Perhaps it’s growing up outside in the boonies as a kid.
But, my sense of hearing is really refined.
I think all the hunting and just being in nature taught me to listen intently. That trait just naturally carried over to my adult life. I can’t tell you what is wrong with your car but I sure can hear the slightest difference in engine sound. This ability actually was a big help just a few weeks back. The heat hasn’t really hit here yet. The late evening is still comfortable but the HVAC air conditioning has begun to cycle off and on. While I was cleaning down the grill after dinner, I heard a weird noise coming from the near the HVAC condenser unit. The air conditioner cycled off again and the noise seemed to dissipate. I went inside and cranked the setting down so the air conditioner would come back on. I slipped out the front door to try and catch the sound again. After a minute it got to be a very distinctive hissing sound. It almost sounded like a tire losing air but not quite. That night, I left the air conditioner off, we really didn’t need it. First thing in the morning, I called the HVAC company to let them know what I thought I heard. They sent out one of their qualified HVAC technicians to solve the problem. As soon as I fired up the air conditioner, the HVAC tech immediately diagnosed the situation as a refrigerant leak. He said catching it early saved me not only a headache later but a good chunk of change as well.