Is Your Car Trying To Tell You Something?

One piece of advice I give on the radio fairly often, especially to those whom I tell they don’t need to trade cars, is to get “in tune” with your vehicle. I’m not talking about becoming a mechanic or spending every Saturday afternoon under the hood. I mean knowing your car well enough to recognize when something changes, because vehicles often give us clues that something is wrong long before they leave us sitting on the side of the road.

Think about a car you've owned for several years. You know what it sounds like when it starts in the morning, how the steering feels, how quickly the engine turns over, where the temperature gauge normally sits and how the brakes feel when you stop. You probably even know the little noises that have been there forever. When something suddenly sounds, smells or feels different, pay attention. Your car may be trying to tell you something.

Listen For New Sounds

One of the easiest warning signs to recognize is a new noise. A squeal when you apply the brakes, a clicking sound while turning, a clunk when going over a bump, a humming or growling noise that changes with vehicle speed, or a new ticking sound from under the hood all deserve attention. The important word here is “new.” Every vehicle has its own collection of normal sounds, and I'm not suggesting you rush to a repair shop every time you hear a rattle. But if you've driven a vehicle for 40,000 miles and suddenly hear something you've never heard before, there's usually a reason.

Don't automatically assume a new noise will go away. Sometimes it does, but sometimes that $200 noise becomes a $2,000 repair because somebody kept driving until a relatively minor problem damaged something else. If you can safely determine when the sound occurs—while braking, accelerating, turning, idling or driving at a particular speed—that information can also be extremely helpful to your technician.

Your Nose Can Be A Great Diagnostic Tool

Smells are another warning sign people sometimes ignore, and anything that smells like it is burning gets my immediate attention. A burning-oil smell could indicate oil leaking onto a hot engine or exhaust component. A sweet smell can be associated with engine coolant. A strong gasoline odor can indicate a fuel-system problem and should never be ignored. An electrical or burning-plastic smell deserves immediate attention as well.

There are innocent explanations for some odors. You can drive over a plastic bag and have it stick to a hot exhaust system, for example. But if an unusual smell continues, particularly a burning smell, don't just roll down the windows and hope it goes away. Find out what is causing it.

Watch Your Gas Mileage

This is one of my favorites because your vehicle can sometimes tell you something is changing without making a sound or turning on a warning light. If you normally average 25 miles per gallon and suddenly you're consistently getting 21 or 22 while driving the same routes in similar conditions, I want to know why.

Fuel economy naturally changes with weather, driving conditions, traffic, fuel formulation, towing, idling and even how aggressively you drive, so one bad tank doesn't mean there's a problem. But a sustained, unexplained drop can point to things as simple as low tire pressure or as involved as a malfunctioning sensor, dragging brake, ignition problem or other mechanical issue. Know roughly what your vehicle normally gets, and pay attention when that number changes significantly.

Feel What The Steering And Brakes Are Telling You

You should know how your vehicle normally feels through the steering wheel and brake pedal. If it suddenly begins pulling to one side, the steering wheel starts vibrating, or you notice a vibration that appears only at certain speeds, something has changed. It might be tire balance, alignment, tire damage, suspension wear or another issue, but it deserves investigation.

The same goes for the brakes. If the pedal suddenly feels softer or harder, travels farther than normal, pulsates, or the vehicle begins pulling while braking, don't put that on next month's to-do list. Brakes are not an area where I believe in waiting to see what happens.

Pay Attention To How It Starts

You hear your vehicle start hundreds of times a year, so you're actually pretty well qualified to recognize when it doesn't sound normal. If the starter suddenly seems to crank more slowly, the engine takes longer to fire, or you hear clicking when you push the start button or turn the key, pay attention. A weakening battery is an obvious possibility, but starting problems can have other causes.

Batteries rarely send you a calendar invitation announcing the day they're going to die. Often, however, they'll give you hints first. A slow crank on a cold morning may be one of them.

Look Down Occasionally

I'm amazed by how many people never look underneath their vehicles. You don't need to crawl under there; simply pay attention to the spot where you normally park. If a new puddle or stain appears, investigate it.

Water underneath a vehicle after you've been running the air conditioner is usually perfectly normal condensation. Other fluids aren't something I'd automatically dismiss. Engine oil, coolant, transmission fluid and brake fluid need to stay inside the systems designed to contain them. If you're not sure what you're seeing, have somebody who knows take a look.

While you're looking, pay attention to the tires, too. Uneven wear can tell you about alignment, suspension or inflation problems, and a bulge, crack or object embedded in a tire can become a safety issue. You don't have to inspect your tires with a magnifying glass every morning, but giving them a quick look occasionally is just good common sense.

Don't Ignore The Dashboard

Today's vehicles are very good at monitoring themselves. If a warning light appears, find out what it means instead of covering it with a piece of electrical tape. Not every warning requires you to immediately shut down the engine, but some absolutely do.

A check-engine light that stays illuminated can indicate many different problems and should be diagnosed, but a check-engine light that is flashing can indicate a serious condition such as an active misfire that can damage the catalytic converter. Oil-pressure and overheating warnings can also signal conditions where continuing to drive may cause severe engine damage. If you're uncertain about a warning, check the owner's manual and err on the side of caution.

Pay Attention After Service Or Repairs

I also tell people to be particularly observant immediately after their vehicle has been serviced. Most technicians do excellent work, but we're all human. If you just had an oil change and suddenly smell burning oil, see a fresh leak or notice a warning light, don't assume it's coincidence. If you had tires installed and suddenly have a vibration that wasn't there before, go back. If the vehicle drives differently after an alignment or repair, say something.

The best time to address a possible problem related to recent service is immediately, not three months later when nobody can determine what happened.

Know What's Normal For Your Car

The point of all this isn't to make you paranoid about every squeak, smell or vibration. Quite the opposite. If you know what's normal, you won't worry about things your vehicle has always done. What you're watching for is change.

Turn the radio down occasionally and listen. Notice how the steering feels. Look at your average fuel economy. Pay attention to how quickly the engine starts. Take a glance at the driveway after you pull away. Know where your temperature gauge normally runs. When you walk toward your vehicle in a parking lot, take a quick look at the tires instead of staring at your phone.

None of those things costs a dime, and none requires mechanical expertise.

Over the years, I've seen plenty of expensive repairs that probably could have been much less expensive if the owner had responded to the first warning instead of the final failure. I've also seen people avoid breakdowns simply because they knew their vehicle well enough to say, “Something isn't right.”

That's what I mean when I tell people to be in tune with their car. You don't have to know exactly what is wrong. That's what a good technician is for. Your job is simply to recognize that something has changed and have it checked before a small problem becomes a big one.

Your car can't talk, but it communicates with you every day through sounds, smells, vibrations, gauges and the way it drives. Spend enough time paying attention and you'll learn its language.

And when your car starts telling you something different, listen.