Diagnosing Your Car’s Problems

There are many web pages dedicated to informing car owners just what is wrong with their vehicles and how to go about fixing it. One of the most difficult parts of diagnosing your car’s issue, however, is knowing where to start. This article is therefore dedicated to guiding you to the most effective ways to get your car problems solved. Being able to diagnose problems yourself instead of relying on a mechanic helps you both to understand the problem and know if someone is trying to rip you off.

The first step is to determine exactly what is unusual about your car’s performance. If there is a sound coming from the engine, determine how to best describe it before taking it in to the dealer. Many people bring their cars in without truly knowing how to describe their problem and if the issue stops when the dealer or mechanic drives the car themselves, it is unlikely they will be able to help. While it may sound funny, ask other people to describe the sound you’re hearing and determine whether it’s a pinging, screeching, ticking etc. Mechanics, technicians, and even forum posters are accustomed to hearing issues described this way and can get a good idea of what the issue is.

The next step is to see if your problem is in isolation or if it has occurred as a group of related problems. For example, if you hear a ticking coming from the engine while idling and know that the oil on the dipstick is highly viscous you likely need an oil change or there is an issue in the oil delivery system. Either of these factors in isolation wouldn’t necessarily mean that oil is the issue but the fact that they both are occurring pretty much ensures that oil is the culprit. Similar to diagnosing sickness, knowing that you have a fever and nausea is much more valuable to the doctor than just saying you have a fever as it narrows down the potential illnesses. Make a list of all of the “problems” you are noticing even if they seem completely unrelated as you can later on narrow down which may be in connection with each other.

Once you are able to describe your problem effectively, you can then search your car’s problem online. If the issue requires the help of a professional, ideally you will already know the cause of the problem saving time and money spent by the mechanic attempting to diagnose the problem for you.

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