The 7 most Common Reasons for a Car Breakdown

Maintenance is among the more pressing ongoing costs associated with owning a car. A sudden breakdown can leave you stranded, and fixing the problem can often be expensive and difficult. As such, it’s worth thinking about how you might prevent your car from breaking down before it actually does. By knowing which breakdowns are most likely to occur, you’ll give yourself the best possible chance of preventing them from happening.

Battery Problems

If your car’s battery can’t hold a charge, or the current can’t reach the starter motor, then your car won’t be able to start. Batteries have a limited lifespan, and so you’ll need to replace yours every few years. You can extend the life of your battery by preventing it from fully discharging; this might mean making sure that the car isn’t left inactive for too long.

Flat Tyre or Damaged Wheels

Similarly, tyres are designed to be replaced regularly. If you fail to do this, then you’ll lose grip on the road, which will end up costing you more money in the long term (or, if you have an accident as a consequence, in the short-term). You can buy tyres online and save money, which means you can swap them out more frequently.

Alternator problems

Often, the real cause of a flat battery is a breakdown of the alternator – this being the component which draws power from the engine and keeps the battery topped up. Swapping out an alternator is something that a competent mechanic should be able to do without much trouble.

Key or Alarm Issues

If your keys don’t work, then you won’t be able to enter or start your car at all! This is a surprisingly common problem – and it’s one that can be tricky to fix, depending on the car you’re driving. In most cases, it’s the battery in your car key that’s failed. That should be the first thing to check.

Electrical Problems

Your car is packed with electrical cables, all of which are prone to failure over time – especially if the car is kept outdoors, where it’s exposed to greater extremes in temperature. Newer cars tend to come with more extensive wiring, which means greater potential for failure.

Fuel Issues

If you put the wrong kind of fuel in your car (typically called a mis fuel), you risk inflicting enormous damage to the engine. Most of the time, this happens to diesel drivers, since fatter diesel nozzles are more difficult to fit into a modern petrol car. If you only put a little bit of petrol into the car, then you should be alright – provided that you fill it to the brim with diesel.