If you don’t know a lot about cars, the maintenance of your vehicle can seem a bit overwhelming. Ignoring problems as they arise won’t make them go away, though, and can cause more harm than you probably think. There are a lot of mysterious sounds and smells in your car that are simpler problems than you’d think. One issue that often goes ignored far too long, is an old muffler that needs to be replaced/repaired.
Increasingly loud
One of the most common signs that you need to have your muffler checked, is that your engine starts sounding louder and louder. You’re the one driving your car on a regular basis, so if you start to think it is sounding louder or more clunky than normal, that could be a sign that your muffler is damaged. Especially if the loud sound doesn’t go away or it gets increasingly louder. In older cars, it could also be damage in the exhaust pipes.
Being able to smell the exhaust fumes
While driving or stopped while the car is running, you should never be able to smell the exhaust fumes from inside the car. If you can, it’s not only a sign of a damaged muffler, but it’s a health hazard and you should stop driving and take your car to get checked immediately. Being able to smell the exhaust fumes while driving is a sure sign that there is a hole in the muffler or a leak in the exhaust system. Inhaling these fumes can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and even death, so this isn’t an issue you should ignore!
Checking the pipes
If you are worried about your muffler, you can either bring it into a muffler shop for repair, or you can pop the hood and check the pipes for holes first. Make sure that you wait a few hours after you last drove it before checking it so you don’t burn yourself while you are checking. Even if you don’t see anything immediately wrong with your car, if you are still hearing a loud muffler or can smell
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