How to Describe Car Noises to Your Auto Mechanic

Car noises are often one of the first signals that something has gone wrong with your car. An auto mechanic can often get a good sense of what's wrong with your car if you can accurately describe that funny sound your car is making. Unfortunately, most people are not very good at accurately describing car noises for troubleshooting purposes. If your car has started rattling, squealing, jingling, scraping or making other funny sounds, take the time to figure out exactly how to describe those sounds so your auto mechanic can get a head start on diagnosing your car troubles.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• your ears

1. Make note of WHEN your hear the car noises.
   
   Does it happen only when you make a left turn? Do you hear a thunkity-thump when you step on the brake? Does it stop after you complete a turn or when your car shifts gears? Being able to tell the auto mechanic exactly WHEN the car noises happen and under what circumstances can often help him start making a diagnosis of your auto problems.

2. Turn off the radio, close the windows and LISTEN.
   
   It's hard to really hear car noises when they're competing with other sounds. Shut down everything in your auto that's making a sound and then listen carefully to help you pinpoint the sound more accurately.

3. Pinpoint WHERE the sound is coming from.
   
   Try to get a fix on the direction from which the sound is coming so that you can tell your auto mechanic what part of the auto you think it is making it. General terms are okay here - "the left front end" or "somewhere around the back right wheel" are perfectly acceptable descriptions of where car noises are coming from.

4. Describe the car noises as accurately as possible.
   
   Put your descriptive powers to work to describe the sound you hear. Does it rattle? Is it more like a soft jingle? How loud is it? There's a big difference between a squeal and a screech, or the sound of metal scraping metal. Does it start as a ticking and turn into a squeal when the car speeds up? All of these details will help your auto mechanic diagnose your car troubles, saving him time and you money.

Tips & Warnings

• Have a passenger record the car noises and bring the recording along to your mechanic.

[jpwriter]

on 4/29/2009 Great information for the mechanic. It's so important to be able to accurately describe the sound so that the car can be diagnosed...a little bit like going to the doctor.

[Zibahrose]

on 3/14/2009 Very good...thanx.

[Kathymcbain]

on 3/8/2009 These are great tips because I am terrible at explaining car noises!

[dlcass]

on 3/8/2009 This is a GREAT article. All those "thinky-thunks" (great word), clicks, whines and other noises all point to something and it is important to communicate it properly. Thanks.