You use your senses every day to make sure things are OK in many aspects of life; a quick sniff of a foodstuff is usually enough to work out whether it’s sensible to eat it. Why not do the same with your car? It can give you early warning of issues which may need looking at before they get worse, in fact you can detect many common vehicle problems simply by using your senses of smell and sight.
Take a Look
Are there any drops of fluid under your vehicle? This is common in the summer months since, after a journey with the air-con on, hot air condenses on the cold air-con unit and drips onto the floor.
If you get wet spots all the time this could be a symptom of a serious problem. Check the colour of the liquid under the car – yellowish-green, blue or orange can indicate an overheating engine or an antifreeze leak. You could have a leaky radiator or a water pump in need of repair. Bring it in to Triggs immediately because an overheated engine is a dead engine and an expensive problem.
A dark brown or black oily fluid can show that the engine is leaking oil. Assuming you haven’t just spilt some oil whilst topping it up, then a bad seal or gasket could be the cause of the leak. Once again this could be expensive to fix if left to get worse, so have it checked by a reputable garage right away.
A reddish-coloured oily spot under the front of the car is probably a transmission or power steering fluid leak. Garage time again I’m afraid, but the problem is much better fixed before it causes critical damage.
Take a Sniff
There are some distinctive smells which can indicate problems on the way so if you’ve got your nose with you have a good sniff around when you get out of the car after a journey.
The smell of burned toast can signal an electrical short and burning insulation (assuming it’s not someone nearby actually burning toast). If you’re in the Brentwood area bring it in to us at Triggs, otherwise find a local reputable garage or mobile mechanic. Don’t drive too far in the car before getting it checked as it could be a fire risk or at least leave you broken down and stranded.
A bad egg smell usually indicates a problem with the catalytic converter; you will need to take the vehicle in for a checkup as soon as possible.
A thick sharp smell could be burning oil. Look under the car to see if there is a leak; there could be a bluish smoke coming from the car too. As you can imagine this problem needs to be addressed immediately!
The smell of petrol after a failed start may just mean the engine is flooded, in which case simply wait a couple of minutes and try again. If you keep noticing the petrol smell this could be a sign of a leak in the fuel system – a potentially dangerous problem that needs immediate attention.
A sweet smell may show a coolant leak. Keep your eye on the dashboard temperature gauge and drive carefully to a garage. If you see steam emerging from under the bonnet stop and pull over – your engine is overheating and will be seriously damaged if you keep driving. Call your breakdown service and ask them to tow you to Triggs!