There are certain situations in which it may not be safe to drive your car until your vehicle has been examined by a mechanic or other automotive professional. Read on to find out what 2 of these situations are.
Your alternator has sustained damage
If your car's alternator is damaged, it is important not to drive your vehicle until this component has been inspected and alternator repair has been completed.
There are two reasons for this. First, the alternator helps to transfer power to your vehicle's lights. If it sustains damage and you continue to drive your car, your lights could malfunction at an inopportune moment.
For example, if you're driving during a bout of heavy fog and you need to turn, it is possible that neither the indicator light nor the brake lights will turn on as you brake for the turn and signal because your alternator isn't fully functional. If a vehicle is approaching your car from behind when this happens, they may not realise that you are trying to turn because your lights are not on. This could result in them hitting the back of your car as you slow down, which could, in turn, lead to both of your cars being badly damaged.
Second, because the alternator also provides your vehicle's battery with power, any fault with it could also lead to your battery dying unexpectedly. If this happens when you're driving down a very busy highway and you cannot manage to pull over before your vehicle loses power, you could cause a major vehicle pile-up that could lead to many people sustaining serious injuries.
Several of your car's tyres have developed bulges
If several of your car's tyres have developed bulges, take your vehicle to a tyre shop. Bulges in a tyre are often a sign that the tyre's walls have weakened. This can happen as a result of repeatedly over-inflating a tyre or routinely driving on rough road surfaces.
Driving on tyres that are in this condition could be very dangerous, as structurally-weak tyres are far more prone to blowouts. If you experience a tyre blowout when you're driving quite fast in a busy area, you could lose control of your vehicle and accidentally hit another vehicle or a pedestrian.
However, if you take your car to a tyre shop as soon as you notice the issue, they should be able to not only replace the affected tyres but also determine the cause of the bulges and help you to prevent this problem from occurring again in the future.
Owning a car can be a complicated business. Unless you have access to some sound automotive advice, you may find it very difficult to keep your car in good working order. Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to receive lots of fantastic advice about how best to buy, sell, repair and maintain different cars. When I first bought a car, I didn't really understand what I was doing. Thankfully, all of that changed when I made friends with the mechanic at my local auto shop. Over the years, he has spent a lot of time explaining and demonstrating auto related things to me.