There are any number of problems that could cause a breakdown of your car, truck or SUV when you leave your McCullom Lake home. The cure is timely maintenance.

Maybe if you’re a fairly new addition to McCullom Lake and other roads you’ve never had the experience of you car, truck or SUV breaking down and leaving you stranded. However, if you’ve driven for any serious length of time, there’s a good chance you’ve already experienced the automotive breakdown.

McCullom Lake drivers are, by no means, immune to their vehicles breaking down. Those who have experienced fewer breakdowns in their driving careers have either spent more time driving newer cars, trucks or SUVs or have done a stellar job of staying on top of maintaining their vehicles.

Still, even new cars, trucks and SUVs have breakdowns. And, even if you are on top of maintenance, there’s always a chance that you could have a mechanical problem while driving that might leave you stranded. The unfortunate reality is that things mechanical can breakdown under wear and tear. Timely and proper maintenance is the best way to minimize the likelihood that you’ll experience a breakdown.

Knowing what is likely to cause a breakdown of your vehicle is one way to ensure that you’ve applied maintenance where most needed. Here, according to Automobile Association Developments, are the most common causes of automotive breakdowns:

A bad battery: While this problem often rears its ugly head in the summer when the cold forces the battery to work harder starting a car, truck or SUV, summer heat is actually very hard on a battery. Batteries fail because they get old, they aren’t charged properly, or the vehicle has been left unattended for too long. If the battery isn’t charging properly, you either have a bad battery or you could have a problem with the charging system.

Damaged tires and wheels: Striking a pothole or curb hard can bend a rim and/or damage a tire. Striking objects in the road can do the same thing. And, of course, old age can also cause problems. Hitting something on the road can puncture a tire possibly with a slow leak or with a catastrophic failure of the tire.

Engine problems: One of the key factors that can lead to engine problems is oil failure when the oil has not been changed in a timely manner. Not having enough, or having too much oil, can also cause problems for the engine in your car, truck or SUV. Change the oil in a timely manner and check the dipstick frequently.

Timing belt or chain: If the timing belt or chain fails, it can cause serious damage to the engine. Timely oil changes will help to avoid this problem. Otherwise, check with your trusted auto repair shop about the condition of the timing belt or chain.

Fuel problems: Generally, you won’t have this problem unless foreign material gets into the fuel system or you use the wrong fuel. Make sure you fill the tank with the right fuel.

Overheating: The cooling system requires coolant and a sealed cooling system. It also requires operationally sound water pump, fan(s), and thermostat. The coolant, itself, has to be in good shape.

If you stay on top of these issues, as well as other prescribed maintenance, you will go a long way to keeping your McCullom Lake car, truck or SUV on the road and avoiding costly and inconvenient breakdowns.