What To Do If… 3 more hacks for common car troubles

A good sailor will say that you don’t need to be afraid of storms, because storms teach you how to sail your ship. This is all very well unless your ship happens to be a car, and the storm you are facing has to do with your annoying vehicle.

Prepare and prevent

With cars, the golden rule is that it is better to prepare and possibly prevent, than have to repair and repent! The experts at Budget Direct Insurance have the answers to three more common car troubles.

What to do if…

1) Your car is overheating

Cars are more prone to overheat in hot weather. That would be most days in Singapore then. Overheating is particularly common in stop-and-go traffic, like the border to JB, or when climbing a steep gradient.

If your vehicle overheats in normal weather, the water and / or coolant level in the radiator may be low, or there could be a leak in the cooling system.

** Warning – Do not open the radiator cap while the car engine is hot, you must not add water until the engine has cooled significantly.

“If you continue to drive when your engine is overheated, you run a risk of boiling your cooling system and permanently damaging your engine.” yourmechanic.com

If the car’s temperature gauge starts rising, here’s what you can do to cool things down:

• Turn off the air-con + open your windows - this decreases the load on the engine
• Turn on the heater + blower – this helps to transfer the heat from the engine. Not great for the driver, but your car’s engine will thank you
• Do not ride your brakes -it’s better to crawl along than speed up and brake repeatedly. Breaking increases the load on the engine making it hotter
• Once it is safe to stop, pull over and stop the car – stay put until the car has cooled off.Remember, don’t open the radiator cap or add liquids until the engine is cool again.
• When the temperature has returned to normal, get to a workshop and get the problem checked.

2) Air-conditioner stops working

If your air-con is happy to switch on, but will only blow room-temperature air, the most likely problem is a lack of refrigerant. This could indicate a leak in the system. If you don’t have an air-con gauge, refilling the refrigerant is best left to a trained mechanic.  It’s either that or drive around with the windows fully open. Which is OK until the rainy season, or the haze! If you plan to re-sell the car, you should get it fixed as in Singapore, no air-con, cannot!

3) The head or tail light is out

This is an easy fix. Check the manual for the bulb type and order a replacement + spare for the next time this happens. You do not need expensive premium lights. Make sure the car is turned off, pop the old light out of its housing, slide the new one in, and you're good to go.

Useful items to have in your car:

A bottle of distilled water
Spare tyre + jack (that work!)
Jumper cables
Tyre pressure gauge
Spare change

…And the manual

Regular checks and maintenance are sure-fire ways to ensure that you and your car have a great future together.

Budget Direct Insurance
No-Nonsense, money saving cover for your car