Wednesday, July 31, 2013

How to prevent your car from catching on fire.

© Jane Tuv
Apparently a van caught on fire this morning in Flatiron, Manhattan. No one seems to have been hurt, thankfully.

This made me recall a few times in my old driving days, when the cars I drove had something seriously wrong with them. So in response, here are a few tips that will keep your car from catching on fire:

  1. Watch your temperature gauge. It should hover in the middle once your car is warmed up. If it gets significantly past that, pull over, shut the engine off, open your hood, and let your car cool down before trying anything else.
  2. It there's a gas station, an auto parts shop, or any kind of an auto repair shop nearby, consider getting some coolant/antifreeze. Most problems with overheating I have had in the past were from low coolant levels. Your coolant tank will have a max fill line, so top if off if necessary. If there's a coolant leak, you may have to do this several times until you get to a repair shop.
  3. If you smell raw gasoline, and you're not near a gas station or a tanker, pull over, shut the engine off, get out of the car, and move away about a hundred feet. Then call a tow truck.
  4. If you see black smoke coming out of your engine compartment, do the same thing as in the step above, only faster, and call 911 instead of a tow truck. 

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