Remember that paperback book that never leaves your glove compartment? You know, the owner’s manual? You can learn a lot by cracking it open every once in a while.
The owner’s manual tells you what all of the warning lights mean and what you should do when they come on. Most cars these days, including my own, come with a variety “idiot” or warning lights. Whether you’ve noticed or not, cars used to have a multitude of extra gauges on the dashboard including not just the temperature, but oil level and battery voltage. This way, you could easily tell if your battery needed a charge or your oil was low without popping the hood. Now, most drivers are dependent on these “idiot lights” that either give you a warning in the event of an emergency or whenever the mechanic has set it to go off.
Rudimentary as some of this stuff may seem, this summer I want to go over what steps to take when a warning light comes on.
No. 1: My Tire Pressure Light Comes On
If your tire pressure light is illuminated, it could be a variety of things -- but usually it is not the feared nail in your tire. The number-one thing to take into account if your tire pressure light is coming on is whether or not the weather is changing. That is, is it a Florida fall and the temperature just went from a sunny 75 one day to 50 degrees the next? Depending how sensitive the sensor is, it will come on because the drastic decrease in temperature causes the tire pressure to drop.
In all cases, if you’re really concerned or if the tire looks low, you should check the pressure. Don’t worry: It’s easier than you think.
You can check the pressure yourself if you have a tire-pressure gauge ($2.99 at AutoZone) or at any dealership, lube or tire shop. The standard pounds per square inch (PSI) for all four tires is located on the inside of your driver’s side door. Once you’ve measured the current tire pressure, you can compare it to the standard PSI.
If it is drastically low but there is no leak and you just want the light to go off, take it to a gas station and add air to it -- but be careful not to overinflate! Some gas station air pumps have gauges on them, but you’ll need to know how many pounds you are down and check how many you have added.
If the pressure is just slightly off and you’re about to travel on the highway or at high speed, I don’t recommend pumping the tire up at all. The gases expand at high speeds when the tire gets hot, and if it is too inflated, it could cause a blowout.
In general, if you inflate the tire, or get on the highway with it, the light should go off within a few days, if not immediately, depending on the car and the sensor.
No. 2: The Tire Looks Flat
If your tire looks low but you could still drive on it take it to the nearest tire shop or dealership to have it checked. The first thing you need to figure out is if it has a nail in it or not. Then the mechanic will assess if it can be patched. There are two different types of tire patching you can get: an actual patch that is put on the inside of the tire and an internal plug. Most service centers do patches, and internal plugs can be done at home with a kit purchased from an auto parts store.
I called around Gainesville to get a feel for how much a tire patch job costs for a 17 inch wheel, which what I have. Discount Tire actually does the service free of charge, Sears charges $24.99, Parks Ford of Gainesville $15 plus tax, Tire Kingdom $19.95, and Honda of Gainesville charges $26 for an internal plug.
Point being, don’t feel pressured to take your flat tire to the dealership, you’ll pay more and it’s unnecessary. You wouldn’t be voiding any warranties by not getting factory service on your tire. Call around and shop the best price, and possibly the best location depending on how flat your tire is. All of the above auto services also include free wheel balancing, which because the flat tire has made it uneven.
When you see a low or flat tire, don’t panic! If you can’t make it to a service center immediately do make sure to add air to the tire, and to not drive the car far distances. The last thing you want is to drive on the rim. Lastly, while you’re checking your tire for a nail make sure that the tire itself is not worn out. If there is no tread left, you need a new tire all together!
I hope this was helpful, I plan on doing more “What Happens When” pieces. When trusting a vehicle to get you where you need to go it’s important to know the basics about what you’re driving.
As Vin Diesel says to Paul Walker in the Fast and the Furious (2001), “You never had me. You never had your car.”
Erika Canfijn is a UF public relations senior.
