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 much does it cost to replace a fuel injection? Expect to pay roughly $250–$650 per injector on most gasoline engines, $500–$1,200 per injector for gasoline direct-injection (GDI) systems, and $700–$1,500 per injector on many modern diesels. Replacing a full set typically runs $800–$2,800 for gas vehicles and $2,000–$6,000 for diesels, before taxes and shop …
What’s the Coolest Old Car? Why the Lamborghini Miura Still Wears the Crown The Lamborghini Miura—especially the late-production P400 SV—is widely regarded as the coolest old car: a mid‑engine, V12 masterpiece that blended radical engineering with poster‑on‑the‑wall beauty and rock‑star mystique. While “cool” is subjective and icons like the Jaguar E‑Type, Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 …
Do all NASCARs use the same motor? No. NASCAR does not use a single, identical engine across all cars or series. In the Cup Series, Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota each supply their own 358-cubic-inch V8s built to a common NASCAR rule set; the Xfinity Series runs to its own engine rules; and the Craftsman Truck …
Is Max Verstappen the Best of All Time? Not yet conclusively, but he is already among Formula 1’s all-time greats and the defining driver of this era. As of late 2024, Verstappen’s peak dominance—especially in 2023—rivals the finest seasons in F1 history, yet declaring a single “greatest of all time” depends on criteria that span …
What Is Steering in a Car? Steering is the system and driver action that directs a car’s path by turning its wheels—primarily the fronts, and in some models the rears—through a set of linkages and gears, often with power assistance. It converts rotation at the steering wheel into a precise change in wheel angle, enabling …
Which countries drive on the left? More than 70 countries and territories drive on the left; prominent examples include the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and much of the Caribbean and Southern Africa. Globally, roughly a third of the world’s population uses left-hand traffic (LHT), a legacy shaped …
Why Carburetors Are No Longer Used in Most Modern Vehicles Carburetors were phased out because electronic fuel injection (EFI) delivers far more precise fuel control, enabling cleaner emissions, better fuel economy, improved performance, and reliable diagnostics required by modern regulations. As emissions standards tightened in the late 1980s and 1990s and onboard diagnostics became mandatory, …
What Happens When Your Radiator Goes? When a radiator “goes” in a car, the engine can overheat rapidly, coolant may leak or boil, and driving further risks catastrophic engine damage; in a home, a failed radiator means uneven heat, leaks, and potential water damage. In both cases, stop the system, address leaks safely, and arrange …
Understanding the Three Types of Vehicle Emission Testing The three primary types of vehicle emission testing are: On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) inspections, tailpipe exhaust measurements (idle or dynamometer-based), and evaporative emissions (EVAP) system tests. In practice, jurisdictions combine these methods based on vehicle age, fuel type, and local air-quality goals to verify that cars meet pollution …
How to Tell If Your Disc Brakes Are Bad If your vehicle or bike takes longer to stop, makes grinding or squealing noises, vibrates under braking, pulls to one side, or shows a brake warning light, your disc brakes may be bad and need inspection or repair. In practice, look for noise, pedal/lever feel changes, …
Can you drive a CVT like an automatic? Yes—on the road, a car with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is operated just like a conventional automatic: select Drive and go. Most CVTs use the familiar P-R-N-D layout, creep forward when you ease off the brake, and require the same pedal inputs. The main differences are …
Do Mechanics Work on Engines? Yes—most automotive mechanics and technicians do work on engines, but the scope varies by specialty, vehicle type, and shop capabilities. In practice, “mechanic” is a broad term covering professionals who diagnose, maintain, repair, rebuild, and sometimes replace engines across cars, trucks, boats, aircraft, and equipment. Choosing the right mechanic depends …
Do red-light cameras work every time? No. Modern red-light camera systems are designed for high uptime and continuous monitoring, but they do not capture or enforce every single violation. Their performance depends on hardware, weather, lane coverage, local policies, and post-capture human review, meaning some violations are missed and some potential tickets are discarded. What …
Upstream vs. Downstream O₂ Sensors: How to Tell Which One Is Bad If the engine runs poorly, fuel economy tanks, and live data shows the upstream (Sensor 1) not switching correctly or driving fuel trims out of range, the upstream sensor is likely bad; if the engine drives normally but you get a catalyst-efficiency code …
Did cars in the 1920s have license plates? Yes. By the 1920s, most countries required motor vehicles to display license plates, and the practice was widely enforced. While rules and formats varied by country and region, the decade falls well after the foundational laws that made vehicle registration and visible identification marks a normal part …
How to Fix an ABS Brake System Problem If your ABS warning light is on or the anti-lock brakes are acting erratically, start by scanning ABS codes with an OBD-II tool that supports ABS, check brake fluid level and condition, inspect wheel-speed sensors and wiring at each wheel, verify fuses/relays and battery voltage, and address …
Who is the greatest racer of all time? There isn’t a single, universally accepted “greatest racer of all time.” Across motorsport, the answer depends on the discipline and the criteria you value most. If pressed to choose one cross‑discipline benchmark, Mario Andretti is the most defensible all‑around pick for his unmatched versatility and major titles …
Why Most Modern Cars Don’t Use “Suicide” Doors They largely disappeared because rear-hinged doors are harder to make fail-safe in real-world use, complicate crashworthiness and structural design, and add cost without strong consumer demand; today they persist mainly in tightly engineered luxury models and a few niche vehicles with added interlocks and reinforcements. The term …
When the U.S. Began Using License Plates The United States began using license plates in 1901, when New York required motorists to display owner-supplied identifiers on their vehicles; the first government-issued state plates followed in 1903 in Massachusetts. This distinction—between early owner-made identifiers and official state-issued plates—marks the start of the American license plate system …
How Car Suspension Works: The Science Behind Comfort, Control, and Safety Car suspension works by using springs, dampers, and linkages to isolate the vehicle body from road bumps, keep the tires in consistent contact with the road, and control body motions during acceleration, braking, and cornering; modern systems add electronic controls to adapt in real …
What an Ignition Coil Does — And Why It Matters An ignition coil is a high-voltage transformer that steps a car’s 12-volt battery power up to tens of thousands of volts to create the spark that ignites the air–fuel mixture in each cylinder. In modern vehicles, the engine computer times and controls the coil to …
Why Your Car’s Battery Light Comes On—and What To Do Next The battery warning light typically means your charging system isn’t keeping the 12‑volt battery charged—most commonly due to a weak or failed alternator or a slipping/broken belt. It can also be triggered by a failing battery, corroded terminals, blown fuses, wiring faults, or, in …
How Jumper Wires Work Jumper wires create a temporary, low-resistance electrical path between two points in a circuit by physically bridging contacts—such as breadboard clips or header pins—with a metal conductor. When their tips (male pins, female sockets, or clips) seat against conductive hardware, current and signals flow through the copper wire; at low frequencies …
Was the Toyota Prius the first electric car? No—the Toyota Prius was not the first electric car. It is a hybrid vehicle that combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor, first launched in Japan in 1997 and later worldwide. Electric cars existed long before the Prius, with early examples appearing in the late 19th …
What Happens When the Camshaft Goes Bad When a camshaft goes bad, valve timing and lift become incorrect, causing rough running, misfires, loss of power, hard starts or no-starts, abnormal ticking/knocking, a check-engine light, and potentially severe internal damage. Left unchecked, a failing camshaft or its related parts can destroy valves, pistons, lifters, and catalytic …
Exhaust vs. Muffler: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters The exhaust is the entire system that routes and treats engine gases from the engine to the tailpipe, while the muffler is one component within that system designed specifically to reduce noise; in short, every vehicle has an exhaust system, and most include a muffler …
What Is the 80/20 Rule for Towing? The 80/20 rule for towing is an informal guideline suggesting you limit your loaded trailer to about 80% of your vehicle’s maximum tow rating, leaving a 20% safety margin. It isn’t a law or a manufacturer requirement, but many drivers and RV owners use it to account for …
Why Australia Uses Road Trains Instead of Trains Australia relies on road trains across much of the interior because vast distances, low population density, and limited rail coverage make long, multi-trailer trucks cheaper, more flexible, and faster to deploy than building or maintaining rail lines. Rail remains vital on a few high-volume corridors (iron ore, …
What Percent of Pollution Do Cars Cause? It depends on what kind of pollution and where you measure it, but a clear picture emerges: globally, passenger cars are responsible for roughly 10% of energy-related CO2 emissions; including all road transport raises that to about 15%. In the United States, cars and light trucks together account …
What happens when an oxygen sensor goes bad When an oxygen (O2) sensor fails, the engine’s computer receives incorrect or no data about oxygen levels in the exhaust, leading to poor fuel metering, increased emissions, reduced fuel economy, rough running, an illuminated check-engine light, and potential damage to the catalytic converter. In practice, modern vehicles …