Broken fuses are a common problem you will experience during the life of your vehicle, so it is important to learn how to change them in order to avoid unnecessary expense.
Before you change a fuse that has blown in your vehicle, you initially need to locate your owner's manual to find where your fuse panel is located. In most vehicles, the fuse panel is on the driver's side, beneath the steering wheel.
Once you've located the fuse panel, lift the cover off and you will notice fuses in a range of colours. The fuses are colour coded, highlighting different amperage. Underneath the cover is a design identifying which fuse corresponds to an electrical component.
If you look at each fuse individually, you will eventually find the fuse that has a burnt or broken filament inside. The filament is the strip of metal inside the fuse. Once you've isolated the faulty fuse, you can use either tweezers or specialised pullers (if your vehicle comes with these) to remove it - the latter will make the process a lot easier.
After you've removed the faulty fuse, you will need the owner's manual once again. Check the manual, as well as the fuse panel diagram and colour coded fuse, to identify the amperage the replacement fuse needs to be.
If you don't have the correct fuse on hand, you may be able to source a fuse from another electrical component that is not as vital in the short term. For example, the cigarette lighter is not an important component, so you can afford to have a fuse missing until you get around to replacing it.
Using the pullers or tweezers once more, replace the faulty fuse with the new one of the same amperage. To see whether you have fixed the problem, turn your car engine on - hopefully everything works correctly.
If the problem isn't fixed, you need to take your vehicle to an experienced mechanic in Sydney - contact the team here at Reliance Auto Centre for help.
