Maintaining Your Exhaust System.

Visible Signs of Damage or Wear

There are a few clear and obvious indicators you can look for with a quick glance under your car at the exhaust system. Things like rust and even holes should be very visible to the naked eye, even without getting too close. Hairline fractures and splits may be harder to spot, but if you’re able get a close-up, you might be able to see them. If you’ve noticed these first two signs, checking yourself was a great idea and now it’s time to get them quickly repaired.

Increased Engine Noise

When you’re driving along, does the engine seem louder than usual? You may not have paid much attention to how loud it was in the first place, but you might have noticed that you have recently turned up your radio volume, where before it was unnecessary.

Your exhaust system is part of keeping the engine quiet, so louder engine noises are a classic sign that something is wrong in the exhaust. It can be dangerous, too, because if the problem is at the manifold, then it can cause toxic fumes to leak into the passenger cabin and this can be serious. If you have any concerns then it is best to have your exhaust checked.

Fume smells inside the car

Following on from the above, if you ever smell fumes, especially in the car which typically carry an acrid chemical scent, then you should get the car immediately inspected, because something could be seriously wrong.

Besides new car smell, your air freshener, or the general smells of family car life, there shouldn’t be any other weird odours coming from the car. No fumes should be making it into the passenger cabin.

Your Vehicle Requires Refueling More frequently

If your usual fill-up is lasting a day or so less than usual when you’re driving habits haven’t changed, then it’s a classic sign of reduced overall efficiency. While this can happen to cars as they get older, it shouldn’t be happening on relatively new cars, and not rapidly in any car. If you’ve noticed this change quite suddenly, it might be that you have an exhaust leak. The more acute the problem, the more serious the leak could potentially be.

Vibrations Felt Through the Pedal or Steering Wheel

One last sign which is not so obvious, is that you may notice vibrations in the steering wheel or when you press on the accelerator. Although these types of vibrations are common and could be consider brake or road surface related, if the exhaust issues are ignored, then this warning sign can become among the strongest indicators of exhaust leaks. The smaller pedal/wheel vibrations are a prelude to what can become entire car judders if you leave it unattended.