When your car is acting up in any way, you might dread the idea of taking it to a shop, as of course no car owner wants to face a steep repair bill. However, some problems with your car may be cheaper and easier to repair than you might assume; putting off these car repairs can then be a mistake, as they may just get worse and much more expensive over time. Note a few of those surprisingly cheap and easy repairs you might be facing when your car is acting up or breaking down.
The alarm system has gone haywire
If the alarm system of your car is suddenly acting up, perhaps sounding for no reason when the car is parked, suddenly going off while you're driving, or repeatedly locking and then unlocking doors, you may not need the alarm system replaced completely. The computer controlling the alarm may have gotten a virus or bug or is otherwise malfunctioning and simply needs to be reset. You can try to disconnect your car's battery and let it sit for a few hours, as this might reset the computer when you reconnect the battery. Otherwise, an auto electrician may be able to reset the computer itself, and the alarm system may work properly once again.
There's smoke coming out from under the hood
You never want to ignore smoke from your car's engine, as this often means it's overheating; continuing to run the engine, even in neutral, can cause it to seize up entirely. However, not all smoke coming out from under the hood is coming from the engine. If there is an oil leak, that oil could be dripping on to the hot manifold or other exhaust part, and it smokes. A hose may have also come loose from a connector and is rubbing against a hot part, causing it to smoke. Oil may be mixing with gas in the engine and causing it to smoke; this often means the car engine needs new gaskets. These fixes are relatively simple and affordable and much cheaper than replacing the car's engine!
Lack of acceleration
If your car drags when you accelerate, the transmission gears may not be fully engaged. However, a more common problem is that the brake pads are slipping and are causing some drag on a tyre. This happens when you don't change the pads when you should so they get worn down and don't fit the callipers holding them in place. Replacing brake pads is a relatively quick and affordable job and will help to avoid this drag when you accelerate.
Share30 March 2017
My name is Donna, and I love my toys! I have an ATV, a caravan, a boat and a range of other "toys". I find that there is a lot of information online about auto service but not that much about servicing fun types of vehicles. Inspired by the phrase "be the change you want to see in the world", I decided to start a blog full of information that is usually hard to find online. I will write about servicing toys, vintage cars, sports cars and a range of other topics. I hope that you like these posts and that you learn from them. Thanks for reading and enjoy your toys.