BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 22, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Tires don’t last forever, and changing them restores performance and safety. Some people might replace tires too often, while others don’t do it often enough. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA), only 19 percent of people check and adjust tire pressure ...

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BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 17, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / The benefits of premium gas can be difficult to separate from the marketing hype that goes with it. Presented as the “top tier” fuel at your local filling station, it can often seem like a question of “good, better, best” when choosing ...

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BY MIKE HAGERTY / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 21, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / You step on the brakes one day and hear a squealing sound. And it’s not the tires — it’s the brakes themselves. That noise from the disc brakes is often caused by brake dust, and the answer is a good cleaning. Below are ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 13, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / We’ve all been there. You’re driving, when your low-fuel light comes on and you think, “I can get home; I’ll do it tomorrow.” Or maybe you decide to keep driving until you find cheap-enough gas. It makes sense, your car will continue ...

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BY MIKE HAGERTY / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 12, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / What happens when your timing belt breaks? I can answer that one firsthand. I was taking one of those flyover connector ramps that goes from one freeway to another when all of a sudden, there’s a lot of noise and no power. ...

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BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 16, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Chances are your classic car needs zinc oil additive to stay running strong. While the formulations of modern oils have changed, along with the innovations that keep the automotive industry moving forward, your older car’s specific lubrication requirements were frozen in time the day ...

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BY MATTHEW C. KEEGAN / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 28, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Engine misfiring is not something to dismiss. It points to a range of problems that, if left ignored, can lead to engine damage and serious repairs. What causes engine misfire? There’s no simple answer — several underlying issues could be responsible. ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 31, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / When our cars make unexpected noises, we get nervous. When it’s our brakes acting up, we get very nervous, and with good reason. The nature of brakes is such that they will make noises from time to time and in response to certain conditions, ...

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BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 29, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Is there a difference between summer oil and winter oil for your car or truck? The answer is a little more complicated than simply yes or no. Which oil you should put in your motor depends on the manufacturer specifications, how much ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 12, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Engines get so hot under normal driving conditions that there is an entire system dedicated to cooling them down. That’s because an engine overheating will cause problems and even complete engine failure. Instead of shelling out thousands of dollars and enduring a ...

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BY ERICH REICHERT / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Regardless of the type of vehicle you own, a blown head gasket ranks toward the top of the list of most-involved car repairs. Because of its complexity, you have to consider whether it’s worth doing or not. We’ve already examined the signs of ...

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BY NICOLE WAKELIN / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 20, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / More often than not, batteries die at the most inopportune times. Sometimes you get the usual warning signs for a weak car battery, like an engine that’s slow to turn over or an illuminated check engine light. Sometimes, though, you get ...

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