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 Is the Best Italian Car Brand? Ferrari is broadly regarded as the best Italian car brand overall, thanks to unmatched motorsport pedigree, enduring brand strength, world-class performance, and increasingly sophisticated hybrid technology. That said, “best” depends on what you value—design drama, everyday usability, craftsmanship, or price—so alternatives like Lamborghini, Pagani, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, …
The Biggest Downside to a Supercharger The biggest downside to a supercharger is parasitic power loss—because it’s mechanically or electrically driven by the engine, it takes energy to make boost, which reduces overall efficiency and fuel economy compared with a turbocharger. In practical terms, a belt-driven supercharger can consume tens of horsepower at high load, …
What “crossover” means in movies A crossover in movies is when characters, worlds, or storylines from separate films or franchises meet and interact within a single narrative. It’s typically designed as an “event” that merges intellectual properties, advances ongoing storylines, and appeals to multiple fan bases at once, whether through a shared universe, a versus …
Master Cylinder Parts: Inside the Crucial Brake and Clutch Component The master cylinder is made up of a fluid reservoir (with cap/diaphragm and often a level sensor), a cylinder body with one or two bores, a primary piston and (in tandem units) a secondary piston, return springs, internal seals, compensation and replenishing ports, outlet ports …
What’s Inside a Supercharger A supercharger contains a compressor section (rotors or an impeller inside a precisely machined housing), a drive system (pulley and belt, gearset, or electric motor), shafts with high-speed bearings and seals, an intake and discharge path, a bypass valve to reduce pumping losses at light load, and a lubrication system; many …
Why Automakers Largely Stopped Making Air-Cooled Engines Automakers moved away from air-cooled engines because they struggle to meet modern emissions, noise, efficiency, and performance standards; liquid-cooling gives precise temperature control that enables cleaner exhaust, quieter operation, higher power density, and better drivability. While air-cooled designs still thrive in motorcycles, small engines, and many aircraft, mainstream …
How Much Does It Cost to Replace Car Power Windows? For most cars in the U.S., replacing a failed power window (typically the regulator and motor) costs about $200–$600 at an independent shop and $350–$800 at a dealership; luxury models and complex doors can run $600–$1,200. Replacing a window switch usually totals $80–$350, while replacing …
Biofuels’ Downsides: The Hidden Costs Behind “Green” Energy Biofuels carry significant drawbacks: land-use change and deforestation risks, uneven climate benefits due to full lifecycle emissions, food-versus-fuel tensions, high water and fertilizer demands, air-quality trade-offs, technical and infrastructure limitations, constrained sustainable feedstock supply with fraud risks, and dependence on subsidies. These factors mean the climate and …
Inside a Muffler: The Components and Physics That Quiet Exhaust Noise A muffler’s internal structure typically consists of a metal shell containing a series of perforated tubes, baffles, chambers, and sometimes sound-absorbing packing that work together to cancel and absorb exhaust sound while allowing gases to flow to the tailpipe. In essence, low-frequency pulses are …
Who Are the Top Four NASCAR Drivers? The top four NASCAR drivers, by the premier metric of NASCAR Cup Series championships, are Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson (each with seven titles), followed by Jeff Gordon with four. While “top” can be defined in several ways—from championships to wins and era-adjusted dominance—these four headline …
How to Tell if a Power Steering Pump Is Bad A failing power steering pump typically announces itself with a pronounced whining or groaning noise during turns, heavier-than-normal steering effort at low speeds, foamy or discolored fluid in the reservoir, or visible fluid leaks near the pump and hoses. Confirming the diagnosis starts with a …
How Much of the World’s Air Pollution Comes From Cars? There isn’t a single, fixed global percentage because “air pollution” covers different pollutants, but the best evidence suggests passenger cars account for roughly 7–10% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and only a small, highly variable share of health-damaging urban air pollutants; in many big …
What Is the Clutch in a Car? The clutch is a device that connects and disconnects the engine from the transmission so you can start, stop, and change gears without stalling the engine. In manual-transmission cars it’s operated by the left pedal; in automatics and dual-clutch systems, clutches are controlled by the vehicle’s electronics and …
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 …