Not everything fits neatly into brakes, tyres or lights. This section covers the odds and ends that still fail plenty of cars: driveshaft gaiters, fuel system leaks, doors and catches, and towing equipment.
Not everything fits neatly into brakes, tyres or lights. This section covers the odds and ends that still fail plenty of cars: driveshaft gaiters, fuel system leaks, doors and catches, and towing equipment.
Individually they're not common, but between them they account for a decent slice of the failures I see, and most are cheap to fix if they're caught early.
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Constant velocity joint gaiter damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
The rubber boot protecting a constant velocity joint has split. Once it's open, the grease flings out and road grit gets in, and the joint itself starts wearing rapidly — that's what causes the clicking on full lock people describe.
Fuel system leaking
Fuel is escaping from somewhere in the system — a pipe, union, tank, filter housing or injector seal. Even a weep is treated seriously, because fuel and hot exhaust components in the same area is exactly how car fires start.
Full explanation of Fuel system leaking
Door or bonnet does not close securely
A door, bonnet or boot doesn't latch and stay shut as it should. On the bonnet, the secondary safety catch is also checked — that's the one that stops the bonnet coming up into the windscreen if the primary catch releases at speed.
Full explanation of Door or bonnet does not close securely
Engine has an oil leak
Oil is escaping from the engine. A weep or a light film is normally an advisory. It becomes a failure when the leak is dripping so badly it could reach the road or a hot component, or where it has contaminated something safety-related like a brake or a suspension bush.
Full explanation of Engine has an oil leak
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