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Spark plugs are among the few engine components that provide diagnostic information about the engine’s health when they are removed. The condition of the electrode and the insulator on a removed plug — the color, the deposit pattern, the electrode wear — tells a story about …
Windshield wipers are the lowest-cost safety maintenance item on a car and the most commonly deferred beyond their useful service life. A wiper blade …
The fuel system cleaning service offered at quick-lube facilities — typically involving a bottle of cleaner added to the fuel tank and occasionally a …
The engine air filter and the cabin air filter serve related but distinct purposes and are replaced on different schedules for different reasons. They …
Car batteries fail for a small number of predictable reasons, most of which are accelerated by behaviors that are avoidable once understood. The …
Car storage appears on its face to be passive — the car is not being driven, therefore nothing is happening to it, therefore nothing requires …
A car’s paint is under continuous assault from UV radiation, airborne contamination, bird droppings, road tar, tree sap, and the abrasion of washing …
Tires are the only point of contact between a vehicle and the road. Every input — braking, steering, acceleration — is transmitted through four …
Wheel alignment — the orientation of the tires relative to each other and to the road surface — affects tire wear, fuel economy, handling stability, …
Transmission fluid is the most commonly deferred fluid service on the average car, and the consequences of indefinitely deferred service are among the …