Get the latest auto industry news and car information

Your engine produces a ton of heat as it spins over. Alas, heat happens to also be the number one enemy of any engine. The oil and cooling system is charged with keeping the engine cool enough. Most people know to change their oil frequently, but few flush their coolant system.

How often should you change the coolant in your car? It depends on the make and model. A hard working engine like in a Mini Cooper needs changes done sooner. A Toyota Tacoma, on the other hand, can go a bit longer. Actually, Toyota owners are famous for never changing their coolant! Continue reading ‘Flushing Your Radiator and Coolant System’ »

If its your first time doing an under the hood job, finding what button in your car opens your hood can sometimes be difficult. Common reasons are it’s time for an oil change, the radiator needs some water, or maybe you need some more windshield wiper fluid. Usually you bring it into the mechanic to do this job, but this time you want to save some money and become a bit more independent. It’s going to be really hard to do this if you don’t know how to open the hood! Don’t worry though because it is in fact very easy to do and you will never forget once you find it.

There are two common places for a hood release to be located. If you own an old car, your hood release will probably be behind your bumper or grill. If you own a new car than your release should be located inside your car. Each car varies the exact location, but it should be located somewhere around your steering wheel or drivers seat. Sometimes it may be hidden unless you look from below. Continue reading ‘How to Open Your Car's Hood’ »

The modern car engine produces a lot of heat. Keeping your coolant system up to snuff is the key to not letting heat build up and destroy your engine. This is so important that you should be checking your coolant system as often as you do the oil. Of course, trying to avoid burning yourself is important as well.

I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but every so often I start to feel pretty good about myself like everyone does. Nothing corrects that like checking out the coolant system on my car. No matter how many times I’ve done it in the past, I just can’t seem to remember to take precautions to avoid burning myself. My fingers have looked like burned tortillas on a few occasions and, while humorous to a degree, it hurts! Continue reading ‘Checking Your Radiator Without Burning Yourself’ »

Long ago, car owners would just put straight water into the radiator of their cars. Water worked alright, but there was one problem. Well, actually two. The temperatures at which water froze and boiled were simply to close together. Driving on a hot summer day or trying to start you car on a cold winter morning could result in a host of problems. To overcome this, coolant was developed.

Coolant for the cooling system in your car comes under many brand names. Notwithstanding this, every product has one of two chemicals in it. The vast majority are comprised of 95 percent ethylene glycol. When you mix these products in a 50/50 mix with water in your car, you are effectively reducing the chance of a freeze or boil over. The ethylene glycol prevents the water from boiling or freezing at any temperature you are likely to run into. If you live in Siberia, however, all bets are off on the freezing problem! Continue reading ‘Coolant – Be Incredibly Careful When Storing It’ »