Do you know how to tell if your car’s tires have adequate tread wear? Watch this video for some helpful information. Read more

Let’s face it: If you drive a gasoline-powered car or truck, you’re not doing the environment any favors. Even as auto manufacturers design modern engines to run cleaner and with greater fuel efficiency, more cars on the road still means more pollution. However, the good news is there are still plenty of ways to reduce your carbon footprint behind the wheel. To tread further upon this topic, we spoke to Larry Moore of Larry’s AutoWorks, who gave five tips for being a more eco-conscious vehicle owner. Read more

A vehicle can fail a smog inspection for a variety of reasons, so it’s important to be prepared prior to your appointment. Here are five common issues to address:

1. Warm up your vehicle. Since a smog inspection requires a vehicle’s catalytic converter to be hot, a cool engine can result in an unwarranted test failure. That’s why it’s a good idea to drive your vehicle for at least 20 minutes before bringing it to a smog check facility. If you know your wait time will be more than 30 minutes, keep your engine running to make sure it stays warm. Read more

It’s easy to tune out news about automobile recalls—most aren’t serious, and they usually don’t apply to a vehicle you own. However, my ears perked up when my 2003 Toyota was among millions of cars being recalled. Vehicles of many different makes (Honda, BMW, Subaru, Mazda, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mitsubishi, Nissan) have Japanese-made airbags that could explode upon impact and injure drivers and passengers with flying shrapnel. That’s pretty scary. I called my local Toyota dealership right away to schedule the “fix” specified in the recall. The free repair was completed with minimal hassle earlier this year. Read more

The other day, I was about to hop in the back seat of my friend’s SUV, but I quickly changed my mind. The child safety seats—one for an infant and one for a preschooler—had been carefully installed and appeared to be permanently locked down.

Car seats have improved dramatically in both safety and design since they gained more widespread use in the ’70s. Today, most people know that young children should sit in the back of a car and use some kind of safety seat until they’re about 12 years old, depending on their weight. Read more

Automotive work is a multifaceted field that consists of many subdivisions, from manufacturing to engine repair. One important segment of the industry is auto body repair, which concerns aspects such as vehicle paint and collision repair. The following article contains useful information to help you get more acquainted with this part of the automotive field, including key terms, DIY tips and answers to frequently asked questions.

Key Terms

Chipping: Auto paint is said to “chip” when stones and other debris cause the colored paint finish to break off in small pieces. Auto body shops can buff out and refill chipped areas with matching paint to make the damage invisible. Read more

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s not surprising that our vehicles often get taken for granted. However, considering the vital role they play in our daily routines, ongoing vehicle maintenance should be a top priority. Fortunately, most aspects of maintenance are fairly simple and, in many cases, can be performed independently. Take a minute to review these car care tips from five Diamond Certified Expert Contributors. Read more