Owning a car is a necessity in the fast-paced society we live in today; with almost everyone behind a wheel, mobility has never been easier. It is no common knowledge that every good thing comes with a price and car owners are sure to have a whole lot to dish out when it comes to car troubles. In case you are in the market for a new ride and want to know exactly what you are getting yourself into, you need to be well armed with 20 of the most common car complaints.
Uneven Wear of Tires
Tires have an important and hard job when it comes to car parts, they carry the whole weight of the car and have to deal with all sorts of terrains. There is no doubt that they will come in contact with a whole lot of resistance both from external and internal forces. While most cases of flats and blowouts can be attributed to external forces, some of the damage is equally done over time. This damage is highly likely to happen unevenly, and this may lead to a number of complications such as vibration through your steering wheel and a suspension that will be in dire need of alignment.
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Paint Issues
This may seem like a minor problem, but it is the most visible issue you can encounter as a car owner and as such, it should not be taken lightly. The damage ranges from chipping to scratches and even rust can leave a car looking as unpleasant as can be. While chipping and other paint related problems solely pose as a serious annoyance be sure to act quickly when it comes to rust spots. This is mainly because they can lead up to actual structural damage in the long run.
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Ailing Brake Pads
No one wants to be in a car with failing brakes, this is most definitely one of the most dangerous problems a car owner can face. With this one, it can often result in life claiming calamities and as such, the importance of keeping up with the brake maintenance cannot be stressed enough. Catching the problem before the failure is usually the go-to plan but as a result of certain factory defects, this can ultimately become quite difficult. This is mostly because the affected brake pads and rotors are subject to wear and tear a lot quicker than expected. All car owners and prospective owners need to stay on top of this issue religiously.
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Faulty Windows
This is the age of automated windows and like it or not they pose a bit of a problem when the mechanisms at work start acting up. At some point, the windows may not roll up all the way and may even stop functioning altogether. While the idea of excess air being let into the car or being unable to make use of the AC/heater is plain annoying, there are other issues that are more pressing. For instance, any gap left can leave your car open to thieves, looters and water damage.
High Oil Consumption
There is no car out there that will not need a reasonable amount of oil to function perfectly. Though the top up should be periodical, it is a major problem when the car begins to require an unusual amount of oil checks then something is off. In order to detect this early, every car owner should either check the oil light on the dashboard or carry out a minor dip in performance. Letting a problem like this slide past make cause corrosion to the engine or a clogged oil filter. In order to keep the car in optimum shape changing the filters and checking the oil is probably the best route.
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Cracks in the Windshield
Despite the fact that cracks in a windshield are usually as a result of external factors like a rock or any other hard object, there are also other factors. More often than never, a number of windshields are distributed with certain stress defects that make them even more prone to damage. Any stress marks altogether make the windshield vulnerable to breaking down completely. Though the small cracks may come off as a minor aesthetic issue, they can altogether lead to a compromise in the structural integrity of your car. As a result of this, issues with car windshields should not be taken lightly.
Issues with the Starter
The starter is the gatekeeper of the whole car, and if it is faulty then you may as well be the owner of a decorative piece. So, in the case that your car is taking quite some time to come on then that may be cause for concern. If the delay is also accompanied by a clicking sound before the car eventually starts, then that is an even worse problem. This is not the worse thing that could happen to your car, but it should definitely be nipped in the bud before it causes your car to cease coming on altogether.
Light Issues
There are a number of lights situated in different areas of a car; there are the headlights, turn signals as well as the brake lights. Each of these is vital to your safety while on the road and as such should be checked periodically. Despite the fact that most bulbs themselves are quite durable on their own, when issues like poor wiring and corrosion come into play there is a serious cause for concern. In order to avoid causing an accident on the road or simply getting pulled over by the traffic police, lights need to be changed and fixed quite often.
Clogged Filters
Cars are built in such a way that transmission fluid is filtered on a periodical basis. Despite this, a number of pollutants present can cause the filters to clog up over time. As a result of this, the performance of the transmission can drastically reduce over time, this, in turn, wreaks havoc on the car as a whole. Due to the fact that the transmission is meant to be a closed system having an overflow of these pollutants can result in serious issues or wear and tear that is well beyond repair.
Water Damage
As practically every movie acted has made apparent, water and cars do not interact well. Water causes a ton of damage to the car, if it seeps into the interior not only can it act as a catalyst for rust, but it can damage the car’s transmission system. Any liquid that seeps into the transmission can end up getting the radiator or the whole unit all soaked up. This can further result in total transmission failure and even the wearing away of glue and rusting of metal. The key here is to try as much as possible to keep your car away from water.
Leaky Radiator
A car’s radiator is a mysterious thing, the usual cause of the problem is corrosion, but other culprits can be the issue such as problems ranging from poor maintenance all the way to factory defects. When faced with such a problem the way forward is to replace the radiator altogether rather than patching it up. Once you spot a leak it simply means that corrosion has already taken place and that is just the tip of the iceberg, more leaks will follow. Whether you choose to patch it up or replace it, the key is to not drive the car till it is fixed in order to avoid overheating or worse, an engine fire.
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Issues with Speakers
This may seem like a trivial issue but in these contemporary times, speakers can be a cause of serious problems. When the speakers of a car are failing it can come off as grossly annoying most especially if those issues have to do with the clarity of sound or even connectivity. In the case that the connection is somehow tripped off, all is certainly not lost, the way out is to pull the speaker out and reattach the wires. So, as annoying as this issue is, some good old DIY tinkering can solve the problem.
Battery Problems
Batteries are the powerhouse of device they are fitted into and as such, having a faulty one can lead to quite a bit of discomfort. Battery problems stem from a number of causes, it could be a factory defect or even sheer carelessness, nevertheless, it all results in the total shut down of the car. Truth be told, a simple jump start from another vehicle can sort this issue out, it is highly advisable to replace them every three to six years in order to ensure that they remain in tip-top shape.
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Emission System
Cars are heavy pieces of machinery that are fully equipped with all the parts that are required to make them run at an optimum level while aiming to reduce pollution. As smoothly as the system runs, included in all cars is also some equipment that makes it open to problems. So, cars have O2 sensors that let them know how much oxygen is needed in the fuel mixture, this further results in a less efficient car. You could end up being saddled with a car that produces smog which burns through fuel rapidly.
Failing Sensors
Car sensors are a very important part of all vehicles, this is because they are in charge of sending all the necessary information to the engine computer system. The cars driven today are stocked with a range of sensors that are no strangers to a fault here and there. The most common of them is the fuel-air sensor (which oversees the mixture of fuel and air in the engine) and it does not help that it is quite a costly venture to replace one. This is a reality that all car owners have to deal with from time to time.
Faulty Gas Mileage
A lot of issues that your car could possibly face take a serious toll on the engine, one of such issues is the gas mileage. The way to move forward with this issue is to engage in regular oil changes, frequently replace the engine air filter and also change the spark plugs now again. The result of this will be an optimum functioning car that gets in a lot of miles per gallon.
Faulty Shock Absorbers
There are very few things that are as enjoyable as cruising in a new car, if the road is good, it can easily feel like you are gliding on the air. This is the function of optimum shock absorbers. In the case that the rides become increasingly bumpy regardless of the terrain, then it may have faulty suspensions, which basically points to the need for a new shock absorber. No one honestly wants to feel every bump or bounce the car experiences, so once that starts to happen it should be out with the old and in with the new.
Evaporative Leak
All cars are fitted with valves that are out there to ensure that toxic gases they produce do not leak out. These gases are present as a result of high temperatures with a car’s system that cause them to expand. Said gases hardly have access to ventilation and as such the build-up can further cause leaks. In the case that the valves meant to keep harmful gases in check totally fail, then the end result could be the malfunctioning of the catalytic converters.
Transmission
Any issues that a car is facing that are remotely related to the transmission need to be checked out immediately. The transmission is in charge of the conversion of the power produced by the engine into a rotational force. This force is altogether responsible for the actual movement of the car. In the highly expected case that the gears wear out, this could wreak a whole lot of havoc on the transmission and totally render the car unusable.
Transmission Fluid Leaks
It has already been established that the transmission of a car is an important component. In order to function, it needs a special fluid so that all its parts are well lubricated. Over time, small holes begin to form on components of the transmission system, and this results in leaks. All in all, it reduces the total efficiency of your transmission which is a few steps away from total failure.
Sources:
- The Most Common Car Problems by State – The General Auto Quotes
- AUTO ADVICE: Most common used-car problems – The Guardian
