Don’t Ignore These Brake System Warning Signs

The brakes on your vehicle should always be in top working order. Educate yourself on the symptoms of trouble so you know when to have a professional take a look.

Malfunctioning brakes are one of the most dangerous deficiencies on a vehicle. If you’re not able to stop your car when you need to, it could lead to fatal accidents for yourself and others. While your car will usually do a good job of notifying you when the brakes need to be checked, knowing what signs to look for will help you stay on top of the problem before it gets too dangerous.

The simplest sign is your dashboard warning lights. Depending on the source of the problem and the model of the car, the light may just be the word brake, or else an exclamation point inside of a circle. The “ABS” light stands for anti-lock brake system, so seeing that could be another warning sign. Check your manual if you aren’t sure what your dashboard alerts look like.

There are also distinct sounds that could indicate some trouble with the brakes. If you hear a high-pitched squeal, that is your brake pad alert telling you that your brake pads are wearing down. A grinding noise means that your pads are already worn through, and they’re rubbing against the rotor. Either of these sounds requires immediate attention.

Another place you might notice something off is the brake pedal itself. If your pedal goes all the way to the floor when you engage it, it could be a brake fluid leak, or a problem with the hydraulic system. Conversely, if the brake pedal is harder to depress than usual, this could be an issue with your boosters. Your brake pedal also may vibrate, which is likely due to warped rotors.

If your car is pulling to one side or the other when the brake is applied, you could have a caliper that is stuck, or possibly a hydraulic issue. This pulling occurs because one of the brakes is engaged longer than the other, causing it to drift to one side. For this pulling to be a brake issue, it will only occur when you’re using your brakes. If the vehicle is pulling more consistently, even when the brakes aren’t applied, this is probably an alignment or suspension problem instead.

Your brakes give you many signs that they need help, so don’t ignore these symptoms. It’s recommended that regardless of any obvious problems, you should have your brake system checked every 10,000 miles. This number could be more or less depending on your driving habits. City driving, or driving in traffic regularly, requires you to use your brakes more often, meaning inspections should be more frequent.

Visit this website for more information on brake repair in San Diego.

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Ideal Car Exhaust Systems

Car exhausts can be compared and contrasted by a few general metrics: pressure, sound and efficiency. The purpose of exhaust systems is essentially two-fold. Engines run much more powerfully when waste gasses and uncombusted fuel are vented away from the cylinders rapidly. Because partially burned hydrocarbons tend to form a variety of unpleasant compounds like nitrogen oxides, aldehydes and sulfides, it can be very important to “scrub” these compounds from waste gas by catalytic conversion. An ideal exhaust system would create zero back pressure and remove 100% of contaminants, releasing only carbon dioxide and water.

Single Pipe Designs:

The most common exhaust design is a single pipe extending from the engine to the rear end of the car on the passenger side. These stock systems often use pipes that are undersized for the engine and the single pipe design in itself creates unnecessary back pressure that can sap your engine’s power. Inadequately sized and shaped pipes also may not deliver the same satisfying high-octane sound as other designs.

Double Pipe and Dual Exit Designs:

Double pipe systems can quickly reduce this back pressure by running separate pipes under each side of the vehicle. An alternative to the double pipe system is a dual exit design. Two, typically smaller, exit pipes run from the muffler on the same side of the vehicle for a deeper sound. High-end high performance designs can use larger pipes and modified engine manifolds to minimize back pressure and maximize efficiency.

There are a few different styles of exhaust systems. Designs with a second exhaust pipe and larger pipes are generally more efficient.

Visit this website to find an exhaust expert in San Diego.

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Suspension Sounds and Signs

Anyone who has driven an old car, especially a very old car, knows that sinking feel when you hear a new noise pulling out of the driveway. Car repair can be complex and costly, so it is important to know what to look and listen for when maintaining your vehicle. There are a few tell-tale signs of impending suspension problems that may give you the opportunity to prevent more costly repairs and replacements down the road. These are just a few simple sounds and signs to keep in mind.

Preventative Maintenance:

The best way to prevent costly repairs and overhauls can be to regularly inspect your car’s suspension components. You or service professionals can take several steps to anticipate future suspension problems by looking for clues each time you balance and rotate your tires or change your brake pads.

Tires and Joints:

Properly suspended tires should not move or have “play” when shaken while on jack stands. The nuts and bolts that hold each part together should be tightened to manufacturer’s specifications. Bearings like ball joints and CV joints need to stay well lubricated and free from dust and debris to prevent wear. The rubber boots that cover ball and CV joints should remain sealed. Spotting these problems early may make correcting them easier.

Many forms of suspension wear can be observed in the form of looseness, noises while driving and leaking or cracked seals. Paying attention to and correcting these problems can halt further suspension damage and save you money on expensive repairs later.

To learn more about suspension repairs in San Diego, visit this website.

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Not Going Deaf While Driving

The modern internal combustion engine is a wonder of science and engineering. By compressing and igniting petroleum in controlled bursts a few hundred times a second it is able to propel often over a ton of steel forward safely and reliably for hundreds of thousands of miles. Each of these controlled bursts of combustion is very much like a tiny explosion, and sounds very much like one. Even small two-cylinder engines can become extremely loud without the right components to dull their roar.

As anyone who has ever been to a motorcycle rally knows, a torrent of unsuppressed engines can be deafeningly loud. Highways packed with much larger engines could be heard from miles away without the right mufflers. Cities could become practically unlivable from the pounding reverberations of unbridled diesel engines resonating between skyscrapers. Life without mufflers could become genuinely unpleasant.

Muted by the Muffler:

Mufflers use a few techniques to dampen engine noise with minimal weight and back pressure. In their simplest form, they are just baffled steel tubes lined with dampening material. Modern systems are harmonically tuned to create destructive interference that cancels out engine noise. A new, more efficient muffler is often an easy way to coax more horsepower out of a vehicle by reducing back pressure while remaining within your state’s noise regulations.

Mufflers are an effective means of controlling engine noise by redirecting exhaust gases into harmonically tuned chambers lined with sound deadening materials. This inevitably creates some back pressure and more efficient mufflers may offer better performance.

Visit this website to learn more about muffler services in San Diego.

Keep Your Classic Car in Top Shape

Keep your classic car beautiful, inside and out. With the help of a trusted auto mechanic, you can keep your car ready for a night on the town or a drive down the coast. When your car is in top shape, you can show it off to the rest of the world.

What To Do If You Get Brake Fluid On Car Paint

Brake fluid and car paint are a bad combination. If you do get brake fluid on your car, take your vehicle to an auto body shop to help repair the damage.

Changing your brake fluid is a necessary step to help your car run smooth and safely, but brake fluid can be particularly tricky to replace, as it can eat right through your car’s body paint straight down to the metal. While brake fluid spilled on a vehicle can actually be helpful for some auto lovers who may be rebuilding or modifying a classic car, paint flaking off your vehicle is a bad thing for most people.

Regardless of how many layers of protective wax on your vehicle or how careful you are, if you spill brake fluid on your car’s paint, the fluid can cause the paint to instantaneously discolor and begin flaking off. This damage can happen within minutes and cause irreparable damage to a vehicle’s paint job. Newer vehicles with a clear coat over the paint are somewhat more protected, but if the brake fluid is not attended to immediately, the damage can become much more severe.

To help avoid these unsightly spills and possible damage to your vehicle, it is a good idea to have your brake fluid changed by a professional that has practice and skills when it comes to changing these highly volatile fluids. If you do change your brake fluid yourself, make sure to work carefully and cover every painted surface with rags as best you can in case of spills or leaks.

If you do accidentally spill brake fluid on your car, it is best to get the fluid off immediately. Try to use a towel to soak up the fluid instead of wiping with a rag, since you don’t want to spread the fluid around and make the problem worse. Then clean the area immediately with soap and lots of water, as water can help neutralize brake fluid. Although these steps likely won’t stop the damage already inflicted, it may help mitigate the destruction.

Your main option if you do spill brake fluid on your vehicle is to take your car to an auto body shop to get the damage repaired. A professional auto body shop can properly assess the damage caused by the brake fluid, help stop the destruction from getting worse and possibly harming the metal beneath, and they can help restore your car’s paint to its original condition.

Make sure to protect your car as best you can to avoid damage from brake fluid, but know that a professional auto body shop can help you if brake fluid does cause damage to your car.

To learn more about auto body painting in Garner, please visit this website

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