Telltale Signs Not To Ignore When Driving Your Car

28th Feb, 2017

We all know our car’s little quirks and habits – and let’s be honest, sometimes we like to think quite fondly of them, mainly as a cover for not actually getting them fixed. “But I don’t need to scrap my car,” you may be thinking. “OK the orange light’s on half the time, but it works otherwise.” You may well be right – but sometimes small problems can lead to bigger ones. At best, this can be risky for your wallet, and at worst, risky for your life!

Oil Warnings And Other Dashboard Lights

We all know the rule – as long as the light isn’t red, it’s fine, right? Well, ah…probably. But often, it’s a risk you won’t want to take. The oil warning light coming on is one of the more obvious signs that there might be something wrong with your car. At the very least, it could mean that your oil pressure is out of spec (maybe due to a leak), which can quickly destroy your engine as it overheats. If you can actually smell burning oil, then you definitely have a leak and you need to get it checked, stat. On a similar note, your “check engine” light could mean anything from a minor problem like a loose spark plug to a major one like a cracked engine block. Either way, it’s best not to take the gamble – unless you feel like taking in some of that fresh roadside air, that is and finding yourself with no choice but to scrap your car.

Engine Noise Might Sound Like Trouble

You’ve probably already sussed this, but any scraping sound coming from your car is bad, especially if it’s metal on metal. You might well be listening to the sound of something that’s broken being scraped against something that’s not, which isn’t great for either of them. Any squealing sounds when you start your car – and especially if it’s slow to do so – might mean that there’s an issue with your drive belt, pulleys or alternator, all of which can put unnecessary strain on your car if left unchecked. On the other hand, that distinctive (and thoroughly unwelcome) knocking sound likely means there’s a problem with your engine valvetrain. If that’s not checked by a professional mechanic, your engine may well die at an extremely inconvenient time – and probably quite spectacularly, too! We’re sure that’ll be little consolation at the time, though.

Plugging Leaks

We can rarely think of a circumstance in which the word ‘leak’ is deployed in a positive fashion, and when it comes to your car, it’s no different. You’ll likely spot it if your car is in the habit of leaving whopping great puddles underneath it when it’s parked for any length of time. The immediate severity of the issue depends on exactly what fluid your car is leaking. If it’s the inky blackness of oil, it again points to an oil leak, which can kill your engine. On the other hand, if there’s green liquid on the pavement it means you have a coolant leak, which…oh, can kill your engine. So it’s never exactly good news either way, then. Coolant also has the unpleasant distinction of posing a serious health hazard to humans and animals, too – so all in all, best to get it sorted, right?

We’re under no illusions; most of us will put off dealing with a problem for quite a while. Weeks, months, or even years can go by before we finally get our cars round to a mechanic to deal with the issue. But trust us at Scrap Car Network when we say there are some problems you can get away with ignoring for a bit, and others you really can’t. It pays to know the difference! When the time finally comes to scrap your car – sad though it may seem – we’re on hand to make the process as easy, painless and hassle-free as possible. You can find out how the car scrapping process works here, or if you’re eager to get started you can just enter your car reg and postcode straight onto our website.

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