The following
articles are derived from the Car Care
Council library
to help you better understand how to take care of your car.
Organized by
subject area, they include a word count and brief description.
If
you'd like to
suggest a topic, please contact info@carcare.org.
Appearance
High
Water
Headaches
While your vehicle may not have
been flooded or
completely covered in water, that doesn’t
necessarily mean that you
should not be concerned about water damage. If you
drove through
high water, there’s a chance that you may have
damaged your vehicle.
It all comes down to how much water the vehicle
took in and where it
reached.
Botox
For Your
Car?
Automotive upholstery
and interior repair shops, known as trim shops, can fix a
drooping headliner, replace worn carpeting, repair torn
upholstery and replace a weathered convertible top.
Rust:
A Nasty Four Letter-Word
How to
prevent rusting due to minor dings and scratches.
Your
Car Looks Like New.
What's Your
Secret?
Tips on the latest techniques to help keep
car looking
new.
A
Clean Car Is Cool
An
excellent car
washing guide, which includes advice on a few commercial
products that
make the job easier.
An
Automotive Gift for Mother's
Day? You
Bet!
Describes several non-traditional Mother's Day
gifts
from the
automotive industry. This type of unexpected, yet practical
gift may
be what Mom
really wants.
Dad's
"Automotive
Type" Helps
Decide Father's Day Gift
Whether your dad is a
do-it-yourselfer (DIY) or a Do-It-For-Me type (DIFM), consider
an automotive
gift for dad
this Father's Day.
"Bells
& Whistles"
Enhance
Considering the cost of trading in your vehicle
vs. investing in
enhancement
accessories, the latter decision may be a "no
brainer."
Proper
Washing And Waxing Add Value
To
Vehicle
More than one-third of car owners use damaging
non-automotive
products when
washing their cars-products that could contain harmful
detergents,
abrasives and additives. And almost half of motorists don't
ever wax their
vehicles.
Economy
Maintaining
Present Vehicle
May Make
Financial Sense
Although you may want to get rid of
your
present vehicle
in favor of a new car, taking better care of your current set
of wheels may
make much more sense in the long run-helping you achieve a goal
of financial
freedom.
147
Million Gallons
of Wasted Gas? It's a Drop in the Bucket
Loose gas
caps are among
many reasons for wasted fuel.
How
to Shop For A
Battery
Knowing the terminology of battery ratings helps in this
buying
decision.
Keeping
Your Leased Car or
Buying an
Off-Lease? Check It Out
An off-lease vehicle can be a
good
deal if you
know what you're getting into.
The
Road to
a
Long-Lasting
Automobile
Auto
technicians say the key to keeping vehicles running
well-today and
down the road-is routine maintenance.
Fuel
Savings
Tips as Gas Prices
Soar
With gas prices exceeding two dollars
a gallon in
many parts of the country, the Car Care Council is
offering
gas-saving maintenance and driving tips that really
work.
Stress
Management Works for
Holidays and Automobiles
Take care of your
car’s seasonal
services immediately and make plans to get ahead of
the game next
year. An early visit to your repair facility
provides the
opportunity to budget for unanticipated repairs.
Mechanical
Are
Dirty Cabin Air Filters
Preventing You
From Breathing Easily in Your Car?
During the hot
summer
months,
contaminants, such as pollen, dust, mold spores and smog, can
easily
enter a
vehicle's passenger compartment through the air conditioning,
heating
and ventilation
systems, making the air in the car six times dirtier than the
air
outside.
Bad
News: An Engine
"Totaled," Good
News: A Remanufactured Engine Ignoring warning lights can
lead to ruining
an engine. But don't be too quick to get rid of an
otherwise good
vehicle because the engine is shot. Here's good information
on other
options.
It's
All in the Timing
The timing
belt: what it is, what it does, why it should be replaced as
recommended and
what could happen if it should fail.
Drivetrain
Quiz
Drive train maintenance is the subject of this
multiple
choice quiz.
Material includes drive train components, including clutch, CV
joints,
etc.
Avoiding
a Stalled
Vehicle
A stalled car can cause a ripple effect that brings out the
worst in
drivers. Don't let your car put you in jeopardy.
Check
Your Cool Quotient
With a Cooling
System Quiz
This five-question, multiple choice quiz
will help you
brush up on your knowledge of your vehicle's cooling
system.
Hot
Weather the True
Culprit Behind
Car-Battery Trouble
Summer is the season for major
car-battery
problems. Heat, not cold, shortens battery life, says the Car
Care
Council.
Cold
Facts About A/C
Refrigerant
How did we ever
get along
without air
conditioning in our cars? It's a feature we take for granted
until,
suddenly, it's
blowing hot air.
Remanufacturing:
The Original
Recycling
Ten or 15 years ago, auto technicians would
rebuild
hard parts for customers right in the shop. Today,
that system
doesn't work, because consumers don't have time to
wait and don't
want to pay for the additional labor.
Remanufacturing now solves
these problems, and as such, it is one of the
largest product
categories in the automotive aftermarket.
Safety
Vehicle
Prep for
Daylight Savings Time
Proper vehicle
lighting will be vital
to safety when daylight-savings time ends on
October 26. To prepare
for fewer hours of daylight and the extra hours of
darkness, the Car
Care Council encourages motorists to take a few
minutes to inspect
their vehicles to ensure that all of the lights are
working
properly.
Replace
Wiper
Blades for
Safety
Why put up with worn wipers?
They're so easy to replace.
Does
"On the Road
Again" Mean "On
the Phone Again"?
A cell phone, like so
many other
things in a vehicle can be a life saver...or a dangerous
distraction.
Here are some points to consider.
Connecting Jumper Cables
This
article explains how to connect jumper cables safely.
Comprehensive
Pre-Trip
Checkup Can Pay
Off
This article explains why motorists whould give
their vehicle a
complete physical before a vacation trip. It includes the items
to check.
A
Change for the Better? Just Ask
Your
Brakes
Most motorists don't realize that contaminated
brake
fluid creates a
dangerous situation. System should be flushed and fluid changed
periodically.
Brake
Safety Compromised With
Contaminated
Brake Fluid
Brake fluid, which can become contaminated,
should be
replaced periodically as a safety measure.
For Safer Teen Drivers, Read
This Before
Handing Over The Keys
Here's valuable advice on
teaching young
drivers about preventive maintenance.
Consumers
Can Avoid Problems by
Watching for Warning Signs
When it comes to your car's
safety, brakes top the
list of systems
that need monitoring. However, many people are unaware of the
signs that
indicate a car's brakes may need maintenance or repair.
Spring
Showers
Bring Driving Safety
Hazards
Worn out tires and windshield wiper
blades are
symptoms of neglected vehicle maintenance that put
drivers and
passengers at serious risk during the typically
rainy months of
spring.
