Synopses & Reviews
Most of us don’t know the first thing about the machines we’re licensed to drive – and this can turn a ticket to freedom into a ticket to trouble. If you’re like most people, you probably tend to drive around until something goes wrong with the car. You then incur the expense of replacing worn and burnt-out parts (or the entire engine) when low-cost, regular maintenance could have kept your wheels turning for a long time.
Auto Repair For Dummies is indispensable for anyone who is tired of nodding and smiling at the incomprehensible mutterings of your mechanic, only to end up shelling out money for repairs that you neither fully understand nor always need. This easy-to-understand guide is also for you if you
- Don't have the vaguest idea of how a car works.
- Can't identify anything you see under the hood of your vehicle.
- Are tired of other people assuming (especially if you’re a teenager or a woman) that you aren’t capable of handling repairs yourself.
- Don't want to feel helpless in an emergency.
- Are tired of being ripped off because of your own ignorance.
This book shows you how your car works; what it needs in the way of tender loving care; and how to keep from being overcharged if you need to entrust repairs to someone else. Auto Repair For Dummies also gives you the scoop on these topics and more:
- What makes your vehicle go (and how and why)
- A program of "preventive medicine" to avoid trouble
- Shopping for tools and knowing how to use them
- Diesel engines and alternatively powered cars
- How to keep your car looking its best
- Dealing with on-road emergencies
- Checking your tires, alignment, and steering
By handling the simple maintenance and tune-ups and being able to diagnose trouble and perform the less complex repairs yourself, you’ll save some serious money. Once you break the ice (or crack open the hood), the heady sense of power will carry you through basic car repair and maintenance with confidence and ease.
Synopsis
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.
Synopsis
Praise for Deanna Sclar's
Auto Repair For Dummies"Takes the fear out of do-it-yourself auto maintenance" —Detroit Free Press
"One of the clearest, most complete books on do-it-yourself car repairs and maintenance on the market." —Family Circle
"Sclar stresses preventative medicine for the automotive patient...with the bedside manner that any physician would envy." —Dalls Morning News
The classic guide, now completely revised and updated — over 750,000 copies of previous editions sold!
250 illustrations show you how things work
Your money-saving guide to maintenance and repair
Keep your wheels on the road and out of the shop with this friendly guide to auto care. In plain and simple language, Deanna Sclar dispels the mysteries lurking under the hood by explaining every auto system — and shows you step by step how to diagnose problems, make uncomplicated repairs, and perform routine maintenance.
Discover how to:
- Keep your vehicle purring with routine maintenance
- Troubleshoot typical problems
- Remove small dings, dents, and rust breakdowns
- Avoid getting confused by automotive jargon
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Synopsis
This new edition of the highly successful Auto Repair For Dummies adds more focus on fuel injection systems and removes increasingly obsolete information about carburetors. This up-to-date edition also adds coverage of hybrid cars and other alternatively fueled vehicles. A major reorganization will put repair advice in a separate chapter immediately following general information about each system to keep like information closer together. Other new information includes troubleshooting problems that need an authorized mechanic and updated schedules for things like tune-ups and oil changes.
Synopsis
Get the confidence and know-how you need to fix and maintain your vehicle 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 simple maintenance and repairs on your vehicle. You'll explore each system part by part and keep everything running in tiptop shape. Plus, you'll see how to go green on the road from recycling oil and parts to choosing alternatively fueled vehicles.
Get to know your vehicle understand automotive systems; check under the hood; change a tire; follow basic safety rules; change spark plugs, fuses, and the battery; and replace the air filter and PCV valve
Keep cool and in control add and change coolant, find and repair leaks, change the oil, and check brakes
Ensure a smooth ride choose, check, and care for tires; and understand balancing and alignment
Handle emergencies identify strange sounds and smells, jump-start your car, handle overheating, and more
Work with a mechanic find a reliable service facility, describe problems accurately, and get the best deal
Extend your vehicle's value clean it inside and out, touch up paint, and fix dings and dents
Stay safe on the road install child seats properly; learn about rollover protection, traction and stability control, and navigation systems; and more
Open the book and find:
The inner secrets of your vehicle what makes it start, run, and stop
A step-by-step under-the-hood checklist
Advice on buying and using the proper tools
Driving techniques to extend the life of your car
Eco-friendly tips for saving fuel
Helpful illustrations that demonstrate repairs
Reproducible Specifications and Maintenance Records
The pros and cons of alternative fuels and vehicles
About the Author
Deanna Sclar is an acclaimed auto repair expert and consumer advocate. She has appeared on NBC's Today show and NBC Nightly News and is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Part I: Getting Started.
Chapter 1: Things Every Driver Should Know.
Chapter 2: The Way to Your Car's Heart Is through Your Toolbox.
Chapter 3: Preventive Maintenance: A Monthly Under-the-Hood Check.
Part II: What Makes It Go?
Chapter 4: The Inner Secrets of Your Car Revealed.
Chapter 5: The Electrical System: Your Car's Spark of Life.
Chapter 6: The Fuel System: The Heart and Lungs of Your Car.
Chapter 7: From Horses to Hybrids: The Dope on Diesels and Alternatively Powered Vehicles.
Chapter 8: The Cooling System Up Close.
Chapter 9: Take the Drive Train: Understanding Transmissions without Losing Your Mind
Chapter 10: It's the Brakes!
Chapter 11: Steering and Suspension Systems Smooth the Way.
Part III: Keeping Your Car in Good Condition, System by System.
Chapter 12: Keeping Your Electrical System in Tune.
Chapter 13: Keeping Your Fuel System in Tune.
Chapter 14: Keeping Your Car from Getting Heartburn.
Chapter 15: Changing Your Oil.
Chapter 16: Lubrication Extends the Life of Your Vehicle.
Chapter 17: What to Do If Your Transmission Stops Running.
Chapter 18: Smoothly Being a Buddy to Your Brakes and Bearing.
Chapter 19: Checking Your Tires, Alignment, and Steering.
Part IV: Dealing with On-the-Road Emergencies.
Chapter 20: Troubleshooting Leaks, Squeaks, Smells, and Strange Sensations.
Chapter 21: What to Do If Your Car Drops Dead or Won't Start.
Chapter 22: When All Else Fails: Finding and Dealing with a Good Mechanic.
Part V: Helping Your Vehicle Look Its Best.
Chapter 23: Keeping Your Car Clean and Beautiful.
Chapter 24: Getting Rid of Dings, Dents, and Other Hard Knocks.
Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 25: The Ten Most Important Preventive Maintenance Measure.
Chapter 26: Measures Ten "Eco-Logical" Ways to Save Fuel.
Appendix A: A Practical Glossary of Automotive Terms.
Appendix B: Specifications and Maintenance Records.
Index.
Book Registration Information.