Your Auto Repair Specialist Can Prevent Many Common Vehicle Problems

One of the worst things that can happen while you are driving is your car breaking down. It never happens at a convenient time or location. There are ways to avoid the most common problems however, if you perform the proper maintenance on your vehicle.

One of these preventable problems is an engine misfire. An engine is run by spark plugs which are set up to fire at just the right time so that the engine can get enough power to run properly. If it fires at the wrong time, then you have a misfire. There are several reasons that this happens including dead spark plugs, bad spark plug wires, a vacuum leak, or a breakdown in mechanics. The way that you can avoid a misfire is to get tune-ups done according to the maintenance schedule in your operation manual.

Another preventable problem that can be avoided is an evaporative emissions failure. This traps fumes from the gas tank and is composed of the fuel tank, vapor lines, and a separator that keeps the liquid gas out of the system. The purge valve will occasionally open causing fresh air to be let into the system so that the trapped gas fumes can be burned inside the engine. Sometimes, however, there are leaks in the system due to rust or corrosion. To fix this, the leak has to be found, fixed, and replaced. This could be quite costly, depending on the type of leak and the supplies needed. To avoid this problem, make sure your gas cap is put back on tight after you get gas and have your auto repair shop put on a good anti-rust application so that corrosion can be kept minimal.

Another thing that could go wrong is that your system could be running too lean. This is usually the result of a vacuum leak, problem with the injection driver, a bad injector, or outdated software. The computer in your car monitors the amount of air and coolant that is taken into the system, the air temperatures, and the position of the throttle. To find a problem, the mechanic at your auto repair center can hook your car's computer to their computer to find out where the problem is so that it can be fixed. To avoid this problem make sure you are changing the oil and having tune-ups done regularly.

Finally, problems with the catalytic converter can also be prevented. These are usually caused by a leak from corrosion or the converter being plugged by carbon build up. The catalytic converter burns up any gas that does not fully burn in the engine because it cannot process all of it. These problems often lead to replacement of the catalytic converter, which can be quite expensive. Sometimes your auto repair specialist can solve the problem by flushing the system so that the offending items can be removed. To avoid this problem make sure you have tune-ups done regularly.

The bottom line is that if you keep your vehicle maintained according to factory recommendations, you will be able to avoid the more costly repairs down the road.