Quick tips on car breakdowns
- Keep calm and avoid danger when your car breaks down on the road.
- Stay with your car while you wait for help, but pull off the road when you have car trouble and don’t try to repair it on the shoulder.
- Routine maintenance helps keep your vehicle running smoothly and can help prevent some car problems.
No driver wants to be stuck on the side of the road with car trouble. Having a flat tire, a major systems failure, or something as simple as running out of fuel, you know how stressful the situation can be. Depending on where the car breaks down, it can become a dangerous scenario.
Every driver should know how to proceed if this happens. Read on for the dos and don’ts when your car breaks down, with advice from our in-house maintenance expert and ASE Certified Master Technician, Gary Hardesty.
What to do when your car breaks down
First, let’s explain the steps to take when you have problems with your car on the road.
Stay calm and stop safely
The first and most important thing to do when your car breaks down is to stay calm. If possible, pull over safely on the side of the road or on the shoulder. Turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers that your vehicle is disabled.
“Never pull into the center divider of a road and always move to the shoulder or pull over if it’s safe to do so. This also applies to minor accidents,” explains Hardesty. “If you are not injured, try to move your vehicle out of traffic.”
Assess your surroundings
Once you’ve pulled off the road, take a moment to assess your surroundings. Can you safely wait for help to arrive? Are there other dangers nearby? If you feel unsafe in any way, stay in your car, roll up the windows, and lock the doors until help arrives. In the meantime, pick up your phone.
Ask for help
Use your mobile phone to call for help, which could be emergency services or roadside assistance through your insurance company or car club. Please provide your exact location, a detailed description of the problem you are having with your car and any other relevant information.
If you don’t have a phone, the battery is dead, or you can’t get a strong enough signal, look for an emergency phone on the road. Helpful drivers with good intentions exist, but beware of bad actors. Always use caution when asking another driver for help on the road.
Rate your vehicle
Engine overheating is one of the problems you can expect. If your car is overheating on a hot day with the air conditioning running, here are three quick steps to try:
- Turn off the air conditioner.
- Turn the heater on to hot.
- Change the fan speed to high.
This helps the radiator by dissipating the excess heat your vehicle generates.
If it’s a typical, temperate day of normal driving and the temp gauge rises, let the engine idle in park. Here’s Hardesty’s tip:
“If you only turn off the car when it warms up, the car will continue to warm up. If you see coolant in the reservoir bottle and there are no obvious fluid leaks, try leaving the unit at idle. Turn the A/C to maximum and the temperature to warm. This may seem like the opposite of the previous tip, but there are some key differences. Idling a vehicle means that no extra effort is applied to the engine like going up a steep hill. Adding the A/C in most cars it also activates the cooling fans which help remove heat from the radiator and can therefore cool the vehicle.”
Also, if the coolant is low or leaking (green, blue, red, or pink fluid colors), you should find a safe place to shut the car off completely. Refrigerant loss cannot be overcome with the tips mentioned above.
What you shouldn’t do when your car breaks down
Now that you know what to do if your car breaks down, here are some things to avoid when you’re stuck on the road.
Do not leave your vehicle
Once you’ve safely moved to the side of the road, your vehicle can provide shelter from the elements and protection from other drivers. Whenever it is safe to do so, stay in or near the car until help arrives.
Do not leave your vehicle unattended as it can put you at risk of theft and vandalism. In addition, the authorities may tow it away, adding more expense to an already stressful situation.
Don’t stay on the road
Being on the street is always a safety hazard, especially when you’re distracted by car trouble. Being off the vehicle on the shoulder is also dangerous. “It’s extremely unsafe and there’s a higher chance of getting hit by traffic,” Hardesty said. When calling for help or assessing the environment, get as far away from the road as possible.
Don’t try to fix things yourself
Other than the simple overheating tips above, don’t attempt any roadside repairs. Save it for an experienced mechanic with the necessary equipment. You can do more harm than good, so wait for professional help to arrive and find a service center for permanent repairs.
Avoid breakdowns and additional damage
Taking care of your car is a great way to avoid major mechanical breakdowns. Keep up with oil changes, brake service and other scheduled maintenance. Inspect your tires often to make sure they are in good condition.
If a “low oil pressure” warning appears on the dashboard or the oil light comes on, do not drive the car until you have added the proper amount of oil. Otherwise, you could damage the engine.
If the check engine light is on, it means your car has encountered a malfunction. Hardesty explains that this will result in “an increase in exhaust emissions.” It’s usually fine to drive a car with an active check engine light, but be sure to get it checked when you can visit a mechanic.
On the other hand, if the check engine light is flashing, this means that your engine is not running and may damage your catalytic converter. “If your check engine light is flashing, you should stop driving the vehicle as soon as possible to avoid a costly replacement of the catalytic converter along with whatever is causing the failure,” advises Hardesty.
