Warning Signs that Your Car Needs Service

Warning Signs that Your Car Needs Service

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By safely driving your vehicle and performing routine maintenance on it, you may feel that you it could drive forever. But do you really know how healthy your vehicle is at any given time? Are you financially prepared for the costs of repairs that aren’t covered by insurance? If you experience any of these warning signs, it is important to contact the mechanics at your local Milex Complete Auto Care and get them inspected. Otherwise, you might be in for some unexpected surprises.

Bad Vibrations

If you’re driving and start to feel vibrations, that is an immediate reason for concern. Vibrations can signify multiple issues with your vehicle, including unbalanced or flat tires, worn brake bads, a failing engine joint, or a lack of oil, resulting in metal engine components scraping against one another. The vibrations might only be felt in the steering column, or could be felt throughout the entire vehicle. If your car begins to vibrate, it won’t be long before you need to get it checked.

Similar to vibrations, a “knocking” sound almost always indicates the need for an abrupt vehicle check-up. If you hear a knocking sound, there’s a chance that you're dangerously low on engine oil, as the sound comes from the engine’s components striking each other. While it may be possible to just add oil to fix this problem, there is a chance that your engine might need to be rebuilt entirely.

The Check Engine Light Comes On

The vehicle indicators on your dashboard aren’t just there to look attractive, and instead can alert you when there are problems with your vehicle. A “catch all” for these indicators is the “Check Engine” light. Rather than just the engine, this light can represent any number of systems that are operated by a vehicle’s inner workings. If your check engine light comes on and stays illuminated, it is a sign that you need to get your engine checked. If the light comes on and is blinking, you need to get your vehicle checked immediately because a blinking light indicates a serious problem with your vehicle.

“Where There’s Smoke…”

No matter where smoke is coming from in your vehicle, it’s not a good sign. Modern vehicles should never emit smoke.

Your engine could be overheating, causing smoke to come from underneath the hood. If your vehicle’s dashboard features a high temperature needle or a heat indicator light, it is likely that your engine is overheating. Overheating is one the most prevalent engine problems, afflicting the entire engine when it happens.

If a car’s exhaust is producing smoke, it could be for a variety of reasons. Black smoke indicates an issue with gasoline. White smoke indicates an issue with the coolant. Blue-tinted smoke could identify an an oil leak.

What’s That Smell?

There is a wide variety of smells that could indicate that your vehicle needs some assistance. While some of the odors could result in minor repairs, others could indicate more serious repairs on the horizon.

The smell of sulfur or rotten eggs indicates an issue with your catalytic converter, and it might need to be replaced. A burning smell could indicate electrical issues in the vehicle, and could also lead to electrical fires.

If your vehicle doesn’t have that “new car” smell, and an unfamiliar odor has penetrated your nostrils, you may want to take it to your closer Milex Complete Auto Care to get it checked, just in case.

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