4 Ridiculous Common Car Faults
As a car owner, you will no doubt be aware of the massive dirge of common car faults that can befall drivers at any given time.
Whether it’s a car garage giving you an eye-watering bill for a “simple repair”, or one of the common car faults where your car fails to start en route to your biggest conference of the year. Common car faults are a problem that most of us could do without.
While some of us driver cars that run with pristine authority, some drivers just cannot seem to get out of the street without something going wrong!
So… to try and get yourself prepared for auto life, here are five of the most common car faults you are likely to make or witness at one stage:
A Lack of Life
Battery problems are the bane of any driver’s existence.
Common car faults like draining the battery by leaving the lights on overnight can be a terrible mistake, especially if you can’t get to work because of a flat battery.
The problem is that you don’t hear of these common car faults regularly as you should – but they happen all the time!
Common car faults like this have been a long-term problem for many motorists over the years. The best way to dodge this problem is to buy a charge kit so that you can get yourself going in the morning, or to live next door to the world’s friendliest neighbor who happens to have a jump lead pack.
Flat Tyres
Doh! This is one of the most common car faults issues you’ll see on the roads. In fact, on any typical work week you’re likely to see at least one absolutely raging person standing by their car waiting for vehicle support to arrive, usually in the rain. A flat tyre can be dodged, by making sure you go for a car service regularly and getting your tyres checked out.
Fuel Problems
Ah, fuel – one of the most costly resources on the planet. Fuel problems are part of the common car faults pack. For a typical driver and the best way to deal with these problems is to make sure that you ALWAYS use the correct fuel in your vehicle. Sound stupid? Okay well hands up how many have put the wrong fuel in their car?
Damaged Cabling
Common car faults can also entail damaged vehicle cables. This can be so infuriating because they can literally put you off the road. A car with damaged brake cables, a weak throttle cable or a useless clutch cable is effectively a massive danger on the road. Here’s some advice: get those cables checked pronto. Find a good garage and get those cables looked at and replaced.
Another suggestion is to try a buy a solid car from the get go. This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised at the level of poor electrics that are found in cars. However a good car garage should be able to sort you out with an easy and reliable fix fast.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
Broken Car Radio Solutions
One of the most liberating parts of owning a car is that it becomes your own little X factor auditon room. Flying down the motorway belting out your favorite songs on the car radio can be great fun, and without having access to that radio you are missing out on one of the most enjoyable parts of driving.
The problem is that radio issues can start from literally nowhere, and leave you with a very frustrating drive to work in the “peace & quiet”. Sometimes, just hearing that one great song can make all the difference to your work performance, so having a working car radio is very important.
So, what could be causing your problem? Here are some of the most common issues and how to solve them;
Won’t Turn On
The most basic car radio problem is the old-school “just won’t turn on” method that we are all such huge fans of. When this happens it can be absolutely infuriating and most of the time the issue is actually really easy to fix. It will typically be a power and/or ground issue – start off by checking the fuses. You can find online guides for your own car model to find these with ease.
Try replacing the car radio fuse, and see how that goes. If it’s still broken or breaks again shortly later, you might have a short elsewhere in the car that will need help from a pro mechanic.
No Sound
How great is it to have access to the car radio, but have no sound? Not great at all, that’s how great it is! The problem is that this can be caused by so many different issues as well, so it’s kind of hard to come up with a solution. It could be dodgy speaker wires, it could be an issue with the amp…it’s a bit of a nightmare to come up with a solution for!
Additionally, it could be something simple like a broken wire or a bad connection with the car radio speaker wires. Therefore, you’ll be doing a fair bit of running around trying to come up with a solution – be prepared for the hard work that comes with doing so, and the trial & error sessions that come from dealing with a lack of sound from your speakers.
A common solution is opening and closing the car door again – this might sound daft, but some cars just love to be awkward to put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day! Solving car radio problems can take a while, especially when it’s something innocuous like your speakers. But if you are really at our wits end with the problems then take your car to a specialist or a garage, they’ll be able to sort it for you within no time at all.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
Kill that Winter car feeling
There is nothing is worse than that cold, winter car feeling, when you get into your car en route to work sitting there rubbing your hands trying to keep warm.
Driving when you are really cold can be a little dangerous as you won’t have full control over your reactions etc. So it’s important to make sure you get rid of that cold winter car feeling before taking off.
If you find the idea of getting up to a pitch black sky at daft o’clock, then you won’t be too keen of sitting in the car waiting for it to heat up, either!
So what can you do to make your commute to work a little more enjoyable and a little less frozen?
Remote Starters
You might think this winter car warmer is just for James Bond, but remote car starters are dirt cheap and hugely common these days.
Your car engine can take a little while to get up to running speed in the colder months, so giving it a few minutes to warm up while you finish off your coffee can be really helpful. Although this is a theft hazard in some parts of the world, it’s a really useful way to stop the cold really taking over your journey. Just check the legality of it all first.
Spare Heat Clothing
Blankets, big jackets and other useful clothing in the back of your car (hidden, again you don’t want to entice any thieves) can be a logical winter car warmer. To help you heat up in the mornings, why not simply try putting on a few of these clothes as a winter car warmer.
Work From Home
I say why go into a cold car if you don’t have to?
Many businesses allow their staff to work from home, and why not? It’s more enjoyable for you, it stops you messing you around at work, and if you don’t have something tangible to show for the end of the day then you’ll be in serious trouble with the boss anyway! So for a winter car warmer why not simply kick back and relax at home instead of heading into work!
Heated Car Seats
Ah, the winter car warmer dream!
Heated car seat can be very cost-effective winter car warmer. You can find them online and in car stores all across the place. Please be aware, though, that they can be pretty sore to sit on if you don’t turn them down – it works kind of like a toaster, so be prepared to turn them off when they get a little too warm!
These simple winter car warmer tips should get you moving in the mornings. There’s no need to let your job become a drag – if you can work from home). But using these tip before traveling to work by car in the morning will help you to turn up nice and warm, certainly helping to make a day dealing with moody clients that much easier.
To health and vehicle happiness
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.