What To Do When Your Car Breaks Down

By Byron Jonas


At some point you need to know what to do when your car breaks down. The best advice is to consult the car manual. It offers advice for a variety of emergencies. Since every car is different, you should get specific information for your vehicle.

If you are driving and realize that the vehicle is having a problem, immediately look for a gas station or a safe area to pull over. The place should be well lit so you can visually inspect the car for signs of trouble. Call someone you know and let them know your location.

Fuses are often the cause of many malfunctions and starting troubles. It is important that you have a spare set of fuses and a fuse puller in the car at all times. Learn where the fuse panel is located so that if you ever have trouble, you can easily check and replace fuses.

A rhythmic knocking sound or sensation coming from beneath the vehicle is most likely a tire problem. Pull off the road and let the vehicle sit for a while. This will give the tires time to cool so you can inspect them safely. Wearing gloves if you have them, lightly rub your hand across the tire surfaces. Be sure to do this step very cautiously. Tires get extremely hot during use, and when a bad tire has protruding steel threads skin can be badly lacerated.

Any protrusion or bump on the tire surface indicates a faulty tire that must be replaced immediately. A tire like this can explode while driven at any speed. This often causes loss of control and accidents.

If this is not the problem, then you need to check for engine trouble. If you see steam or smoking coming from under the hood, you should turn the car off. Often steam or smoke is due to overheating or an oil leak that is causing oil to burn on the manifold.

Learning what to do in the event of overheating is an important part of knowing what to do when your car breaks down. The best option is to get off the road and turn the car off so it can cool. If traffic is an issue and you can't get off the road, try turning on the air conditioner. In some cases this causes a malfunctioning radiator fan to engage properly. If that doesn't help, turn on the heat as high as it will go. This takes heat from the motor and moves into to the cabin. It will get uncomfortably hot quickly. Roll down the windows. Try to maintain a smooth speed if possible and keep looking for a way to get off the road safely.




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