Auto Repair for Dummies

Jacket Description/Back:

• Perform routine repairs and maintenance
• Troubleshoot problems and handle roadside emergencies
• Save fuel and extend your car's life

Get the skills to maintain your car like a pro!

Want to handle basic auto repairs yourself? This easy-to-follow guide gives you the nuts and bolts of diagnosing trouble and performing maintenance and repairs on your vehicle. You'll explore each system and keep everything running in tiptop shape, including how to change coolant and oil, repair leaks, and check breaks. Along with learning about rollover protection, you will also discover how to utilize stability control. Plus, you'll see how to go green on the road--from recycling oil to choosing alternatively fueled vehicles.

Inside...

• An under-the-hood checklist
• Advice on using proper tools
• Techniques to extend car life
• Eco-friendly tips for saving fuel
• Illustrations to help with repairs
• Pros of alternative fuels
• Choose, check, and care for tires

Deanna Sclar is an acclaimed auto repair expert. She has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV shows, including NBC's Today show and the NBCNightly News. Sclar lectures internationally on the ecological impact of vehicles and is active in promoting residential solar energy programs. Sclar is also the author of Buying a Car For Dummies.

"... covers a wide range of topics... provides a lot of educational content that explains the main principles of how cars work." (Simple Motors.co.uk, December 2010)

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting to Know Your Vehicle 9

CHAPTER 1: Things Every Driver Should Know 11

CHAPTER 2: Preventive Maintenance: A Monthly Under-the-Hood Check 31

CHAPTER 3: The Way to Your Car's Heart Is through Your Toolbox 49

CHAPTER 4: What Makes It Go? The Inner Secrets of Your Car Revealed! 69

Part 2: Powering Up with Air, Fuel, and Fire 83

CHAPTER 5: The Electrical System: Your Car's Spark of Life 85

CHAPTER 6: Keeping Your Electrical System in Tune 103

CHAPTER 7: The Traditional Fuel System: The Heart and Lungs of Your Car 129

CHAPTER 8: Keeping Your Fuel System in Tune 149

CHAPTER 9: Diesels For Dummies 165

CHAPTER 10: From Horses to Hybrids: Alternatively Powered Vehicles 185

Part 3: Staying Cool and In Control 197

CHAPTER 11: The Cooling System Up Close 199

CHAPTER 12: Keeping Your Car from Getting Heartburn 207

CHAPTER 13: Oil: Keeping Your Car Young and Happy 239

CHAPTER 14: It's the Brakes! 257

CHAPTER 15: Be a Buddy to Your Brakes and Bearings 271

Part 4: Smoothing the Ride: Steering and Suspension, Tires and Transmissions 299

CHAPTER 16: Steering and Suspension Systems Smooth the Way 301

CHAPTER 17: How to Keep Your Car from Getting Sore Feet: Tires, Alignment, and Balancing 317

CHAPTER 18: Take the Drive Train: Understanding and Maintaining Your Transmission without Losing Your Mind 343

Part 5: Staying Safe and Dealing with Emergencies 367

CHAPTER 19: Staying Safe on the Road 369

CHAPTER 20: Troubleshooting Leaks, Squeaks, Smells, and Strange Sensations 395

CHAPTER 21: What to Do If Your Car Drops Dead or Won't Start 407

CHAPTER 22: When All Else Fails: Finding and Dealing with a Good Mechanic 419

Part 6: Helping Your Vehicle Look Its Best 439

CHAPTER 23: Keeping Your Vehicle Clean and Beautiful 441

CHAPTER 24: Bodywork: Getting Rid of Dings, Dents, and Other Hard Knocks 463

Part 7: The Part of Tens 479

CHAPTER 25: The Ten Most Important Preventive Maintenance Measures 481

CHAPTER 26: Ten "Eco-Logical" Ways to Save Fuel 487

Appendix A: A Practical Glossary of Automotive Terms 495

Appendix B: Specifications and Maintenance Records 527

Index 535

Auto Repair For Dummies, 2^nd Edition (9781119543619) was previously published as Auto Repair For Dummies, 2^nd Edition (9780764599026). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product.

The top-selling auto repair guide--400,000 copies sold--now extensively reorganized and updated

Forty-eight percent of U.S. households perform at least some automobile maintenance on their own, with women now accounting for one third of this $34 billion automotive do-it-yourself market. For new or would-be do-it-yourself mechanics, this illustrated how-to guide has long been a must and now it's even better. A complete reorganization now puts relevant repair and maintenance information directly after each automotive system overview, making it much easier to find hands-on fix-it instructions. Author Deanna Sclar has updated systems and repair information throughout, eliminating discussions of carburetors and adding coverage of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. She's also revised schedules for tune-ups and oil changes, included driving tips that can save on maintenance and repair costs, and added new advice on troubleshooting problems and determining when to call in a professional mechanic. For anyone who wants to save money on car repairs and maintenance, this book is the place to start.

Deanna Sclar (Long Beach, CA), an acclaimed auto repair expert and consumer advocate, has contributed to the Los Angeles Times and has been interviewed on the Today show, NBC Nightly News, and other television programs.