13 Signs Your Car Might Be Dying You Shouldn’t Ignore
Owning a reliable car is something many of us take for granted. The longer it lasts, the better value for money it is, and the more we can sit back and relax as we drive, knowing that our reliable steed will get us home and dry.
Sometimes, when we are on the road, our car might throw up a few unpleasant surprises. A rattle here, a strange noise there, or a funny feeling that all might hint that not all is well with our machine. It could be that our car is slowly, or perhaps quickly, dying.
To help you out, we have 13 signs in this list that suggest your car might be dying. None of these are things that you should ignore. They can range from small rattles to funny smells, and you should check them all out to avoid something serious happening to yourself and your passengers.
Jerky Starting and Stopping
It stands to reason that pulling away from or stopping your car should be smooth and pleasant. Yet if the opposite happens, that is a strong indicator that you have severe transmission or perhaps brake issues.
Matt Smith, the senior editor at CarGurus.com, told Readers Digest that if you notice violent acceleration or breaking and jerking with unpleasant noises, it might be time to invest in a new vehicle. Those are clear signs that your car has a problem, and things could worsen if you keep driving it.
Leaking Fluids
This is perhaps one of the most obvious signs in any car that something is seriously wrong. Our vehicles are full of fluids- gasoline, hydraulic, brake, or oil. Each serves a different purpose but is equally essential in keeping the car on the move.
Leaking fluids are a serious sign of an issue at play, and it could be more than just a leaky pipe. A dark pool underneath the car indicates an oil leak, but fluids such as transmission and brake fluids have their unique color, and if you lose brake fluid, you might struggle to stop the car. Finding out if these issues are terminal is significant.
Rust Across the Car
Rust isn’t an instant a car killer. It can appear in small quantities and is typically associated with classic cars. However, those built from poor-quality materials can also suffer from severe rusting. Tom O’Neill, the owner of O’Neill’s Auto Body Shop in New Holland, Pennsylvania, told Readers Digest that rust can also be caused by the chemical spread on the road during the winter.
One of the best examples of how rust can cause a problem is the 1980s Lancia Beta rust scandal. Due to extreme rusting, most worryingly on the engine mounts, Lancia had to recall thousands of Betas from the U.K. and give their owners new models. It’s a scandal that cost Lancia its reputation and would never recover from it.
Warning Lights on the Dashboard
Warning lights are probably the most obvious sign that your car has a problem. A car’s dashboard will have lights for engine issues, oil temperature issues, and various other vehicle parts. If there is a problem, the lights will come on to alert you to it.
Occasionally, this can be an electrical glitch, and there is no major problem — that itself is an issue. But most of the time, the lights will come on for a reason, and as Jack Hanania Buick says, the best thing to do is take your car to an auto shop or garage to have it checked out. It is not impossible that the warning light could signify a terminal issue.
Repair Costs Higher Than a New Vehicles Price
While this might not signify imminent car failure, a high repair bill, costing more than a new car, indicates that things are not well with your ride. We are sure a few of us have been in that position, where buying a new vehicle is cheaper than repairing one we already own.
In some cases, the repair might outweigh the value of our current car. In the same Readers Digest list we have mentioned already, Richard Reina, automotive expert and product training director for CARiD.com, says he once had a European car with a repair bill of $4,000 when the car’s value was just $2,500.
A Large Amount of Manufacturer Recalls
Recalls are not uncommon. They occur when an issue is so severe that it could affect an entire model year, the entire batch of vehicles, or a whole generation. Manufacturers, together with the NHTSA, will then issue a recall. A recent example of this is the recall of the Tesla Cybertruck due to its sticking throttle.
In terms of total vehicle recalls Ford sits atop the manufacturer list with 67 recalls in 2022 alone. The most recalled Ford of all time is the F-150, with 115 recalls, which is perhaps a surprise given the popularity and high praise awarded to the pickup truck. But equally, with so many F-150s produced, it makes sense that it has had its fair share of recalls.
Difficulty Starting the Car
A caveat to this issue is that you might struggle to start your car because of a bad battery. A car, or any vehicle, requires a massive surge of energy to start the battery, and of course, the battery plays a vital part in this. Yet difficulties starting a car could be a sign of something fundamentally wrong with the engine.
Checking the voltage on your battery is one way to begin a diagnosis. You could even swap the battery out regardless of whether there is an inherent battery problem, but if neither of these cures it, then your car might be on its way out. It’s never good to lose a car, but nothing lasts forever.
Deteriorating Performance
Deteriorating performance might sound like an obvious thing to state, but a problem of this nature could creep its way into your car quite slowly. How might this manifest itself? Well, if your vehicle was previously rapid up hills but is now struggling, that is one sign there is a significant issue.
Perhaps your car, be it a sports car or a sedan, is much slower to accelerate up to speed than it used to be. Trouble slowing down could also signify a major problem on the way. If you notice any changes in performance from your car, it is worth keeping an eye on things.
Smoke From the Exhaust
If a car or vehicle runs well and reliably, you won’t have any issues with excessive smoke coming out the back. Cars should run cleanly and efficiently, and that should be reflected in the exhaust gasses that come out the rear of our vehicles.
However, signs from the back end of a car can signify a significant issue. Blue smoke, for example, according to Readers Digest, can hint at excessive oil burning. White smoke can mean evaporating coolant. Thick black or brown could be even more worrying, so if you notice smoke pouring out the back of your car, you have a big problem.
Major Knocking Sounds From the Engine
Various factors can contribute to an engine knocking sound from your car. It can occur when air and fuel mixture in the cylinders is not ignited correctly. It could also mean some metal components hit each other in a way they shouldn’t, and knocks can occur during acceleration or continuously when driving.
Other factors include bad spark plugs, excessive carbon deposits and build-up, and incorrect or low-octane fuel. Not all engine knocks are terminal issues, but significantly loud ones are highly likely to be. You can find out by taking the car into a garage or, if you are unlucky, having the engine give up the ghost while on the move.
Transmission Slipping
This is a different kind of slipping from slipping on icy or cold and wet roads. Transmission slip refers to when the transmission slips out of gear, with the car changing from one gear to another without you shifting through the gears yourself.
A transmission slip usually occurs right after you switch gears, and the car will most likely slip into neutral. While it can be a minor annoyance, such as when reversing out of your garage, there are occasions, such as on the highway, when it could be a significant safety concern.
Burning Through Oil
Every car requires oil to run properly unless it is an electric vehicle. Regularly changing the oil in your car is a great way to maintain it, with a change every six months in a recommended timeframe. But sometimes, you might notice your car rapidly burning through its excess oil.
Should you notice this, there is a good chance you might have to replace your car. This could be because the valve linings within the engine have hardened, and thus, they can no longer keep the oil inside. Fixing this could become costly and time-consuming, and there is no guarantee that the car will last long after the repair.
Excessively Purchasing New Parts for Your Car
It is common practice to replace parts of our cars over their lifespan. Components such as spark plugs, brake pads, or even mundane ones such as light bulbs and wiper blades will need replacing at some point.
Yet, if you have to buy parts for your car, be it for the engine or something else, doing so at regular intervals is a sign something is amiss. The best thing to do is either take it in for someone to look at it or realize enough is enough and think about a new ride.
