Though most modern autos and truck are fairly reliable, vehicular failures are known to happen. Probably the most dangerous is tire failure. And it doesn’t mean just older tires. Roll over a road hazard and even new tires can suffer catastrophic failure. Everybody that drives will experience a tire failure sometime in their driving history. For most it is not a matter of if but when.
Serpentine Belt Problems
The modern engine systems are equipped with one belt, the “serpentine” belt. These are strong and reliable, but as with all things mechanical subject to failure. In the old day the cars were equipped with multiple V-belts. Many times, multiple belts drove the same accessory. Losing one belt was not necessarily a wait on the road shoulder for assistance to arrive. Water pumps and power steering are the critical items but lose a belt an on a serpentine drive and you lose everything driven by the belt. The water pump, power steering, alternator and AC all gone because of a single failure of a component.
Bad Car Battery
Another of the engine’s Achilles’ heel and frustrating failure is the battery. Without the battery there is no start and no go. In the summertime heat most batteries, even the premiums, usually fail somewhere about 3 ½ to 4 years. Coupled with high ambient heat of the environment, roadway heat and high engine compartment heat the battery is subject to failure. Another thing is that most of us take that battery for granted. Never cleaning the terminals or checking fluid levels unless they’re totally sealed the water will be boiled away. No wonder that batteries rate high on the component failure list.
Run Out of Gas or Lock Keys in Car
Sometimes grief just comes from driver error. We’re busy with our mind on a million things. No wonder we forgot gas. We’re in a hurry and never check anything, not even the fuel tank gauge. No wonder, that fuel delivery is on the agenda of every roadside service provider. It’s embarrassing but happens to most of us at least once. We jump out our car, rush in to buy something and return to the parking lot. Only then do we discover our keys in the ignition and the doors locked. Oops! Lockouts are another item high on the list of service providers.
Brake, Seal & Hose Failure
Rare, scary and sometimes fatal, brake failure is not an experience everybody that has had it happen has been able to walkaway from. Loss of hydraulic pressure due to a hose failure. Worn shoes with metal to metal contact. Metal to metal contact wears through brake rotors and drums causing them to eventually break apart. And a lot more details that can go wrong. If the seals in the master cylinder, the part attached to the brake pedal, fails you won’t be able to stop quickly. Fortunately, these systems are divided usually front and rear brakes. It is necessary for you to lose both stages to not be able to brake, some. But they are divided for a reason. In most cars the engine is up front. When you brake weight transfers to the front wheels and brakes. The front wheels do up to 60% of the braking. That’s why when ABS brakes first arrived on the scene it was only on the front wheels. The reason was not only more braking on the front but the need to maintain steering control. During a lockup in the older brake systems, if the front wheels where locked there was not steering control. Pay attention to your brakes, your life may depend on it. Brake hoses seldom fail, but if the hose is rubbing against a part of the vehicle’s suspension or frame, failure can occur. Seals where a problem in the older drum brake wheel cylinders but the disk brake systems seem to be more robust and reliable. But failure can occur.
Towing & Roadside Assistance in Irving, Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton & Plano Texas
A lot can go wrong, there are many points of failure, but these are the ones that can affect your health and well-being. Everyone should have the number of a tow/roadside service provider handy. It hard to think under duress, it is better to be prepared than under gun. Speedway Towing & Roadside Assistance can handle all your towing and roadside assistance needs. Contact us today!