What should I do if my car breaks down?

We’ve come a long way since the capricious motor cars of the 20th Century. It’s rare that an unanticipated breakdown will leave us stranded late at night in the middle of nowhere, or that we’ll create our own one-car gridlock on a four-lane arterial road during peak hour.

But what if the cosmic dice should throw a seven against the odds?

What do you do?

First and foremost, you need to stop blocking traffic if at all possible. Move the car off the road and out of harm’s way. That may be easy, or difficult. Can the car proceed at a slower pace? Or has it just died suddenly and without warning?

Switch on the hazard warning lights to convey to other road users that you’re experiencing difficulty and that they’ll need to drive around you. Do that before you even consider stepping out of the car.

If you’ve run out of fuel, and the car has a manual transmission, you may be able to crank it on the starter motor in gear to get through an intersection.

But if the car has an automatic transmission, that just won’t work. Shift into ‘neutral’ and the car can usually be pushed over to the side of the road or through an intersection. You may need to enlist the aid of passers-by or your fellow motorists to help push your car to safety. If your own safety or wellbeing is in danger, leave the car where it is.

To push a car, you need to wind down the driver’s window fully and make sure the key in the ignition lock barrel is switched to ‘on’, so that the steering won’t lock.

Place the left hand on the steering wheel and your left shoulder and right hand under the A-pillar from outside the vehicle. Push with all your might, throwing your weight behind your shoulder, and steer with your left hand.

Anyone helping you should be pushing the car from behind – at the tailgate or boot.

Note that the car’s steering will be very heavy without power assistance, so don’t even attempt swinging the wheel hard for tighter turning. The car will be heavy too, even on the flat.

But be very careful to steer away from inclines. You could suffer a hernia trying to push the car uphill, or it may run away from you downhill – and smash into something, adding the cost of your insurance excess to the anticipated outlay for repairing the car’s mechanical problems.

Don’t, in any circumstances, steer the car with the driver’s door open. There is no surer way to be trapped and injured than pushing an immobilised car with you sandwiched between the door and the car’s body, should things go wrong.

And you certainly shouldn’t try diving into the driver’s seat if the car begins to get away from you. If you do, you can count on broken legs/hips, internal bleeding, and possible fracture of the skull/ nose if and when the airbag triggers. And those are just a few of the nasty consequences...

If the car does begin rolling too fast, turn the wheel to steer the car away from the slope.

Once you’ve steered the car to the kerb, apply the parking brake, switch off the ignition and remove the key.

But what if the car breaks down on a hill? You’ve pulled up behind a line of cars, and the engine suddenly dies – and you can’t restart it.

In this circumstance, it’s best to stay behind the wheel and let the car roll forward to a safe parking spot, provided there is no danger in doing so. And provided the car is facing downhill when it breaks down.

If the car is facing uphill, do not try to push it in the same direction. I’ve seen it tried and it’s downright dangerous.

Active the hazard warning lights (assuming they’re operable, which they may not be if the car is suffering an electrical problem). Wait for traffic behind you to go around.

Once the way is clear, ease off the brakes and let the vehicle roll back down a hill at a gentle pace. Keep your foot feathering the brake pedal the whole time. Find a safe place to leave the car parked and steer into that spot.

Note that if you do let the car roll in either direction, there will be no power assistance for the brakes and you will have to stand on the brake pedal to slow the car.

Take stock of what you know – or can guess – may be wrong with the car. Ask yourself too, is there a chance you could sort out the problem and be on your way again before roadside assistance arrives?

Some years ago, my boss was late to work because his car had broken down and left him stranded. The engine had died while the car was still moving and he was able to coast off the road to a section of nature strip where he could leave the car and walk the remaining distance to work.

A mate and I went to the stranded Nissan after work and lifted the bonnet. There was no obvious sign of distress. No oil splatter, no conrod poking out of the cylinder block. The car had enough fuel, according to the gauge, so the problem appeared to be electrical.

We didn’t even have any tools with us, so it was optimistic to presume we could fix the car, but after finding a low-tension wire to the distributor was loose – after blindly jiggling anything that could be the culprit – the car started first go.

Sometimes you can be lucky... but we don’t recommend blindly poking, prodding and pulling at electrical or mechanical components unless you have some idea of what you’re doing.

Maybe the problem that has brought your car to a halt is simply a drained fuel tank. If you’re near a service station, it becomes merely a matter of walking there, buying a jerrycan and funnel, filling the jerrycan with fuel and returning to the car.

Pour the petrol into the tank and start cranking the engine over. It may need several attempts before the fuel pump delivers fuel to the engine for combustion.

Changing tyres is something of a lost art these days, but it’s not that difficult (although it does require a little brawn to do).

If you don’t know how to change your car’s tyres, open up the owner’s manual and look through the index at the rear for any reference like ‘Changing a tyre’. Go to the relevant page of the owner’s manual, read that section and follow the procedure.

Common causes of breakdown include:
• Running out of fuel
• Flat battery
• Worn-out starter motor
• Other electrical problem
• Flat tyre
• Cooling system (blown head gasket, radiator, welsh plugs, etc.)
• Mechanical problem (connecting rods, holed pistons, burned-out valves, etc.)

Let’s say you can’t even physically lift the spare tyre out of its well in the boot, let alone jack up the car and swap the deflated tyre for the spare.

Or perhaps there are no nearby service stations that can supply you fuel.

Or you have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever and can barely even describe the symptoms to a mechanic.

Then it’s time to ring for roadside service.

Most motorists these days have their own mobile phone, so contacting a professional to help you get on your way shouldn’t pose a problem. If you do find yourself stranded without a phone, ask to borrow a phone from someone standing by, or else catch a lift with another motorist.

Most people are understanding if they see someone else holding their thumb out while standing next to a stricken vehicle with the hazard lights operating.

What do you do if you don’t have a current subscription to a motoring association or some other body providing roadside assistance?

You can still ring the organisation, and they will send a mechanic or a tilt tray truck to get the car going or transport it to a secure location of your choosing. But it’s not a free service, so the operator will probably take your credit card details and start you on a 12-month subscription – which is a good idea anyway, as we recommend all drivers having current roadside assistance.

If you’re close to somewhere that can help, you may be able to nurse the car to that facility, driving it at very low speed – even on a badly deflated tyre. Chances are that the tyre is already so damaged that it will need to be replaced anyway. A new inner tube won’t be sufficient.

If you are going to drive the car on a severely deflated tyre, don’t travel at more than about 20km/h, as higher speeds could ruin the rim.

And finally, of course, exercise sound judgement. If anything about getting back on the road looks unsafe, don’t even try it.

Leave it for a professional to resolve. And do remember to renew your roadside assistance subscription each year.