https://t.co/iBqL4fp7GE #ArriveAlive pic.twitter.com/hu4vOAog4S
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) November 29, 2015