Having a car, especially at this time of the year is a blessing. You can travel quickly and efficiently without having to worry about relying on public transport or worse – getting cold from walking everywhere. So, when something goes wrong with your car, it can be rather distressing and again, at this time of the year the last thing anyone needs is another expense. If your car isn’t sounding or feeling right you should always take it to the mechanic before it escalates into something bigger. However, there are things that you can look for yourself and fix without the need of a mechanic at all. Check out these things to look for when your car just isn’t right.

Photo by Harrison Haines from Pexels

Your car is using more fuel than normal

It’s easy to drive further than normal and wonder why your fuel tank is emptying faster than normal. However, if this is a regular occurence and you’re not travelling any further than you normally would, there could be a number of causes:

• Your tyres need pumping up. Flat tyres need to work harder to move your car across the roads, therefore using more fuel. Pump up your tyres for optimum fuel consumption.
• Check for leaks when you’ve been parked for a considerable amount of time. Quite often owners don’t realise their car even has a leak until they’ve parked in one spot for a longer period of time!
• Drive slower! We know how tempting it is to put the pedal to the floor on an open road. However, you’ll be using much more fuel than normal. Stick to moderate speeds as much as possible and you’ll notice your fuel consumption drop.

Your car is making an unusual noise

There’s nothing worse than hearing your car make an unusual noise but often there are simple fixes that you can try before taking your car to the garage:

• Check your oil level. Too much or too little oil in your car can cause it to make strange ticking noises. Filling your oil is simple and cheap to do. This could also be affecting your performance transmissions, so be sure to keep on top of this.
• Check for holes in your exhaust pipe as this can create loud sounds. If you find one, take your car to your mechanic as soon as possible.
• If you hear a high pitched whining noise, it may be your wheel bearings or even flat tyres. 

Your car has lost power

Your car losing power is quite an alarming symptom to arise. However, if you’ve got a car that usually has a turbo it might be worth turning your inertia switch off, leaving it for ten minutes and then turning it back on again. This can often restart your turbo and bring your car back.

Remember that if you’re worried about your car it’s always best to let a mechanic take a look. Troubleshooting these ideas however, could save you a trip to the garage and a bill this side of Christmas.

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