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.
Why You Can’t Pump Your Own Gas in New Jersey Because New Jersey law prohibits customer self-service at gasoline pumps statewide. Under the state’s Retail Gasoline Dispensing Safety Act and its regulations, only trained attendants may dispense gasoline. Diesel fuel is generally exempt and may be self-served where stations allow it. As of 2025, New …
How to Tell if Your Car’s Thermostat Is Bad If your engine overheats quickly or never reaches normal temperature, the cabin heat is weak, or you see a check-engine light with codes like P0128, your thermostat may be failing. In most cases, a stuck-closed thermostat causes rapid overheating and a cold upper radiator hose, while …
What an Air-Cooled Engine Means An air-cooled engine is an internal combustion engine that sheds heat directly to the surrounding air instead of circulating liquid coolant through a radiator. In practice, it uses fins, airflow (natural or fan-forced), and often engine oil as a supplemental heat carrier to keep operating temperatures within safe limits. This …
How Transmission Fluid Gets Into the Torque Converter Transmission fluid is pushed into the torque converter by the transmission’s front (main) pump, which draws fluid from the pan and sends a regulated “converter charge” stream through internal passages in the stator support/input shaft. The fluid fills the converter, circulates through the impeller, turbine, and stator, …
Can You Drive With a Faulty Brake Light Switch? You can physically drive with a faulty brake light switch, but you shouldn’t: it’s unsafe, often illegal, and can trigger other vehicle malfunctions. If your brake lights don’t come on—or stay on constantly—arrange immediate repair or towing to avoid a crash risk, a citation, or damage …
Were cars common in the 1950s? Yes—cars were common in the United States by the 1950s, increasingly present but not yet universal in Western Europe, and still relatively uncommon in much of the rest of the world. In the U.S., mass ownership and a booming postwar auto industry made the car a fixture of daily …
Are Flood-Damaged Cars Worth Buying? Generally, no—flood-damaged cars are rarely worth buying for everyday use due to hidden electrical and safety risks, limited insurability, and poor resale value; they may be worthwhile only to experienced rebuilders or for parts, and only with full disclosure, a deep inspection, and a steep discount. The Market Context Flood-damaged …
What Happens When the Torque Converter Goes Bad When a torque converter fails, power from the engine no longer transfers smoothly to the transmission: you may feel shuddering at cruise, slipping with rising RPM and weak acceleration, delayed or harsh engagement into Drive/Reverse, stalling at stops, overheating, warning lights, and ultimately a loss of drive. …
Without Crumple Zones: What Would Happen in a Crash If cars lacked crumple zones, crashes would be far deadlier: forces would transmit abruptly to occupants, causing higher g-loads, more severe injuries, and greater cabin intrusion. Crumple zones are engineered to absorb energy and lengthen the time over which a vehicle decelerates in a collision. Without …
What Speed Is Needed for Hydroplaning? Hydroplaning can begin around 35 mph (55 km/h) in standing water with worn tires, but the classic estimate for the onset of dynamic hydroplaning is speed (mph) ≈ 10.4 × √(tire pressure in psi). That puts many passenger cars with 32–36 psi tires in the roughly 59–62 mph (95–100 …
What is the cheapest car you can buy right now? It depends on where you live: in the United States, the least expensive new cars are typically the Nissan Versa S and the Mitsubishi Mirage ES (both usually in the $16,000–$18,000 MSRP range before fees). In Europe, the Dacia Sandero often leads (about €13,000–€15,000). In …
Who is the world’s “#1 polluter”? There is no single, all-purpose “#1 polluter.” The answer depends on what you measure: for climate-warming greenhouse gases, the energy sector burning fossil fuels is the largest source; by country, China currently emits the most CO2 each year, while the United States is the largest historical emitter; for plastic …
AWD vs. 4WD in Snow: Which Is Better? For most drivers on plowed, icy, or mixed winter roads, all-wheel drive (AWD) paired with quality winter tires is the better choice; for deep, unplowed snow, backcountry trails, and steep grades, a traditional four-wheel drive (4WD) system with a low-range transfer case has the edge. The right …
Supercharger vs. Turbo: Which Is Better? Neither is universally better: turbos usually win for efficiency, emissions, and most real-world driving, while superchargers excel at instant throttle response and predictable, linear power. The right choice depends on your priorities—daily economy and altitude performance favor turbos; track, drag, or “always-on” punch can favor superchargers. How They Work—and …
Do Alternators Go Out Suddenly? What Drivers Should Know Usually, alternators fail gradually with warning signs like a battery light, dimming headlights, or electrical glitches—though sudden failure can happen due to a snapped belt, internal short, or seized bearings. Understanding the typical patterns, symptoms, and emergency steps can help you avoid being stranded and make …
Do You Need a Special Windshield for a Heads-Up Display? Yes for factory-installed heads-up displays, you typically need a windshield designed for HUD to prevent double images and maintain clarity; for aftermarket HUDs, a special windshield isn’t strictly required, but image quality can suffer without a reflective film or combiner. This distinction matters because windshield …
What Are Cars Made Of? The Materials Behind Modern Automobiles Cars are not made of a single material: modern vehicles are multi‑material products combining steel and iron, aluminum (and some magnesium), plastics and elastomers, fiber‑reinforced composites, glass, rubber, electronic materials, and—on electric vehicles—battery chemistries such as NMC, NCA, or LFP. The exact mix varies by …
What car screams luxury? Rolls-Royce still defines the benchmark: the Phantom remains the car that most unmistakably “screams luxury,” with the all-electric Spectre now joining it as the quiet, opulent statement for a new era. For those seeking similarly conspicuous grandeur, the Mercedes‑Maybach S-Class, Bentley Flying Spur and Bentayga EWB, Range Rover SV, and Rolls‑Royce …
The 12-Second Rule for Motorcycles: Looking Ahead to Stay Alive The 12‑second rule for motorcycles is a visual scanning guideline: always scan the road ahead to where you will be in about 12 seconds so you can spot hazards early, choose a safe path, and buy time to react. This rule, widely taught in rider …
The Most Common Cause of Car Fires The most common cause of car fires is mechanical failure or malfunction—especially electrical faults and fluid leaks that ignite on hot engine or exhaust surfaces. Fire incident data consistently show that while crashes account for a large share of fatal vehicle fires, the typical vehicle fire starts because …
Disc Brake Assembly: Every Part That Makes Stopping Power Possible The key parts of a disc brake assembly are the rotor (disc), caliper (with pistons), brake pads, caliper bracket, guide/slide hardware, seals and dust boots, anti-rattle/abutment clips, pad shims, bleeder screw, and the brake hose connection; many systems also include a splash shield and parking-brake …
Why the Rotary (Wankel) Engine Was “Banned” — And Where It Still Lives On The rotary engine was not universally banned; rather, it was excluded or tightly restricted in several top racing series for rules and parity reasons, while on public roads it faded mainly because it struggled to meet modern emissions and fuel-economy standards. …
Can You Still Drive a Car With a Faulty Oxygen Sensor? Yes, you can usually drive for a short time with a faulty oxygen (O2) sensor, but it’s not advisable. Expect worse fuel economy, higher emissions, and the risk of damaging your catalytic converter if you ignore it—especially if the upstream (pre-catalytic) sensor has failed. …
Indiana’s new turn-signal rule: how far you must signal before a turn or lane change Indiana now requires drivers to signal continuously for at least 200 feet before turning or changing lanes, and for at least 300 feet where the posted speed limit is 50 mph or higher. The clarified rule, codified in Indiana Code …
Does Higher Octane Gas Make a Difference? Yes, but only in the right engine or situation. Higher octane fuel primarily helps engines that are designed to need it—typically high-compression, turbocharged, or performance engines—and it can prevent knocking under heavy loads or extreme heat. For most vehicles that are engineered for regular 87-octane gasoline, using a …
Can I Change Car Oil Myself? Yes—if your vehicle uses a conventional internal combustion engine and you have safe access, the right oil and filter, and somewhere to dispose of used oil legally, you can change your car’s oil yourself. For many owners, DIY oil changes are practical and cost-effective, but you must follow the …
How to Check If Your Alternator Is Working The quickest way to check an alternator at home is with a digital multimeter: with the engine off, the battery should read about 12.4–12.7 V; with the engine running it should rise to roughly 13.8–14.7 V (often 13.5–14.8 V, higher when cold). Turn on headlights, rear defroster, …
The Most Popular Car Modification: Why Window Tinting Leads the Pack Window tinting is widely considered the most popular car modification, thanks to its low cost, quick installation, and everyday benefits like heat reduction, UV protection, privacy, and aesthetics. By sheer number of installations, tint typically outpaces other mods; by total spending, aftermarket wheels and …
What Is the Easiest Brake Bleed Method? For most cars and light trucks, the easiest and most reliable method for a solo DIYer is pressure bleeding at the master cylinder using a quality pressure bleeder set to about 10–15 psi, following the vehicle’s specified bleed sequence. It’s clean, fast, and consistent. Gravity bleeding is the …
How Brake Lights Are Wired In most vehicles, a fused 12-volt supply feeds a switch on the brake pedal; when the pedal is pressed, that switch sends power to the rear brake lamps and the center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL), which illuminate and return to ground through the chassis. On vehicles that combine brake and …