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Do Cars Break Down a Lot?

Do Cars Break Down a Lot?

Many people complain that their cars break down, and they do not know the reasons for these issues.

Do Cars Break Down a Lot? Your car can break down due to its frequent use, buying a second-hand vehicle, overheating, and off-road driving. In addition, punctured tires and faulty batteries can also cause this issue. Furthermore, you can prevent these problems by maintaining its oil, filling the right fuel, and maintaining its battery. Vehicles of cheap brands like Nissan, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi have more problems. In contrast, famous brands rarely break down, such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Lamborghini. 

It is better to know about your vehicle’s model and things that can cause these problems.

Why do cars break down a lot?

Problems can occur in cars if you do not maintain them properly. This happens more often with the used cars compared to the newer ones.

Frequent use

Frequent use of a car means that you are using it more than its limit.

Especially if you have a vehicle of the average or cheap brand, using it can cause damage to its engine, mileage, and power.

It remains safe when only one person drives it, but many family members drive it when you have a large family.

Many family members do not drive with care which can cause damage.

Buying second-hand car

When buying a car, then selecting a second-hand automobile is not a good choice. It can have many issues like no warranty, faulty radio, old technology, damaged tires, and defective battery

Furthermore, they have poor fuel mileage and need high maintenance to keep them running.

Off-road driving

Many people like off-driving for the weekend fun. 

The tires get muddy and sometimes faulty, so it is better to keep them clean.

After some sessions of off-driving, you may start thinking that your vehicle is suitable for these roads.

However, it increases the maintenance cost of your vehicle, and eventually, it can damage its parts.

Overheating of its engine

Overheating occurs when your automobile’s coolant levels are low, or the cooling system is leaked

When your vehicle overheats, you should not ignore it; instead, you should stop your automobile and fix the cooling system.

To prevent overheating, you should regularly check your vehicle’s cooling fan and coolant system.

Furthermore, you should take it to the auto mechanic to check whether the cooling system is leaking.

Punctured tires

It is better to fix the punctured tires. It can show signs like trouble moving the steering or twisting on the right or left side.

This is more common when you add low-quality tires or do not maintain its wheels regularly. This can even cause an accident so it is better to fix these issues immediately.

A few simple things to avoid punctures can help prevent the vehicle from breaking down.

You should always check the pressure of each tire and spare wheel; if any wheel is spotted uneven, take it to the mechanic immediately or replace it with the spare wheel.

Avoid driving on the damaged surface of the road.

Faulty battery

Faulty batteries in automobiles are a common cause of breakdowns.

It happens when you leave the lights ON while the engine is off. Moreover, when you do not use your automobile often or only use it for short travels.

If you plan to keep it in your garage for weeks, it is better to remove its battery.

If you do not want to remove its battery, then you should start it every few days to keep its battery in working condition.

Batteries usually run down when you leave the light on while the engine is off in the automobile. It also happens due to short journeys, old age, and faulty components.

You can avoid a run-down battery by switching off everything in your vehicle while leaving it. Even if you are not making long journeys, you should charge it overnight every two weeks.

Clogged Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is the part in the exhaust system of the diesel-based engine vehicles. It burns the soot particles and converts them into less toxic gas.

Usually, it maintains itself, but it may be blocked due to regular short journeys. You can avoid the blocking of DPF by taking your car to the motorway for a run-up once a week.

Furthermore, you can read the whole instructions on the handbook of your vehicle.

Reduced engine oil

Reduced oil levels in the automobile’s engine can damage it; high levels and low levels of oil are risky for the engine.

You can maintain the engine oil level by regularly checking it with the help of a thin stick or taking your vehicle to the mechanic.

Moreover, your automobile’s handbook can tell you better about the maintenance level of oil according to the model and type of the vehicle.

Using the wrong fuel

Many people make a common mistake while filling the fuel in the vehicle, filling the petrol into the diesel nozzle pump that can break down your automobile.

So, every time double-checks the nozzle pump before filling the fuel.

If you have put the petrol in the wrong nozzle pump, don’t start the engine and call your fuel assistant immediately.

What cars rarely break down?

Purchasing a car is a costly decision, so reliability is vital when selecting it.

As the prices of the latest automobiles tend to increase, many consumers have less cash for the repair.

As a result, automakers lose customers when their automobiles are damaged frequently.

Some prestigious brands of vehicles are well known for using excellent and expensive parts in their cars.

These brands use high-quality body material and engines and are likely to break down rarely.

  • Mercedes
  • Tesla
  • BMW
  • Subaru
  • Range Rovers
  • Ford Fiesta
  • Audi
  • Lamborghini
  • Toyota

At what mileage should a car be replaced?

The replacement of your vehicle according to mileage depends on different factors like the model of the car, its brand, maintenance, and age.

Usually, automobiles start to have problems between 90,000 to 110,000 miles or 4 to 6 years.

Moreover, some automobiles go out of warranty at this time, which indicates that you have to pay by yourself for fixing faults.

Furthermore, these days standard automobiles with electrical engines can cover up to 290000 miles to 320000 miles.

The other factors that decide its mileage include who drives the car and what kind of fuel you use.

In addition, you should always keep checking its odometer to know about the covered distance.

What car brands break down the most?

Some brands think only about business and not about customer care. As a result, they do not use good quality parts and tend to break down after 5 to 6 years.

  • Toyota Yaris
  • Honda Fit LX
  • Hyundai accent
  • Mitsubishi mirage
  • Fiat
  • Nissan

Why does a car break down even when not in use?

When you do not use you for a long time, the fluids in the automobile do not circulate through the systems. 

So if you are not going to use your car for short or long periods, you should strain all the fluids from it. Go to the mechanic if you do not know how to do it.

Furthermore, the vehicle’s battery starts to lose charging and even can stop working.

The unused and old oil in it can also damage its engine, so if you do not use your vehicle often, you should replace the oil from time to time.

Rotors and brakes become rusty with the time when you do not drive often.

Even if you do not drive it most of the time, you should keep starting your automobile every day or at least after one day to keep it in a good position.

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