Emotionally Aggravating Signs To Look Out For As Your Car Ages

By Author: Ben Fayyaz
Total Articles: 4
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There is an old cliché concerning things that are inevitable. It usually concludes with death and taxes. And unfortunately, the saying is as true today as it was those many thousands of years ago. Furthermore, it can be applied to just about anything, including the humble horseless carriage, otherwise referred to as a car.
There are, of course, signs that this is what is happening to your vehicle. Signs such as leaks, sounds, smells and breakages. The cause is normally boiled down to old fashioned wear and tear. Plastics are vulnerable to heat, making parts break unexpectedly. Rubber cracks as it ages. Here are some other signs that your car is getting old.
Rubber Seals
The cooling system in your average car has a lot of plastic parts in it that are sealed by rubber rings called O-rings. These seals are important because there is a whole lot of coolant in this system whose main job is to make sure that the engine doesn’t overheat. The problem is that with age, rubber tends to harden. When this occurs, the O-Rings no longer provide a perfect seal. As a result, coolant can leak. If there is steam ...
... coming from your engine, and it smells sickly sweet, you may have a leak in your cooling system.
Another place where leaks, residue, and the smell of burning oil can emanate from is the engine rocker. Again, a rubber seal is the culprit. It has gotten old, and as a result, tension is lessened greatly, compromising its ability to provide proper sealing. This can lead to an oil leak coming from the engine, and every time the engine’s temperature rises a smell will result. When parked you may see smoke coming from the bonnet.
Split Constant Velocity Boots
When you look at a car’s drive shafts, you will see the CV joints. They connect the drive shafts to the wheels. Inside the joint there is specially made grease that serves as a lubricant. To keep the grease in and any contaminants out, the joints are sealed by a rubber or plastic boot. They rotate at the same speed as the wheels, and as they get older, they become more likely to split or break somehow. The speeding rotation will result in grease spraying all over the place. If the grease gets into the exhaust, there will be smoke and the smell of burning grease.
Your Car is Using More Petrol
Every year, new vehicles are released whose fuel efficiency is superior to all the cars that have come before it. If you happen to be driving a car that you purchased in the nineties, you will probably be hanging out at service stations a lot more than your workmate whose car is a hybrid. Cars are getting more and more fuel efficient, so if your car is incredibly old, you will notice it in the amount you are spending on petrol every year.
However, there is always a time when its time to retire your vehicle and the best place to sell you unwanted vehicle is car wreckers who pay you best cash for cars and offer free pickups if you are lucky enough.