Even if it is impossible to establish rigid rules for all conditions, there are some basic tips that will help you the next time your car breaks down. In this article, we’re going to show you how to behave in the event of a car breakdown and what to do step by step.
You can diagnose it yourself
A very common situation in the car is when the check engine light pops up on the dash. Such a sign can mean thousands of problems that may affect your vehicle. Only a mechanic can check what’s going on with your car. And unfortunately, just to diagnose check engine light can cost you a lot, and there are also the repair costs waiting. Until recently, it looked like this, but now you are able to diagnose a fault in your car yourself. You can navigate to this website to discover a diagnostic tool that will notify you of any issues on your smartphone.
It is worth having information about what happened to our car to be more confident when arriving at the workshop. Having knowledge of the problem, we can directly ask for its repair, without fear of being treated as ignorant customers. Mechanics make money very quickly on clients who don’t know how to fix cars. That doesn’t mean you have to know how to do it. All you need is to do is to use devices that are helpful in this matter. Often, you don’t even know if you needed the part that was replaced during the last repair. You get rid of this problem by doing the diagnostics that will tell you what happened exactly.
Get your car off the road
Pullover to the side of the road as fast and as safely as you can. In cases not connected to brakes failure or a loss of power steering, it is still possible to guide your car to the side. If you are not able to pull off the road – turn on your hazard lights. If you are not certain about your safety, do not risk injury by pushing your car to a safe location. Don’t stay in your car, because it may be struck from behind. Remember to be aware of your surroundings. When you go out of your car, never stand behind or directly in front of it. Find a place on the side and call for assistance. You can contact the nearby Car Repair Garage and get proficient assistance from the concerned professionals on time.
Stay visible to other drivers and notify your car’s breakdown
Make sure your vehicle is visible to other drivers. Raise your car’s hood, turn on the emergency flashers, and place emergency triangles to direct oncoming traffic, away from the vehicle. Remember that making your vehicle visible is especially important during bad weather conditions and at night. If you have a reflective vest, put it on.
Use your cellphone and call 911 to notify of your vehicle breakdown. Do it when you and your passengers are in a safe spot. When calling assistance, you need to know your location. Notice where you are in relation to major exits or cross streets. Describe the problem as thoroughly as possible. Tell the responder your phone number, the exact location, the vehicle description, and the license plate number. Finally, determine how long you have to wait since your service providers should give you the estimated time of arrival. After contacting the emergency services, just in case you might call a family member and tell them about what happened to you and your car.
Back on the road
Sometimes it may happen that you don’t need to get the problem evaluated in a repair shop. You may have just experienced a small temporary failure, and you will be able to start the engine again. Or, for example, you had a flat tire, and you have already managed to change the wheel. Try to restart your car, and if you can get it restarted, it’s time to return to the route. Remember that when you re-engage in traffic, first expand the speed in the emergency lane, adjusting it to the speed of other vehicles in this lane, wait for a safe gap between cars before entering the traffic. If you feel that such a malfunction may recur, consult a mechanic at your leisure. Perhaps your vehicle gives you signals of a more serious failure, the repair of which is essential for your safety.
Summary
We need to understand that vehicles are mechanical, so they eventually are going to break at some point. It is important to know that you can handle any situation if you have knowledge of how to behave. The next time your vehicle breaks down, you will know how to stay safe and what to do until help arrives.