Having a car entails a lot of responsibility. Car maintenance is an expensive part of owning a car. Have you experience your car stuck-up? Upon research, I learned that there are two reasons why cars get stuck-up. I’ll share it to you in this blogpost.
The first reason is the battery.
- Loose battery terminals. It is best to always check battery terminals are fastened tightly. Over time, it may come loose due to the car’s vibrations.
- Dirty or corroded battery terminals. The connection of your car’s battery may corrode and will eventually cut off its power supply to the car.
- Dead Battery. You tried to start your car then you hear your engine cranking slowly, this is an early sign that your battery charge is already low. Worst, if your car is not cranking at all, you now have a dead battery. Be sure to not leave any car electrical on when you leave your car shut be it head lights, dome lights, or radio as it drains your battery. Car batteries last up to 2-3 years, and some last for more than 4 years. Be sure to always check your battery’s charge level.
The second reason is the fuel.
- You are less likely to run out of fuel, but it may happen. Although there will be around 4-5 liters of fuel still left in your tank when the low fuel indicator turns on, do not risk, and avoid running your car on very low fuel load as it is harmful, and it would only be a matter of time that you are running in fumes. This may damage your fuel system, and eventually your engine.
- Wrong fuel type loaded. Do not entirely rely on your pump attendants when they load fuel to your car. They may commit the mistake of loading a different type of fuel to your car. Avoid this by always looking at what fuel line are they pulling out from the pump before sticking it in your fuel tank. It will be a grave mistake if you don’t notice this error as it will significantly damage your car’s engine and fuel system.
- Dirty fuel. There will be chances that the fuel loaded in your car is not clean even if you’re always getting it from your trusted fuel station or brand. There will be chances that there’s water mixed in the fuel which is likely if the fuel station got flooded and they forgot to clean their tank reserves. You can get dirty fuel from gas stations that neglect cleaning their tank reserves, but you just don’t know if they clean it or not.
These are some of the basics to check when you experience a stuck-up car. You can easily deal with this on your own. However, there are also some instances that basic troubleshooting won’t be of help. Things that you cannot control like natural disasters and vehicular accidents. It is important to always have a car insurance here in the Philippines when these happen.
