Things You Should Remember When Your Car Breaks Down

It sucks but cars do break down at one point or another. But instead of crying, cursing, kicking the car, or whatever it is that you do when you get frustrated, why not do something that will solve the problem at hand?

The annoying part is cars will eventually break down and it is usually the worst place and the worst time for it to do so. To make matters worse, if your vehicle is not up-to-speed and experiences a breakdown that leads to a collision or any other type of accident, the fact that your vehicle was the one that malfunctioned means that you are the one liable for the accident. Sure, it may not be something you intended to happen, but in a court of law or insurance agent’s office that’s not a good enough argument. Here are some tips that will help you get through the day in case your vehicle decided not to cooperate today.

Know The Basic Precaution After Your Car Breaks Down

· Before anything else, make sure to pull up as far left as possible.

· Position your wheels to the left.

· Get everyone out of the car.

· Go to the left side of your car and stand there.

· If you’re with children or pets, be sure to secure them.

· Don’t forget to leave your sidelights on as well as your hazard warning lights. 

Always Carry Safety Equipment In The Car

People tend to hoard a lot of things in their car, which isn’t so bad considering that we spend a lot of time on the road. But before anything else, make sure you have emergency-essentials in your trunk first. A driver can bail out of a lot of sticky situations if he plans ahead. More often than not, things go south on you when you think nothing could go wrong. So it pays to hope for the best and plan for the worst, especially on the road.

You’ll never when a break down might happen, so carrying safety equipment all the time will come in handy once the need arise. Few essentials would be warning triangles, reflective clothing, blankets, phone charger, matches, first aid kit, and a snow scraper. But aside from those, always have a stash of cash, food, and drink. These will help get you by until help comes.   

Do Not Attempt Repair

Doing your own car repair is highly advisable for a lot of practical reasons. But there are certain car problems that you just shouldn’t take your chances, otherwise you’d end up spending more than you should and could risk more damage than you originally had. Unless you’re absolutely sure with how to fix it, it’s best to leave it. Trying to DIY could cause more damage than what you originally had to deal with. Here are some examples of fixes you definitely should leave to the experts:

Electrical Gremlins

You’d be wise to leave electrical repairs to the expert, except from replacing fuse or relay. Run-of-the-mill electrical repairs are so intricate that one mistake can make more things go haywire.

Fuel System Fixes

Fuel systems have the capacity to cause headaches, garage fires, and even unconsciousness. Rule of thumb: when dealing with fuel, use caution. Don’t attempt to do it yourself if you’re not sure how to do them properly.

Snapped Coil Springs

Coil springs can fail and when that happens you could be mauled by a rogue spring flying at your head. So unless you’re truly experience at replacing them, you might want to sit this one out and call for car servicing.

Don’t Force It To Start

Being stranded with a dead battery sucks. Having jumper cables in your trunk will save your day. They should at least let you get by and look for the nearest car repair if the case of your battery is more complex. But, you should keep in mind that forcing to start your car may cause further damage. So you might want to just let the experts take care of that. Because more often than not, there’s a lot more car repair necessary than simply getting the automobile to start. If you’re near a car repair shop or you can call for a tow away service then you might be better off opting for those, unless otherwise you really know how to deal with the problem yourself.

Bring Your Car To The Nearest Car Repair Shop Once You Get Help

Arrange transportation for you and your car to the car repair shop near the area. As soon as they can get their hands on your car, the sooner it’ll get fixed.

Unless you’re an automotive repair expert yourself, the first thing to do is contact a technician who can come examine your vehicle and figure out what the problem is. Take note of any local landmarks you can use to guide them to your location, and provide as much information about the problem as possible – sounds, smells, how it felt while driving, and so on. This may help the technician pinpoint your problem even before they arrive.

Many cases can be resolved on the spot, but about 40% will require being towed to a repair facility. Other fixes may be temporary – just enough help to get you there on your own. In a certain percentage of cases, mechanical breakdowns are immediately followed by a collision. You should be ready to deal with such events.