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.
Can You Back Up With a Weight Distribution Hitch? Yes—most modern weight distribution hitches (WDHs) allow you to back up normally. The key exceptions are setups that use a separate friction sway control bar, which should be removed or loosened before reversing, and any maneuver that risks an extreme jackknife angle, which can damage hitch …
How Often Does a Catalytic Converter Need Replacing? There’s no set replacement interval: a catalytic converter is designed to last the life of the vehicle and commonly goes 100,000–150,000+ miles (10–20 years) if the engine is healthy. You replace it only when it fails, is damaged, or is stolen—otherwise it’s not a routine maintenance item. …
How Salvage Works With Insurance Salvage in insurance means the insurer can take ownership of damaged property after paying a claim, then sell it to recover some costs; if you keep the damaged property, your payout is typically reduced by its salvage value. In auto claims, a “totaled” vehicle receives a salvage title and is …
Which race track has the most deaths The Snaefell Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT holds the tragic record for the most fatalities in motorsport, with more than 270 deaths recorded since 1907 across the TT and related events on the same 37.73-mile public-road circuit. While other famous venues have suffered dozens …
Is a Steering Gear the Same as Rack-and-Pinion? No—“steering gear” is a broad term for the mechanism that converts the steering wheel’s rotation into the movement of the road wheels, and rack-and-pinion is just one common type of steering gear. In modern cars, rack-and-pinion dominates, but many trucks and older vehicles use a different design …
Can you still drive a car with no power steering? Yes—most cars can still be steered if power assistance fails, but the wheel becomes much heavier, especially at low speeds, and control can be compromised. It’s generally safe only to move the vehicle to a safe location or, at most, to a nearby repair facility. …
Is it bad to go over mileage on an oil change? Going a little over—by a few hundred miles or a couple of weeks—is usually not harmful for a healthy modern engine, but routinely stretching thousands of miles past the recommendation or ignoring the time limit can accelerate wear, increase the risk of sludge and …
Truck Differential Replacement Cost: What Drivers Pay in 2025 For most pickups, replacing a single differential typically costs $1,800–$4,500 installed; half-ton rear units often land around $1,600–$3,200, while heavy-duty trucks and electronic-locking or limited-slip systems can push totals to $3,000–$6,000. Costs vary by truck class (1500 vs. 2500/3500), front vs. rear, whether you rebuild or …
Has the 1997 land speed record been broken? No. As of October 2025, the absolute land speed record set on October 15, 1997 by Andy Green driving ThrustSSC—763.035 mph (1,227.985 km/h) averaged over two runs—still stands as the official FIA world record. The record, achieved at Black Rock Desert, Nevada, was the first supersonic land …
How Often Should You Change Engine Oil (in Kilometers)? For most modern cars using synthetic oil, plan an oil change every 10,000–15,000 km or when your vehicle’s oil-life monitor indicates service; shorten to 5,000–8,000 km for severe driving (short trips, towing, extreme temperatures). Some European “long-life” systems safely extend up to 20,000–30,000 km or 2 …
What Is the New Paint Finish on Cars Called? The trend you’re seeing is most commonly called a matte finish. Automakers and detailers also use closely related terms like satin (a slightly less flat look), and brand-specific names such as BMW’s “Frozen,” Mercedes-Benz’s “Magno,” and “Stealth” when the effect comes from a matte paint-protection film …
Do you legally have to let people merge? Generally, no—drivers already in the through lane usually have the right-of-way, and the driver who is merging must yield and merge only when it’s safe. That said, you still have a legal duty to drive prudently: don’t speed up to block, don’t cause a collision, and follow …
Is 30,000 Miles a Year a Lot? Yes. In the United States, 30,000 miles a year is considered very high mileage—more than double the typical annual driving range—so it accelerates maintenance, depreciation, and warranty usage, and can raise insurance and leasing costs. Below is a clear look at how 30,000 miles compares to norms, what …
Why Automakers Use 6‑Speed Manual Transmissions A 6-speed manual transmission gives engineers an extra gear to space ratios more precisely and add an efficient overdrive, improving acceleration, highway refinement, and fuel economy versus older 5-speeds while preserving the driver engagement many enthusiasts want; the trade-offs are added cost, complexity, and—depending on traffic—more shifting effort without …
Why Don’t Cars Need “Tune-Ups” Anymore? Modern cars don’t need traditional “tune-ups” because computer-controlled fuel and ignition systems automatically keep the engine in tune, and long‑life components drastically extend service intervals. The old routine of adjusting carburetors, setting ignition timing, and replacing points has been eliminated by electronic engine management, coil‑on‑plug ignition, and durable spark …
How Long Will a Car Run With a Coolant Leak? In most cases, anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour—sometimes only seconds if the leak is severe. A small seep may let you limp along with frequent top-ups, but driving with a coolant leak is unsafe and can quickly lead to catastrophic engine …
Is it “seat belt” or “seatbelt”? Use “seat belt” (two words) in most formal writing; major dictionaries and news style guides—including AP and Chicago via Merriam-Webster—prefer the open compound. “Seatbelt” (one word) appears in informal contexts and some brand or regional usages, but it is less common in edited, general-audience prose. This article explains how …
Is It Worth Fixing the Rear Differential? Usually yes—if the vehicle is otherwise sound and the repair is limited to seals, bearings, or fluid service; it becomes questionable when a full rebuild or replacement approaches a large share of the car’s value, or when the vehicle has multiple other costly needs. The rear differential is …
How a Car’s Cooling System Works The cooling system in a modern car circulates a pressurized mix of water and antifreeze through channels in the engine to absorb heat, then sheds that heat in a radiator with the help of airflow and electric fans, while a thermostat and control electronics regulate temperature and flow. In …
What Is the Best Car for 24 Hours of LeMons? The best car for 24 Hours of LeMons is a dead-reliable, common, and easy-to-service model with cheap parts—standouts include 1990s–2000s Honda Civic/Accord or Acura Integra, Toyota Corolla/Camry, Mazda Protegé or Miata, Ford Crown Victoria P71, and Volvo 240/740. In practical terms, the “best” car is …
What Is Suspension Control in a Car? Suspension control is the system—mechanical and often electronic—that manages how a car’s suspension responds to the road and driver inputs, balancing comfort, handling, and safety by adjusting damping, ride height, and body motions. It ranges from fixed “passive” setups to adaptive and fully active technologies that continuously tune …
How to Tell If Your Radiator Needs Coolant You likely need coolant if the reservoir is below the MIN line when the engine is cold, your temperature gauge runs hotter than normal, a low-coolant or temperature warning light appears, the cabin heat turns cold at idle, or you notice steam, a sweet smell, or colored …
How Much Does a Brake Job Cost on a Car? In most of the U.S., a standard brake job that replaces pads and rotors averages about $300–$600 per axle at independent shops and $450–$900 per axle at dealerships; pads-only service typically runs $150–$300 per axle. A full four-wheel job generally totals $700–$1,300, with luxury, performance, …
How a Manual Transmission Works in a Car A manual in a car refers to a manual transmission, which works by the driver using a clutch pedal to temporarily disconnect the engine from the drivetrain and a gear lever to select fixed gear ratios; synchromesh components match speeds so gears engage smoothly, and the selected …
Is Your Manual Clutch Failing? How to Tell Before It Leaves You Stranded The quickest way to tell if a manual clutch is going out is if the engine revs climb under load without a matching increase in speed, especially in higher gears; other red flags include a noticeably higher or changing bite point, a …
What Nitromethane Does to an Engine Nitromethane lets an engine make dramatically more power by carrying oxygen within its fuel molecule, enabling far richer mixtures and far higher cylinder pressures than gasoline—at the cost of extreme stress, specialized hardware, rapid wear, and significant safety hazards. In practice, engines built for nitromethane can produce multiple times …
What Electronic Brakeforce Distribution Does Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) automatically adjusts how much braking force goes to each wheel, working with ABS to keep the car stable, shorten stopping distance on uneven surfaces, and prevent wheel lockups—especially at the rear—under changing loads, speeds, and road conditions. In practice, it shifts brake pressure in real time …
Why Cars “Randomly” Catch Fire—and What Likely Happened to Yours Most so-called random car fires trace back to a mechanical, electrical, or external ignition source: think fuel or oil leaking onto hot engine parts, wiring shorts, overheated catalytic converters/exhaust, dragging brakes or underinflated tires, and—on hybrids/EVs—battery thermal runaway after damage or defects. Determining the exact …
How Australian traffic lights work Australian traffic lights use a three-colour system (red, yellow/amber, green) with arrows and special signals, run by adaptive control systems like SCATS, and coordinated sensors to manage vehicles, pedestrians and public transport; you must stop on red, stop on yellow unless unsafe, and you cannot turn left on red unless …
How a Car Works, in Detail A car converts stored energy into motion through a coordinated set of mechanical, electrical, and software systems: the power source (engine or battery), power electronics or transmission, driveline, chassis, brakes, steering, and a network of computers and sensors that manage safety and efficiency. In combustion cars, fuel energy becomes …