If your car has a timing belt (not all cars do – some cars have timing chains), you need to know two things; the factory-recommended replacement interval, and when it was last replaced. If you have no record of replacement, or if you know that it’s overdue, you really should

Your car’s headlights are important. Without them, driving in the dark would be an unnecessarily dangerous challenge. In some states, you’re required to drive with your headlights on if it’s raining, even in the middle of the day. So, when one of your headlight bulbs burn out, you’re best off

One of the more frustrating things about making repairs to your car is when they don’t go quite correctly, and the car fails the first post-repair test drive. Any time you replace parts, you need to put the new parts in so that they fit and function the way your

Your car’s engine isn’t just a solid object. It’s made up of many parts which make up individual subsystems that need to work together as an integrated unit to move your car from point A to point B. Of course, you have the lower end, consisting of the engine block,

If you’re out on the highway and you’re feeling every crack in the road and every pebble you drive over, chances are that your shocks or struts are worn out and need to be replaced. Shocks and struts perform the same basic function – dampening road vibration. When they wear

Recently, I wrote about my wife’s “new” car. After rolling over the sixth digit on the odometer a third time, it just seemed like it was a good idea to put her in a car with less than 320,000 miles on it. As well as I’ve maintained that car, it’s

If you have an older car, chances are that one tune-up item you need to pay particular attention to is your ignition system. One item you don’t see too often anymore is the distributor. Most cars, these days, have long since transitioned to distributorless ignition systems, thus simplifying the tune-up

Recently, my car developed a misfire. I was experiencing a recurring P0302 trouble code, indicating the misfire was in cylinder 2. Knowing there could be multiple causes of the misfire, I approached the problem by investigating the simpler possibilities first. Starting with spark plugs. After combing through the entire ignition

All good things must come to an end – even car ownership. Only a select few will shell out their hard-earned money for a car and keep it for life. Some will part with their transportation in an unfortunate accident. Most of us, however, end up selling our cars at

Three letters you don’t want to see when shopping for parts for your older are NLA. In case you didn’t know, NLA stands for “no longer available.” Often, when a car is older and long out of production, the vehicle manufacturer no longer makes or stocks certain parts for it,