Under the Hood
The Under the Hood Channel explores the systems that make your car function correctly. Learn about car parts and systems and how to do routine maintenance.
10 Popular Car Modifications
10 Car Accessories That Could Be Dangerous
What makes certain car accessories unsafe (or even illegal)?
Modern Cars Are Kind of Boring. Why Is That?
Can car companies let known defects go without a recall?
Do car interiors turn toxic in the summer?
Making a Car Last for 300,000 Miles Is Totally Possible — Here's How
Are cars designed to fail at a certain point?
Will it hurt to spray electrical contact cleaner in an ignition?
What's the Fastest Car in the World?
Is Your Junk in the Trunk or the 'Frunk'?
The GM Car That Has No Steering Wheel or Pedals
The Long Strange History of License Plates in the U.S.
Do red cars get pulled over more often for speeding?
Are extended car warranties worth it?
8 Signs to Identify Bad Fuel Pump Symptoms
All You Need to Know About Bad Alternator vs Bad Battery
How to Diagnose and Fix a Brake Fluid Leak
Why the V Engine Remains a Top Choice for Car Enthusiasts
How Gas Compression-ignition Engines Work
Did cars ever have external combustion engines?
Diesel Isn't Always a Worse Polluter Than Gasoline
How Coal Rollers Work
How Much Air Pollution Comes From Cars?
10 Cold-weather Motorcycle Accessories
Is all motorcycle apparel made of leather?
What motorcycle accessories will help me stay cool?
How Laser-powered Headlights Work
How Air-Conditioned Seats Work
5 Useful Voice-activated Commands for Your Car
How to Avoid a 'Hurricane Car'
6 Automotive Parts You Can Easily Recycle
10 Places to Look for Classic Car Parts
How Does Vertical Acceleration Work?
How Car Suspensions Work
How Car Steering Works
How Differentials Work
Why the Stick Shift Is Going Extinct
Gas-powered vs. Electric Cars: Which Is Faster?
The Dirty Truth About How Often You Need Your Oil Changed
How to Replace Your Car's Alternator Belt
Is Your Car Road-trip Ready?
How Many Wheels Are in the World?
Why Do Tires Blow Out More in Summer?
Winter Tires Really Do Make a Difference in the White Stuff
How Automobile Ignition Systems Work
A Beginner's Guide to Ignition Coil Replacement?
Can your car tell you when the light's about to change?
Learn More / Page 3
There's nothing quite like the smell of a new car interior. It's not exactly a fresh scent, but it's definitely an unused scent. So what really causes that "new car smell"?
Henry Ford didn't just build cars — he totally revolutionized the process, inventing new systems and methods that are still in use today. But is everything you've heard about the man accurate?
Each year, auto manufacturers issue about 500 recalls. Most of them are small, inexpensive, easy to repair and not terrifying at all. These are not those recalls.
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It's arriving in bits and pieces, but there's a whole new world of automotive tech coming in the next decade. The future of self-driving cars has the potential to be pretty amazing.
In a truck pull competition, excessive clouds of diesel smoke are a byproduct of the truck's functionality. But coal rollers have taken this idea from the county fair to the public roads -- all in the name of making people angry.
Nissan, along with nanotechnology firm Nano Labs, has created an automotive paint that repels water and oil. Will it be an option on your next new car?
Nissan's Smart Rearview Mirror is the world's first LCD monitor that helps you see more clearly what is behind your vehicle when you're driving down the road.
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Audi's Project Traffic Light Online uses the Audi connect Online system to read the signals from a city's central traffic computer. Will this be the end of waiting at tedious traffic lights?
What if you could get snow tires mounted that offered good traction for most wintery days and, when the sleet hit the fan, could offer studded traction on the fly?
Google isn't content with simply syncing smartphones anymore -- the company wants to get its technology much deeper into the car. Will the Open Automotive Alliance be successful?
This robot may be a one-trick pony; but what it does, it does so well. It fills your fuel tank faster and better than you ever could, puny human.
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Motor mounts normally hold your car's engine firmly in place. But worn-out mounts allow a running engine to shift and bounce in all kinds of unpredictable, power-sapping ways.
There are plenty of great reasons to design a car with its engine in the front; however, the same can be said for placing the engine behind the driver. Does engine placement really matter?
Modern car and truck engines are typically efficient and powerful at the same time. But is there a relatively simple way to free-up some additional horsepower through the exhaust?
A cold air intake is one of those rare modifications that works pretty well on its own. But how much horsepower can you really expect to gain?
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Replacing your car's stock muffler with a performance muffler is a good idea -- that is, if it's a rusted-out mess and you need to replace it anyway. But will this mod actually increase horsepower?
If you're serious about increasing your car's horsepower -- and you have deep pockets -- your options are almost unlimited. But what can you do if you're on a tight budget?
Have the horses under your hood turned into mere ponies? If so, you and your four-banger may have a power problem on your hands. Here's how you can tell.
A supercharger is a considerable investment; however, it's also one of the best ways to improve the fun factor of driving your car or truck. How much additional horsepower should you expect?
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It seems like clearing out the exhaust as fast as possible would give you a bit of an edge over the competition. But does a dual exhaust system really improve your car's performance?
If you've ever watched a real pro in action, paintless dent removal appears deceptively simple. But is it really as easy as it looks?
There are so many dangerous, irresponsible and downright ridiculous things you can do to a car while "fixing" it that it was difficult to narrow this list down to just 10 examples.
How would you like to save $300 to $400 million on your annual fuel bill? The U.S. Navy is ready -- and they'll do it with rotating detonation engines.
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Modern cars and trucks can keep track of their own health. The problem often comes when they try to communicate their information to the driver. How does your car talk to you?
A sun visor's primary role in any car is pretty straightforward, right? But as far as automotive designers and aftermarket electronics manufacturers are concerned, anything can be improved.