Our general FAQ section provides clear answers to the most common automotive questions that apply to all vehicles, regardless of make or model. From understanding routine maintenance schedules and oil change intervals to learning about warning lights, smog checks, brakes, tires, and general car care tips, this category is designed to help every driver. Whether you’re new to car ownership or just want reliable advice, our general FAQs give you the knowledge to keep your vehicle safe, reliable, and road-ready.
Who Invented the Very First Car? Karl Benz is widely credited with inventing the first modern car—the Benz Patent-Motorwagen—patented in 1886 and first built in 1885. However, earlier self-propelled road vehicles existed, notably Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot’s steam-powered tricycle from 1769, which some historians cite as the earliest automobile in a broader sense. This article explains why …
What the Odometer Tells You An odometer tells you how far a vehicle has traveled—its cumulative distance since it was built—typically shown in miles or kilometers; many vehicles also have “trip” odometers you can reset to measure distance for a specific journey. It does not indicate speed (that’s the speedometer), but the reading is crucial …
How rare is it for a car to catch on fire? It’s uncommon. In the United States, fire departments respond to roughly 170,000 highway vehicle fires each year—about 0.06% of the more than 280 million registered vehicles, or roughly 1 in 1,600 vehicles in a given year. Most incidents involve older gasoline vehicles and are …
How to Tell If Your Car Has Rain-Sensing Wipers You likely have rain-sensing wipers if your wiper stalk or screen shows an “AUTO” (or “A”) setting, there’s a small sensor module near the rearview mirror, the feature appears in your owner’s manual or vehicle settings, and the wipers start sweeping on their own when water …
Are blinkers the same as turn signals? Yes—on cars and motorcycles, “blinkers” is a common colloquial term for turn signals, the directional lights that flash to indicate a left or right turn or lane change. Some people also use “blinkers” loosely to describe hazard lights, but technically hazards flash both sides simultaneously, while turn signals …
DCT vs. CVT: Which Is Better? Neither is universally better. A dual‑clutch transmission (DCT) suits drivers who prioritize quick shifts and performance, while a continuously variable transmission (CVT) favors smoothness and efficiency in everyday commuting; for towing or heavy-duty use, many buyers still prefer a modern torque‑converter automatic. This article explains how each works, the …
Signs of a Clogged Fuel Injector Typical signs of a clogged fuel injector include rough idle, hard starting, hesitation or stumbling on acceleration, loss of power under load, cylinder-specific misfires, worse fuel economy, surging, pinging/knock under load, elevated emissions or an emissions test failure, and a check-engine light with lean or misfire codes. These symptoms …
The essential tool to change a car battery—and what else to know You typically need a 10 mm wrench or socket to change a car battery; that size fits most battery terminal clamps and often the hold-down bracket. Some vehicles use 8 mm, 12 mm, or 13 mm fasteners instead, so a small metric socket …
How to Check Wiring for Brake Lights Use a test light or multimeter to follow power and ground from the fuse to the brake pedal switch and on to the rear lamp connectors, fixing any blown fuses, bad switches, corroded sockets, broken grounds, or damaged wires found along the way. Start by confirming which brake …
What Are the Main Components of Drum Brakes The main components of drum brakes are the brake drum, backing plate, wheel cylinder, brake shoes with friction linings, return and hold-down springs, an adjuster mechanism (often a star wheel with lever/cable), a parking-brake lever/strut and cable connection, and an anchor pin or shoe links. These parts …
Power Steering vs. Steering Wheel: What’s the Difference? Power steering is a system that assists you in turning the wheels, while the steering wheel is the physical control you hold to direct the car. In other words, the steering wheel is the user interface; power steering is the assist mechanism that makes steering easier, especially …
How to Do Brakes Step by Step: A Complete DIY Guide In brief: safely lift and support the car, remove the wheel, retract the caliper piston, replace pads (and rotors if worn), reassemble with correct torque, then pump the pedal and bed-in the brakes. Doing brakes correctly involves careful prep, the right tools, attention to …
How Many African Countries Drive on the Left Fourteen African countries drive on the left. Most are clustered in Eastern and Southern Africa, with two Indian Ocean island nations also following left-hand traffic; nearly all share a British colonial legacy that set the convention. The 14 African countries that drive on the left Across the …
Can I Drive My Car With a Bad CO2 Sensor? Yes, you can usually keep driving—but it depends what you really mean by “CO2 sensor.” Most cars don’t use a CO2 sensor for engine control; they use oxygen (O2) sensors in the exhaust. Driving with a bad O2 sensor is possible for a short period, …
What do you call a vehicle with 5 wheels? A five-wheeled vehicle is most commonly called a “pentacycle” when it’s human-powered, and more generally described as a “five-wheeled vehicle.” The informal term “quinticycle” also appears, though it’s less common. In automotive contexts there’s no single standardized name; engineers and journalists typically just say “five-wheeled.” Note …
Can I Drive a Salvage Title Car in South Carolina? No—under South Carolina law, a vehicle with a salvage title cannot be legally driven on public roads. To be road‑legal, it must be repaired, pass a state anti‑theft/salvage inspection, be retitled as “rebuilt” (or “salvage rebuilt”), insured, and registered. Limited movement may be allowed only …
Do self-sealing tires really work? Yes—self-sealing tires are effective at automatically sealing most small tread punctures, typically up to 4–6 mm from nails or screws, allowing you to keep driving with little or no pressure loss; they don’t fix sidewall damage or large cuts, and you should still have the tire inspected and properly repaired. …
Did Burt Munro break the land speed record? Yes—Burt Munro set multiple official class world records for motorcycles at the Bonneville Salt Flats, most notably in 1967 at 183.586 mph (295.453 km/h) in the under-1000cc category. No—he did not hold the absolute world land speed record (the overall fastest on land), nor the absolute motorcycle …
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Car Cooling System? For most gasoline cars in the U.S., a full “cooling system overhaul” typically costs $900 to $2,500, with luxury or performance models ranging from $2,000 to $4,500 or more. Replacing just one component—like a radiator, water pump, or thermostat—can run from a few hundred …
What is the function of the thermostat? A thermostat senses temperature and turns heating or cooling equipment on or off to maintain a target setpoint; in vehicles, it regulates coolant flow to keep the engine at an optimal operating temperature. More broadly, thermostats are control devices that compare actual temperature to a desired value and …
Where to Tap a Starter Motor to Get a Failing Engine to Crank If you absolutely must “hit” a starter to get it going, lightly tap the metal motor housing (the larger cylindrical body) near its rear end cap—never the plastic cap, terminals, or gear—while someone holds the key in the Start position. This is …
What Can You Use Instead of a Gas Cap? If you’ve lost your gas cap, the best immediate solution is to buy a proper replacement—either an OEM cap or a compatible universal cap from an auto parts store. If you’re stranded, a very short-term emergency cover (plastic wrap and a strong rubber band or tape) …
How Many Ignition Coils Does a V6 Have? Most modern V6 engines have six ignition coils—one per cylinder. However, the exact number depends on the ignition system: older distributor systems often use a single coil, waste-spark coil-pack systems typically use three coils, and coil-on-plug designs use six. In rare twin-spark V6 designs, the coil arrangement …
Where to Find the Night Switch for Your Rearview Mirror In most cars, the night switch for the interior rearview mirror is a small lever located on the bottom edge of the mirror; on newer vehicles with auto-dimming mirrors, it’s typically a button on the mirror itself (often labeled “AUTO” or with a power icon), …
What Happens When an ECM Goes Bad An Engine Control Module (ECM) that goes bad can cause warning lights, rough running, poor performance, shifting problems, or even a no‑start; in severe cases the vehicle may enter limp mode or stall unexpectedly. The ECM is the computer that coordinates fuel, spark, throttle, emissions, and often transmission …
What button is cruise control? In most cars, cruise control is activated with a button showing a speedometer icon (often with an arrow) or labeled CRUISE or MAIN, typically located on the steering wheel; you then use SET/− to engage your current speed, RES/+ to increase or resume, and CANCEL or the brake to disengage. …
Why You Can’t “Top Off” Your Gas in Oregon You can’t top off gas in Oregon because state environmental and fire-safety rules—enforced by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the State Fire Marshal—prohibit overfilling after the pump’s automatic shutoff. The practice causes spills, increases air pollution, and can damage vapor-recovery equipment in both …
Does Car Insurance Cover Power Windows? Often yes—but only when the damage comes from a covered event. Collision insurance typically covers power-window damage from a crash; comprehensive covers it after perils like vandalism, theft, falling objects, hail, flood, fire, or animal strikes. Standard liability coverage will not pay to fix your own windows, and ordinary …
What the Gas Pump Nozzle Sensor Does—and Why It Clicks Off The gas pump nozzle sensor is designed to automatically stop fuel flow when your tank is full by detecting when gasoline reaches the tip of the nozzle. It uses a small sensing port and a vacuum mechanism to “feel” the rising fuel and trigger …
What Does It Mean When Your Car Says “Brake Assist”? It usually means your vehicle’s emergency braking support is either helping you stop harder during a sudden brake application or the system has detected a fault and may be limited or unavailable. If the message appears only during a hard stop, that’s normal operation; if …