My Car is Squealing: When Do I need to Start Worrying?

car making a squealing noise graphic

Your car is making a squealing noise. What’s the problem? Unfortunately, there are many parts in your car that can start squeaking over time as they get worn out. However, with the help of this article you’ll be able to identify those that require urgent attention, hopefully preventing any minor fault in your vehicle turning into a major issue.

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Fumes, Emissions and Vapours – Getting a Sniff that Your Charcoal Canister is Faulty

emissions smell in the car

The charcoal canister is responsible for controlling the emission of fumes and vapour leaks from your vehicle’s fuel system. Many people don’t realise that the boiling point of petrol is comparatively low, and it is in a semi-gaseous state at room temperatures, which makes its fumes quite explosive.

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Limp Mode: What is it? What Causes it? And Most Importantly, How do You Fix it?

limp mode with car warning lights on

You’re driving down the road, doing a good pace. Suddenly you change gear or put your foot down on the accelerator and the car doesn’t respond quite as expected. It’s now stuck in second gear. You can’t get any more than around 2,500 rpm out of the engine, and you’re crawling along the road. What just happened?

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Your Car Smells of Petrol – And this is Probably Why…

woman noticing a petrol smell in her car

You notice the strong odour of petrol in your car. We might have talked about how to identify smells in your vehicle before, but today we’re homing in on the scent of the world’s favourite hydrocarbon.

Unsurprisingly, a petrol leak is the most likely cause of the smell. Fortunately, this is fairly easy to diagnose. However – if this isn’t case then these are some of the potential contenders:

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Help… My Car is Pulling to One Side, and I don’t Know What to Do

holding onto steering wheel as car is pulling

It’s not a great situation. If your car is pulling to one side, either under braking or whilst driving, it can not only be frustrating, but down-right dangerous. However, despite the initial shock, it’s not quite time to go to panic stations yet, as the cause could be actually quite simple.

Obviously, this is a real safety issue, so you’ll want to get it checked out as soon as possible – and the chances are the problem originates from one of the following culprits:

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Engine Misfires: The Main Causes and the Symptoms of Misfiring You Must Not Ignore

Mechanic working on an engine to cure misfiring

There are many potential causes of a misfiring engine. Some of the most well-known include issues with worn out spark plugs, a weak pressure through the fuel injectors, a vacuum leak, fatigued valve seals, or even issues with the power going to the engine coil. Whatever the reason behind a misfiring engine, you’ll want to get eyes on the problem as soon as possible, as it can rapidly get worse, causing associated systems and parts within your engine to suffer damage. What are some of the most common causes and symptoms of a misfiring engine?

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Don’t Get Blown Away – How to Navigate Windy Weather from Behind the Wheel

driving in windy weather

It’s easy to forget that windy weather can be every bit as hazardous as ice, rain, or snow. Gale force weather can often create gusts and sudden pockets of air that can catch even the most experienced driver unawares. As with all dangerous conditions – we’d always recommend that you avoid travelling in severe weather. But if you do have to make that journey in high winds, what’s the best way to stay safe?

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How to tell if Your Alternator Belt has Become Loose

alternator and belt on a car

The alternator generates charge from the movement of your engine. The engine turns, the alternator turns, and this in turn creates power, which is used to keep the battery fully charged.

If the alternator fails, the battery will rapidly lose charge, and be unable to keep powering your vehicle’s electrical systems, causing some of them to start failing and worse still, they could shut down completely.

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