All too often we take advantage of our vehicles. We jump in, start it up, and drive where we need to go. We assume that the car will continue running forever. When they do not, we either get rid of them and buy a new one, or we have it towed to the local mechanics shop and let them fix the problems, for a price.
There is an easier way though. We can work on the car ourselves. If you are not mechanically inclined there is no worries. You can look up videos on almost anything, and if you cannot find what you need you can ask a professional online. The only thing that you will need are tools, space, an OBD2 sensor, and some time. Let us go over a few quick problems that are some of the most common and explain what major issues that it can lead to if they are not fixed promptly.
- Brakes-The brakes on our cars is one of the most overlooked things. When the pads are worn down the calipers will start clamping the brake components onto the metal discs. If this happens, brake pads will need replaced, but so will the discs and the calipers due to the damage caused. This can lead to brake failure, which in turn will cause an accident. Or this could cause sparks from the metal-on-metalgrinding that can start a fire. The areas around you could go up in flames, or they could ignite your car.
- Engine Light-Most of the time when an engine light comes on, we panic. We either drive it to the shop, or to an auto parts store, and have it checked out. We can all do this at home with one little tool. The best OBD2 scanner will plug in to the receptacle under the dash (usually straight down from the steering wheel). You can then assess the system yourself. Any problems that the car picks up will be displayed on the digital readout of the scanner. From there, look in the book you received with your device, or do a quick online search, to find what the numbers mean. It is that easy. If not done, anything can happen do your car, including a blown engine.
- Dead Battery-This can happen for a number of reasons. If you left some type of electronic device running, or left the lights on, or did not shut the door allowing the interior lights to stay on, a battery that is old and needs replaced, or alternator not working, bad wires, and dirty battery terminals. Clean everything up and hook up a battery charger to it. Once you have some juice try to get it started. If it does start, run a diagnostic to check the alternator and charging system. A charger that can check the alternator would be helpful. A dead battery will stop the car from starting, and if you have a weak one, or a charging system that is not working, your car will not run properly because newer cars take as much juice as they can get.
- Shaky Steering Wheel-This is an aspect of driving that you will easily be able to tell because it will shake your arms, and your whole body, as you drive down the road. This can be causes by a few things. You will want to check the tire pressure first, and the health of your tires. If your ailment is out your tires will wear incorrectly. If that is all good you need to climb under the vehicle and check the suspension parts. The issues that may occur will come down to flat tires, broken suspension that can happen while driving, and even accidents if things finish breaking off while you are driving at high speeds.
We all rely heavily upon our cars to get us around. Even if we do the maintenance like we are supposed to do, our cars will break down eventually. There are so many things that you can do to keep it running and running well. All it takes is a little time, some tools, and the will power to get things done.
