Who to hire for a car that is overheating

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Pull over safely and turn the engine off. If you must move it a short distance, turn the heater on full — it dumps engine heat into the cabin and buys a little time.
2. 2Do not open the radiator cap on a hot engine. The system is pressurised and the contents are well above boiling.
3. 3Wait for it to cool, then look for the obvious: a split hose, a puddle, steam, a snapped belt, or a coolant reservoir that is empty.
4. 4Note whether the temperature gauge rose gradually or spiked suddenly. Gradual points at cooling capacity; sudden points at a hose or a belt.

What to ask when you book

• Has the head gasket been tested, or are we assuming it survived?
• What caused it — and does the cause explain the whole picture?
• Is the coolant being replaced with the correct specification for this engine? Mixing types causes its own problems.

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

• The original fault: hose, thermostat, water pump, radiator, fan or belt.
• Whether the engine was damaged before it was stopped.
• Towing.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Motor vehicle repair licensing applies.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

• NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
• VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
• QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
• WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
• SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
• TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
• ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
• NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a car that is overheating

A licensed mechanic, and stop driving now. Continuing to drive an overheating engine is the single most expensive thing you can do in a car: a warped head or a blown head gasket costs many times what the failed hose, thermostat or water pump would have.

Can I keep driving if I keep topping up the coolant?

It is the classic way a small leak becomes an engine rebuild. Topping up manages the symptom while the underlying loss continues, and the moment it runs low between top-ups at speed, the damage happens in under a minute. Find the leak.

Why does it only overheat in traffic?

Because at speed the airflow through the radiator does the cooling, and in traffic the fan has to. Overheating that only happens when stationary or crawling points strongly at the cooling fan or its control circuit rather than at the radiator or the coolant.

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