Turbochargers are rather genius inventions that recycle waste exhaust gas to boost engine power. This allows for smaller, lighter engine design and increased overall fuel efficiency. They can also be added to your engine if you’re looking for a little more power behind the wheel. Even though it’s relatively straightforward, however, adding a turbo engine comes with its own set of problems. After all, it’s one more part that requires maintenance. It also has a pretty intimate

Your parking brake is something you’ve probably never really thought about — at least not until it breaks and you find yourself discussing a replacement or repair with your mechanic. Modern automobiles are increasingly moving to electronic parking brakes, but the general theory and design have remained largely the same for decades. Here’s a quick look at how parking brakes work and why they occasionally fail. Emergency! Parking brakes were once known as emergency brakes, and

Even if you park in a garage, your car is continuously exposed to moisture. The vehicle’s body is painted and treated to prevent rust and corrosion, but your car exhaust system is not only the most exposed, but it also isn’t very well-protected. As you drive, exhaust pipes and the muffler are constantly hit with water, salt and other debris that can damage and rust it. Here are a few ways that you can prevent corrosion and keep your exhaust system working for a long time. Was

So you left a car in the garage all winter and now would like to take it out for a nice spring drive. You pack it up, step inside, turn the key and … nothing. Luckily, you have another car to serve as a jumper, but you’ll have to get the vehicle with the dead car battery out of the garage first. Frustratingly, you find it’s stuck in park. What do you do? Locked Out Manual transmissions require drivers to shift between drive gears according to moment-to-moment conditions. Auto

When your car alerts you that it’s time for an oil change, how quickly do you do it? If your answer is that you thought the warning light was just a permanent fixture on your dash, maybe it’s time to do some serious soul-searching. It’s easy enough to put off changing your oil and oil filter, but the damage caused by this negligence can be swift or a long time coming — it will arrive one way or another, though. Knowing how an oil filter works and what it does for your engine

Radiator hoses are a vital part of the cooling system that carry hot coolant from the engine through the radiator and circulate it back — cooler — to the engine again. There are two hoses, the upper and lower, and they’re thick and sturdy enough to handle both high pressures and immense heat. It should therefore strike you as odd if you notice one or both have collapsed. Don’t panic, however, as radiator hose collapse is usually a straightforward fix. Nothing Happens in a Vac

The first thing most people think about when it comes to automotive charging and electrical systems is the battery. In reality, the battery is responsible for getting the engine started and can get you a little way on reserve, but it’s nothing without the alternator. Alternators not only recharge and maintain battery voltage, but they also supply the power needed for a running engine. A broken alternator can be a real headache, and because it works so closely with the battery

Has a fusible link problem ever sent you to a mechanic—or rather, have you ever had a problem with your car that the garage later told you was due to this tiny but critical component? You might have wondered what the difference was between a fusible link and a traditional fuse, or how you could avoid issues with this part in the future. Fortunately, these links are simple to understand and relatively easy to repair. Safety First You are most likely familiar with how a fuse wo

Today’s cars offer more power, better fuel economy and more amenities than ever before. Because cars are being built better than ever before, people are keeping them longer. The average American car is nearly twelve years old, which means that the average mileage is somewhere around 170,000 miles. Indeed, 200,000 miles is the new 100,000 miles. Recently, more turbocharged cars are on the market, and they’re driven pretty much like every other commuter car on the road, racking

A slipping clutch is a headache to deal with. It’s also not always easy to spot until you have to have your car or truck towed to the garage. How can you spot slipping before you’re stranded on the side of the road? Check out these three easy tips for determining whether your vehicle’s clutch might be on the way out. 1. Revs Rising The most common indication that you are dealing with a slipping clutch is when you step on the gas pedal and see your engine revs rise out of sync