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Within modern cars there are a growing number of various sensors that all have different functions.

The sensors are used to improve your vehicle’s performance and emissions, whilst also being able to notify you when a fault is detected in your vehicle.

However, when a sensor is faulty you may begin to notice numerous problems with your car.

If a sensor fails, you may be presented with a ‘check engine’ warning on your dashboard.

To diagnose where the problem lies, bring your car down to Prestige Vehicle Repairs and we can help resolve the problem and get it repaired as soon as possible.

Listed below, we have provided a few sensors that can fail in your car:

• Parking sensors – if you have parking sensors on your vehicle and have recently started to notice a tone that lasts approximately 5 seconds when in reverse, it is highly probable that one of your sensors isn’t working correctly. You may also notice that the sensors are no longer aiding you as you park, they may stop making a noise when approaching an object.
• Oxygen sensors (O2 sensors) – these sensors are designed to optimise your vehicle’s engine performance and efficiency. It measures the air to fuel ratio in your car and sends this information to the computer within the vehicle. When this sensor fails, you may notice your car’s performance decrease and an increase in fuel consumption.
• Crankshaft sensor – the crankshaft sensor is responsible for monitoring the speed in which the crankshaft is rotating. This determines the timing of the ignition and the fuel being injected, enabling the combustion process to occur. If the crankshaft sensor fails as you are driving, the engine will stutter or cut out and when trying to restart the car it will turn but may be unable to start. Some BMWs however are now able to continue running when this sensor fails as an emergency backup.
• Knock sensor – knock sensors work like a microphone under the bonnet of your car and they sense any pre- ignition knocks occurring within your engine. This information is then sent to the Electronic Control Module to try to rectify any issues with the timing. If the sensor has failed you may begin to hear a loud noise coming from the engine that will get increasingly louder. You may also notice burning smells, increased fuel consumption, misfiring and the vehicle may struggle to accelerate. A failed knock sensor can damage the pistons causing serious damage to the engine.

Here at Prestige we have the relevant equipment to diagnose these faults enabling us to repair your vehicle back to its optimum performance.