When it comes to driving, everybody wants a car they can rely on and that will perform to the best of its ability, but achieving this depends heavily on the state of your exhaust system. The role of the exhaust is to transfer toxic gases, which can be harmful to both the driver and the passengers, away from the car and outside. As well as posing a health risk, if the exhaust is in bad condition then the whole running of your vehicle will also be affected.

With this in mind, the exhaust should be considered the heart of your vehicle, needing to be looked after and conditioned well. Here at Universal Tyres, we’ve come up with some top tips outlining the tell-tale signs of when your car exhaust needs replacing so you can fix the fault before it becomes a more serious problem.

Noises

Hearing unusual, strange noises when driving your car is the most common indicator that there could be something wrong with your exhaust. This is mainly because the first thing to give up on your exhaust is the silencer which functions to reduce any noise created. The most common noises to listen out for are:

•    Rattling or clunking. This could be a loose component underneath the car or a misaligned exhaust.

•    Hissing. This could point towards a fault in the pipe or a leaking gasket.

•    Chugging. This could indicate a blockage in the system.

Engine revving

Random revving of the engine, without putting any more pressure on the gas pedal, is another obvious sign that there could be a fault with your exhaust.

More fuel

You may notice that your car is getting through more fuel than it usually does, even though you aren’t doing any more mileage than you normally do.

Physical damage

If you can see any cracks, rusting or obvious holes, the exhaust will need to be repaired as soon as possible as these could be signs of a much more serious problem.

Fumes

The most dangerous exhaust fault is the appearance of fumes inside the vehicle. The gases are toxic and contain harmful, poisonous chemicals. Clearly, if these gases are inhaled they can put yours or your passenger’s health at extreme risk.

Running regular visual inspections of your vehicle will help you notice if there are any physical faults and the other problems i.e. the strange noises will be obvious from driving the car. However, if you are not experienced with the body work of a car or how it functions, then it will be difficult for you to spot some of these. That’s why it’s crucial to always take your car for its MOT and service when they are due. These thorough examinations by professional mechanics will pick up on any faults and can get them repaired or replaced as quickly as possible so you can keep yourself and your passenger’s safe at all times and your vehicle road worthy.

Here at Universal Tyres we offer a reliable exhaust maintenance service on all vehicle types carried out by our experienced and highly skilled mechanics.  Please get in touch with us to find out more information about our available services.