BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / With so many parts hiding inside today’s drum brakes, replacing them is not for the faint of heart. Dealership technicians probably work on drum brakes at least once a week, and brake specialists probably more than once a day. After years in ...

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BY MATTHEW C. KEEGAN / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 28, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / A puddle on the garage floor may be your first clue that something is wrong with your car. Indeed, car leaking can point to a significant problem, leading to an extensive repair. Before you panic, though, you need to determine what ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 8, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Routine oil changes are an essential part of keeping your engine happy and healthy. However, as manufacturers look to reduce costs and weight, more drain plugs are made of soft metals like aluminum that strip easily if you or your mechanic aren’t ...

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BY MATTHEW C. KEEGAN / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 27, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Brakes are one component that you may not give much thought to until they begin to squeal, grind or squeak. Such noises indicate that your brake system needs attention and shouldn’t be ignored. Brakes sticking is another problem not to dismiss ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 3, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Properly maintaining your car or truck’s tire pressure is a quick and easy task that pays off big time in the long run. Beyond promoting optimum fuel economy, it is of the utmost importance to ensure that your tires wear as they should, resist ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED OCTOBER 20, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / You depend on your car to get you where you need to go, so when it doesn’t start, it can be a pretty big problem. There are a number of reasons why this might happen, but one of the most common is ...

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BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / You probably wash your car regularly. Some people wash and wax weekly — even do interior detailing — but many forget the engine. After all, it’s out of sight and out of mind. Before picking up a pressure washer and just blasting away at the ...

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BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 24, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / For decades, DIYers and professionals alike have been accustomed to checking automotive fluid levels with a dipstick — a long plastic or metal rod with notches or other graduations on it. They measure anywhere from a couple of inches to several feet long. ...

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BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 23, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Your engine’s accessory drive belt is tasked with a lot of responsibility. Not only does it have to connect several spinning pulleys at the front of your motor and keep them moving quickly enough to power important components like the alternator, the water pump ...

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BY BENJAMIN HUNTING / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AUGUST 3, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Learning how to fill a windshield chip yourself can save you the hassle of having your windshield replaced and insurance premiums raised. While long cracks and spidery impact craters typically indicate that the glass has to be changed, almost every other type of ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 21, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / So, you accidentally put coolant down the oil neck, did you? Don’t kick yourself too hard, it happens. Mixing antifreeze in oil is not something your car appreciates, but it’s not an outright disaster. In any case, there are certainly worse things ...

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BY BLAIR LAMPE / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 3, 2017 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / If you’ve ever thought that your car performance suffers a little as the weather warms up, don’t worry — you aren’t crazy. Temperature affects your engine in all sorts of ways, large and small. Your car is designed to manage most temperature ...

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