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General Questions

HOW TO CHECK VEHICLES OIL.

Park your vehicle on level ground and turn engine off, pop the hood. Locate the engine oil dipstick (generally yellow in colour check your vehicles owner manual if you are unsure of the dipstick’s location) Pull the dipstick up and wipe off the excess oil with a rag, Put the dipstick back into the tube making sure it’s in all the way. Pull out the stick again and check the level, you should be able to see if your oil level is below the recommended level or not.

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON.

The check engine light — more formally known as the malfunction indicator lamp — is a signal from the cars engine computer that something is wrong. The check engine light coming on could only be a minor issue, such as a faulty gas cap, however it could point to a problem of greater megnitude, such as a misfiring engine. In any case, it means that you should visit your car dealer to have the issue repaired and the light turned off.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHECK MY TIRE PRESSURE?

The recommended practice for checking tire pressure is around once a month to be safe. A good rule of thumb to remember is that your tires individually lose about one PSI per month after filling them, checking every month can ensure that they are always inflated to the proper pressure levels. You won’t see quite as many tire pressure warning during the summer, however you should still be adamant on checking the suggested once a month mentioned earlier.

WHY IS MY TURN SIGNAL BLINKING FASTER THAN USUAL?

The vast majority of the time, a fast blinking turn signal indicates that the headlights bulb is out. If the turning indicator flashes rapidly but the bulbs are in good shape this could indicate that the vehicles flasher relay has failed, meaning it’s not receiving enough voltage.

NOISES THAT CAUSE CONCERN

A wide variety of noises and sounds will spring up while driving your vehicle. While it is exceptionally difficult to analyze the problem without really investigating the vehicle, here are a few common issues that may cause some concern.

– High pitch screech/squeal after ignition, or after accelerating from a stop: Suspect a worn out or loose drive belt.

– Loud rumbling, vehicle sounds like a race car: Most likely a leak in the exhaust.

– Grinding coming from the wheels when the brake pedal is applied: Brake pads or shoes have worn out past their limit and the metal is grinding against the brake rotor.

– A High pitch screech/squeal when applying pressure to the brakes: Brake pads can screech/squeal for some of the following reasons, the break pads are worn down and a “squealer tab” is making contact with the rotor. The brake rotor or drum may have edges that are causing a screech/squeal noise and in some cases, the material the cushions are made of.

– Pulsating noise/feeling when applying pressure to the brakes: This usually indicates a warped brake rotor or drum.

– Humming noise that escalates as you speed up: This could be brought about by a worn out wheel bearing or noisy tires. If the noise changes when rotating the steering wheel, suspect a wheel bearing.

– Harsh scraping originating from the wheels (specifically around corners): This can be brought about by rust developing on the flimsy metal plate behind the brake rotor or rust on the rotor itself.

– Very high pitch off and on rattling/buzzing depending on engine speed: Suspect an exhaust heat shield has come loose.

– Clunking noise while traveling over bumps: This can be brought about by worn out suspension, specifically sway bar links, ball joints, tie rods, struts or even bushings.

– Creaking noises while turning the steering wheel at a stop: Suspect worn strut bearings or dried out tie rods/ball joints.

– High pitch humming when turning the steering wheel: This is typically brought about by low power steering fluid or the power steering pump.