If you have been driving cars for some time, you know that there are signs that you need to pull over immediately. Maybe it’s a sound you hear, a weird movement, or just a feeling that you need to slow down and pull over to check something out. Most often than not, these moments reward you with the relief of knowing you prevented a bigger accident from happening because you pulled over.
But if you are pretty new to driving or driving a new car, this sense might not be as developed, or you may not be able to identify the car’s quirks. So to help you out (or to refresh your knowledge), here is the list of the signs you need to pull over immediately.
5 signs you need to pull over immediately
Lack of visibility
If you want to drive safely, you need to see what is in front of you. Just imagine, you are driving a 3000-plus pound vehicle traveling at 65 miles an hour. This means you need at least 316 feet to get your car into a complete stop – and this is during ideal conditions.
Visibility can be hampered by several reasons – fog, rain, mud or dirt, a broken windshield, and snow/ice. The thing is, if you feel like you can’t see well (or at all), you should pull over and fix the problem or wait for the weather to change before charging on.
A loud noise
Nothing good is ever going to come out of a loud or sudden noise that comes up while driving. A car in good condition will make no loud or sudden noise, so you need to pull over when you hear something. In the best-case scenario, you just hit a rock that ricocheted or hit a bump.
Worst case, one of your spark plugs is now nowhere to be seen. What you need to do is to pull over, do a quick check of the engine and the under-chassis to see if anything is loose, hanging, or missing.
Seeing your temperature or oil light on
There are several lights on your dashboard that can tell you what condition your car is in. Of all these lights, there are two that can signify that your car is about to incur a big repair bill within minutes. These two lights are the temperature and oil lights. When they turn on, it means your engine is overheating, or you are losing oil pressure. Once they go on, stop and pull over right away.
Don’t even think about driving another mile “to see how far I can still go.” The damage caused by low oil pressure and overheating can amount to thousands. Sure, you might need to drive a little bit to get to a safer area before calling a tow truck but don’t push your luck.
A weird smell
We all know how our cars smell like, and if you are traveling with people, then there are a few kinds of smells you are already anticipating during a drive. However, when you do get hit by a weird smell that can’t be traced back to somebody’s armpits or dinner, then you should pull over ASAP.
Again, it could be anything, but it could also be your catalytic converter telling you that something is wrong. Most of the more common smells that should initiate a stop include the smell of burnt wire insulation or a gas leak.
Smoke and fire
If your car is smoking and if you see fire, then you should stop and pull over as soon as you can. You can also stop and get out right away as long as it is safe to do so (eg. you are driving on a remote country road with no one in sight).
Smoke or fire indicates something is already burning within your car, so it is in your best interest to stay away. At this point, you may need to call the fire department to help you put it out.
Call T3 Atlanta For All Your Car Problems
If you have pulled over due to the situations and signs mentioned above, don’t hesitate to give T3 Atlanta a call. We’ll get your car to tip-top shape in no time. We specialize in servicing Nissan, Toyota, Lexus, and Infiniti cars. Reach out to us, and we’ll take care of you and your car right away.
Fog lights, or fog lamps, are a unique set of lights installed in cars with the specific purpose of helping out the driver in situations with reduced visibility. They can often be found below the headlights (how low depends on the car model).
As the name suggests, fog lights are used during foggy weather or weather that offers poor to zero visibility. If you’ve had the chance to drive under heavy rain or fog, your regular headlights often provide little to no help improving your vision. In some cases, the setup of your headlights can even cause glare to the driver, making it much more dangerous. This is because the light being given off by your headlight gets bounced off (or back to you) in fog, making them useless.
Since time immemorial, car owners have filled their tires with regular air. There’s no real reason why you would think to fill it up with anything else. But some “specialty” vehicles like airplanes and race cars use nitrogen to fill their tires.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with choosing nitrogen over compressed air, but there’s nothing too special either. You can always fill your tires with nitrogen, but be wary that places that offer such services can be sparse in certain areas. This means that if you need to refill in an unfamiliar location, then you might have a hard time doing so.
To understand why you might need a brake bleed or flush, you first need to have a basic understanding about how your brake system works.
Now that you know how your brake system works and how brake fluid is a part of it, what does a brake bleed or brake flush have to do with it?
A brake bleed is often all your vehicle needs to top off the fluids in your brake system and make sure that your brakes respond like they should when you press the pedal.
Tune ups as we know them today are completely different than they were when the term was first coined. A tune up in an early car was routine maintenance work on the vehicle’s ignition system to ensure that ignition and fueling worked in perfect tandem with each other.
Every modern vehicle comes with what’s known as a ‘maintenance schedule’. This schedule consists of routine work that is required after a certain amount of miles have been driven. A modern tune up is another way to refer to this routine maintenance.
Back in the day, old vehicles might need a tune up every 10,000 miles or so. Newer vehicles are designed to last longer and may go 20 – 30,000 miles between maintenance items. Depending on the condition of your vehicle and driving habits, you may need to get a car tune up earlier than this.
Like all stories, there’s a reason that letting your car come to operating temperature became common knowledge.
Modern vehicles are equipped with complex electronic systems that monitor how much air and fuel can enter the combustion chambers and make adjustments as needed. These sensors are as fast as they are accurate, and they ensure that your engine gets the correct amount of fuel regardless of whether you immediately put your car into ‘drive’ or not.
The paint on the outside of your vehicle is very susceptible to sun damage, so it’s important to keep your vehicle out of sunlight as much as possible, especially during the sunny summer months. The easiest way to do this is park your car in a garage or carport when possible.
It’s important to wash and wax your car regardless of the time of year, but it’s especially important during the summer. Over time, sunlight can fade the paint on the exterior of your vehicle. Wax protects your paint from damage, dirt and debris, as well as sap bird droppings that result from parking under the shade.
You can generally treat hard-top convertibles the same as other vehicles when it comes to protecting them from the summer sun. If you own a soft-top convertible, though, it’s important to 
The interior of your car can be affected by sun damage, too. Damage to these components can range from bleaching to cracking or warping. It may not impact the performance of your vehicle, but can affect its appearance and resale value.
It’s important to remember that your tires need protection, too. It’s natural for your tires to deteriorate with use and time, but regular exposure to UV rays can accelerate that process.
The general advice goes that you should change your oil every 3,000 miles. In fact, the exact frequency 
Your belts and hoses can be easy to forget about, but it’s important to check them when your car hasn’t been driven for a while. These vehicle components naturally degrade over time, but disuse can accelerate this degradation. For example, rubber hoses can dry out and crack when fluids aren’t regularly flowing through them.
Your car battery relies on the engine being run to recharge it. When your car isn’t being driven, the battery doesn’t have the chance to regain any power lost while your car has been sitting idle. A car battery tester can help you quickly identify how much charge your battery currently has, helping you eliminate the chance of getting stranded on the road.
Your tires likely won’t need a rotation if your car hasn’t been driven much, but it’s still important to make sure that they are properly inflated since your tires naturally lose air over time. This can impact the tread wear when you do take your vehicle out.
A less frequently considered part of car maintenance during the pandemic has to do with ‘new residents’. When your car is sitting idle and unused, it suddenly becomes prime real estate for certain rodents, such as mice and chipmunks. This is especially true for cars that are parked outdoors.
Most cars on the road these days are front-wheel drive vehicles. This type of car features a drivetrain that powers the two wheels at the front of the vehicle. There are several benefits of this type of drive train, including:
In a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the engine is positioned at the front of the vehicle and provides power to the wheels at the back of the car or truck. There are several benefits to a rear-wheel drive vehicle, including:
As the name suggests, 4-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles feature a drivetrain that is designed to deliver power to all four wheels. The vehicle may be designed to have a full or part-time system; part-time offers the additional choice for the driver to switch between rear and 4WD depending on their needs. There are several advantages of 4WD vehicles, including:
Although all-wheel and 4-wheel drive types may sound like different terms for the same thing, they work a little differently and are distinct enough to be considered their own category.
Regardless of how much or how little you drive your vehicle, car owners are eventually going to need to drop money on maintenance and repairs. After all, keeping your car on its maintenance schedule will prolong the lifespan of your vehicle and help prevent you from getting stranded on the side of the road.
Maybe you’re about to welcome a new member to your family and your two-seater won’t cut it anymore. Maybe you’re about to pick up off-roading as a new hobby and your minivan just isn’t up for the task. Perhaps you’ve decided to start driving for a ride-share service and you need a vehicle that’s more suited to transport passengers around town.
A change in employment – for better or for worse – can significantly impact whether it’s time to replace your car. A promotion or raise may mean you can comfortably afford that car which has been on your wish list, while a job loss may mean you need to trade your vehicle in for something more affordable.
