Savvy Guide to Car Maintenance And Repair - Softcover

Chase, Kate J.

9780790613215: Savvy Guide to Car Maintenance And Repair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0790613212 ISBN 13: 9780790613215

Publisher: Indy-Tech Pub, 2006

Has the technology in your car or truck passed you by? We hear mechanics talk about the "computer" in our car, and every visit to the service center requires a "diagnostic" check where our car is hooked up to a machine that somehow tells the mechanic what is wrong. While today’s cars rely heavily on computers and electronics to maintain a high level of performance and efficiency, there is still much that you can do when it comes to maintenance and repair of your car.

General maintenance and repair of your vehicle need not be an expensive or daunting task. A well-tuned car means better fuel mileage, a more comfortable ride, and the pride from "doing it yourself." Whether you are male or female, this book is written to help you perform the multitudes of tasks that you can perform, without the aid of a mechanic and his or her magic diagnostic contraption.

This book steps the reader through a tour of a vehicle’s major parts and connections, how to play car detective, and how to find out more information when needed. General maintenance and repair topics are covered, as well as good advice on when to seek professional help.

Topics addressed include:

Troubleshooting � Equipment Needs � Sample Repairs Maintenance � Selecting Equipment � Finding a Mechanic

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About the Author:

Kate J. Chase is a freelance journalist and reference book author based in Marshfiled, VT. As a writer and journalist, she’s found herself both occasionally either short on money for car repairs or replacement, and out in the middle of nowhere on assignment with a broken-down car.. Couple that with being a woman who’s occasionally gotten some incredibly "creative" estimates from repair shops and you have someone who’s learned how to do essential car repair and maintenance out of necessity. She brings to the topic the same savvy, intelligent "get control of your machine" approach Kate teaches her readers in her PC books.

Kate’s work has included articles in The New York Times and many other newspapers and magazines. She’s written hundreds of product reviews, help articles, and feature stories appearing online. She has also authored, contributed to, revised, or edited more than two dozen PC reference books including Buying Rx Drugs Online (Course Technology, 2005), Norton All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies (Wiley, 2005), PC Hardware and A+ Handbook (Microsoft Press, 2004), and PC Disaster and Recovery (Sybex, 2003).

The first step in working with your vehicle is simply to know more about it: the features, the kind of maintenance your make and model demands, and where you can find additional information to help you in your work. Considering we’re the people who spend the most time with our vehicles—that is, besides the "quality" time our wheels spend parked in a garage, driveway, parking lot, or on the street—it only seems appropriate that we should know them best. Indeed, we usually know what sounds and feels "normal" because we grow familiar with how they operate and respond. Yet the reality is that we often don’t know a lot about our vehicles beyond what we experience directly. While there are people who really look beneath the hood before they buy, they’re probably in the minority. And there may be even less incentive to peer beneath the hood once we’ve gotten that new purchase home. It’s when a problem hits that you can instantly feel transformed into a stranger in a strange and unwelcoming land. The more serious the problem, whether it’s a sudden and troublesome noise or that the darned thing won’t start, the greater that sense of unfamiliarity. You pop the hood, look within, and feel like you’re lost. So this first chapter is all about helping you get comfortable and familiar with your vehicle without being a mechanic. Once you have a basic sense of how things are supposed to look and run and connect, it’s going to become much easier to spot when something is off kilter. You’ll get a bonus here, too: a certain sense of confidence and control over this great beast you depend upon to get you where you want to go. REVIEWING YOUR OWNER’S MANUAL Way too many of us only look at our owner’s manuals twice: once when we buy the vehicle and again when we’re cleaning out the glove compartment because we’re about to sell the car or trade it in. This is a real shame when you stop to consider how much information can be found in the booklet. While few of us are going to find the manual a great read, it’s well worth your time to sit down with it and see what is there. A good owner’s manual usually includes the following: � Specific details about your model such as standard and special features � General warranty information and coverage � Proper maintenance techniques and recommendations for frequency and type (such as for antifreeze, oil, and other fluids) � Part numbers and/or types for frequently replaced parts such as headlights, bulbs, and fuses, as well as tire type and size � Warnings ("only use this type, not that type") � An area to record your maintenance and service information such as when you need to change the oil Going through Your Vehicle Using the Manual as a Guide Once you’ve reviewed your owner’s manual, it makes...

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