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.
How an Odometer Is Calculated An odometer calculates distance by counting how many times a wheel or drivetrain turns and converting those rotations into distance using the tire’s effective circumference; modern vehicles do this electronically by tallying sensor pulses or integrating vehicle speed over time and storing the result in non‑volatile memory. In practice, the …
The Longest Road Train on Record The longest road train officially recognized to date was assembled and pulled in Clifton, Queensland, Australia, on 18 February 2006: a Mack Titan prime mover towed 112 trailers for the required distance to set the record, creating a convoy measuring about 1,474 meters (roughly 1.47 km or 0.91 miles). …
What Happens When a Car Has No Crumple Zone If a car has no crumple zone, crash forces are transferred rapidly and directly to occupants, producing higher peak decelerations, greater risk of severe injury or death, and increased likelihood of the cabin collapsing or hardware intruding into the passenger space. In modern safety engineering, controlled …
Components of a Drum Brake Assembly Drum brake assemblies typically include a brake drum, backing plate, wheel cylinder, two brake shoes (primary and secondary), return and hold‑down springs, an adjuster (star wheel) with an actuating lever or cable, a parking‑brake lever and strut, an anchor pin, and various guides and clips. Together, these parts convert …
What the shell of a car is made of Most modern car shells are primarily made from steel alloys—especially advanced high‑strength steels—with growing use of aluminum for panels and structural sections; exterior bumper covers and many trims are plastic, while premium and performance models may add carbon‑fiber or other composites. In practice, the “shell” is …
Why Britain Drives on the Left Britain drives on the left because a long-standing custom dating to the age of horseback—keeping left so the sword-wielding right hand faced oncoming strangers—was later cemented into law in the 19th century, and unlike many countries influenced by Napoleonic France or the United States, Britain never switched sides; today, …
How to Properly Charge a Car Battery The proper way to charge a car battery is to use a smart charger matched to your battery type (flooded, AGM, EFB, gel, or lithium), connect positive to the positive terminal/post and negative to a designated chassis ground or negative post as your owner’s manual specifies, select an …
Which car has the highest technology in 2025? There’s no single, universally accepted “most high‑tech” car because different models lead in different domains; however, among production vehicles you can buy today, Mercedes‑Benz’s S‑Class and EQS equipped with Drive Pilot stand out as the most advanced for road‑legal automated driving (SAE Level 3), Lucid’s Air leads …
When to Replace a Car: How Age, Mileage, Safety, and Cost Add Up Most drivers should consider replacing a car around 10–12 years old or between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, but the better answer is: replace it when projected repairs and compromises in safety, reliability, or utility outweigh the cost and benefits of a newer …
Can a Car Run Without a Distributor? Yes—many modern cars are designed to run without a distributor, using electronic systems that control spark timing directly. However, older gasoline engines that were built around a mechanical or electronic distributor will not run if the distributor is removed or fails, unless they’re converted to a distributorless ignition …
How much money does Kyle Larson make in NASCAR? Kyle Larson is widely estimated to make roughly $12–20 million per year from NASCAR-related income in recent seasons, combining his Hendrick Motorsports compensation, his share of prize money and points-fund bonuses, and personal endorsements. Exact figures are not public, and earnings can swing year to year …
Is a Manual Transmission the Same as a Stick Shift? Yes—especially in North America, “stick shift” is the everyday term for a car with a manual transmission that the driver shifts using a lever and a clutch pedal. The phrase captures the familiar image of a floor-mounted gear lever, though not every manual uses a …
What Happens When the Torque Converter Fails When a torque converter fails, an automatic transmission can no longer transfer engine power smoothly, leading to symptoms like slipping, shuddering at cruise, overheating, delayed or harsh engagement, stalling at stops, and warning lights; continuing to drive can contaminate the transmission with debris and cause costly damage. In …
What 750 lb Tongue Weight Means It means there is a downward force of 750 pounds pressing on the tow vehicle’s hitch ball from the trailer; depending on context, it can also mean the maximum tongue-weight rating you are allowed to place on that hitch or vehicle. In practical terms, 750 lb tongue weight describes …
What Is the Most Intelligent Car? There isn’t a single “most intelligent” car for every metric, but today’s standouts are clear: for legally recognized automated driving, the Mercedes‑Benz S‑Class and EQS with Drive Pilot (SAE Level 3) lead; for large‑scale, AI‑driven, supervised city and highway capabilities, Tesla’s lineup running FSD v12 is the most widely …
What car was popular in 1949? In the United States, the all-new 1949 Ford—often called the “Shoebox” Ford—was the year’s best‑selling car, while Oldsmobile’s Rocket 88 became a performance favorite; in Europe, affordable postwar icons like the Volkswagen Beetle and Citroën 2CV surged in popularity as production and exports ramped up. Why the 1949 Ford …
What Two Fingers Up Means on a Motorcycle Two fingers up from a motorcyclist is generally a friendly salute—most often the peace sign—used to acknowledge another rider and wish them a safe ride; when angled downward, some riders read it as “keep two wheels on the ground.” It’s an informal, widely recognized gesture of camaraderie …
How to Find Your Odometer Look at the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel: the odometer is shown there as “ODO,” total “miles” or “km,” or as a field you can cycle to on a digital display. If the screen is dark, switch the ignition to ON (or press the start button once without pressing …
Bad Alternator Symptoms: The Signs Your Charging System Is Failing A failing alternator commonly triggers a battery/charging warning light, causes dim or flickering headlights, leads to a weak or repeatedly dead battery, creates whining or grinding noises, and can make the engine stall or electronics act erratically; voltage readings outside about 13.8–14.7 volts while running …
What to Do If a Car Engine Is on Fire If your car’s engine catches fire, pull over safely, shut off the engine, evacuate everyone immediately, move at least 100 feet (30 meters) upwind, call emergency services, and do not open the hood. Engine fires can escalate in seconds; staying calm, creating distance, and letting …
What cars still have a V12 engine in 2025? Several current-production cars still offer a V12 engine in 2025, including the Ferrari 12Cilindri and Purosangue, Lamborghini Revuelto, Rolls-Royce Phantom/Ghost/Cullinan, Mercedes‑Maybach S680 (market‑dependent), Pagani Utopia, Aston Martin Valkyrie (very limited), and Gordon Murray Automotive’s T.50 and T.33. Below, we detail who still builds V12s, what form …
What Is a Supercharger on a Car? A supercharger is a device that compresses the air going into an engine so it can burn more fuel and make more power, typically delivering instant boost because it’s driven by the engine (or, in some newer systems, by an electric motor) rather than by exhaust gases. In …
How Much Should Disc Brakes Cost? For most passenger cars in 2025, replacing brake pads and rotors typically costs $300–$800 per axle at an independent shop, or $600–$1,600 for all four wheels; pads-only jobs run about $150–$300 per axle if rotors are still within spec. Calipers add $250–$500 each when needed. On bicycles, quality hydraulic …
How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Rack and Pinion? Expect to spend about $700–$2,500 in the U.S. to repair a rack-and-pinion issue in 2025, with most jobs involving full rack replacement. Economy cars with a remanufactured hydraulic rack tend to land near $900–$1,400, while newer vehicles with electric power steering or luxury models …
What a Seat Belt Tensioner Does—and Why It Matters A seat belt tensioner rapidly tightens the seat belt during a crash or imminent crash to remove slack and firmly position the occupant against the seat, improving restraint performance and working in tandem with the airbag and the belt’s load limiter. In practice, the system senses …
What Was the Most Popular Ford in the 1960s? The Ford Mustang was the most popular Ford of the 1960s—especially in the United States—after its 1964 debut ignited a sales surge that surpassed one million cars by March 1966. That said, “most popular” varied by market: the Ford Falcon dominated early-decade U.S. sales among compacts, …
Will a manual car roll if it’s in gear? Yes, a manual car can still roll even if it’s left in gear. Leaving it in first or reverse with the clutch engaged creates significant resistance via the engine and gearbox, but it is not a fail-safe—especially on steep gradients, with a worn clutch or low …
What happens if you accidentally turn your car on while pumping gas In most cases, nothing dramatic happens immediately, but it is unsafe and often against fire code; you should stop the pump and turn the engine off right away before continuing to fuel. Gasoline vapors are highly flammable, and a running vehicle introduces ignition …
What Is the Most Common Cause of Power Steering Failure? The most common cause of power steering failure is a fluid leak that leaves the system low on power-steering fluid, most often in vehicles with hydraulic power steering. In newer cars that use electric power steering, failures are more commonly due to electrical faults—such as …
What Is the Average Life of a Headlight? The average life of a headlight depends on the technology: halogen bulbs typically last about 500–1,000 hours (often 1–2 years for regular night driving), HID/xenon bulbs about 2,000–3,000 hours (roughly 3–5 years), and modern LED headlights about 10,000–30,000 hours (often 6–15 years and sometimes the life of …