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 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 …
What Is the Proper Tongue Weight for a Trailer? The proper tongue weight for a conventional bumper‑pull trailer is typically 10–15% of the trailer’s fully loaded weight; for gooseneck and fifth‑wheel trailers, it’s about 15–25%. Boat trailers commonly fall around 8–12%, with 10% a widely used target. These ranges help maintain stability, reduce sway, and …
Where to Find the “Idle Sensor” on Modern and Older Vehicles In most vehicles, the component people call the “idle sensor” is the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve or Idle Speed Control (ISC) motor, typically mounted on or alongside the throttle body; on newer drive‑by‑wire cars, idle is controlled inside the electronic throttle body and …
What Was the Most Popular Car in 1954? In 1954, the best-selling car in the United States was Chevrolet’s full-size lineup—led by the 210 and the Bel Air—while, on a global basis, the Volkswagen Beetle was likely the most-purchased single model thanks to its booming postwar production and exports. The answer depends on whether “most …
What Side Curtain Airbags Are For Side curtain airbags are designed to protect occupants’ heads and help prevent ejection in side impacts and rollovers by deploying from the roofline like a “curtain” over the windows. In practice, they reduce the risk of severe head injuries, shield against intruding structures and shattered glass, and, in many …
What Is a Crumple Zone in a Car? A crumple zone is a part of a car’s structure designed to deform in a crash, absorbing impact energy to reduce the forces transmitted to occupants. By sacrificing itself in a collision, this engineered area helps keep the passenger compartment intact and lowers the risk of serious …
Age vs. Mileage: Which Matters More for a Timing Belt? Both age and mileage matter for a timing belt, and you should replace it based on whichever limit comes first. Rubber degrades with time even on low-mileage cars, so an older belt can be just as risky as a high-mileage one. Most manufacturers specify a …
Torque Converter Transmission: The Automatic Gearbox That Uses Fluid to Move Power A torque converter transmission is an automatic transmission that replaces a manual clutch with a fluid coupling called a torque converter, allowing the vehicle to pull away smoothly, multiply torque at low speeds, and then “lock up” at cruise for better efficiency. It …
Which cable do you connect first on a battery? Connect the red (positive) cable first, then the black (negative). When disconnecting, remove the black (negative) first, then the red (positive). This sequence reduces the risk of sparks and short circuits, and it’s the standard practice for car batteries and most 12V automotive systems. Why the …
Why Most Road Cars Don’t Use Sequential Gearboxes Most road cars avoid true racing-style sequential gearboxes because they’re loud, harsh at low speeds, costly to build and maintain, and poorly suited to everyday driving and efficiency targets; modern automatics and dual‑clutch units deliver equal or better performance with far better comfort, reliability, and emissions compliance. …
Symptoms of a Bad Idle Air Control Valve (IAC Valve) Common signs of a failing idle air control valve include an unsteady or fluctuating idle, stalling when coming to a stop, unusually high or low idle speed, hard starting (especially cold), idle surging when the A/C or steering loads the engine, and a check-engine light—often …
How Much Does It Cost to Fix an Idle Control Valve? Expect to spend roughly $150–$450 in the U.S. to fix an idle air control (IIC/IAC) valve on vehicles that have one, depending on whether it’s cleaned or replaced, the car model, and local labor rates; on newer drive-by-wire cars that don’t use a separate …
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Muffler on a Car For most cars in the U.S., a standard muffler replacement typically costs $250–$500 total, with budget jobs starting around $150–$300 and premium, performance, or luxury applications running $400–$800 or more. Parts usually run $75–$300 and labor is commonly 0.5–1.5 hours at $90–$160 per …
Compressed Air Cars: How They Work, Why They Struggle, and Where They Stand in 2025 A compressed air car is a vehicle that stores energy as high‑pressure air in onboard tanks and releases it through a pneumatic motor to drive the wheels; despite decades of prototypes, no mass‑market model is on sale as of 2025 …
Is a 2.4-Liter Engine Good? Yes—when well-designed and matched to the right vehicle, a 2.4-liter engine is a strong, well-balanced choice for everyday driving, offering adequate power, reasonable efficiency, and often good reliability. Whether it’s “good” for you depends on factors like whether it’s naturally aspirated or turbocharged, the vehicle’s weight and purpose, and the …