The CarParts.com Research Team is composed of experienced automotive and tech writers working with (ASE)-certified automobile technicians and automotive journalists to bring up-to-date, helpful information to car owners in the US. Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust.
Summary When choosing the right tail lights, you should consider their light source and lens color. Halogen, incandescent, LED, and…
Summary Overall, all the brake pads and rotors in this list are a great upgrade from stock brake discs and…
Summary Over time, your vehicle’s body will inevitably end up scuffed and scarred. Good thing there are a number of…
Summary A child car seat protector keeps your seats safe from spilled milk, crumbs, and other messes, making it a…
Summary Whether it’s manually-adjusted, manual remotely-adjusted, power-adjusted, or power upper and manually-adjusted lower glass, car mirrors let you set their…
Summary In case of tire emergencies, you'll want to have a tire pressure gauge, a tire inflator, and a spare…
Summary There are hundreds of affordable upgrades in the market that won’t cost you thousands of dollars but are enough…
Summary Spanning approximately 2,400 miles, Route 66 takes you across eight states and three time zones. The drive usually begins…
Summary Mud flaps protect vehicles and pedestrians from potentially dangerous projectiles flung by a truck’s tires. Mud flaps for semi-trucks…
Summary Akebono Euro Ultra Series pads are probably the easiest to recommend if you want a brake pad that does…
Summary Investing in a high-quality bike rack, cargo ramp, and cargo mat can make transporting your bike easier. With your…
Summary Sedans generally don’t have windshield wipers on their rear windshields. Some of the reasons for not putting a rear…
Summary The seat is the part of the lug nut that sits flush against the wheel surface. Different wheels have…
Summary TPMS sensor batteries aren’t designed to be replaced. A layer of potting material seals the battery and other electronic…
Summary The car engine cover is a part that covers the engine. Some engine covers have the air filter built…
Summary Tire-balancing beads are small tempered glass beads that are poured inside a tire. They settle in an appropriate position…
Summary Polyurethane bushings keep the metal parts in your vehicle from wearing down too much as they rub against each…
Summary Some believe that torque converters don’t need flushing. They claim that dirty transmission fluid actually improves the transmission’s grip…
Summary UV leak detection injects refrigerant dye into the A/C to locate refrigerant leaks. Electronic leak detection uses a sniffer…
Summary When a tire starts to show its wire bead, it’s either been damaged or driven past its expected lifespan.…
Summary Highway Assistant is a driver assistance system in BMW vehicles. It uses radars, cameras, and sensors to feed information…
Summary Bidirectional charging occurs when energy is sent in both directions. When plugged into a power source, the EV battery…
Summary The frunk is the EV’s front storage space. The term frunk is a portmanteau of the words front and…
Summary Like its American counterpart, European motor oil is distilled and processed with various additives to make it suitable for…
Summary Spraying gasket remover on the gasket surface can make removing caked-on gasket and adhesive easier. Specific instructions can vary…
Summary Anti-seize lubricant is a compound that prevents seizing, galling, and corrosion. Copper anti-seize lubricant is suitable for extremely high…
Summary Power brakes use brake boosters to take the force you apply to your brake pedal and amplify it as…
Summary You don’t have to run your diesel car every day. Most modern diesel vehicles are equipped with common rail…
Summary A car manufacturer buyback is when an automobile manufacturer repurchases a car from the owner. There are two types…
Summary Use either brake cleaner or soapy water to clean the drum brakes. Always apply brake lubricant to the drum…
Summary The transfer case position sensor is a component that communicates the transfer case’s position to the vehicle’s computer. Your…
Summary You shouldn’t overfill your coolant reservoir. Doing so will cause the cooling system to push the coolant out of…
Summary Fuel injector cleaners remove carbon buildup and other debris from fuel injectors. Buying the correct fuel injector cleaner, taking…
Summary EMI stands for electromagnetic interference, and RFI stands for radio frequency interference.EMI and RFI can interfere with electrical parts…
Summary Routing a wiring harness can be a complicated task because there can be up to 5,000 feet of wires…
Summary Mild hybrid systems rely on a battery-powered, low-output electric motor to start, brake, and slow the vehicle. The motor…
Summary Also known as battery refurbishing, battery reconditioning is the process of cleaning sulfate crystals from the battery plates and…
Summary EVs can handle shallow bodies of water just like gasoline and diesel vehicles.Electric cars have features like a robust…
Summary An exhaust header gives an engine longer and wider pipes. These pipes reduce engine back pressure and create a…
Summary You can use a spare tire mount to mount the tire onto your vehicle instead of storing it in…
Summary Not all traffic lights have built-in sensors. Some operate using a built-in timer that switches the traffic light according…
Summary Cigarette burns can damage your car’s upholstery, but you can fix the burned parts. Fabric, leather, and vinyl seat…
Summary Using epoxy and plastic welding are two of the most common ways to fix broken plastic automotive trims. Before…
Summary To inspect your coolant hoses, let your engine warm first. Then, you can perform a squeeze test and visually…
Summary You need a trim removal tool, a pry tool, and a screwdriver to replace a faulty power seat switch.The…
Summary Over time, the defrost door actuator in your car’s air conditioning system can fail. If the actuator is electric,…
Summary As a battery ages, it begins to discharge in a chemical process called sulfation. A discharged battery takes longer…
Summary While the exact design can vary depending on your car’s year, make, and model, most brake lights are red…
Summary Hydraulic brake conversion replaces mechanical brakes with more modern and efficient hydraulic brakes.You’ll need a hydraulic brake conversion kit…
Summary A crank handle is attached using a metal retainer clip that latches onto the crank handle and a notch…
Summary A faulty tail light is a non-moving violation and a ticketable offense.To change the bulb sockets, you'll have to…
Looking to tackle a brake pad replacement? You're in luck! You can get a quick walkthrough of the process with…
Summary When it comes to buying gear for a summer cookout, it’s important to buy accessories that increase cargo space.…
Summary If you’re interested in drastically improving your vehicle’s acceleration and power, tuning your engine can improve its performance without…
Everybody loves a good blockbuster. From cult classics like Jaws to modern cultural phenomena like Barbenheimer, films have touched the…
Summary An overloaded roof rack can seriously damage your vehicle if it rips off the roof or spills onto the…
Summary Proactive Driving Assist (PDA) proactively adjusts the vehicle’s speed, steering, and other factors to prevent potential collisions during certain…
Summary Switch your hybrid to the appropriate driving mode, such as EV mode for quick trips and Eco mode on…
Summary Setting your gear shifter in the correct position before turning off the vehicle is critical. If you’re driving an…
Summary Popularized in the 1950s, air suspension systems use air instead of springs to cushion the vibrations that jostle a…
Summary To fix an oil filter housing leak, it’s best to prepare the necessary tools first, check the engine oil…
Summary A receiver hitch lock is a pin with one or two locks on one or both ends.A receiver hitch…
Summary A drop hitch receiver or drop hitch is a piece of equipment that allows trucks or SUVs to mount…
Summary Brake rivet tools help remove and install the rivets that hold down the brake lining to the brake.Brake rivet…
Summary Limp mode shuts down non-essential systems and slows down the vehicle to prevent further damage. You can still get…
Summary Turning your ride into your favorite iconic car is possible with the right parts and accessories. The pink Corvette…
Summary An exhaust header wrap helps retain the heat in the exhaust system, boosting engine efficiency and performance. The benefits…
Summary Tire feathering is when the tire develops diagonal wear patterns across the tread ribs.Issues that can cause tire feathering…
Summary The oil drain plug threads into a hole at the lowest point of the engine oil pan so that…
Summary Anti-seize is a kind of lubricant that can be applied to various components like spark plugs, bolts, and flanges…
Summary AC flush kits are used to flush out contaminants and debris in the air conditioning system. AC flushing is…
Summary Satellite radio is a digital broadcast that transmits signals over a larger area using satellites orbiting Earth.The two biggest…
Summary Exhaust gaskets prevent leaks and ensure gas flows through the catalytic converter. They can withstand extreme pressure and temperatures.…
Summary Checking tire pressure without a tire gauge is not recommended. It should only be considered in the rare scenario…
Summary Quad exhaust pipes are an exhaust tip setup with four tips. A quad exhaust improves the appearance of your…
Summary A brake master cylinder with internal leaks is the most common culprit for a sinking brake pedal, particularly if…
Summary Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer tongue exerts on the tow vehicle’s hitch. In other words, it’s…
Summary In a brake-by-wire system, there’s no mechanical component connecting the brake pedal to the brakes themselves. Instead, these systems…
Summary Wheel weights are small weights that balance the wheel and tire assemblies. The two types of wheel weights are…
Summary Brake fluid’s effect on car paint is very similar to paint thinner. It’ll eat away your paint and expose…
Summary Cross-threading occurs when a bolt’s threads become misaligned during installation, leading to the bolt not screwing into place as…
Summary To fix a temperature gauge that isn’t working, you have to take the necessary safety noprecautions, prepare all your…
Summary If you don't have a square plug socket, you can try using an open-ended wrench or a 12-point socket…
Summary The most common and important maintenance task for track vehicles is an oil change. Track vehicles typically require more…
Summary A reverse brake bleeder is a specialized tool that generates the brake bleeding pressure needed to push brake fluid…
Summary The caliper bracket is the cage in which the caliper is encased and is bolted to the spindle with…
Summary Worm gear clamps are metal band clamps that have a helical-threaded screw called the captive screw that lets you…
Summary If your car won’t take gas at the pump, there might be something wrong with the EVAP system. Other…
Summary Spark plugs create the spark that ignites the air-fuel mixture. Spark plugs are usually pretreated with anti-seize additives before…
Summary Cargo space, engine size, seating capacity, and roof quality are some of the factors you should consider before purchasing…
Summary A car’s paint condition can give you an idea of whether it was involved in a collision or if…
Summary Homologation is a certification process conducted on vehicles to verify whether or not they meet the standards for sale.…
Summary The power-to-weight ratio of a vehicle refers to how much power it has relative to its weight.In terms of…
Summary Some factors to consider while shopping for a bike rack include the number of bikes you want to transport,…
Search car repairs based on level of difficulty. Find accurate repair resources, whether you're a beginner, seasoned DIYer, or someone…
Summary Flat-bottom steering wheels have a bottom part that is flat rather than curved. The benefits of flat-bottom steering wheels…
Summary Tires are made of natural and synthetic rubber, steel, textiles, fillers, and other ingredients. Rubber possesses traction, cost-effectiveness, and…
Summary Fuel efficiency is the main reason why diesel is used in semi trucks. A liter of diesel has more…
Summary Steer-by-wire cars don’t have a mechanical connection between their steering wheel and their wheels, instead relying on sensors to…
Summary Stay safe when you check the oil pressure manually by organizing your tools and wearing protective gear. You’ll need…