Maintaining and looking after your car is crucial to keep it on the road and to keep your dollars in your pocket. A car that is experiencing issues can not only be made for the car, but it can also be bad for the environment and can cause a dent in your pocket when needing to get it repaired. The longer you leave issues, the more expensive they can become. An issue that many drivers experience throughout their time of being on the road is their cars blowing smoke. With the big question being, why is my car blowing smoke?
What are some causes of smoke coming from your car?
If you notice an excessive amount of smoke coming from your car, it is important to get it off the road and get it looked at asap. There are many different reasons that it could be happening and the quicker you get it looked at and fixed by a car mechanic, the better it will be for the car.
Smoke can come from the car due to faults with the car or the way that the car is being looked after.
Issues that can cause smoke include:
- The way that you are driving the car.
- The type of fuel that is being used in the car.
- The maintenance and servicing history.
- Excessive driving
- Age and condition of the engine.
On top of these issues, you can also experience smoke coming from the car due to their being faults within the car itself. Some of these include:
- Faults in the fuel or electrical systems.
- Overheating.
- Blocked or faulty air filters and sumps.
- Blockages, breaks or wear and tear to the fuel system and components.
- Incorrectly set up turbochargers and superchargers.
- Wear and tear to the seals, pistons and gauges.
Is it dangerous if there is smoke coming from my car?
There are different types of smoke that can come from your car and these types can come in different colours. Black smoke generally means that there is burnt fuel as one of the components. If the smoke is white or coloured then you are looking more at an issue that involved engine oil or fuel vapour.
The different types of smoke can not only be dangerous for your car and can cause additional problems if not looked at but it can also be damaging to the environment. The chemicals that are coming from the smoke can effect air quality and the environment. These are also not good fumes for you to be breathing in. There is a lot more at risk than just your car if it is blowing a lot of smoke.
What do I do?
If you notice that your car is starting to blow a lot of smoke, it is important that you get safely off the road as soon as you can. Find a safe place where you can pull off the road and park. Once you have done this, give your local car mechanic a call and discuss the issues that you are having.
They will be able to recommend whether you can continue driving the car, whether you need to drive it straight to them or if it is best that the car is not driven until it is looked at.
Your car mechanic will be able to in-depth diagnostics to determine what is causing the issue and give you a plan on how they will fix it.
All works should be ran by you before starting to confirm you are happy to go ahead.
And most importantly, if you notice that there is a lot of smoke coming from your car, don’t delay. The longer you leave it, the worse it could get. For your safety, the safety of those on the road around you, and for your car – get the issues sorted as soon as you can.