If you're like most modern drivers, you actually know very little about the automobile that you drive. The days of people working on their own cars are pretty much over, thanks to computerized systems that require specialized equipment, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a basic understanding of how your car runs and what you need to look out for so you can get it to the repair shop before you find yourself stranded by the side of the road.

It is important to have good brakes on your car so you can stop and avoid accidents. If you want to avoid serious failures and accidents, it is important that you do regular routine brake maintenance to ensure your brakes stop your car when needed. The following tips will help with brake maintenance to prevent problems that lead to accidents. 1. Occasionally Checking Fluid Levels to Ensure Brakes Are Not Leaking

When you own a vehicle, at some point you'll have to purchase new tires for it. This doesn't have to be as hard as it seems, even if you're not familiar with automotive parts. These tips will help you make the proper selection with relative ease:  Have Current Tires Inspected First  Before you dive headfirst into this automotive purchase, it's worth having the current tires on your vehicle inspected. After all, you may still be able to get some miles out of them and hold off on this purchase, at least temporarily.

Taking care of transmission repair work is essential to keeping your car on the road. Detecting whether an auto transmission repair job is in your near future, though, can be difficult. Transmission problems may slowly sneak up on folks. By monitoring your ride's behavior, you can spot these three issues and get out in front of any possible trouble. Red Fluid on the Ground Transmission fluid has a dark red color to it, and it can drip out from the transmission system onto the ground.

In many cases, the transmission system will make strange noises when it experiences damage or extreme wear and tear. The following are some of the specific causes of auto transmission noises. Low or Stale ATF One of the major functions of the auto transmission fluid (ATF) is to lubricate various parts of the transmission system. Since most parts of the transmission system are mostly metal, lack of lubrication is dangerous because it accelerates wear and tear and also impairs movements of mechanical parts.

The indicator lights of your car's dashboard can tell you a lot about the maintenance needs and problems of your car. They are often called dummy lights but understanding them is a smart thing to do. Sometimes, the light may only be telling you that it is time to have your car serviced before problems do develop. The following details for dummy lights will help you know what those lights mean and what needs to be done:

Without good brakes, a car is just a powerful death trap, flying at speed towards the various other vehicles and obstructions on the road. And yet, many car owners do not know much about brake maintenance and brake repairs. In this case, education is about more than keeping your car in good shape -- it's also about keeping yourself safe. The following are some frequently asked questions about brake maintenance and brake repairs, along with their answers.

Keeping up with routine maintenance on your vehicle is an effective way to make it last for a long time and provide you with a smooth vehicle ownership experience. Regular oil changes, performed at a frequency recommended in your car's owners manual, will help keep your car running well. In most cases, getting an oil change is not the only thing that you should do to make sure that your vehicle does not have any problems on the road.