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Warning Signs of a Failing Catalytic Converter in a Mini

Warning Signs of a Failing Catalytic Converter in a Mini

by | Dec 29, 2020 | MINI Repair

Keeping your car in working order requires constant maintenance, but it will ensure the reliability you have come to love on your Mini. When issues appear, your vehicle may develop additional problems that can have detrimental effects. Any problems you notice under the hood should be a reason to take your car into a professional shop.

Faults with the catalytic converter can be serious and should certainly warrant a visit to your trusted Mini expert. While the catalytic converter is a relatively unknown part for those not interested in vehicles, it is one of the reasons you are allowed to drive your Mini at all. Learning about the catalytic converter is the first step to learning the signs that point out something being wrong with it.

What does the catalytic converter do?

The catalytic converter, as mentioned, is a large reason why you are able to drive your car at all. Without the catalytic converter, your vehicle would have countless emissions problems that would stop it from being legally on the road. As your engine goes through its internal combustion process, there are harmful chemicals released as byproducts.

Getting rid of these byproducts and only allowing for safe fumes to escape from the exhaust requires a working catalytic converter. As the harmful fumes move through the exhaust system, they pass through the catalytic converter, where the process begins to make them harmless. As they pass over the catalytic converter, there is a component that separates the chemicals.

From this point, the chemicals are released through the exhaust tailpipe and sent out into the air. When your car takes an emissions test, it is essentially measuring the effectiveness of your car’s catalytic converter. If yours is not working as it should be, you may also notice that problems develop with the exhaust tailpipe.

The catalytic converter also keeps these harmful gases out of the cabin, where they can be extremely dangerous for you and your passengers.

Fortunately, there are a number of key indicators that can tell you when your Mini’s catalytic converter is developing problems. As outlined above, never hesitate to take your vehicle into the shop when you notice issues arise with your catalytic converter. Allowing these problems to develop will only hurt your car in the long run.

Signs of a Failing Catalytic Converter

While the below signs are not the only indicators of something being wrong with the catalytic converter, they are the most common. These signs can help you to diagnose this problem sooner and get your car into a professional MINI repair shop before more issues develop:

Bad Fuel Efficiency

Your fuel economy is partially determined by the cleanliness of the fumes that are in the exhaust section of your vehicle. If there are too many harmful byproducts, your Mini’s performance may be hindered to the point of getting worse gas mileage. Check to see if you are at the pump more often or if the amount of gas you go through seems to be disproportionate.

Check Engine Light is On

Your check engine light is a fantastic system that is connected to your vehicle’s onboard computer. This computer can sense when things are wrong under the hood of your car and will respond by turning the check engine light on. In fact, issues with the catalytic converter are one of the leading causes for a check engine light to turn on.

Poor Acceleration

As with getting worse fuel efficiency, issues with your vehicle’s acceleration may be attributed to a failing catalytic converter. If the fumes being released are not as pure, your engine may not run smoothly and your acceleration may be rougher.

How Turning Wrenches Can Help

At Turning Wrenches, we understand how MINI Broken Catalytic Converter important your Mini is to you and we are able to restore it to its former performance. With that in mind, we can only handle the issue if you trust our experienced mechanics to troubleshoot your vehicle. We have experience working with clients in and around Louisville, KY, which means that we are a trusted name in the community.

Please give us a call or come visit us today to set an appointment so that we may show you why we are the best in the business. We look forward to earning your business and trust.

The Best Way to Resolve Rust Issues in Your Sprinter in Louisville

The Best Way to Resolve Rust Issues in Your Sprinter in Louisville

by | Dec 13, 2020 | Sprinter Repair

Dealing with rust in your Sprinter is an annoying task, but incredibly important to ensuring the longevity of your vehicle. Rust can lead to a large number of issues, some of which are costly and time-consuming to handle. Acknowledging the presence of rust in your vehicle, identifying a cause, and then getting it removed by a professional is the best course of action to ensure your vehicle runs as it should.

To that point, it’s beneficial to look at what causes rust to develop in a Sprinter, the problems it can cause, and finally how to get it fixed. Always rely on a professional to remove rust from the components of your vehicle, as attempting to do it yourself with chemicals or manually can lead to unforeseen hazards.

Common Causes of Rust

There are numerous reasons rust may develop within your vehicle, so keep an eye out for some of the worst culprits. Regardless of the exact reason, rust can damage a vehicle and cause long-lasting issues. If you notice your vehicle is subjected to any of these common reasons, attempt to neutralize the exposure.

Repeated Rain Exposure

Rust is a result of metal that contains traces of iron being exposed to moisture. This atomic reaction can result in the oxidation and the formation of rust. If you live in a rainy area, your vehicle will be prone to rust quicker. Additionally, parking your car outside in the rain may leave it susceptible to rust in the long run.

Salt

Salt is an often unknown cause of rust on vehicles. Whether the salt is used to remove ice and snow from vehicles during cold weather months or you live near salty beach breezes, exposing your vehicle’s body to salt can make the metal prone to rusting. As the salt finds its way into tiny corners of your Sprinter, it may accumulate and cause rusting itself.

A Lack of Maintenance

Overall, one of the largest causes of rust developing on a vehicle is a lack of maintenance by the owner. Keeping your car clean and properly serviced are the best ways to avoid rust on your vehicle. Parking your Sprinter in a garage or covered area are great ways to avoid rust problems.

Drawbacks of Rust in a Car

Now that some of the common causes for rusting on your vehicle are known, it’s important to look at why exactly you should take your car in to a professional for rust removal. To begin with, if there is rust around the frame of your vehicle, it poses a serious danger to you or other passengers if it snaps off and leaves a jagged edge.

Additionally, rusted metal is significantly weaker than pure metal and won’t protect you or the passengers of your vehicle as well in the event of a crash. Parts can also stop working if they become too rusted. For certain parts, such as the radiator or oil cap, this can make top-offs difficult to perform for mechanics.

Last, rust on a vehicle can be perceived as tacky and all-around ugly. There is no reason to not get the rust fixed on your Sprinter, even if it was there when you bought your car. To that end, Turning Wrenches is a great source to turn to for rust removal and maintenance on your vehicle.

How Turning Wrenches Can Help

At Turning Wrenches, we understand how annoying and dangerous rust can be on your vehicle. We have Sprinter Rust Removalyears of experience helping clients in the Louisville, KY area. We will easily repair the rust on your Sprinter and have it back to its original design.

Your satisfaction is our guarantee, and we can promise that you will receive the highest quality customer service in the community. Give us a call or come in to schedule an appointment today and see why we are the best name in the auto business. Don’t settle for driving daily with a rusted vehicle. Regardless of the cause, we can fix it. We look forward to earning your trust and patronage for all your future Sprinter maintenance, repair, and parts replacement needs. Make an appointment today.

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