Saturday, April 16, 2011

DIY Saturday: When It’s Normal, When It’s Not

No car is perfect—you have to accept that. Even brand new cars may have indications of imperfections. But, that doesn’t mean a certain abnormality in your vehicle always demands that you bring your ride to the mechanic. In many instances, there are “flaws” or “imperfections” or “abnormalities” in your vehicle that are actually normal and should not cause any alarm on your part. The occurrence of these doesn’t require you to bring your ride to the auto repair shop all at once. Take a look at the following:

Normal: The presence of some metal shavings in the oil pan
When you change oil and you see metal shavings in your oil pan, this is but normal, especially if you have just purchased your car and your engine is undergoing a process so-called as “breaking in.” You’re bound to see some metal shavings on the pan coming from the metal parts of your engine.

Not Normal: Too much metal shavings every time you change oil
If your engine is done with the break in process (usually during the first two oil changes), you’re not supposed to see a lot of metal shavings anymore. A little is okay, but too much is not—especially if you observe this EVERY TIME you do an oil change. This could mean intense wearing on engine parts. Remember to change your oil at the correct interval and inspect the parts that may be damaged.

Normal: A pool of fluid under your car
Well it’s normal, only if that’s water, which could be coming from your A/C system (the evaporator). Warm air passes through the evaporator coils, and this causes condensation on the coil surface, and water then drips from the said part. That’s perfectly normal, nothing to worry about.

Not Normal: A pool of oil, coolant, or gas under your car
While a pool of water is perfectly normal under your vehicle, a pool of other liquid substances is not. Oil leak could lead to engine overheating. Coolant leak could have the same effect. Gas leak, on the other hand, is extremely dangerous. You can check these because of their look and smell, and they require immediate attention.

Next Saturday, we’ll discuss more normal and abnormal conditions in your ride to help you determine when a problem already needs mechanic attention.

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