I don’t want to be a damsel in distress

I want to stop having to call my husband every time my car stops on the road, or makes screeching noises, or warning signs pop up on the dashboard. Can you quickly teach me what I should look out for as a driver? I know there are many aspects, but what are the key things that I must know to ensure me and my car are safe. 

Lillian O

Great question! And exactly what DN2 Motoring is designed to help answer, piece by piece on many different levels, including the car you drive, how you drive it, where you drive it, and how it is serviced and maintained; and then how to avoid problems, how to diagnose a fault, and what can (or can’t) be done to fix it (either completely or well enough to get you safely to a source of further assistance). 

In your case, let’s focus on “the key things you must know.” First, any car can have problems, but they should be rare. 

Keynote One: If they are frequent, the root cause is either misuse or neglect. It sounds as though you have car problems “too often” so your first step is to find a competent garage to give the whole vehicle a thorough check-up. If there are so many issues that restoration is not economically viable, change the car. 

Meanwhile, keep phoning your husband – there’s a good chance he loves being a “knight in shining armour” as much as he loves you. But also make frequent reference to the dashboard a regular habit. 

Keynote two: Those warning signs are there to help you, and if promptly acted on can prevent a breakdown or additional damage, and give you advance warning that you should drive gently and stop at the next garage. As with medical problems there is first aid (d.i.y. stop the bleeding, resuscitate the breathing), second aid (a paramedic, hopefully with kit) and third aid (a hospital with ER surgeons and perhaps an ICU). Your ambition with your car is to be a first-aider.

Diagnosing the problem 

Spoiler alert: What follows is the broad-brush basics which beginners might need to read through more than once. What they will get at-a-glance is better understanding why even just the “key” things cannot be conveyed “quickly”. 

To fix a fault you need first to find it…somewhere amid the 20,000 components that make up the average car. Learn to diagnose what the problem might be, both from the dashboard and other indications: 

Keynote Three: If everything is running normally and then suddenly stops, the chances are that the problem is electrical. If the engine splutters and jerks, the problem is probably related to the fuel system. If there are unusual noises and/or smells, the fault is usually mechanical (moving parts, or a fixed part is broken or coming loose).

The nature of the noise or smell, and where it is coming from, are important clues and guide you where to check first. Heavy clonks are usually more ominous than tinny rattles. If you have to make a phone call, any information you can offer on these issues could be helpful to a knowledgeable rescuer. 

Smells are caused by excessive heat and possible burning —oil (engine and transmission), hydraulic fluid (the brakes), rubber (tyres and belts), coolant (radiator), friction materials (clutch and brakes), and bare metal-on-metal have distinctive “noses”.

These indicators apply to all cars, but on cars with modern computer-management systems there can also be malfunctions and odd behaviour caused by microchip sensors and control units. These require sophisticated diagnostic equipment and usually a replacement part. 

Safety priorities

You rightly suggest that safety is the priority: first, do what is possible to get a stricken car out of the traffic stream, preferably well off the road, and hopefully in a place where onlookers are more likely to be guardians than predators. In “crowd-scene” circumstances, lock the doors when you make external inspections.

Keynote Four: any defective part is potentially a safety hazard. But by far the most safety critical items at all times, including when a problem starts and after it has been “fixed”, are the steering system and brakes. And, implicitly, what connects those two control systems to the road: the wheels and tyres. If those core elements are working fully and properly, you can often limp towards help with all manner of other defects – like a spluttering engine, a slipping clutch, a jamming gear and so on. 

In terms of possible consequential damage (versus the safety of location), the key elements are the cooling system and lubrication of the engine. 

Keynote Five: Persevering with inadequate engine or transmission oil, or lack of coolant circulation, could do serious damage to very expensive components. If the location is safe but very remote, with little chance of prompt rescue, there are things you might be able to do with no-go problems (even, for example, a missing wheel) but that is another subject. 

A recent DN2 Motoring article on “bush fixes” gave a glimpse of some of those. 

Learning more 

If you want to learn more about how to fix problems yourself, start by doing routine under-bonnet checks yourself, and change a wheel (ideally with a competent mentor).

Keynote Five: That way you will know where to find certain things, learn what they do and how to maintain them correctly, and be better able to spot both incipient and actual anomalies when diagnosing a breakdown. 

The list includes engine oil level and condition. Ditto brake and clutch fluids, or automatic transmission and power steering fluid reservoirs. The condition and tension of fanbelts. Radiator coolant levels and condition, radiator hose condition (not brittle or cracked or frayed) and connections (tight).

Operation of the water pump (remove the cap when the engine is cold, rev the engine slightly; the water inside should swirl). Security of the battery mountings, tightness of battery cables and terminal post connections, electrolyte levels, the air cleaner, fuel filters, any looseness or leaks from anywhere (how much, what fluid is it?).

Habitually look around the car and sometimes underneath it. Are all the wheel nuts present and is the pressure (shape) of the tyres normal? Are there any bulges or cuts in the tyre walls. Is the tread adequate, and is the wear even? 

Are there any leaks from the drain plugs of the engine/gearbox/differentials? Any leaks from the steering rack or dampers or brake pipes, or evident cracks or fraying? Do all the castellated nuts in the steering linkages have split pins? 

There are, of course, many other things that can be checked, but those listed are the most likely to go awry and only take a few minutes to do, but they achieve a useful level of “awareness” and are the starting steps of broader mechanical knowledge and competence.

The road to being a fixer

Spotting faults is not the same thing as personally fixing them, nor even knowing how crucial they might be. Your status in that respect will depend on your level of mechanical knowledge and experience – and those might take somewhat longer to acquire. Checking the oil level on a dipstick won’t make you a tribologist, but it is a good start. 

If you have an ambition to become a competent d.i.y mechanic, there are good ways forward on that, too. 

Keynote Six: There are lots of books, for all levels of interest and education, on how cars work, what each component does, how to check and service different parts, how to fix or replace them. Some are aimed at absolute beginners, others are enlightening to experienced amateurs, others are for professionals. 

Read a couple at the right level for you. You don’t have to memorise them; you don’t have to pass any exams. Just browse them. Your awareness and your confidence will go up several notches. The level of interest they trigger will either drive you further forward or let you know where your ceiling is. 

In parallel, have a toolkit and use it, and try to watch when your car is being serviced by experts. 

Most will be happy to explain what they are doing and why. The speed and precision of your learning will be much influenced by how good your science teachers were at school. All that ‘theoretical guff’ will suddenly start to make practical sense!