Five Car Noises You Should Not Ignore

It’s probably happened to you at some point—you’re driving down the road, listening to music, when you hear a noise that your car has never made before. It takes you by surprise, and you then have to make a decision. Do you pull over and call a towing service in Salt Lake City, UT, or do you continue driving?

As a vehicle owner, you should know which noises are normal for your car to make and which ones probably indicate problems. Continuing to drive a car that is making odd sounds can lead to catastrophe, for your wallet, your safety or both. If you hear any of these five noises while driving, get your car to a repair shop as soon as possible.

Squealing or grinding when braking

Squealing is probably the most common noise heard from a car, and is usually indicative of brake issues. It’s likely that your brake pads are wearing down and need to be replaced. In fact, some manufacturers actually incorporate indicators that squeal when brake pads need to be replaced.

If you disregard the squealing and start to hear grinding, your brake pads are most likely completely worn down, which means something is grinding directly on the brake rotors. This is really bad for your car and can cause total brake failure if you continue to drive, not to mention lead to a very high repair cost.

Squealing under the hood

If a squealing sound is coming from under the hood, usually when you accelerate or start up your vehicle, it’s probably caused by a worn belt. This might be the serpentine belt, which controls numerous functions like your AC, alternator and power steering.

A worn belt is pretty easy to replace, but if it breaks while driving, do not continue to drive. Pull over and call a towing service in Salt Lake City, UT to avoid overheating your car and causing major damage.

Humming or whining when accelerating

A humming or whining sound that occurs when you accelerate might be caused by your wheel bearings—metal balls than make parts move smoothly—going bad. You can test this by shifting your steering wheel left and right. If the pitch changes, it’s likely your front wheel bearings.

If you can get to an auto repair shop quickly, do so. Otherwise, call a tow truck, because seized or broken bearings will more than likely leave you stranded on the side of the road with an immobile car.

Hissing or sizzling

If you hear a hissing or sizzling noise coming from under your hood, look for signs of smoke or steam emerging from the front of your vehicle. Pull over as soon as possible—not only is hissing a sign of leaking fluid like coolant, oil or power steering, but smoke or steam can impair your visibility on the road.

Rumbling or rattling

Rumbling or rattling noises when you are stopped or driving might be caused by exhaust problems. You may have a hole in your exhaust or a loose or corroded pipe, which are all relatively simple fixes.

However, it might also be your catalytic converter breaking down, which can be more expensive and time-consuming to repair or replace.

If you find yourself on the side of the road after hearing strange noises from your vehicle, call AMR Auto Repair & Towing. Our towing service in Salt Lake City, UT is backed by over 15 years of experience and will get your car off the road and into either an impound lot or our repair shop, where we can check out the source of the problem and fix it for you.

Categorised in: Tow Truck Service

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