March 26, 2023
So you almost got through the winter until, one day, your muffler started sounding like a dragster, loud and obnoxious. It's not surprising. All that road salt and brine can cause rust to punch holes in a muffler, and that should raise a big, red warning flag about the safety of your vehicle.
One big concern is carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that can drift into your cabin if your muffler is leaking. You've probably heard about people whose home furnaces have leaked carbon monoxide and overcome families inside. Carbon monoxide can first cause you to feel dizzy and nauseous. It can even render you unconscious—even kill you. So if your vehicle's muffler is leaking that gas, well, it's nothing to mess around with.
Oh, and how about that noise? You may get a ticket since many municipalities have laws against noisy exhausts.
Your muffler may be making a clunking or rattling sound when the engine's running or it may be spewing thick exhaust smoke. All of these symptoms are telling you to get to your vehicle service facility soon. A technician may find it's the muffler or another part of your exhaust system that is coming apart or is busted.
Sometimes the repair can be as simple as replacing a section of pipe or clamps, but sometimes you'll need to replace more components. Your service advisor can recommend several different options to try to help you meet your performance and budgetary needs.
You'll drive out with a vehicle that doesn't sound like a teenager trying to hotrod the family car, is a whole lot safer and sounds a lot less obnoxious in the process.
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport
600 E 9th Street
Lockport, Illinois 60441
815-838-3700
September 14, 2025
Steering a vehicle these days doesn't take much effort, but if you got behind the wheel back before power steering was invented, you'd need to practically have the strength of Hercules to turn the wheel. The first power steering systems widely available changed everything. Chrysler introduced... More
September 7, 2025
Your vehicle is loaded with electrical devices. Computerized components are everywhere, so good electrical connections are important. Those begin with your vehicle's battery, so it's important that its connections are in top shape. Ever had a flashlight that didn't work, took out the old batteri... More
August 31, 2025
Tires are so reliable these days that few drivers pay much attention to them. But tires wear out. They have a tough job since they are the only point of contact between your vehicle and the road. They have to get your vehicle going from a stop, keep it going, make sure it is headed in the dire... More