Q: What's does it mean when your car is squeaking?

Depending on where the squeaking sound is coming from this may be a few different things such as a squeaking serpentine belt, squeaking brakes or potentially a worn out belt tensioner pulley. Over time, your car’s engine belts may become worn causing them to stretch. When this happens as you press the gas pedal and the belt goes from a relatively low speed (at idle or when first starting the car, no speed at all) to a much higher speed as the engine accelerates, this can cause the belts to squeak. This can happen when they stretch due to the fact that the pulleys on your car’s engine are turning faster than what the belt can keep up with when it is not tight against the pulley. This can also happen in extremely cold weather conditions due to the fact that the rubber belts become slightly brittle and less pliable in cold weather. Squeaking brakes may simply mean they are worn down to a point where what is called a wear indicator mark is showing, which will cause them to squeak in some cases. This usually means they are in need of replacement. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.