Repairs that cannot wait

What you need to know:

You have seen motorists driving with on one headlamp beaming through the night darkness. This is quite dangerous and is a serious threat to you and other road users.
Such cars present blurred visibility to oncoming traffic and many drivers can mistake it for a motorcycle.

Cracked windscreen can be repaired by chipping a small depression into the windscreen or cutting a ding at the end of the crack to stop it from expanding further.

As the economy gets tight, many focus on scaling back on some expenses and the causalities will include but not limited to car repairs.
As many reorganise their budgets, basic expenses such as changing car oil or repairing brake pads become a luxury.

However, while there might be no room to accommodate certain expenses, you might want to think twice before you decide to delay some car repairs.
There are repairs that cannot wait and the best option is, if you cannot accommodate them, park the car to avoid costly damages.

Cars, just like humans, have needs some of which are major and others minors. While some repairs can wait, others such as the ones listed below cannot and must be attended to immediately.

Headlight repairs
You have seen motorists driving with on one headlamp beaming through the night darkness. This is quite dangerous and is a serious threat to you and other road users.
Such cars present blurred visibility to oncoming traffic and many drivers can mistake it for a motorcycle.
In such circumstances, if you really cannot help, drive with an indicator on the side of the faulty headlamp, which shows oncoming drivers of the presence of a car on the road.

Transmission troubles
According to Suleiman Setimba, a mechanic on Salaama Road, transmission problems cannot wait and must be attended to as soon you notice them.
Troubles related to transmission or the gear system, Setimba says, are risky to neglect because you can be stranded when they get worse.

“A car without a properly functioning transmission system is just as good as a metal box and when it gets stranded it will need major servicing and repairs, which might turn out expensive,” he says.
Symptoms of transmission problems, according to Setimba, include awkward shifts, increase in reluctance to shift and transmission slipping while engaging gears, among others.
“If they are checked before it gets worse you might only need to replace the transmission fluid. However, it is also possible that you might have to replace the whole system including the gearbox,” he says.

Brakes and tyres
Brakes and tyres have a co-dependent relationship and one cannot deliver you safely to your destination if the other is in bad shape.
Brakes are an important component of the car that have the potential to put you and other road users in serious trouble.
Therefore, together with tyres, never ignore them, especially when they are due for repair.

Oil and engine fluid leaks
Usually, many of these leaks go unnoticed. However, at the worst case scenario, warning lights, especially on the dashboard might appear to alert you of the problem.
Oil and engine fluid leaks always present a bigger damage, which turns out to be expensive if neglected.

Windscreen repairs
A small chip or crack on the windscreen has the potential to turn disastrous. They can expand and cut through the entire windscreen in no time.
Apart from the risk of shattering, a cracked windscreen can make visibility difficult which in the end might turn out disastrous for you and other road users.

Cracked windscreen can be repaired by chipping a small depression into the windscreen or cutting a ding at the end of the crack to stop it from expanding further.
However, it is advisable that you immediately replace the windscreen as the chip or ding cannot effectively stop it from shattering.

“If the crack is large or the damage compromises visibility, then you will need to replace the windscreen altogether,” says Suleiman Setimba, a mechanic on Salaama Road.