If you're wondering “How do you know if your car's exhaust system is shot,” you need to watch for symptoms like decreased fuel efficiency, vehicle vibration, strange engine noises, hissing and rattling noises, strange burning smell, weird gas smell, reduction in vehicle performance, and check engine light.
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Are you in a situation where your vehicle's fuel efficiency is changing? If you feel that some weird smells and noises are coming from your car close to the exhaust system, you might be dealing with an issue related to that exhaust system in general.
For decades of research in the car market and the car mechanical problems, I found that many people might underestimate problems with the exhaust system because they only focus on the biggest problems related to the engine and the transmission. However, that is a huge mistake!
In this article, I would like to walk you through the eight most common symptoms that I know happened immediately before major exhaust system problems. If you encounter any of these symptoms, you must talk to the mechanic before repair costs pile up.
How do you know if your car's exhaust system is in shot?
Exhaust system problems are not rare, and dealing with those requires simple attention to monitor our signs, which could evolve quickly and become critical. That's why the first thing I like to advise my readers is always looking for any symptoms that could help you detect early problems of exhaust system failures.
The following list is only part of what you will experience whenever you have a problem with the exhaust system. However, when I read thousands of articles and talked to many customers who dealt with similar problems, they mentioned the following eight signs that could help anyone answer the question: “How do you know if your car's exhaust system is in the shot?”
1. Decreased fuel efficiency
If you've owned your car for a long time and suddenly realize that you need to go to the gas station more often than before, you'll have something going on with the vehicle. You can't say that it's the exhaust system going bad, but it is one thing to mark and look for other symptoms that could help you narrow down the potential culprits.
Reduced fuel efficiency can be a common symptom that many people who have had to deal with exhaust system problems indicate. That's why when you start paying more for gas, don't take the problem easy because it could mean something is happening in the car that needs immediate attention.
2. Vehicle vibration
Many people hate dealing with any vehicle vibration, especially if they exceed certain speeds. Many might think it's just a problem with the tires or wheels. However, did you know many exhaust system problems can be associated with vehicle vibration?
Believe it or not, I talked to many customers who had severe issues with their exhaust system, and all that they mentioned was that they started noticing some strange vibration every time they started the car. That vibration was not associated with higher speeds.
That's why if you feel that the problem is continuing to happen, check on other symptoms that could help you confirm whether it's the exhaust system going bad or something else. In general, regardless of the cause of the problem, vibration is no good because it indicates something happening internally.
3. Strange engine noises
Another thing you will immediately experience when there is a problem with the exhaust system is some weird noises from the engine side. While these noises might first mean that your engine is going bad, the problem could be related to other components.
One way to check for that is by monitoring your engine behavior and seeing if the problem is happening on one side more than the other or if it's a continuous issue. Even the noises can cause a lot of problems. For example, if it's just whining, it might mean something, but if it's rattling or hissing, it could mean different stuff.
4. Hissing and rattling noises
While we mentioned that your engine would not like any exhaust problems, you might sometimes notice the sounds coming from the exhaust system itself. For example, if there is a loose component within the exhaust system, it's common to hear something rattling while driving your car.
I always like to tell my readers never to ignore any strange noises of your car. Please take it as a way for your car to communicate with you and bring your attention to internal problems. The more you ignore these problems, the harder it gets for you to fix them.
5. Strange burning smell
Similar to the strange noises, smells are no good. Even if the smell starts like some burning smell, you shouldn't assume that it's something minor and it's just because it's very hot outside. A lot of times, the problem could be linked to major internal problems.
Many customers who have to deal with exhaust system problems repeatedly repeat a burning smell. However, it was also the same symptom when many people had to deal with problems related to the steering system or other components. Therefore, it can be hard to tell if the problem is coming from the exhaust, and unless you're a mechanic and take a closer look, you cannot tell for sure.
6. Weird gas smell
Another scary symptom you will encounter if you have a problem with the exhaust system is some gas smell. This can be scary and a risk that might set your vehicle on fire.
That's why I always recommend that everybody dealing with gas smell check any potential component leading to this issue. If it's a fuel system problem, you must fix it before it impacts your safety.
7. Reduction in vehicle performance
Your vehicle is designed in a way that likes a certain pressure and a certain performance of the exhaust system. If this is not available, your vehicle is gonna complain, and you'll see it in a way that your vehicle is not performing, though it is.
When something in you is not feeling good, your body will feel aching and won't have the same energy. Similarly, your car will start complaining, and you won't see the same energy and performance you used to see.
8. Check engine light
Finally, depending on the severity of their exhaust system problem, it's easy to see a check engine light-triggered. Of course, you can't say immediately that I have to replace the major component since the exhaust system is bad and the check engine light is triggered. It goes differently.
If you have a small OBD scanner, you can slide it into your car and read what error it's reading. You won't know exactly what this error means, but it's one way to narrow down the list. You can Google this error and figure out what it is related to. It will still give you some insights about what is going on in your car.
What do you do if you confirm that your car's exhaust system is in shot?
If you realize that after the symptoms you monitored, your exhaust system has a big problem, you need to have it checked by a professional mechanic. You can perform a visual inspection yourself if you have any experience and can't detect any weird behaviors in your car.
However, if you couldn't identify any potential issue, it doesn't mean that the problem doesn't exist. So, we encourage you to visit your mechanic shop as soon as possible to detect the problem before it evolves and becomes out of hand.
From my experience, the faster you check with your mechanic, the easier it is to solve the problem and the lower the repair costs.
Final Thoughts
Exhaust system problems are not rare and might happen throughout your car's life. As a car owner, it's very important for you to watch for any potential symptoms that could help you understand if there's any problem in your car's exhaust system.
From my decades of experience in car market research, especially mechanical problems, I provided you with the most common eight symptoms that could help answer the question, “How do you know if your car's exhaust system is in shot?”
Whenever you notice any of these symptoms, you must fix the problem before it becomes expensive. However, it's common to deal with situations where repair costs are very expensive, and you might end up selling this car.
If you've ever planned to sell your car, contact Cash Cars Buyer at 773-791-4363.
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