Common Car Problems & Solutions

Common Car Problems and What They Usually Mean

Car trouble has a way of showing up at the worst possible moment, and it is genuinely frustrating when you are trying to get to work or get the kids somewhere. This page covers the things our customers ask us about most, with what is likely going on and what to do about it.

If you would rather just talk to someone, call us at 250-830-4975. We are happy to walk through it with you on the phone, whether you bought your vehicle from us or not.

The Car Won’t Start

My car won’t start and the lights are dim, or I hear rapid clicking.

That points to the battery. The clicking is the starter trying to engage without enough current behind it. A healthy 12-volt battery sits around 12.6 volts at rest, and below about 12.0 volts it will not turn the engine over.

A jump start will usually get you moving. Plenty of things drain a battery: an interior light left on, a door not quite latched, a run of short trips in cold weather, or a battery simply reaching the end of its life. Batteries are wear items, like tires or brake pads, and every vehicle needs one eventually.

What tells you more is what happens next. If it starts and keeps starting, you are likely fine. If it goes dead again within a day or two, either the battery is finished or the alternator is not recharging it as you drive. Most auto parts stores will test both for free in a few minutes, and it is worth doing rather than guessing.

How do I safely jump-start my car?

Park the vehicles close but not touching, with both engines off. Connect in this order: red clamp to the dead battery’s positive terminal, red clamp to the good battery’s positive terminal, black clamp to the good battery’s negative terminal, and the last black clamp to a bare metal bolt or bracket on the dead car’s engine block rather than its negative battery terminal.

That last step is worth getting right. Batteries give off hydrogen gas, and the final connection is the one that can spark, so it is safer to make it away from the battery.

Start the working vehicle, give it two or three minutes, then try the other one. Take the clamps off in reverse order, then drive for at least twenty minutes so the alternator can put charge back in. A short drive afterward often is not enough, and the car will not start again next morning.

One thing to check first: if the battery looks cracked, is leaking, has a swollen case, or is frozen, do not jump it. And hybrids and electric vehicles have their own jump points and procedures, so it is worth a look at the owner’s manual before you start.

There’s white or blue-green crust on my battery terminals.

That is corrosion, and it is worth cleaning up. It insulates the connection, so a perfectly good battery can still leave you stuck. We see a lot of it here, since damp salt air brings it on faster than inland.

To clean it, disconnect the negative cable first, then the positive. Scrub the posts and clamps with a wire brush and a paste of baking soda and water, which neutralizes the acid. Rinse, dry completely, then reconnect positive first and negative second. Gloves and eye protection are worth having on, since the residue is acidic. A little dielectric grease on the terminals afterward slows it coming back.

The engine turns over but won’t start.

If the engine is cranking at a normal speed, the battery is doing its job and something else is missing. A few things are worth checking yourself: whether there is actually fuel in the tank and whether the gauge is reading accurately, whether a security or immobilizer light is flashing on the dash, which can mean the key is not being recognized, and whether the spare key works.

If none of that turns anything up, it is likely fuel delivery, ignition or a sensor, which needs diagnostic equipment to pin down. Worth a call to a shop at that point.

I turn the key and get nothing at all.

Complete silence usually points somewhere other than the battery, since even a weak one normally gives you dash lights or a click. A couple of easy things to rule out first: an automatic needs to be fully in Park or Neutral, and a manual usually needs the clutch pressed right to the floor. It is also worth checking that the battery cables are tight, because a loose or heavily corroded connection can cause exactly this.

Beyond that, it is often the ignition switch, a starter relay or a main fuse, and that needs a technician.

Warning Lights

My tire pressure light came on.

In most cases the tires are just low, and cold weather is the usual reason. Air contracts as it cools, and tires lose roughly one PSI for every 6°C drop, so a cold night is often enough to bring the light on when everything was fine the day before. It catches a lot of people out each fall.

Adding air will normally sort it. The right pressure is on the sticker inside the driver’s door jamb rather than the number moulded into the tire sidewall, which is the tire’s maximum rather than what your vehicle calls for. Check them cold, before driving or a few hours after, since driving warms the tires and raises the reading.

Two things worth knowing. If the light comes back within a few days of filling, there is probably a slow leak, often a nail, and that is worth getting looked at. And if the light flashes for a minute when you start the car and then stays on solid, that usually points to a sensor issue rather than low pressure.

What do the other dashboard warning lights mean?

The colour is the quickest guide to urgency. Red means find somewhere safe to stop soon, and that covers oil pressure, engine temperature, brakes and the charging system. A red oil pressure or temperature light is the one case where continuing to drive can turn a repair into a new engine, so a tow is the cheaper option.

Amber or yellow means it needs attention but you are not in danger right now. A steady check engine light sits here, and it can be anything from a loose fuel cap to an emissions sensor. The exception is a check engine light that flashes rather than staying steady, which is worth treating as urgent, since it usually means a misfire that can damage the catalytic converter fairly quickly.

Green and blue lights are not warnings. They are just telling you a system is switched on.

Locked Out

I’ve locked my keys in the vehicle.

Worth checking every door and the tailgate first, since one is often unlocked. After that, a few options in rough order of speed and cost.

A spare key is the simplest fix if someone can bring you one. Many newer vehicles can be unlocked from the manufacturer’s phone app, which takes about a minute if you have it set up. It is also worth checking whether you have roadside assistance through your insurance, a credit card or a manufacturer warranty, since lockout service is often included and easy to forget about. If none of those work out, a local locksmith can usually open a vehicle without damage for less than a tow costs.

One thing worth mentioning: it is tempting to try the coat hanger down the window, but modern doors are full of wiring, side airbag sensors and window regulators, and that repair runs well past what a locksmith charges.

If a child or pet is locked inside and it is hot or cold out, skip all of the above and call 911.

Noises and Wear

My brakes are squealing.

The sound tells you a lot. A high-pitched squeal, particularly under light braking, is often the wear indicator, a small metal tab built to make that exact noise when the pads get low. It means worth booking service, not stop driving.

Grinding or growling is a different matter. That generally means the pad material is gone and metal is on metal. Best to stop driving and get it looked at, since stopping distance is already affected and the rotors are taking damage with each stop. A soft or spongy pedal, or one that sinks toward the floor, is worth stopping for straight away regardless of any noise.

One local quirk: a brief squeal on the first stop or two after the car has sat out through a wet night is just surface rust on the rotors and clears within a few stops. Very common here.

How long should a battery last around here?

Three to five years is typical, and coastal driving often lands at the shorter end. Salt air is hard on terminals and connections, and our wet winters mean a lot of short trips with headlights, wipers, defrost and heated seats all pulling at once.

Short trips are the part most people do not expect. If your regular drive is ten minutes each way, the alternator may not fully replace what starting the car used. Once a battery is past about four years, having it load-tested before winter is a cheap bit of insurance.

My car starts fine in summer but struggles on cold mornings.

Cold works against you in two ways at once. It slows the chemical reaction inside the battery so it delivers less current, and it thickens the engine oil so the starter has more to push against. A battery that coped fine through the summer can come up short on the first properly cold morning.

If your car has started hesitating when it is cold, that is usually the battery letting you know it is getting close, and a load test will confirm it. Running the oil viscosity listed in your owner’s manual helps as well, since oil that is heavier than the temperature calls for makes cold starts harder.

Should I worry about rust living on the coast?

Somewhat, though differently than you might expect. Roads here are not salted the way they are in Ontario or the Prairies, so the heavy undercarriage rot common on eastern vehicles is less of an issue. What we get instead is constant humid salt air, which works slowly on brake lines, fuel lines, exhaust components, suspension fasteners and body seams.

A couple of habits help. Rinsing the underbody now and then makes a difference, especially after logging roads or parking near the water. And when you are looking at a used vehicle, it is worth looking underneath rather than only at the paint. Light surface rust on a subframe is normal here and not a concern. Flaking or scaling rust on brake and fuel lines is a different story.

Still Not Sure?

Give us a call at 250-830-4975. If something has come up with a vehicle you bought from us, we would genuinely rather hear about it early than late, and a lot of these get sorted in a five-minute conversation. If it does turn out to need a shop, we will say so and help you work out where to take it.