Author Archives: jrsamples
Flaunting Safety Recalls
Sometimes safety recalls happen because an automaker finds a problem. Sometimes a recall is ordered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which keeps detailed records of consumer automotive complaints. The recalls might be major safety concerns — … Continue reading
Ignoring Warning Lights
Warning lights are kind of like the little boy who cried wolf — you know you need an oil change, but that check engine light comes on all the time, right? The sad truth is this: It’s pretty easy … Continue reading
Forgetting to Tighten the Oil Filter
It comes right on the heels of similar advice, but still, we can’t emphasize this enough: If your engine isn’t circulating the proper amount of oil, it won’t be long before you’re calling for a tow truck. Mike Allen, … Continue reading
Forgetting to Replace Drained Fluids
Fluids have a lot of purpose in a car — and believe it or not, most of them are equally as important as gasoline. True, without fuel, you’re not going anywhere … but that’s probably the worst that’ll happen (assuming … Continue reading
Forgetting to Torque the Lug Nuts
Even though Popular Mechanics has this handy tutorial that explains how to achieve the proper amount of force for lug nuts, don’t let that intimidate you. If you managed to change out a wheel (or rotate all four corners) without … Continue reading
Sloppy Lube Job During Brake Repair
Even though brake jobs typically aren’t (strictly speaking) all that difficult, a lot of amateur mechanics like to hire a pro for this kind of work. And it’s understandable. Screwing up a brake job can have pretty serious consequences, … Continue reading
Assuming Bald Tires will last a bit Longer
It’s always tempting to try to squeeze a few more miles out of your rubber, but it’s certainly not wise. You need to give your car what it needs to maintain proper contact with the road. Think of all you … Continue reading
Haphazard Electric Work
You wouldn’t tackle a wiring project in your house without turning off the power at the source and then double-checking at the site of the problem, right? (Well, let’s hope you wouldn’t, anyway.) Same thing with your car. A little … Continue reading
Attempting a Jump Start Without Really Knowing How
Putting jumper cables in your trunk doesn’t mean you automatically know how to jump-start a car, but at least you did it before your battery died, right? But if you don’t use jumper cables properly, you can fry your car … Continue reading
Roaming Around with Burned-out Lights
Compared to most other car maintenance, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to replace light bulbs. So do it. You should know pretty quickly if your headlights or high beams burn out since you won’t be able to see, and the … Continue reading