KNOW YOUR CAR

To protect what is probably the second-largest single investment
you’ll ever make, it is worth some effort to familiarize yourself with
the basic systems that make a car run. In this way, you should be able
to identify and correct problems before they become costly and pos-
sibly dangerous. But even when you cannot make a repair yourself,
your knowledge may help you get better service or lower repair
charges, or both, from a professional because the quality of info rma-
tion you are able to provide will help him in diagnosing the source of
the problem quickly and accurately. The aim of this chapter, then, is
to explain in non-technical language how a modern family car works.
Your car is composed of a variety of systems, each with many oper-
ating parts. Through normal usage, many of the 15,000 total parts in
your car gradually deteriorate. Some wear out sooner than others be-
cause they work harder (spark plugs, for example), while many can
last the lifetime of the car. The performance of each system, such as
brakes, steering, suspension, ignition, and carburetion, depends not
only on the condition of all of its own parts, but also on the proper
functioning of other related systems. If, for example, a hose breaks in
the cooling system, the overheating that results can damage the en-
gine, electrical, and lubrication systems. Fr safety’s sake, you should
become sensitive to the earliest warnings in each system and check
them out immediately.

As systems begin to fail, your driving attitude probably changes.
Most drivers tend unconsciously to adjust th~ir driving habits. When
the brakes show signs of going soft, do you begin to pump them? Or,
if the car is pulling to one side, are you correcting for it by steering
differently? Keep in mind that you are dealing with a potentially haz-
ardous condition that needs to be corrected by adjustments to the
car, not by adjusting your driving habits.

Some trouble signs are visible; others give warning through
changes in sound, sudden or gradual, or can be detected by the way
the car handles. After reading this chapter, you will be better able to
tune your senses to symptoms of failure and locate the problem. You
can then decide whether to do your own troubleshooting or to take
your car in for service, If you do nothing else, just following the regu-
lar maintenance procedures as prescribed in this website will not only
help you achieve maximum car performance and safety, but may also
spare you the expense of avoidable repairs.