An essential part of owning a car is knowing how often it requires maintenance. The simple way to know when to get your car serviced is to consult the manufacturer’s guidelines in the vehicle’s instruction manual or check on the manufacturer’s website if you do not have the instruction manual. However, in addition to following the manufacturer’s guidelines, there are other signs that you should look out for to see if your vehicle needs servicing.
Due to the increased precision and complexity of the engineering of supercars, maintenance is especially essential. Supercars may well require a stricter and more regular maintenance schedule than less powerful vehicles do. Thankfully, many manufacturers of supercars include several years of free maintenance into the upfront cost of the vehicle!
While there is plenty of information available online on how to service regular cars, it can be challenging to know exactly how often to service your Ferrari or Maserati. For this article, we have compiled a list of things to look out for that may indicate that your supercar needs servicing!
Check the Engine’s Warning Light
Most cars have a warning light on the dashboard that could indicate a range of problems with the engine of your car. If you see this yellow light (often in the shape of a spanner) appear on your dashboard, you should not panic! However, you should take the car to a garage as soon as you can to get it checked out. Some cars also have a separate service light that is there to indicate when it is time to take it for a service.
Look Out for Visible smoke or Steam
Smoke and steam are usually bad signs with most appliances, and a supercar is no different! Seeing or smelling smoke or other vapor, especially coming from underneath the hood of the car, is likely to indicate potential overheating. The temperature gauge will also give an indication of potential problems – the needle should be in the middle of the temperature gauge while the car is running, not at maximum!
Smoke or steam is usually white, but in rare cases, it can be blue – this usually means that oil is leaking and burning. Another sign of leaking oil is an excess of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Oil issues can be caused by a number of things from wearing of pistons, valve seals, or engine oil seals, to failure of the head gasket. If you see excessive and/or blue smoke, you should stop your vehicle as soon as possible and get it towed to a garage.
Listen for Unusual Sounds
Cars are comprised of a large number of different moving parts and components working simultaneously, so they are inevitably prone to make a variety of noises. Most of the time, strange noises are nothing to worry about, however, new, and persistent or aggressive noises may be a sign of the vehicle requiring maintenance. Sounds such as whining, scraping, crunching, or squealing can indicate various issues.
Reduced Comfort
If your car has become noticeably less comfortable to drive, this may indicate a problem that needs fixing. If the car vibrates or pulls when you brake, you may be experiencing wear and tear on brake pads or tires, or even issues with steering or suspension. Suspension issues can also result in discomfort driving over speed bumps or tires scraping on wheel arches.
Due to supercars often being driven at high speeds at track days, their tires are often more susceptible to wearing down than those of regular cars, so they should most likely be replaced more frequently.
Any of these signs may indicate that your supercar requires a service!
