Everyone experiences occasional car or truck occurrences that may or may not require attention. Sometimes drivers are afraid of appearing stupid or foolish by asking what seem like silly questions, but knowledge and prevention are better than ignorance and costly repairs.

Below are a few situations that, according to one female customer, women especially might wonder but be afraid to ask.
What could be causing this, and at what point should I be concerned when my car sometimes:

• feels wobbly or shaky when driving over 45, or will sometimes drift to one side or the other?

 A vehicle that feels wobbly or shaky at any speed should have the steering and suspension components examined for excessive wear. Drifting vehicles can be nothing more than the crown of the road, but may require an alignment. It should be checked.

• shifts really hard when I put it into Reverse or into Drive after Reverse?

 Hard shifts into drive or reverse can be anything from low fluid to transmission wear, or even universal joints or differential pinion issues, depends on the car or truck.

• idles rough?

 Rough idle can range from tune-up components, vacuum leaks, to computer and or sensor issues, it must be diagnosed properly.

• has a strange smell when idling?

 A strange smell when idling may be an overheated catalytic converter, which is usually an indication of a fuel issue or even a defective converter.

• gives me warnings like “Low Coolant” or “Low Washer Fluid” when they aren’t low?

Low coolant or washer lights are triggered from a float type sensor in the reservoir, that may times will go bad and not read correctly. This is generally an inexpensive repair depending on the vehicle.

• gives me a small static shock when getting out and closing the door?

Static electricity shocks are common as you ground your body to metal on the car. They are only dangerous if you are fueling the vehicle yourself, due to a potential spark. Try rubbing your shoes on the ground to release the static electricity before touching the door.

In the next letter, I’ll be addressing the most common questions we hear about auto repair and maintenance.

Until then, have a great Spring!

Tags: auto repair eugene, car care tips

This entry was posted on March 31, 2011 at 8:06 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Posted in Auto Repair Eugene Car Care Tips by Jud Garlock & crew Comments Off