To properly maintain your vehicle, it helps to arm yourself with some basic knowledge about your car’s proper operation and maintenance so that you’ll recognize a potential problem. You’ll also want to employ your senses to gather clues about the problem so you can pass them on to your mechanic.

Seeing a puddle under the engine is a pretty good indicator that something is leaking. Feeling a shimmy in the steering wheel suggests a problem with the steering and/or suspension. A knocking sound when you accelerate will help to identify a possible problem with your engine. Even your sense of smell can help, particularly if you have an idea what different odors mean.

The Federal Trade Commission, in an online article titled, “Taking the Scare Out of Auto Repair,” offers the following information under the heading, “Smells Like Trouble:”

As with any potential problem you see, hear, feel or smell, these are clues that you may want to bring your vehicle in to a trusted auto-repair shop. Keep in mind, many problems start with a little drip, tap, vibration or odor and then develop into something more – something that could take a big bite out of your wallet, leave you stranded on the side of the road somewhere or, even worse, put you and your family in harm’s way.

Has your car recently developed an unusual odor or have another symptom that has you concerned?  Bringing your car in to your trusted auto repair technician will help you get to the bottom of the problem. In the McHenry County area, call Performance Unlimited at (815) 728-0343.

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