As a car owner, you likely know that certain maintenance needs to be performed on your car at certain intervals, whether it’s after a specific amount of time or miles driven, to ensure its longevity and roadworthiness.
What are some other ways to know that your vehicle may be in disrepair, though? Keep reading, and we’ll share how to tell if your car needs to be serviced.
Signs That You Need To Make an Appointment To See a Mechanic
If you notice any of the following, it may be a sign that you need to take your vehicle to an auto shop right away:
Dashboard Lights Illuminate
As you’re likely aware, the lights that may become illuminated on your dashboard may indicate that there are any number of concerns present, including:
- To check your engine
- Your car is low on gas
- That there’s low oil pressure
- You don’t have your seatbelt on
- That your car temperature is running hot
- That there’s a problem with your car battery
- Your tire pressure is low
- That a door is ajar
Each of these indicator lights may call your attention to a safety issue that could endanger your safety. For example, some of them could cause your car to cut off mid-trip or overheat and catch on fire.
So, if one of these warning lights suddenly illuminates your dashboard, it’s important to heed those warnings and get your car checked out right away.
When Vibrations Emerge
Another sign that your vehicle may need to be taken to the mechanic’s shop is if you start noticing your car vibrating as you sit idle at a traffic light. Issues like these may indicate your vehicle not responding well to the quality of gas you put in it. It may also indicate that there’s an issue with your steering, braking, fuel injection, suspension system, or perhaps even the engine.
It Becomes Challenging to Steer Your Car
This may indicate that your power steering system is failing. While it’s possible to drive without power steering, changing lanes, turning, and navigating become extremely challenging as it fails.
This may make it hard to take quick, evasive action to avoid a crash, which isn’t good.
Different Vehicle Components Start to Make Noise
It can be disarming to suddenly start hearing knocking noises, a grinding sound, or squealing when you attempt to maneuver your vehicle.
Noises like these that occur when you apply your brakes, turn your steering wheel, or put your car in reverse and try to back up are just some examples that may indicate that a vehicle component is worn down and needs replacing or that fluids are dry and need to be topped off once again.
You Notice a Fluid Buildup Under Your Vehicle
If you repeatedly notice an accumulation of oil, water, or some other substance under your vehicle, it may be a sign that you need to have your car serviced.
While it’s typical for water to accumulate under a vehicle after you’ve run your car’s air conditioner during a hot Wichita summer, dark oil spots in your driveway or non-watery substances like green-colored antifreeze may indicate you have a much more serious issue.
One concern associated with these is that they could leave you stranded in traffic, leaving you vulnerable to causing or becoming involved in a crash.
You’re Having Difficulty Maintaining Your Lane
While a power steering issue may be responsible for this, poor tire alignment is more common than not.
A variety of factors, including repeatedly running over potholes, can adversely impact your vehicle’s shocks and cause it to go out of alignment as well. Misalignment can lead to you unintentionally navigating into an adjoining lane, where you might clip the rear bumper of another car, causing them to lose control of it or to sideswipe it. Additionally, poor alignment may lead to you running off the road into a soft shoulder.
Your Car’s Performance Seems To Have Diminished
Whether you notice that your car has become less fuel efficient, is more sluggish when you try to start it, or less responsive when you apply the brakes. All of these may be early signs that your car needs servicing.
Don’t ignore these and have them cause you to get involved in a crash.
Your Tires Appear Worn
Another sign you should take your car to a mechanic is if the tires appear to be worn. This can include very little tread life, often referred to as slick or balding tires. It’s particularly dangerous if you can see any of the metal webbing contained within tires poking through.
It’s also important to take your car to an auto shop if your tire pressure appears low, as it may indicate you have a flat.
Worn tires, along with deflated or overinflated ones, are prone to blowouts, a factor that can not only cause your vehicle to become immovable in traffic, but also cause you to lose control of your car.
What To Do If a Motorist Struck and Injured You Because Their Car Was in Disrepair
Statistics aren’t readily available for how often car maintenance issues cause accidents. However, some estimates suggest that this factor contributes to at least 20% of all crashes that occur.
The Kansas Department of Insurance reports that we live in a no-fault insurance state. This typically means that you’d typically have to tap into your own insurance coverage to pay for your accident-related losses, like medical bills. At the same time, if your damages exceed your policy limits, you may be eligible to file a claim with the insurance company of the motorist who struck you.
Liability is a particularly complex concept, especially given how our fault system works in Kansas, which is why we recommend that you reach out to us at Prochaska, Howell & Prochaska LLC regarding your case.
One of our car accident attorneys will want to know more about what happened leading up to your crash and the injuries you suffered before advising you of your right to take legal action to recover additional compensation in your case.
