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.
The cop cars of the 1990s: what police drove in the U.S. and abroad In the United States, 1990s police fleets were dominated by the Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 (1991–1996) and the Ford Crown Victoria (1992–1999), supplemented by limited-use sedans like the Dodge Monaco (1990–1992) and Chevrolet Lumina, special-service performance cars such as the Ford Mustang …
Why Rotary (Wankel) Engines Can Make So Much Power Rotary engines make notably high power for their size chiefly because they rev very high, have frequent power pulses per shaft revolution across their chambers, breathe well via large, valveless ports, and, by convention, are rated at a displacement that understates the actual airflow per comparable …
How much do brakes cost for your car in 2025 Expect to pay about $300–$600 per axle for pads and rotors on a typical car in 2025, $150–$300 per axle for pads-only, and $600–$1,200+ per axle for luxury, performance, heavy-duty trucks, or specialty setups. A full four-wheel brake job generally ranges from $600–$1,200 for mainstream …
How to fix a car battery warning If the battery light comes on while you’re driving, the charging system isn’t keeping the 12‑volt battery supplied with power. Reduce electrical loads, head to a safe place, and check the serpentine belt and battery connections. Most fixes involve tightening or cleaning terminals, replacing a worn belt, repairing …
What Is a Brake Shoe Adjuster? A brake shoe adjuster is a small mechanical device inside drum brake assemblies that keeps the brake shoes the correct distance from the drum as the linings wear, maintaining consistent pedal height and braking performance. In many vehicles it works automatically via a “star wheel” and lever so the …
What Is the British Term for “Turn Signal”? In British English, a “turn signal” is called an “indicator.” Drivers commonly say “use your indicators” or “indicate right/left,” and the control on the steering column is known as the “indicator stalk.” While “direction indicator” appears in formal documentation, “indicator” is the everyday term across the UK. …
Italian Sports Cars: The Icons Driving la Passione Several celebrated sports cars hail from Italy, including the Ferrari 296 GTB, Lamborghini Revuelto, Maserati MC20, Pagani Utopia, Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, Dallara Stradale, and the Automobili Pininfarina Battista. These models reflect Italy’s unmatched blend of racing pedigree, design flair, and cutting-edge engineering, spanning everything from lightweight …
What the “Gas Gauge” in a Car Is Actually Called The gas gauge in a car is formally called the fuel gauge, often also referred to as the fuel level gauge or fuel level indicator. It appears on the instrument cluster to show how much gasoline or diesel remains in the tank, typically via a …
Do Underinflated Tires Wear Out Faster—and What Does Their Wear Look Like? Yes. Underinflated tires wear out faster and typically show accelerated wear on both outer shoulders while the center tread remains comparatively higher. This deformation increases heat, reduces fuel economy, lengthens stopping distances, and raises the risk of blowouts—especially at highway speeds or under …
How to Add 400 Horsepower to a Car Adding about 400 horsepower to a car typically requires a large forced-induction setup (turbocharger or supercharger) or a high-output engine swap, plus comprehensive upgrades to fueling, cooling, drivetrain, and tuning. Expect a budget in the $15,000–$50,000+ range, significant shop time, and careful attention to reliability, traction, legal …
What Happens When the Rack and Pinion Go Bad When a rack-and-pinion steering unit goes bad, steering becomes less precise or harder to turn, you may hear clunks or whining, see fluid leaks or an EPS warning light, and the car can wander or wear tires unevenly—making the vehicle unsafe until inspected and repaired. The …
Is It Bad If You Get Water in Your Radiator? It depends: a modern car’s coolant is mostly water to begin with, so a small, temporary top‑up with clean water isn’t inherently bad, but running mostly water—especially tap water—can cause overheating, corrosion, scale buildup, and freezing damage; fix the mixture as soon as possible. For …
Disadvantages of Sequential (Serial) Transmission Sequential (serial) transmission sends bits one after another over a single channel; its key drawbacks include added serialization latency, lower per-lane throughput over very short distances, protocol and encoding overhead, higher design complexity and power at extreme speeds, and inefficiency for broadcast or multi-drop scenarios compared with parallel buses. These …
The Most Iconic Car of the 1950s The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is widely regarded as the most iconic car of the 1950s—especially in the United States—thanks to its unmistakable tailfins, chrome-laden styling, and enduring presence in popular culture and the collector market. While opinions vary by region and taste, and other 1950s models are …
How a Weight-Distributing Hitch System Works A weight-distributing (WD) hitch uses spring bars to apply leverage that shifts a trailer’s tongue weight from the tow vehicle’s rear axle forward to its front axle and rearward to the trailer’s axles, leveling the rig and improving steering, braking, and stability. In practice, preloaded bars push up on …
Which Is the Weakest Car? There isn’t a single “weakest” car: it depends on what you measure. In pure power, ultra-light urban runabouts like Europe’s quadricycles (for example, the Citroën Ami at about 6 kW/8 hp) sit at the bottom; among mainstream new cars, Japan’s kei-class models and budget subcompacts such as the Mitsubishi Mirage …
Do You Need Two People to Bleed Brakes? No—bleeding brakes does not always require two people. While the traditional pump-and-hold method uses a helper, modern tools such as pressure bleeders, vacuum bleeders, gravity bleeding, and one-way “speed bleeder” screws let a single person do the job safely. The best method depends on your tools, the …
What Happened to the Air-Powered Car on Shark Tank The air-powered car featured on Shark Tank—pitched by Zero Pollution Motors as the “AIRPod”—secured a televised offer of $5 million from Robert Herjavec in 2015, but the deal never closed. The startup did not bring a vehicle to market, and as of 2025 there is no …
Is the USA left or right-hand drive? The United States uses left-hand-drive vehicles and drives on the right side of the road. In practice, that means the steering wheel is on the left, traffic keeps right, and passing normally occurs on the left. This standard applies across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with a …
What Part Most Commonly Fails in an Alternator The part that most commonly fails in an automotive alternator is the voltage regulator and its carbon brushes, which are often integrated into a single brush/regulator module. Heat, vibration, and normal brush wear typically make this assembly the first point of failure, with the rectifier diodes a …
Where Water Pumps Are Usually Located They are typically installed close to the water source or the component they serve: in cars at the front of the engine or inline as an electric unit; in homes either down the well (submersible), in a mechanical room near a pressure tank/water heater (jet, booster, or recirculation), or …
What Is an Engine Control Module (ECM)? The engine control module (ECM) is the vehicle’s primary onboard computer that manages how the engine runs—controlling fuel, air, spark, and emissions to balance performance, efficiency, and reliability. In many cars it’s also called an engine control unit (ECU), and in some models it’s combined with transmission control …
Are all the cars the same in NASCAR? No. In the NASCAR Cup Series, teams race a heavily standardized “Next Gen” platform with many common parts, but manufacturers and teams still have limited, meaningful areas where cars differ. Across NASCAR’s national series (Cup, Xfinity, Craftsman Truck), the vehicles and technical rules vary even more, so …
Is Cruise Control Good or Bad for Your Car? Overall, cruise control is good for your car when used in the right conditions: it can improve fuel economy, reduce driver fatigue, and does not inherently harm the engine or transmission. However, it can be counterproductive on steep or rolling terrain, in heavy traffic, or on …
Who Is the Most Famous NASCAR Driver? Richard Petty is widely regarded as the most famous NASCAR driver, thanks to an unmatched record, a larger‑than‑life persona, and decades of cultural visibility; that said, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson are also frequently cited depending on whether “fame” is judged by …
What Is the Coolest Old-School Car? The 1961–1967 Jaguar E-Type is widely regarded as the coolest old-school car, thanks to its breathtaking design, race-bred engineering, and enduring cultural cachet. While “cool” is subjective, the E-Type consistently tops enthusiast polls and design shortlists, eclipsing even pricier exotics in influence and desirability. Why the Jaguar E-Type Takes …
How to Tell if the Brake Master Cylinder Is Bad If the brake pedal slowly sinks under steady pressure, feels spongy with no visible leaks, requires frequent pumping to build firmness, or leaves brake fluid at the seam between the master cylinder and brake booster, the master cylinder is likely failing and the vehicle is …
What Color Wire Is for Brake Lights? There isn’t a single universal brake-light wire color on vehicles. On most U.S. trailers, the brake-light function shares the turn-signal circuits: yellow is typically left stop/turn and green is right stop/turn. Many aftermarket 3‑wire lamps use red for the brake (bright) lead. On passenger vehicles, colors vary by …
The Correct Order to Use Booster (Jumper) Cables Connect in this order: red clamp to the dead battery’s positive (+), red clamp to the donor battery’s positive (+), black clamp to the donor battery’s negative (–), black clamp to an unpainted metal ground on the dead vehicle. To remove, reverse that order: black from the …
How to Tell If Your Ignition System Is Failing If your engine is hard to start, misfires under load, idles roughly, stalls intermittently, or shows a check-engine light with misfire or coil codes, your ignition system may be failing; confirm by scanning for OBD-II codes and checking for weak or no spark. The ignition system …