Checking under the hood of your vehicle is only natural. You’re curious to see what goes on under there. This is an interesting time really – there’s a YouTube video about repairing just about anything, but the world (including cars…and car problems) is getting more complex every day.
Filling up your tires is one thing, but you really need to leave things like transmission repairs, timing-belt replacement, and your engine overheating to the professionals. Bank on experience.
There are countless stories of people who thought they’d pop the hood and simply replace the air filter. Guess what? That easy-peasy weekend project turned into detaching a vacuum line. Other weekend warriors hit foul balls trying to replace a hose or timing belt.
Many vehicles these days have 100 or more parts per cylinder, so the complexity adds up pretty quickly. Housings, hooks, engine collets, pistons, springs, plugs, retainers, valves…without the proper know-how a $30 repair could turn into $2,000 of damage.
Steer Clear of the DIY Route for These Car Problems
The science fiction writer Isaac Asimov took an I.Q. test for the army and scored 160. An incredibly high score. Asimov was also famously awful at repairing cars. He said that he trusted his mechanic with an almost blind reverence.
- Transmission
One of the things that would have really scared Isaac was repairing his car’s transmission. AAA and experienced mechanics say that you shouldn’t even let your stand-alone oil-change guy touch your transmission.
All Around Auto Repair, though, is much more than a place to change your oil. With experience troubleshooting transmission problems, cleaning out the gaskets when doing a transmission flush, and making sure the connectors leave squeaky clean, All Around Auto Repair is a one-step-shop for transmission issues.
If your transmission is starting to go on the fritz, then you should notice your check engine or transmission temperature light come on. When that icon is on, your vehicle could be dealing with transmission fluid that’s hotter than it should be – perhaps because the engine coolant level is low.
Definitely let the mechanics at All Around Auto Repair have a look if your vehicle has issues shifting gears (delays as you shift up or move out of park), your car is shaking or grinding under the hood, or you notice a burnt smell,
The issue could be beat-up gear synchronizers, a bad clutch, or (very likely) dirty or low levels of transmission fluid. AAA and other auto experts say you should leave the major mechanical car problems and repairs to the professionals.
- Timing-belt Replacement
Your timing belt is a true unsung hero: It precisely syncs the rotations of your camshaft and crankshaft so that your valves open in time for your cylinder’s exhaust and intake strokes.
Does your head hurt yet? Yeah? Mechanics with decades of experience see this kind of thing every day.
- Overheating Engine
Your check engine light or coolant temp warning light coming on could indicate major-league car problems under the hood. Your check engine light might mean that something like an oxygen sensor or spark plug is malfunctioning, or a wire has become loose.
Coolant leaking on the ground or something that smells “hot” are issues that can’t be ignored. Thumping from under the hood and an engine that doesn’t quite engage when you press down the accelerator are problems that require immediate attention.
The coolant temperature light coming on, on the other hand, could mean car problems with a radiator cap, a fan, or that some mysterious issue is causing a coolant leak. All Around Auto Repair has diagnostic tools to quickly end the mystery. Contact us for more information.
