How to Keep Your Vehicle in Top Shape in the Rain

Adverse weather conditions can really hamper drivers on the roads with not only poor visibility but loss of control on the road surface. Heavy rain and flash flooding are one of the most hazardous conditions on the road and can strike sometimes without warning. We thought we’d give our best advice to stay safe when driving in the rain to help avoid any accidents.

Prepare your car and check the weather

Before you leave on your journey, check out for weather warnings which could indicate hazardous road conditions, particularly flooding. Try to avoid driving in heavy rain unless your journey is absolutely necessary. If there are roads that you know are likely to flood try to avoid driving down them by taking an alternative route. Prepare your car by ensuring your wiper blades are working effectively and that you have packed appropriate clothing, warning signs (preferably with lights for better visibility) and blankets in the car should you breakdown. These days phone communication is vital so make sure you’ve charged your mobile phone or take a car phone charger with you in case you need to make an emergency call. Letting others know when you’re planning to make your journey and the route you’re taking will help ease their worries and if you breakdown and can’t get mobile signal they could send out a search party for you. It’s also sensible to fill your car up with enough fuel should traffic bring you to a crawl, eating up fuel resources.

When driving in the rain

• Slow your speed down in wet weather – the reason being is that your stopping distance increases in wet weather by twice as much. Slowing down will give you more time to react to any incidents or loss of control of your car.
• Watch out for spray blocking your view – big puddles can lead to vehicles projecting large amounts of spray, not to mention spray from the vehicle in front.
• Keep the air conditioning working – in particular on the windscreen. This will help prevent the windows misting up, reducing your visibility of the road.
• Dip your headlights – this helps other road users to see you better.
• Avoid using rear fog lights – it may seem strange but this can blind drivers behind you, plus they can’t see your brake lights as easily.
• Listen to the radio – local radio stations can be a great source of information for travel news during your journey and most radio systems have a built-in Traffic Information

If you breakdown in heavy rain

Stay calm. Whether you’ve flooded the engine with too much water by driving too fast, or a general fault in the car has occurred take all the right precautions when you breakdown, especially if visibility is poor. Put your hazard warning lights and dipped headlights on (if you can) to increase visibility to other road users. If you have an illuminated sign, also carefully put that out on the road some distance back from your vehicle to alert others to the breakdown ahead.

Of course, try to remain dry by wearing rain coats and sheltering away from the car if there is somewhere safe to do so. Not always is it safe to remain in your broken down car on busy highways. Sometimes if a car engine has flooded give it a few minutes to dry out and attempt to restart the vehicle. Otherwise, if you can’t resolve the breakdown yourself in the rain, call an emergency breakdown recovery service like AUTOFACTORNG to come and help or tow your vehicle.

Top 5 reasons for car break down that you ignore

We all hate it when our car breaks down but knowing the most common symptoms should help you prevent a future break down. So here’s our top 5 reasons for car break down.


Flat or dead car battery causes break down

It’s more common than you think but battery failure is one of the biggest causes of break downs. Batteries most often run flat when we leave the car lights on or forget that the radio is left on. Other times just simple old age can mean the battery suffers to hold it’s charge, or that corrosion has affected the battery terminals. Usually these issues affect you before you start the car but sometimes even when you’re driving the alternator can fail and not charge the battery causing you to lose power to the car! Don’t forget, sometimes the manufacturing process can go awry and bad cells occur.

Overheating engine forces you to break down

Watching the temperature gauge rise in your car can be a worrying matter since an overheating engine can cause plenty of damage to the internal structure of the engine – if it hasn’t already happened. Sometimes the cause can be a leak in the cooling system of the car, meaning coolant isn’t circulating around the engine. Other times the cooling fan or water pump can be the culprit making the engine overheat. Even a clogged radiator can cause this issue too, so whenever you witness the signs of engine overheating make sure you stop immediately before more damage is done.

Tyre failure is another big cause of a break down

Whether you experience a flat tyre or a complete tyre blow-out your tyres are another vulnerable part of the car which causes break downs.  Some people may simply forget to check the tyre pressure and drive on a low pressure causing an accident. Other times tyre tread wear – if severe – can cause a blow out forcing you of the road. Most of us however will likely experience tyre failure through a nail or screw in the tyre causing a puncture but usually this can be repaired without full tyre replacement if not too damaged. Other times just hitting a kerb at speed or running over pot holes can cause a break down.

Electrical faults are becoming a common break down cause

More and more these days our cars rely on electrical components to monitor and help drive the car. However this means there are naturally more instances of electrical failure when it comes to break downs. The complexities of the electrical system in the car can make it difficult to self diagnose, hence why garages are now equipped with computers to hook up to our cars and pinpoint the exact issue. You may also find the diagnostics team has to spend time discovering the fault if the car’s computer doesn’t show any problems.

Transmission failure leads to break downs

Another common break down symptom can be contributed to the transmission including the clutch. If not serviced regularly to keep the transmission lubricated and working smoothly, the parts in the transmission system may stress and wear down, leading to early failure of the components inside the transmission. Therefore it’s recommended you keep to your service schedule no matter the age of the car to prevent a costly bill.

How to Extend the Life of Your Car

There are many things you can do to extend the life of your car, including regular fluid maintenance, timely vehicle repair, and exterior maintenance.

While for many people a vehicle is a necessity, it’s not an investment. There are costs associated with vehicle ownership including:

• Fuel fill-ups
• Initial purchase price
• Maintenance
• Registration and insurance
• Vehicle repairs

Vehicles depreciate in value over time, meaning they aren’t worth the same price you paid for the car later on. Yet maintenance and repairs are continually necessary to keep your car running well. If you want your vehicle to last as long as possible, you need to stay on top of vehicle maintenance. Here are a few ideas to extend the life of your car.

Part 1 of 4: Performing regular fluid maintenance

Many expensive repairs can be prevented by performing routine vehicle maintenance when it’s due. Follow your vehicle maintenance guide or have a knowledgeable mechanic like the ones from YourMechanic perform the maintenance for you.

Step 1: Change your engine oil on time, every time. Each manufacturer has a different requirement for oil changes.

• If your car has an oil life monitor, change the oil before it reaches 0 percent.
• If your engine oil should be changed at a set time or at mileage intervals such as 3 months or 3,000 miles, don’t wait beyond your interval.
• Dirty engine oil can cause sludge deposits in the engine, overheating, blocked oil passages, and increase internal wear on metal components.

Step 2: Change your transmission fluid when it’s due. Again, follow your manufacturer’s recommendations for time and distance for this service.

• The transmission requires much less maintenance than your engine oil, although the service is more expensive.
• Have the transmission fluid and filter replaced when they are due to prevent premature transmission failure.
• Old, dirty transmission fluid can cause burnt clutches, shift flares, solenoid problems, and a host of other expensive transmission problems.

Step 3: Keep your engine coolant clean and properly mixed. Most engine coolant, also known as antifreeze, has a 5-year replacement interval.

• Flush your coolant if there are contaminants of floating particles in the fluid.
• Test the coolant strength every season, especially before winter.
• If the engine coolant is too weak, it can freeze and cause major damage to your engine.
• Old coolant can corrode internal engine parts or restrict coolant flow, causing your engine to overheat.

Step 4: Change your brake fluid when required. Like any hydraulic fluid, moisture is its worst enemy.

• Brake fluid absorbs moisture to prevent corrosion inside the brake system.
• When your brake fluid can no longer absorb more moisture, brake parts can fail or a noticeable change in brake operation can occur, such as a spongy brake pedal.

Part 2 of 4: Performing timely vehicle repairs

Even when you maintain your vehicle as best as possible, repairs can be necessary from time to time. Components like brake parts, clutch discs, and belts can wear, or bearings and seals can fail. It can be tempting to postpone or neglect these repairs completely; however, that can greatly reduce your vehicle’s life expectancy.

Step 1: Perform engine repairs as soon as symptoms occur. If your engine fails, it’s a major repair no matter what type of vehicle you drive.

• If you have an engine oil leak, address it quickly. Driving with low engine oil can cause engine wear, or even cause your engine to seize if it completely runs out of oil.
• If you have engine noise, have it repaired before you break down. A breakdown is almost always more expensive than correcting the problem beforehand.

Step 2: Complete drivetrain repairs in a timely manner. That includes transmission, differential, and four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive issues.

• Not only do repairs get more expensive because of more extensive damage, but a drivetrain failure on the road can put you in a dangerous situation.

Step 3: Keep routine repairs in check. When wearable parts are nearing the end of their usable life, have them replaced.

• Replace tires, brakes, belts, and hoses before they completely fail. The added cost of a tow truck or emergency repair usually negates any savings you hope for by delaying the repairs.

Part 3 of 4: Keeping your vehicle clean

Mechanically, your vehicle may be perfectly fine. But body or undercarriage rot can condemn your vehicle to the scrapyard. Proper detailing and cleaning will help prevent rust and corrosion.

Step 1: Wash your car regularly. Wash your car every one to two weeks to remove grime.

• It’s even more important in the winter when corrosive salt gets on your car.
• Use a high-quality car wash soap if you’re washing your car by hand.
• Automatic car washes are great for a quick clean when your car is dirty.

Step 2: Wash the undercarriage. There are nooks and crannies under your car that harbor debris and salt.

• Use a pressure washer to remove as much buildup from your car’s undercarriage as you can.

Step 3: Keep your carpets clean and dry. Moisture in your carpets can cause corrosion and rust on your floorboards underneath.

• In wet weather, use high-quality floor mats that trap water so it doesn’t absorb into the carpet.
• If you see salt stains on your carpet, it’s a good idea to have your carpets shampooed. The salt can permeate down and form corrosion on the floor.

Part 4 of 4: Repairing minor body damage

Minor damage on your car can have detrimental results in the long term. Repair those minor issues that creep up to extend the life of your car.

Step 1: Touch up scratches in your paint. Scratches on metal body parts will rust eventually.

• Use touch up paint to fill in scratches to prevent premature rust.

Step 2: Repair minor rust that forms on your car. Address it sooner rather than later to keep your car in good shape.

• It can happen from a simple stone chip that gets out of hand or another seemingly harmless incident.
• You can fix minor rust or rust holes on your own or have it done professionally. In many cases, your vehicle won’t pass a state inspection with rust holes in the body.

Whether you need routine vehicle maintenance like a brake fluid change, common repairs like a serpentine belt replacement, or more involved engine or drivetrain repairs, you can find help at AutoFactorNG. One of our trained mechanics will come to you and get your vehicle repaired to extend its life.