Why Does My Car Shake While Driving?

Does your car shake or vibrate while you drive?  Is the vibration especially noticeable when you reach a certain speed?  If so, the best place to take a look at is your wheels.  Why?  Three of the most common reasons why cars vibrate while driven have to do with problems with or near your tires.  BBC Automotive has serviced plenty of Audis, Jaguars, and Land Rovers with vibration issues.   Here what we know about these situations.

Common Car Vibration Causes While Driving

Although your luxury vehicle is meant to have a smooth ride, simple things can make that ride very rough.  Lok at the symptoms below and their cause.

• Car shakes when I brake. If ever time you press the brake pedal your steering wheel wobbles, there is a high probability there is an issue with your brake calibers.  When a brake caliber has uneven wear, it can create vibrations whenever the brake pads touch it.  You should either have the calibers re-surfaced or replaced to fix this problem.
• Steering wheel vibrates at higher speed. Typically, the issue is a tire balance problem.  When tires are unbalanced, a rocking motion can result at certain speeds.  If the problem improves at higher speeds (over 60 mph), it is most certainly an unbalanced tire.  If it does not improve at higher speeds, you should have your tires examined for defects.
• Vibration occurs with a burning smell. A burning odor accompanied with car shaking is nearly always a sticking brake caliber.  Caliber malfunctions can be sporadic or continually.

Don’t shake off repairs

When your vehicle begins to vibrate, it is a very telling sign that it needs a repair.  The longer you put off the problem the worst, the vibrations will become.  Continual vibrations will eventually affect other parts of your car.

Is your Audi, Jag or LR not riding as smooth as it is used to?  If you are having issues with your car shaking while driving, bring it to us.  BBC Automotive offers fast repairs and professional service at affordable prices. (858) 914-4678

Signs That Your Clutch Needs Replacing

Do you enjoy the control and thrill that comes from shifting gears during your drive?  Many Jaguar, Land Rover, and Mini Cooper enthusiasts do.  However, the beauty of shifting can quickly put you into some ugly situations if your clutch fails.  Hence, the best approach is to recognize the signs that clutches give that there is a malfunction developing.  Here are the most common signs that we at BBC Automotive have addressed for our customers.  If you are in San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, Poway, or Encinitas and know you need clutch repair for your Jag, LR, or Mini Cooper, give us a call at (858) 914-4678.

Gear Slippage

A clutch that occasionally slips out of gear, is showing signs of wear.  Mechanically speaking, the clutch plates’ lining has worn to the point where it hinders flush interaction with the pressure plate.  This results in a less than firm grip with the transmission.  Gear slippage can also occur due to a transmission fluid leak.

Sticking Clutch

If you are finding that your clutch pedal sensitivity is change, either becoming harder to engage or failing to release, get it checked immediately.  Usually, there is a problem is due to a failing cable, linkage connector, shaft, or bearing.  Yet, on occasion, we have found cases of blockages or hydraulic seal failure which has resulted in stiffer clutch pedal engagement.

Hot Clutch

Some have found that after driving their vehicle, that they’ll notice smoke or a burning smell from the area near their shifter or under the vehicle.  Such an issue indicates overheating with some of the components of the gearbox.

Your clutch is comprised of several parts including the clutch disc, flywheel, release bearing, pressure plate and control linkage.  We service all of these components and more.  BBC Automotive is at your disposal, if you need help either clutch diagnosis or clutch repair.