Most Common Car Problems and Fixes

Diagnosing car problems can sometimes feel like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces, but we’re here to help give you some insight on some of the most common car problems. As cars get older and vehicle problems persist more, it may even be time to sell your car. From tires to engines, here are some of the most common car problems and solutions.

Car Trouble-Shooting:

Car Vibrating: While car vibration is annoying, it is not usually indicative of a serious problem. Car vibrating is typically related to the tires. Your tires may be out of balance, or your vehicle’s alignment may have been thrown off.

Hit a pothole or a curb recently? This could cause your vehicle’s alignment to shift slightly, or it could have caused a tire weight to fall off. Not all wheels and tires are created equally, so when your tires are aligned, weights are placed on each tire to correct the balance. If you accidentally bump a curb, it could cause one of the weights to fall off and for you to feel your car vibrating. However, if your wheel is pulling in a certain direction when you let go, that could mean that your car’s alignment is off.

Additionally, if vibration occurs mainly when braking, it could be that your brakes are wearing out and may need to be replaced. If vibration seems excessive, be sure to have your wheels or brakes checked right away.

Car Overheating: This could be caused by a couple of things. Your car could be running low on coolant, your car could be leaking coolant, or your radiator fan could be out of commission. This is an issue that requires immediate attention from a mechanic, but there are a couple of things you can do in an emergency. If you see your car smoking, or you see that your engine’s heat gauge is too high, turn the heater all the way up and put it at full speed. A car’s heater gets the heat directly from the engine, so when your car is overheating you can let the heat out of the engine and into the cabin by turning on the heater. This won’t solve the problem and it may be slightly uncomfortable for a few miles, but it may save your engine. If your car overheats be sure to take it to a mechanic as soon as possible.

Steering Wheel Locked+Ignition not Turning: It can be frightening to get up in the morning and try to start your car, but when you turn your key in the ignition it locks up. Luckily, this should be a quick fix. Turn the steering wheel left and right while simultaneously turning the ignition, and that should unlock the steering wheel and ignition.

AC not blowing Cold Air: While this isn’t much of a concern in the winter months, during the summertime this can be quite frustrating. Most likely your car is low on coolant, but there could also be a leak in the air compressor that’s causing your car to only blow lukewarm air.

Squeaking. Squeaking can be caused by a number of factors, but there are a couple of common causes of squeaking. If your car squeaks or squeals when braking, it’s likely that your brake pads are wearing thin. Brake pads are designed to start squeaking when 75% of the pads have worn down. This squeaking is a reminder that your brake pads need replacing.

If the squeaking happens every couple of seconds, it’s likely that a belt starting to tear. Drive belts can be replaced as early as 40,000 miles, and timing belts can be replaced as early as 60,000 miles.

Auto Repair Issues

We hope that these tips helped demystify some of your car troubles!

CashforCars is an online vehicle purchasing service that simplifies the car-selling process and improves customer experience. Most vehicles are towed within 24 hours of offer acceptance. If car problems persist, Cash for Cars would love to give you a great cash offer!

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