Have you ever thought ...

why we tend to open up the hood to check the front when our cars break down even though most of the time we won't be able to fix it? I always do that whenever my car overheats or refused to start, I'll open up the hood and look around but in the end doesn't have the means to repair it even though I know what's wrong sometimes.

 

LOL, it's true, I suppose that is our instinct, if it doesn't work we take a look, maybe it's something really simple that we can fix, but usually it never is. The only times I recall opening my hood and actually solving the problem was when I had battery issues and I carried the cables with me, I always needed to ask someone for help though.

 

That's because you really know you stuff when it comes to vehicles. I wish I know as much as you do, especially when my car breaks down. Each time I opened up the hood to check, I always end up having to call a tow truck because I don't have the tools to fix things.

 

I guess it's because most problems always arise from under the hood. The problem could also be a simple one that the driver can take care of themselves or just looking may give them an idea of what the real problem is. One other good reason is that looking under the hood may cause somebody to stop and give a helping hand.

 

Good question. My car has never broke down in my hands but family vehicles have. Sometimes it happens to be some loose wires, hoses or even something else you can mend until you get to the next station. Also, in case of overheating you can check for water levels, oil levels, etc. We always like to know what's wrong anyways, even if we can't repair it.

Last situation I had was my mother's car not starting when I was with it. I opened the hood and realized it was the electronic acceleration controller, something that regulates the min. revs when the car is idle. It couldn't keep it idle so I just tightened the accelerator cable until I get to the garage.

 

I guess it appeals to our natural curiosity...even if we can't fix it, we want to know what's wrong. The sad part is that in many cases, we won't have a clue what's wrong either. My husband can raise the hood and know what's wrong fairly quickly...he can even repair it in many cases. I can't, but he can. He's saved us so much money at repair shops and such. Having someone around who knows about cars is invaluable.

 

I think that's the most logical thing to do right? It would be weird if you don't open the hood when something goes wrong in your car, and it would seem like you don't care at all.

 

That is also true lol, the car stops and you don't pop the hood, who cares, I'll just wait till someone comes and fix it for me.

 

How are you going to make people believe that you know what you're doing if you don't pop the hood? I'm just kidding, I suppose it's just a natural instinct. Most of the things that have gone wrong in my car went wrong under the hood.

 

Hahaha, this hits back home because I am a girl and know nothing about repairing cars. I always like to take a look, just to make sure something isn't leaking or about to get on fire, lol.

 

Lol, yeah I guess a lot of people do this and they don't know why or perhaps don't even know the first thing about an engine, when I do it I usually just check water, oil and check that the battery is connected tightly, some people even hold their hand over the engine to feel the heat lol, there is a temperature gauge inside the dashboard which I'm sure is more accurate than an estimation from feeling it on your palm.

 

I don't mean to sound disgusting, because I'm totally serious. The reason why we check under the hood is probably the same reason why we look back into the toilet after we've pooped.

 

I think it is an instinct in people. That's of course the first thing to do before thinking of getting someone to fix it.

 

LOL, well that's one way of putting it!

 

Oh man, that made me laugh. I don't doubt that one bit!

 

That is very true, we always pop the hood whenever something is wrong like the problem will be sitting on the motor waiting for us! I guess it's just the instinct to look and see if there's something we can do right then and there.

 

Haha, you're definitely right. I think it's a habit or an instinct like bonyi said. When something happens, we immediately thought of something wrong with whatever's under the hood. Without actually thinking if we're able to fix it, we just pop the hood.

 

In my case it is a tad bit better. I do know to repair few things, and I do end up repairing it. In the long run though, I have had successes and failures. I mean there are times when the car really goes bad after I do my antics. At the end of the day I end up spending more than I would have normally.

 

Either way I think servicing or repairing any type of fault on a vehicle will be expensive no matter if we fiddle or not.