regular maintenance checks for your car

Some car repairs cost way more than others. For example, changing a windscreen wiper is much cheaper than repairing a damaged engine valve. Here are three expensive repairs that you should never let your car have:

Broken Timing Belt

A timing belt (also called a cam belt or a timing chain) is responsible for making sure that the engine's valves open and close at the appropriate times. This ensures that the intake and exhaust strokes of the cylinder operate efficiently.

If your car runs on an interference engine, then a timing belt breakage can cause an expensive damage to your car. This happens when the piston and valve movements aren't synchronized anymore, and the piston smashes the valves. If this happens, you not only have to replace the timing belt, but also the damaged valves. The former can cost you hundreds of dollars while the latter can cost anywhere from a few hundreds of dollars to over a thousand dollars depending on your car.

Moreover, there is no easy way of knowing whether your engine is an interference or non-interference one. You can contact your car's manufacturer about the engine type in your car. However, the best thing to do is to take the precautions and change your timing belt according to the manufacturer's direction.

Hydrolocked Engine

Your engine becomes hydrolocked when water gets into the cylinders. The engine cylinders should only operate on air and fuel, and nothing else. If water gets into the cylinders, it causes damage because it isn't compressible and will cause a shattering of the engine components when the piston tries to squeeze it.

The result can be a damaged piston rod, crankshaft, engine block, engine head, bearing, and even crankcase. This problem is caused by driving through water, especially if the car's air intake is low enough for the water to reach it. It can also be caused by driving through water with a damaged carburetor or fuel intake that allows water to enter the engine.

Seized Engine

Engine seizing occurs when the lubrication (oil) fails to work as expected. This can happen if you don't put enough oil in the car or the oil pressure is low. All the moving parts, which should be oiled, start rubbing and scratching against each other. The heat generated by the friction can even melt your engine parts. In most cases, the only solution is to replace the engine.

What all these problems show is that you should be careful with your car. You need to service it according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Replace all the parts at the required intervals, and you will reduce the chances of dealing with an expensive damage. (for more information, contact Pete's Service Center)