Cars Repair Service

If you are driving home and hear a hissing or a clunking, do you know what it means? A mechanic will listen intently to your car when trying to determine what is the problem. You can learn a little about how to listen to your car like a mechanic does for auto repair. While no one can ever be sure, knowing a little bit about what the common sounds mean can be helpful. Of course, be sure and take your automobile to your mechanic or garage if you have any doubts. Your safety could be at stake.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions
Things You’ll Need:
Your hearing
Step 1 First of all, we will discuss the most famous of all sounds: pinging. If your car is pinging, it is probably getting older. This is common. You can use better gasoline sometimes and it will help. It also may be alleviated by some general motor maintenance, such as spark plugs.

Step 2 Hissing is never a welcome sound, but it’s not a major deal, usually. It can be just a hose that needs replacing. If your car overheats, it will also make a hissing noise, so check your temperature gauge.

Step 3 Squealing can be a common sound with ABS brakes when they are wet, cold or dirty. My daughter’s car had this issue. But, it can also be a symptom of the pads getting worn and contacting the rotor. If you hear a metal to metal kind of grinding, you need to immediately get brake work done.

Step 4 Grinding when the gears change could mean you have a clutch problem that needs attention. Adjustment or replacement are probably in order.

Step 5 Clunking can mean you need to add some transmission fluid, but it can also be an issue with the brakes or steering if it is when braking.

Step 6 If the clunking is more of a thumping, you have a tire issue. You may have a slow leak, and one is much lower than the rest. To play it safe, immediately have it checked.

Step 7 Is there a knocking under the hood? Unless someone is trapped in there, it may be you need to raise the octane level of gas you are using or change your air filter.

Step 8 Are you sounding like a drag racer when you pull in? You probably have a hole in your muffler. This could also just be a piece of the muffler that has loosened up.

Step 9 If there is a rattling under the car, more than likely you have just got some exhaust or muffler pieces that have come loose.

Step 10 References I used: Erickson, Jeanne. “What the Heck was That?.” Globe Digest Series Print. Identifying Wierd Far Noises, Autropolis

Tips & Warnings
Buy or order the specific manual that goes with your automobile for accurate help with car repairs.
Unattended automobile problems can result in danger and even death. If in doubt, don’t delay car repairs. Call Your Mechanic.

Find Reviews of Local Auto Repair Shops Online – There are many places online that allow users to post their reviews of local businesses. These reviews can be helpful if there are a lot of them. However, not all review sources are the same. I have had experiences with some local businesses that had rave reviews online, but when I tried their services out, I was disappointed. The reason for that is, that some sites are very easy for businesses and individuals to manipulate the reviews to slant too far one way or the other. When there are only a small handful of reviews posted, you can bet that they might not be too accurate.

Look For The Reputable Review Sources – There are sources online that monitor the review process and make sure that all of the reviews are legitimate and honest. These review sources usually require a paid membership fee.

These fees are usually very small and pay themselves off over and over if you do make use of the service. You can save money and time by researching auto repair shops before you take your car in. That way you can be sure that you are using a shop that will be honest in their work and charge you only reasonable fees.

Start With a Small Repair Job – If you can, if you have a repair that can wait, see if the shop will do a small job for you first, just to try out their service. If you need a new radiator, maybe start by having them do an oil change first and see how you feel about their service then.