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Troubleshooting a Car That Won't Start
Did you ever consider those wonderful days when your car won't start? If you left your lights, radio, or some other electrical gizmo on after you parked the car, you know what the trouble is: Your battery [more…]
Checking Your Tires for Wear
You should check your tires for wear at least once a month and before and after long trips. To determine whether you need to (a) buy new tires, (b) have your wheels balanced, [more…]
Reading a Tire Sidewall
When shopping for tires, you need to know what the numbers and letters on your sidewall mean in order to select the appropriate replacement tire.
Tires usually follow a pattern can be illustrated by dissecting [more…]
Keeping Your Mod's Warranty Intact
You'll often hear this myth regarding hacking or modding your car: it automatically cancels your warranty. Don't believe it as gospel. Sure, changing the windshield wiper blades can't cause the transmission [more…]
Checking Your Car's Air Filter
If you unscrew the wing nut on the lid of your air cleaner and undo any other devices that hold it down, you'll find the air filter inside. Figure 1 shows a round air cleaner and filter; some vehicles [more…]
Nailing Down the Best Deal When Buying a Car
Whether you've found the vehicle you want through your own research or have been steered to a dealership by a buying service, you're still going to have to do some negotiating before you drive away in [more…]
Considering a Few Aero Add-ons for Your Car
Aero add-ons, that is, supplemental pieces attached to existing body work in hopes of improving a car's aesthetics or aerodynamics, come in three areas: front [more…]
Keeping Your Mod Legal
Many people fear that hacking and modding a car is illegal. Not true, but neither can you assume that the law allows you to do whatever you want to your car. [more…]
Choosing Oil for Your Vehicle
Choosing the right oil for your vehicle is easy. Just ask yourself the following questions: [more…]
Preparing an Emergency Car Kit
You can pack your toolbox with the best tools that money can buy, but all those fancy gadgets and gizmos won't do you any good if they're in your garage at home when your car breaks down 30 miles from [more…]
How to Troubleshoot Brake Problems
To check for brake problems, you step on the pedal and press it down while paying attention to how the pedal feels under your foot and evaluating the sensation. The following steps tell you what to feel [more…]
How to Raise Your Vehicle's Hood
How can you check the oil, coolant, and transmission fluid, refill windshield wiper fluid, and check accessory belts if you don’t know how to get the hood of your vehicle open? Opening the hood is easy [more…]
Steps for Disassembling and Reassembling Parts with Ease
When you perform repairs, you need a procedure that helps you take things apart and get them back together. The procedure here works for repairs that require you to take something apart and put back together [more…]
How to Safely Jack Up Your Vehicle
The most obvious reason to jack up a car is to change a tire, but other jobs, such as inspecting brakes, may also require you to get under the vehicle. Before you jack up your vehicle, observe the following [more…]
How to Change a Tire
Having a flat tire and not knowing how to change it can make you feel helpless. Changing a tire is easy enough to do, and everyone should have a general idea of what’s involved: [more…]
Tips for Getting into Your Car without Your Keys
If you've ever locked your keys in the car, you know how frustrating it can be. Assuming that you’ve decided not to risk hiding an extra set of keys on your car, here are a few things you can try to get [more…]
How to Check Your Vehicle's Air Filter
In most newer, fuel-injected vehicles, the air filter is found inside a rectangular box called a cold air collector box. The air filter is usually close to the front of the vehicle, near the inside of [more…]
How to Check a Vehicle's Accessory Belts
Many cars have accessory belts that drive the alternator, the power-steering pump, the air conditioning compressor, the water pump in many cases, and other parts of a modern vehicle. Newer cars have a [more…]
How to Check Your Car Battery
A battery, like other parts of your vehicle, is subject to wear and tear and should be checked regularly. In particular, pay attention to the battery’s trouble spots, shown here. A battery that’s kept [more…]
How to Check a Vehicle's Coolant/Antifreeze
The radiator in your vehicle cools your engine and needs water and coolant (antifreeze) to function. Keep the following points in mind as you check the level of the liquid in your cooling system and add [more…]
How to Check Your Vehicle's Oil Level
You should check your car's oil at least once a month to make sure that there’s enough oil and that it isn’t contaminated. Oil reduces the friction in your engine and keeps it running smoothly. When you [more…]
How to Check Automatic Transmission Fluid
If your vehicle hesitates when your automatic transmission shifts gears, check the transmission fluid level before you let any mechanic start talking about servicing or adjusting your transmission or selling [more…]
How to Check a Vehicle's Brake Fluid
To check your car's brake fluid, you have to find the reservoir. Its location depends on the type of car you have. The brake booster is on the driver’s side of your vehicle, usually up near the firewall [more…]
Maintaining Your Wipers and Washer Fluid
Under the hood of your vehicle is a plastic container that contains the fluid for your windshield wipers. Is it full of liquid? If not, you can fill it with any one of a variety of windshield washer solutions [more…]
What to Carry in Your Car Toolbox
If you plan to do your own car maintenance and repairs, you need a toolbox to keep tools clean, in good shape, and all in one place. Look for a lightweight, plastic toolbox that fits easily into the trunk [more…]
