Brakes
Have your brakes checked soon if you notice:
- A high-pitched squeal when braking, which many pads make on purpose when worn.
- A grinding or scraping noise, which can mean metal-on-metal contact.
- Vibration through the pedal or steering wheel when slowing down.
- The car pulling to one side under braking.
- A soft or spongy pedal, or a pedal that sinks further than usual.
- A brake warning light on the dashboard.
Tyres
Check your tyres at least once a month and before long trips. Look at the tread depth (many tyres have built-in wear indicators), check the pressures when the tyres are cold, and look for cuts, bulges or cracks in the sidewall.
Uneven wear, such as one edge wearing faster than the other, often points to alignment or pressure problems. A bulge in the sidewall is a sign of internal damage, and the tyre should be replaced before driving further than necessary.
Battery
A battery often fails without much warning, but these are common hints:
- The engine turns over more slowly than usual when starting, especially on cold mornings.
- Dashboard lights flicker or dim when starting.
- Electrical features behave oddly.
- White or green deposits around the terminals.
- The battery is several years old and the car mostly does short trips.
When to stop driving
Some signs mean you should stop as soon as it's safe and get help: a red brake warning light, a brake pedal that goes to the floor, a tyre that is visibly losing air or has a large bulge, or a burning smell from the wheels. These are not problems to put off until the next service.
Recording issues in Car Ahead
If you notice a symptom, you can record it as an issue on your car in Car Ahead. It then appears in your timeline and affects the related system's status, so you don't forget to get it looked at. Car Ahead doesn't diagnose faults; a mechanic does.