Wednesday, 01st October 2025
Strange noise? Flashing light? Your car's trying to tell you something. Spot the signs early to avoid a breakdown. Need help? Contact us today.
Published by Gorilla CarsYour car breaks down at the worst possible moment. Always.
Never when you're sitting in your driveway on a sunny Saturday with nothing to do, it's always Monday morning when you're running late for that important meeting. Or halfway to picking up the kids. Or worse, on a deserted stretch of highway with no phone reception.
The thing is, your car probably tried to warn you. Multiple times.
Most of these breakdowns don't happen out of nowhere. Cars give plenty of hints before they completely give up. The trick is knowing what to look for and, more importantly, actually doing something about it.
Red lights are like smoke alarms. When your smoke alarm goes off, you don't just take the batteries out and ignore it. The same logic applies here. Red dashboard lights mean stop. Now. Find somewhere safe and turn the engine off.
Orange lights? Think of them as your car clearing its throat before it starts shouting.
The check engine light is probably the most misunderstood warning on your dashboard. It could be something simple like a loose petrol cap. Your engine could be about to turn into an expensive paperweight. Without proper diagnostic equipment, you're basically playing expensive guessing games.
Temperature warning lights don't mess around either. Your engine is like a marathon runner in the middle of summer - push it too hard when it's already overheating, and bad things happen. Really bad things. The kind that cost thousands to fix.
Battery lights mean your car's electrical system is having a bad day. You might make it a few more kilometres. Then again, you might not.
Brake warning lights? This one's simple. No brakes equals no stopping. No stopping equals... well, you get the picture. If it's not just your handbrake being on, stop driving. Get professional brake repairs sorted immediately.
Cars should purr. Not scream, clank, or make noises that sound like someone's torturing sheet metal.
Squealing brakes are like nails on a chalkboard, annoying and expensive to ignore. Those brake pads are wearing down to nothing. Keep driving, and you'll be replacing rotors too. What starts as a $300 job becomes $800 real quick.
Engine knocking sounds like someone's inside your bonnet with a hammer. That's not normal. That's your engine telling you something's seriously wrong inside.
Suspension clunking over every bump? Sounds like you're hauling a trailer full of broken furniture.
Transmission whining is worse than a dentist's drill. At least the dentist stops after ten minutes.
Steering wheel shaking makes lane changes feel like a gamble.
You know those potholes on the M1 that could swallow a small car? Good luck avoiding them when your steering wheel's vibrating like a phone on silent.
Brake pedal shuddering when you try to stop? Warped rotors. Means your car takes longer to stop than it should. Not ideal when someone cuts you off in traffic.
Whole car shaking is never good. It could be engine mounts giving up. Could be wheels so far out of balance they're practically square.
Different coloured puddles are like clues at a crime scene.
Black puddles usually mean oil. Your engine needs oil like you need blood. Run out, and things get expensive quickly.
Red or pink puddles? That's transmission fluid or power steering fluid making its escape. Both are pretty important for actually driving your car.
Bright green antifreeze puddles look almost cheerful. They're not. Your cooling system is bleeding out, and your engine's going to overheat.
Clear puddles might be brake fluid. Remember what we said about brakes being important? Yeah, this is important too.
Four patches of rubber about the size of your hand. That's all that's keeping you connected to the road at 100km/h.
Low tyre pressure makes your car handle like a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel. Uses more fuel, too, which hits your wallet every time you fill up.
Uneven wear patterns on your tyres are like reading tea leaves - they tell you what's wrong with your car. Usually, alignment or suspension problems.
The 20-cent coin test works perfectly for checking tread depth. Stick it in the tyre groove. If you can see the platypus's head, it's time for new tyres. Bald tyres in the rain are about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike.
Smell something strange? Don't ignore it.
The petrol smell might just be from filling up. Or it might be a leak waiting to meet something hot. Fuel vapours and hot engines don't play nicely together.
Burning smells mean something's getting too hot. Could be brakes. It could be electrical. It could be engine parts. None of these are good.
Sweet smells usually mean coolant is leaking somewhere. Remember - coolant keeps your engine from turning into molten metal.
Cars that are hard to start don't get easier with time.
Slow cranking usually means your battery's on its way out. Or your alternator's not doing its job properly.
Engine stalling randomly? Your car just stops. Mid-conversation. Mid-journey. Mid-intersection, if you're unlucky.
These problems never happen when you're sitting at home. Always when you're late for something important.
Filling up more often than usual?
Something's wrong. The air filter might be clogged. Spark plugs could be shot. Tyres might be low.
Lots of small problems create one big, expensive problem - your wallet getting lighter every week.
Car problems get worse. Not better. Never better.
That noise will get louder. That warning light will start flashing. That vibration will loosen something else.
You can ignore a dripping tap for months. Eventually, the whole thing falls off the wall and floods your kitchen.
Cars work the same way.
Get proper diagnostics done. Guessing games cost money. Lots of it.
Your car's been trying to tell you something for weeks. Maybe months.
Are you going to listen? Or wait until it stops talking altogether and just dies on you?
Contact us before that happens.