BMWs are generally praised by their owners as being powerful, reliable, and luxurious. You get a driving experience that some other cars just can’t provide. However, one of the more common issues that BMWs face is a damaged vacuum hose. The vacuum hose provides power to several components of your vehicle, including the cruise control, heating and cooling vents, and the exhaust bypass valve. As you may have guessed, these leaks can cause serious problems down the line. Below, let’s discuss what you can expect when your BMW’s vacuum hose leaks and where you can take care of the issue before it becomes costly and time consuming to repair.
If the vacuum hose in your BMW starts to leak, you may notice some odd changes in your driving experience. These issues are symptoms of a deeper problem, and the root of the trouble could be your vacuum hose.
Your vacuum hose could be leaking for a few reasons. Simple wear and tear is the most common issue, because the more you drive, the more your car parts wear down. This is inevitable, and all that you can do is have parts replaced when recommended.
Another major cause of vacuum hose leaks stem from the fact that the hoses are made of rubber. When you drive, the internal systems of your BMW heat up. While rubber can stand heat to a certain degree, the hose walls will weaken the longer they are exposed to it. This could cause the hose to breakdown more easily than it would otherwise.
Of course, your vacuum hose could be damaged due to outside forces. If you get into a car accident or encounter road debris, it stands to reason that multiple parts of the vehicle will suffer damage, including the vacuum hose.
After reading the above, you may have realized that what you’re currently experiencing when you drive could be a leaky vacuum hose. The next step you should take is to find a reputable team of automotive technicians. If you are located in or around Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, or Los Angeles County, CA, the specialists at Euro Plus Automotive can repair your leaky vacuum hose quickly and without charging as much as a dealership. You can rest easy knowing that we care not only about your BMW, but about you as well. We want you to be able to get back on the road safely and live your life with as little hassle as possible. If you would like to make an appointment with the automotive technicians at Euro Plus Automotive, call us at (818) 710-8244. We look forward to becoming your trusted BMW shop for all your repair, maintenance, and service needs.
Keeping your Mercedes routinely maintained is essential to preventing issues such as aluminum fuse failure. This, unfortunately, is one of the most common problems that arise in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and one that has an increasingly high risk of occurring as the vehicle ages.
The fuse is a device that protects your vehicle’s electrical components and wiring in case of a fault. Possible faults include a positive voltage shorting to ground or a damaged component. When a fault occurs, the power that is being supplied to the component must immediately be disconnected, since this is one of the most common causes behind automotive fires.
To protect against such accidents, circuit breakers are incorporated into every single component that comprises your vehicle, many of them housed in one or two central locations called the fuse box. Some vehicles have several fuse boxes in various locations within the vehicle body, but it is most common to have them centralized in as few spaces as possible.
Because the aluminum fuse is responsible for the regulation of electrical components in your vehicle, some of the first things you’ll notice in the event of its failure are the lack of functionality or reduced efficiency of certain vehicle features. This can manifest in a lack of power being delivered to your windshield wipers, automatic locks, windows, radio, or doors.
As soon as you begin to notice such symptoms, it is imperative that you get your Mercedes looked at by a professional as soon as possible, as these issues can become very dangerous, especially in the case of malfunctioning locks.
One of the major reasons behind aluminum fuse failure in Mercedes vehicles is corrosion. When the aluminum and copper parts are in close proximity to one another for an extended period, they exacerbate the potential for one another to fail. This possibility is enhanced by external elements, such as heat and moisture from condensation buildup. The tip of the fuse, the part that transmits power to all pieces connected, begins to corrode in such an environment and eventually becomes useless. The longer the fuse is exposed to such conditions, the worse these effects will be. This is why it is more common to see this failure in older vehicles.
Of course, apart from this, failure of the aluminum fuse may stem from manufacturing issues as well. Such a fault can be made worse by risky driving behaviors, but don’t feel singled out. It is common for owners of high-performance vehicles to push their engines to the limit of its engineering. After all, that’s part of the reason you chose it. Still, when harsh driving conditions and habits are paired with irregular maintenance, this can spell disaster, especially for a component that is not readily observed by the driver.
Unfortunately, there is not much to be done on the driver’s part that can reliably prevent the failure of the aluminum fuse. In reality, it all comes down to the efficiency of the engineering that went into the construction of the vehicle, and its age. Unless you keep your Mercedes in a closed garage, under a car cover, and around 70 degrees at all times, the aluminum fuse will inevitably be exposed to environmental conditions that are less than ideal. Its use over time will result in some type of wear that will contribute to its eventual failure.
Luckily, the aluminum fuse is not a terribly complex component to be replaced, though it is never suggested that you undertake such a task alone. Any electrical problem with your vehicle must be diagnosed and solved by a trusted repair shop which is able to get the job done correctly without further damaging the electrical components of your vehicle.
Replacement of the aluminum fuse is not too invasive of a repair, but it is not one to be taken lightly. When repairing such a vital component, you should always enlist the help of an expert mechanic. The mechanics of Euro Plus Automotive are here to help. Since 1984, Euro Plus Automotive has been the valley’s import specialist, focusing on German and Japanese vehicles and providing all the services available to you at a dealership for only a fraction of the price. Our repairs are backed by a 2-year/24,000-mile parts and labor warranty. Fill out this form to schedule an appointment or drop by any one of our locations at Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles County, CA.