Nick's Auto Blog

Hello, my name is Nick. This is my new auto blog. Have you ever wondered about how you can improve the look and functioning of your auto? If so you are in the right place. I live in a large house in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and my house has as many garage parking spots as it does rooms. And believe me, it has a lot of rooms. I like to collect classic cars and then work on them to restore them to their former glory. In doing this, I have learnt lots of cool tricks. I would like to share some of these tricks with you here.

3 Surprising Signs Your Car Needs Servicing

Automotive Blog

Just because you can start your car, this doesn't mean it's in good repair or that it should even be driven on the road. Very often a car may run and you may even be able to move it forward, but it still needs major repairs of one sort or another. Knowing the subtle signs of these needed repairs can keep you from doing more damage to your car. Consider a few of those here.

1. A sweet smell coming from the front of your car

If you can detect a sweet smell coming from the front of your car, this might signal that you have a radiator leak. Radiator fluid has a sweet smell, but it should always remain contained in the lines of your coolant system. If you can smell the radiator fluid, it has leaked out. This fluid can drain out completely when you're on the road and your engine can easily overheat, or your radiator may actually burst. It's never good to drive your car any distance when you notice this odor.

2. Odd spills underneath your car

When you run the air conditioning of your car during the summer months, you may notice condensation that drips underneath your car and this is normal. However, if you notice a spill that has a greenish tinge, this is usually the radiator fluid mentioned above. A brownish tinge or thick black liquid usually means you have an oil leak, or this may be power steering fluid. Driving your car with such leaks can mean causing severe damage to the engine, as these fluids can leak out completely or they may have already leaked out so that you notice the puddle under your car.

3. Your car's fuel consumption spikes considerably

If you seem to notice that you travel far less on a tank of gas, this could be a sign that your car is struggling and the engine is working harder than it should. You may need a simple tune-up but you might also need to have the throttle box cleaned, or may have a leak in the exhaust so that fumes are getting back into the engine and clogging it. These problems won't go away on their own and will simply put more wear and tear on the engine, and other components may eventually break down as well. Have a mechanic (like those at Chatswood Brake & Clutch) check out your engine; a few simple diagnostic tests can determine why it's running so inefficiently, and you may only need some simple repair work to address the issue.

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26 January 2015