Auto Basics

Trying to navigate the car market can feel like walking into an auto showroom the size of a small planet. With so many types of cars rolling off production lines, understanding your options is key to picking the right set of wheels.

By Miles Norellin

Brakes! They’re one of the most important safety features in any vehicle. But how to check brake fluid — now that’s a question every driver should know the answer to.

By Zach Taras

Removing car window tint might seem like a tricky job, but with the right tools and patience, you can get it done yourself. Whether your tint film is bubbling, fading, or peeling, taking it off properly will prevent damage to your glass and give the car a fresh appearance.

Battery corrosion is a common problem that can prevent your car from functioning properly. Whether you're dealing with alkaline battery corrosion in a remote or car battery corrosion under the hood, knowing how to clean battery corrosion — and cleaning it promptly — is essential.

By Talon Homer

Over time, your vehicle's appearance can take a hit when foggy headlights start to develop. These cloudy or yellow headlights not only make your car look older but can also diminish nighttime visibility, creating a safety hazard. That's why learning how to clean headlights is so essential.

By Mack Hayden

All-electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, so it's easy to forget that old fashioned, gas-powered cars and trucks are still reliant on electric batteries for their operation. Easy to forget, that is, until those batteries die, either permanently or temporarily. So, it's only natural to ask: How long do car batteries last?

By Zach Taras

We have to get our car's regular oil changes and replace our car's tires. But how do we have to do routine maintenance on our car's transmissions?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Most car companies will rent to people aged 21 and up, but they'll charge big fees to do so. So how can you get around them? And which companies will rent to people over 18?

By Alia Hoyt

Is your car's deep black trim now a dingy gray? You can change that with a little elbow grease and a few hours of your time.

By Cherise Threewitt

Why is one road named I-5 while another is I-480? We take a closer look at the digits on those red, white and blue shield-shaped signs.

By Nathan Chandler

We're here to debunk the myth that matte finish paint is super- high maintenance. It just needs proper upkeep to truly shine.

By Cherise Threewitt

Is hotwiring a car as easy as it looks in those heist flicks? Yes and no. We'll explain.

By Cherise Threewitt

You might be a stickler about washing your car every week. But if you're not washing your car's undercarriage at least a few times a year, you may as well not wash your car at all.

By Cherise Threewitt

HowStuffWorks heads to Old Car City to check out owner Dean Lewis' incredible collection of classic junk cars and folk art, including thousands of pieces of Styrofoam cup art.

Don't let your mechanic fool you. Most late-model cars are super-advanced and don't require this service.

By Cherise Threewitt

Your new shoes aren't at their most comfortable until you break them in. Does the same hold true for your new car?

By Cherise Threewitt

The interior of your car is a breeding ground for bacteria. But it's your steering wheel that is the dirtiest surface around.

By Cherise Threewitt

Does anybody really need 19 cupholders in their car? Automakers seem to think so.

By Cherise Threewitt

You sure can, on many models. You just have to locate the right battery.

By Cherise Threewitt

Could this new technology prompt the country's toll authorities to all grow up, agree on a mutually beneficial business model and let drivers use one system across the board?

By Cherise Threewitt

Some people love to do it, others hate it, but washing your car could add years to its life.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler & Sascha Bos

Those irregular black tar drizzles that seem to scar the surfaces of roads aren't the result of haphazard work by a paving crew.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The "zipper system" of merging lanes of traffic cuts back on congestion and car crashes, but it also seems a lot like cheating to American drivers.

By Jesslyn Shields

When it comes to buying a used or second hand car, it is always "buyer beware." You never really know until you take a vehicle home if you've bought a solid and reliable car or if you've got a lemon on your hands. That said, there are some telltale signs you can look for that [...] The post 10 Signs The Car You Want To Buy Is A Lemon appeared first on Goliath.

By Jack Sackman

With the rising cost of car repairs, a growing number of people are taking matters into their own hands and fixing their vehicles themselves. They are helped by countless "do it yourself" videos posted on YouTube and other websites. While this makes sense in certain situations, it is not always advisable for people to repair [...] The post 10 Car Repairs You Should Never Do Yourself appeared first on Goliath.

By Jack Sackman