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Small, But Risky Damage Points For The Careful Driver

9 June 2017

Tommy Perkins

Maintaining your vehicle means more than going to the service shop every few months. There are dangers on the road that either can't be seen or can't be avoided, and they're not all huge accidents or disasters. It's the small things that lead to minor annoyances that grow into bigger concerns if not handled properly. If you want to keep your vehicle in good shape, but just don't know where to look or what can be taken care of easily, here are a few inspection points to keep in mind.

Subtle Windshield Damage

When talking about windshield damage, many people imagine spiderweb cracks that spread and scatter across the front of the car. That can certainly happen and is easy to see, but the beginning of those problems can start with much smaller issues.

It's nothing to panic about, but have you ever seen a small rock hit your windshield? Have you noticed a small speck of damaged glass that doesn't seem to go anywhere? The good news is that it won't go anywhere. It's not going to mysteriously shatter at a random moment and leave you in a roadside emergency. It is, however, something that needs to be treated.

Many people drive for years without getting too many cracks in their windshield, but if you live in an area that has a lot of gravel or gravel-moving trucks, you have a real risk of losing windshield visibility and an eventually bigger crack when multiple cracks happen.

You're not looking at a full windshield replacement in most cases. A glass repair injection can fill most small cracks, as long as they haven't spread too far, and can provide strength to avoid bigger cracks. If the crack is big enough and your insurance covers it, you can usually have the windshield replaced for free.

Constantly Flattening Tires

Do you seem to have a flat tire every month, or even every other week? Are you becoming an expert in pulling over for a wobbling emergency or getting to know the tire shop mechanics as best friends? Finding new friends is great, but not if it means shelling out cash for new tires more than twice in a year.

First, are your tires getting punctured by nails, glass shards, or other sharp objects on a regular basis? If you don't live in an area of obvious urban decline, it's likely someone else's carelessness causing the problem.

Buy a dashboard camera if the problem is happening at home or in the parking lot, and ask others in the neighborhood to keep an eye out. If the negligent party is caught with video evidence, you can recoup costs in court fairly easily. You can't really get a lot of money out of a guilty party with no money, but something as simple as tire repairs are a lot easier to argue in court for a payment plan.

If nothing is punctured, ask your mechanic if it's your rims. If you've had a flat in the past that dented the rims, you could have an unlucky case of a sharp rim or a rim dented to a point, which can leak air slowly over time. Any kind of dent can lead to a slow leak, which is why most experienced drivers and mechanics will tell you to never drive on a flat tire. It'll cost more than a tow truck in the long run.

Speak with an auto glass repair and car troubleshooting professional to handle your windshield, and ask for a referral for any other car problems.

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