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.
What to Do If Your Car Starts Hydroplaning If hydroplaning occurs, ease off the accelerator, keep the steering wheel straight, avoid hard braking or sudden turns, and wait for the tires to regain grip; if a collision is imminent, brake appropriately for your system (steady, firm pressure with ABS; gentle, rhythmic braking without ABS). Once …
Is it legal to buy an ex-police car? Yes—buying an ex-police car is generally legal in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia—provided the vehicle has been properly decommissioned and all restricted equipment and markings (such as blue/red lights, sirens, and police insignia) are removed or disabled. Misusing the vehicle to …
How Long Should Tires Last on Average Most passenger-car tires last about 50,000–60,000 miles, or roughly 3–5 years for typical U.S. driving, but real-world life can range from 25,000 to 80,000 miles depending on tire type, driving habits, maintenance, vehicle, and climate. Tires should be inspected annually after five years; many automakers advise replacement around …
How Expensive Is It to Replace a Steering Rack? Expect to pay about $1,000–$2,500 total in the U.S. for most vehicles, with economy cars often $800–$1,600 and luxury models, trucks, and advanced electric racks ranging $1,800–$3,500+. Prices vary with parts choice (new OEM vs remanufactured), labor time, the type of steering (hydraulic vs electric), and …
What is “tar” on the road? It’s the black, sticky binder you see on pavement and repairs—but in most modern roads it isn’t true coal tar; it’s usually petroleum-derived bitumen (often called asphalt) or crack-sealing material. Colloquially, people call any shiny, black road binder “tar,” whether it’s the bitumen holding asphalt together, the tack coat …
What Are the Components of a Brake System? A modern automotive brake system is made up of the pedal and booster, a master cylinder and reservoir, rigid lines and flexible hoses, calipers or wheel cylinders at each wheel, friction parts (pads/shoes and rotors/drums), control electronics (ABS/ESC modules and sensors), a parking-brake mechanism, and brake fluid …
Which Way to Turn the Adjuster on Drum Brakes Turn the star wheel so the shoes expand until you feel a slight, even drag on the drum; on most vehicles that means clockwise on the passenger/right side and counterclockwise on the driver/left side when adjusting through the backing-plate slot. Because adjusters are “handed” (left- and …
Does white smoke always mean a blown head gasket? No—white smoke does not always mean a blown head gasket. Brief white vapor on a cold start is often just condensation (steam). Persistent thick white smoke with a sweet smell, coolant loss, and overheating is more suggestive of a head gasket failure or a related coolant …
What Red and Black Mean on a Battery Red marks the positive (+) terminal and black marks the negative (–) terminal on a battery. These colors guide safe connections for powering devices, charging, and jump-starting vehicles, helping you avoid short circuits and damage to electronics. Where You’ll See Red and Black in Practice Color coding …
Can You Drive With a Bad Intake Manifold? You can sometimes drive a short distance with a bad intake manifold, but it’s risky and not recommended; the severity and type of failure determine whether you can limp to a repair shop or should stop immediately to avoid engine damage, stalling, or costly catalytic converter failure. …
Disadvantages of Manual Cars Manual cars typically demand more effort in daily driving, can be tiring in traffic, risk stalls and rollback on hills, incur clutch-related maintenance costs, often trail modern automatics in fuel economy and acceleration, and may lack access to popular driver-assistance features—factors that also narrow resale appeal and model availability. Below, we …
How to Tell if Your Harmonic Balancer Is Bad If your engine has a rhythmic vibration that rises with RPM, a visibly wobbling crank pulley, belt noise, or the rubber around the crank pulley looks cracked or separated, your harmonic balancer (also called a crankshaft damper) may be failing; if you see wobble or separation, …
Is It Safe to Drive Without Brake Assist? No—driving without brake assist is not considered safe. If a brake booster or electronic brake-assist system fails, you may still be able to stop the car, but pedal effort and stopping distance rise sharply, making emergency braking difficult and increasing crash risk. If this happens while you’re …
Who is the most recent driver death in Formula 1? Jules Bianchi is the most recent Formula 1 driver to die from injuries sustained in an F1 incident; he passed away on 17 July 2015, nine months after suffering severe head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. As of October 2025, …
Where You Must Pull Over for Emergency Vehicles in the United States All 50 U.S. states—and the District of Columbia—require drivers to yield, pull over, and stop for approaching emergency vehicles using audible sirens and/or flashing lights. In practice, that means slowing, moving to the nearest safe edge of the roadway (typically the right), stopping …
Single-Point vs Multi-Point Fuel Injection: What’s the Difference? Single-point injection uses one injector (or a small pair) at the throttle body to feed all cylinders, while multi-point injection uses one injector per cylinder placed near each intake valve. Multi-point systems generally deliver better performance, fuel economy, and emissions control, albeit with more components and higher …
How to Make Your Car a Little Higher You can raise your car slightly by fitting marginally taller tires, installing strut or spring spacers (10–25 mm), using adjustable coilovers, correcting sag with new springs, or applying a mild suspension lift. For most modern vehicles, plan a wheel alignment afterward and, if equipped with driver-assistance systems, …
How Long Does a Full Synthetic Oil Change Last? For most modern gasoline cars, a full synthetic oil change typically lasts 7,500 to 10,000 miles (12,000 to 16,000 km) or about 6 to 12 months. Some vehicles using approved extended‑performance oils and driven mostly on highways can safely stretch to 15,000 miles or up to …
What Is the Meaning of Algae Cultivation? Algae cultivation is the purposeful growing and management of algae—both microscopic microalgae and larger seaweeds (macroalgae)—to produce biomass, compounds, or services such as biofuels, nutrition, wastewater treatment, and carbon capture. In practice, it means controlling light, nutrients, carbon dioxide, water conditions, and harvesting methods to consistently yield algae …
How a Car’s Air-Conditioning System Works A car’s AC cools the cabin by circulating a refrigerant through a closed loop that absorbs heat inside the vehicle and releases it outside; a compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, a condenser expels heat, an expansion device drops pressure, and an evaporator cools the air blown into the cabin. In …
How to Read an Odometer in a Car Look at the main instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, turn the ignition to ON if the display is dark, cycle the display until you see “ODO” or “Odometer,” and read the number along with its unit (mi or km). On analog clusters, read the rolling number …
Does full synthetic oil really last 10,000 miles? Often—if your vehicle and driving conditions allow it. Many late‑model cars using a correct-spec full synthetic oil and an extended-life filter can safely go up to about 10,000 miles or one year between changes, especially under “normal” driving and when following the vehicle’s oil-life monitor. But that …
Why it’s called “Top Fuel” It’s called “Top Fuel” because it designates the top (premier, quickest) class in drag racing that is allowed to run the most potent “fuel” — nitromethane — as opposed to gasoline. In early drag-racing jargon, “fuel” meant nitromethane- or alcohol-based blends, and “Top” marked the premier eliminator among those fuel-burning …
HowStuffWorks series: from TV explainer to podcast powerhouse—and where to find it now The “HowStuffWorks series” commonly refers to the Discovery Channel documentary series inspired by HowStuffWorks.com in the late 2000s and, more broadly today, to the brand’s long-running podcast lineup—most notably Stuff You Should Know—now produced under the iHeartPodcasts banner. Below is what the …
Do DCTs shift on their own? Yes. Most dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) will shift automatically on their own when placed in Drive, just like a conventional automatic. They’re automated gearboxes that can also offer a manual mode with paddles or a shift lever for driver-selected gear changes. The exact behavior—how early they upshift, whether they hold …
What Really Happens If You Pour Sugar Water Into a Gas Tank It will likely make the engine run poorly or not at all by contaminating the fuel with water, potentially causing phase separation in ethanol-blended gasoline, stalling, corrosion, and clogged filters; the sugar itself does not dissolve in gasoline or “caramelize” in the engine. …
What Qualifies for Lemon Law in California In California, a vehicle generally qualifies under the Lemon Law if it was sold or leased in the state with a manufacturer’s warranty and has a defect that substantially impairs use, value, or safety, which the manufacturer or its dealers cannot fix after a reasonable number of repair …
What a Car Thermostat Does—and Why It Matters A car’s thermostat regulates the flow of engine coolant to keep the engine at its ideal operating temperature, opening as the engine warms to prevent overheating and closing when cold to speed warm-up. By controlling temperature, it protects the engine, improves fuel efficiency, reduces emissions, and ensures …
Does the order you put jumper cables on matter? Yes—the order matters for safety and to protect vehicle electronics. The widely accepted sequence is: connect red (positive) to the dead battery’s + terminal, red to the good battery’s +, black (negative) to the good battery’s −, and finally black to an unpainted metal ground on …
Which classic car has suicide doors? The 1961–1969 Lincoln Continental is the classic car most famously associated with “suicide doors,” the rear-hinged doors that open from the center. Many earlier and mid-century models also featured them, including prewar Rolls-Royce limousines, the Citroën Traction Avant, the 1967–1971 Ford Thunderbird four-door, the BMW 501/502, and the Fiat …