But rather than a distinct and single part, the strut is actually an integrated assembly of components that handle the support and suspension of the vehicle together – often at the critical front end. The strut holds up the great weight of the engine and provides a smooth response to any irregularities in the road. It’s equipped with an internal shock absorber to dampen the rebound force of the spring under weight, preventing the car from effectively throwing itself off the road.

The entire assembly is structurally integrated into the overall car, as it connects the upper bearing to a ball joint below. This allows the wheel assembly to pivot when the steering is activated. But although it was originally hailed as a masterpiece of simplicity in addressing complex mechanical problems, the integrated nature of the strut can cause just as many problems when the time comes for servicing.

And servicing it will need, as it takes the lion’s share of the force involved in the bumps and bashes of driving. Try to have your struts checked at least annually by a qualified mechanic – doing it yourself can be seriously risky unless you have plenty of experience working as a mechanic. Some websites offer illustrated guides that can be helpful, but it’s also recommended to combine strut checks with wheel alignments, which you definitely can’t do at home!

Small repairs may be made by mechanics who will replace the elements around the spring using a specialized tool called a spring compressor. But more often, for convenience and for more comprehensive repairs, they’ll replace the entire setup. New strut suspension units are designed to wear out, as do the shocks, making replacement a safer and more convenient bet. The advantage is also keenly felt in savings on labor in the quality of your ride.

As for signs that your struts are wearing out, unfortunately, it can be difficult to notice the differences in handling as the carriage elements of your struts wear down. However, some things to watch out for include:

* Bouncing excessively
* Bottoming out
* Unusual rocking
* Drifting or weaving on the road
* Nose-diving action
* Rocking and side-swaying

If these signs do pop up and you realize it’s time for service, be prepared for several other problems to be ‘outed’ in the process. Worn strut elements usually go hand in hand with other parts of your suspension and steering assembly. Because elements of the struts involve plenty of work to take apart and replace, it’s often a good idea to replace not only the strut assembly, but other suspension elements, such as the coil springs, in order to save on labor in the long run.

You probably already understand the basics of the internal combustion engine. A mixture of gasoline and air is sucked into a cylinder, where it is compressed and ignited. The resulting explosion – where the combustion part of the equation comes into play –forces the piston down. The motion of the piston moving downward creates the energy that ultimately drives the car.

Now let’s go back to that engine. When the car engine was first conceived, it was made from a single block of steel. All of the cylinders were drilled into it and the pistons and their associated machinery were attached at the bottom. The combustion or explosion took place at the top of the cylinder. The problem was that all of those combustions – being explosions, after all – could sometimes cause cracks in the steel of this original engine block design.

When the block was cracked, your car essentially became useless – that is, unless you wanted to replace the entire engine, which was both complicated and expensive. It had to be very frustrating to have such a small problem lead to such a huge repair, particularly when a crack typically affected only one of the cylinders.

Somewhere along the line, a bright engineer came up with the idea of separating the engine into two parts. The bottom of the block – still called an engine block – is pretty much the same. It’s still composed of the bottom of the cylinders, where the pistons and all of their associated machinery connect. The top of the engine – now called the cylinder head – is a separate piece of steel, sometimes two in a eight cylinder engine. Now, if the combustions cause cracks, they’re limited to the cylinder head. It’s still expensive to replace, but it’s more affordable and less complicated than replacing the entire engine.

Clearly, these two parts of the engine – the engine block and the cylinder head – have to fit together perfectly and form a vacuum, or else the engine won’t work. The seal that comes between those two parts of the engine is the head gasket.

A head gasket is very different from the gasket you may be most familiar with, which is likely the gasket on your refrigerator that creates the seal between the door and the refrigerator body. For one thing, the head gasket is usually made up of layers of materials, rather than just one type of rubber composite. The head gasket has to be strong enough to withstand the heat and pressure of the engine, yet flexible enough to allow a good seal to develop when the parts of the engine are fastened together.

The signs of a failed head gasket are different, depending on where the failure happens. The most common signs are an engine that runs rough, white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe or blue smoke blowing from the air conditioning vents. If any of these events occur, it’s time to have your car towed to your local mechanic for repairs before your entire engine is shot.

The documentation you’ll be required to provide will vary from state to state. At a minimum, you should be able to produce your bill of sale for the vehicle. Most states will probably also want you to have a title for the vehicle or the paperwork to request a title. Some states will also want you to show proof of insurance, although some will accept a binder. You’ll likely also be asked to provide some proof of your identity. Some states will accept your valid driver’s license, while others may need two forms of identification and/or a copy of your birth certificate. You may also need something that shows proof of residency. Again, there’s no way to know exactly what you’ll need until you contact your local authorities.

If you buy your vehicle at an automobile dealership, they may take care of the registration process for you, or they. If they do handle the registration process, expect them to charge you for the processing fees and for their time as well. You can save money by doing the registration yourself, but many people take advantage of this service to avoid having to deal with long waits and inconvenient DMV hours.

In addition, some states have different requirements for vehicles which are leased, vehicles which have been imported from another country and for persons in the military. Your local authorities will be happy to help you understand any special circumstance which may apply to you.

When you contact your local office, they should also be able to tell you what kinds of fees you’ll be expected to pay and what forms of payment they accept. Some offices will accept personal checks, debit cards or credit cards, while others will only accept cash or certified funds. To save yourself from having to make a second trip, find out what forms of payment are accepted ahead of time and carry a little extra cash with you when you go in.

If you are registering your vehicle in the name of a business, the paperwork you’ll be required to provide will vary. Again, talk with your local office ahead of time to find out what you need to bring with you.

Finally, most states require some form of statement regarding the mileage of the car and the state of the odometer – i.e., is the odometer reading accurate and if not why? There may be a section on the title for the seller to complete or an affidavit or special form may be required. This information and any forms you require can be found on your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles website.

Basically, a clutch is the device that lets you change gears without your transmission falling out of your car into the middle of the road. Seriously. Use that clutch improperly and large, expensive pieces of your car will shudder in the grip of certain death and propel themselves six feet away from you car, with no heed for other the vehicles that might be occupying that space.

When the motor turns the wheels, the motor isn’t attached directly to the wheels. The energy is transmitted to the wheels by the transmission. Back when cars were first being designed, engineers discovered that having the wheels connected directly to the engine was a bad idea. When you had to go up or down hills, for example, it was very hard on the engine. Imagine riding a bicycle down a steep hill without coasting – imagine you have to keep your feet on the pedals and use the force of your legs to keep the wheels turning at a constant speed. Chances are, you couldn’t do it – you’d have to take your feet off the pedals.

The car equivalent in this analogy is something known as blown rods, which occurs when your pistons break free and are tempted to take flight right through the hood of your car. This was – in a word – bad.

Fortunately, engineers came up with the transmission to solve this problem. They did this through the magic of something called the gear ratio. To give you a short course in mechanical engineering, gear ratios allow you to have gears moving at different speeds but all playing nicely together. You could have a fast moving gear attached to a slow moving gear, attached to another fast moving gear, and they’re all going to work happily together.

Cars needed to move at different speeds at different times, sometimes in quick succession. Consequently, the gear ratios of transmissions quickly developed into 1, 2, and 3 – first, second, and third gears.

First gear allows the car to move slowly, but it’s a powerful gear transmitting the full power of the engine to the wheels. Second gear gives you a moderate amount of power and speed, while third gear is where you get more speed but less power. It’s not that the upper gears are weaker; they’re just designed to spin faster to take advantage of the momentum of the car at higher speeds.

The clutch is that magic piece of machinery that allows you to take advantage of those different gear ratios. Depress the clutch and it takes the transmission out of gear. Use the stick shift to choose the next gear, and as you release the clutch, the transmission re-engages in the new gear. Of course, this is all easier said than done if you’ve never driven a stick shift before, but with a little practice and a healthy bit of patience, you’ll eventually get the hang of it.

First, this isn’t a small job, so you may want to hire a professional cleaning service. If you choose to go this route, look under auto detailing in the yellow pages or do an internet search to see who does this work in your area. Find out if the shop in question has the “ozone kit” from U.S. Products. This kit has a sealed ozone generator that’s most effective in removing smoky odors from your car. Smoke odors are organic, and one of the best ways to get rid of organic smells is through oxidation. Ozone is one of the strongest oxidizers that exist, making oxidization one of the best ways to get rid of the cigarette smell. This is the same technology, incidentally, used to eliminate the smoke smell from a rebuilt home after a house fire.

On the other hand, there are several home remedies that can sufficiently mask the odor, whether or not it’s actually eliminated. First, go to any local hardware store or big box retailer and rent a carpet cleaner with brush attachments. You may have to call around to find exactly what you want. You should also find an odor eliminating shampoo that, like ozone, works on the smell at a structural level, using enzymes to break down the residue molecules that harbor the odor. Now for the hard part – use the shampoo in the carpet cleaner to clean the inside of the car. Don’t just do a once over on the floor mats, wash everything – seats, carpet, all the interior and the non-fabric surfaces too. Put the shampoo on a sponge and scrub the hard surfaces as these can trap odors as well.

Plan for a full day’s work scrubbing your car. Use a glass cleaner on the windows, although unless there’s a brown film, the windows won’t hold the smell like the fabric, leather and the plastic. After all this, sprinkle baking soda, or a baking soda based cleaner, into the dry carpet. Wait about one week and then vacuum that up.

To keep the odors away after your cleaning is done, put some dryer sheets under the seats. Try to keep the windows open whenever possible, as air circulation will go a long way to deodorize the car. Activated charcoal kept in a spill proof container is another good idea.

In the case of leather seats, you have a bit of an advantage. The smell may not have penetrated as deeply into the seats as it would have with cloth seats. Get a reputable leather cleaner and that should do the trick. If it isn’t a surface problem, you may have to do repeated cleanings of the leather in order to fully rid the car of the smell.

Finally, a word about the popular deodorizing sprays like Febreeze. When it comes to removing the smoker smell from a car, they’re simply out of their league. They’ll cover the odor at best, and as soon as the concentration of the deodorizer wears off, the smell will be right back. Don’t just try to cover the odor – spend a day cleaning your car the right way and you’ll be rewarded with a clean, fresh ride in no time.

First, is it time for your car to have regular maintenance? Then go ahead and have it serviced now. If it isn’t time for a maintenance service, you’ll still need to perform a few checks to make sure everything is road-trip ready.

Check your tires and remember to take a good look at your spare as well. You want tires with a good amount of tread and no irregularities in wear. Make sure they’re all inflated properly and that you have the tools you’ll need to change a tire. Or, if you’re heading to a snowy climate, will you need snow tires or chains?

Is it time to change the oil? If so, have it done before you go. Most oil changes these days include a check of all other fluids, as well as a look at your belts and hoses. If it isn’t time for an oil change, check the oil yourself and add oil if needed. Use an anti-freeze tester to check your coolant mixture – crucial if you’re traveling during the hot summer months or during the coldest winter months. Your local repair shop can test your battery for you – you want to make sure it won’t conk out on you while you’re out on your trip.

Next, check your wiper blades. If they’re showing signs of wear, replace them. Also, refill your windshield washer fluid reservoir. While you’re under the hood, take a look at your belts and hoses, and if you notice what seems like a lot of wear, drop by your local mechanic and have them take a look. Having a belt go out while you’re on your cross-country road trip will quickly put a damper on your plans.

If your car has four wheel drive, make sure it is engaging and disengaging properly and that anyone who will be sharing driving duties knows how it works. The same goes if you’ll be driving a stick shift car on your adventure.

This is also a good time to check your emergency kit – which should include items for yourself and your car. For your car, you’ll need a flashlight with working and extra batteries, flares, paper towels, duct or electrical tape, basic tools, jumper cables and extra washer fluid. A few extra fuses and light bulbs aren’t a bad idea either. Since you’re going on a long trip, also take along a quart of oil, a gallon of water, a gallon of coolant and your tire pressure gauge, as well. If you have a cell phone, take it with you and invest in a car charger if you don’t already have one. If you don’t have a cell phone, consider getting a prepaid, no contract phone just for the trip.

It’s also a good idea to pack food, water and whatever else you might need if you’re stranded for several hours. If the weather is cold or damp, consider packing some clothes or blankets that are readily accessible. If you’re traveling where it’s snowy, make sure you have supplies for that type of weather, including an ice scraper, a snow shovel and a bag of salt.

Your next step is to plan your route. Be realistic about how much distance you can cover each day. Know where you’ll be staying at each stop and make reservations. You can use the Internet to do a search to find out if there are major delays or construction taking place along your route. If you’re an AAA member – a very worthwhile purchase – call and get a Trip Tik, which is is a personalized map to your destination, showing where you can find food, gas, places to stay and interesting things to see and do. AAA can also be a major help if you have car trouble while you’re on your trip, so consider getting a membership before you leave on your trip.

Let’s start with the cargo space. Changing the way the seats are configured on today’s cars is easier than ever before. Many SUVs and crossover vehicles have seats that fold completely into the floor for maximum cargo space. When the seats are up, there’s usually plenty of room underneath them for storage and, in some cases, even additional space in floor storage compartments. Cadillac offers a cargo management system option in some of its vehicles – instead of a third row seat, you can choose additional storage areas to better suit your needs.

However, that cargo space won’t do you much good if it isn’t easy to get to. Don’t worry, because the manufacturers have kept that in mind as well. Consider the “Load ‘N Go” feature on the Dodge Nitro – a storage tray that bridges the area between the cargo space and cargo. It extends about a foot and a half past the back bumper and can hold up to 400 pounds. Several manufacturers have also included specially coated flooring and waterproof upholstery to make it easy to clean the cargo area if life gets out of hand in your mobile family command center.

But the many technological tools we use to get through our days haven’t been forgotten either. Ford and Lincoln crossover SUVs offer a central console that can be customized for storage, whether you need it to hold CDs or your laptop. Most new cars also come with a charging station for electronic devices, and most also make it easy to plug in your iPod or MP3 player so you can have exactly the music you want while driving. Ford even has a specific place in its console for power cord organization, and Acura has a special arm rest designed to hold your laptop.

Folks in the back seat have stuff to store too, and Nissan has chosen to outfit its Quest minivan with overhead storage compartments, similar to what you might see in an airplane – in addition to the two separate available DVD screens where you can choose your own “in flight” movie. Chevy went in another direction, providing snap-in storage modules that can be attached anywhere along their overhead rail system. Or, in case you’d rather leave your iPod and DVDs at home, the Chevy Uplander offers a 40-gig system for storing digital media. Most minivans and SUVs have dual heating and air conditioning controls, and DVD systems are increasingly common – good news for those who need to keep children occupied while they drive.

Last but not least, the humble glove compartment has been given an upgrade. More cars are offering not just one, but two glove compartments. Land Rover offers electronic opening of its glove compartments, while the Toyota RAV4 only requires one touch for opening or closing. Or, for glove box illumination, look to the Mercedes Benz M class, or Hyundai’s Entourage to shed some light on the issue of in-car storage solutions.

Generally speaking, horsepower is a measure of the ability to do work. The term originated way back when folks wanted to compare steam engines against draft horses. Hence, an engine began to be rated according to how many horses it could do the work of. This same measurement of power began to apply to more than just steam engines, eventually being used in everything from piston engines to electric motors.

However, it’s important to note that although the term horsepower is used in a variety of different applications, it means something slightly different in each one. Horsepower is also a bit of a marketing dodge, because horsepower may not actually translate into how much work an engine can do under normal conditions, but rather refer to only optimal conditions. In this case, it’s buyer beware – be sure to evaluate the car on all of its merits, not just the purported horsepower rating.

The concept of torque has to do with putting that horsepower to use. When you turn a screw driver, for example, you’re applying torque, on in this case, using power (your strength) to rotate a fixed shaft (the screwdriver).

In a car, think of horsepower as providing the arm strength and torque as the application of that power to turn the wheels. This is a considerably over-simplified explanation, but in the confusing world of auto mechanics, it will give you at least a working knowledge.

When a car has higher horsepower, it has the capability of delivering more power. Whether or not that capability is realized is, as we mentioned, another story. A car with high torque will tend to accelerate quickly – that high torque can get those wheels turning quickly, so you can accelerate more quickly. Again, this isn’t an absolute and depends on several other things, like gear ratios, the weight of your car and its aerodynamics.

One of the key things to remember is that horsepower and torque work together with other aspects of the car’s engine and engineering to affect the car’s performance. Higher torque generally means quicker acceleration. Lower torque combined with higher horsepower will lead to a higher revving engine and more power in the upper range of each gear. Higher torque with lower horsepower, on the other hand, leads to more power in the lower range of each gear.

The best car for you will have a mix of horsepower and torque that works together to accomplish what the car needs to do. Obviously, a minivan is going to need a different blend of horsepower and torque than a sports car to do its job well. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by this explanation of these two concepts, don’t worry – if you take the time to test drive a car you’re interested, you’ll know right away whether or not it has the power you need.

First, buy a bike rack that works for the type of car you have. The bike rack packaging should clearly indicate what types of vehicles it will work for, from SUVs to trucks to small cars. Most stores won’t help you install the bike rack, so look for one with clear instructions. If you won’t be keeping the bike rack on your car at all times, you’ll also want to choose one that easily detaches. If you’re having trouble picking one out, ask a sales associate or come back later after doing some internet research on the best model for you needs.

Once you have your bike rack home and before you begin the assembly process, read all of the instructions carefully to make sure you understand them. Make sure all of the parts are included in the box, and that you have any additional tools or materials – such as a screwdriver or tape – that are required. Again, these instructions are general – you should follow the specific instructions that come with the bike rack you purchase. It’s also a good idea to read the owner’s manual for your vehicle to see if it has specific instructions regarding the installation of a bike rack.

A bike rack typically consists of a base that’s attached to the vehicle that holds the rack assembly in place, which consisting of two arms on which the bike rests. These arms must be adjusted to the proper angle – they need to be slightly angled upward at about a 15 degree angle to help keep your bike on the rack. Most will adjust by way of a knob that can be tightened or loosened as needed.

The next step is to look at the assembly that attaches to your vehicle. This will usually be a pair of hooks held in place with belts and tape. These belts will usually be applied in a horizontal fashion around your vehicle’s trunk or rear cargo door. Some belts may fasten to the edge of the trunk or door, and some may come underneath the car to be tied or otherwise fastened – again, check your particular product and instructions for details. You’ll want to protect your vehicle’s finish from coming into contact with these hooks and belts to prevent scratches or dings. You can use tape for this, or your manufacturer may have other recommendations.

Once the hooks are in place, tighten the belt holding them in place. Make sure your rear tail lights aren’t obstructed, then place the rack assembly and check the belts again. This is also a good time to recheck the angle of the rack assembly and make sure the angle is sufficient to keep the bikes in place. Look again to make sure your tail lights aren’t obstructed before you do the final tightening.

Auto recalls work in pretty much the same fashion. When an automobile is determined to have a problem that could cause harm to either consumers or the car, the manufacturer issues a recall. Recalls can be issued for flaws that are primarily cosmetic, or for those that could have serious consequences for the affected drivers.

When the manufacturer issues a recall, a letter is sent to all registered owners of the car in question. Information is also provided to the media and to all authorized dealerships and certified mechanics. Owners of the car in question are instructed to take the car to their local authorized dealership or certified mechanic, where the flaw can be corrected. Most often, this involves replacing the part in question. Depending on the potential seriousness of the recalled part in question, there may or may not be a charge to the owner for this. Usually, the more potential danger is involved, the less likely it is that the owner will shoulder some or all of the cost of the repair.

This is a time when having a certified mechanic you use regularly can come in quite handy. A customer service oriented mechanic who receives a recall notice involving your car may call you with information, even before you receive it from the manufacturer. Not only do certified mechanics receive recall notices quickly, they’re given the information they need to make the repair in question, as well as how to obtain any needed parts and tools. They’ll also be able to get any needed parts and tools much more quickly than non-certified mechanics and general retail parts houses.

A qualified mechanic can also be your ally in determining how quickly the recall should be addressed. For example, they can help you determine the seriousness of the repair and how quickly you should bring your car in. They may recommend that the car be brought in immediately versus after you get back from your vacation in two weeks.

In addition, it’s important to note that a recall only affects a specific year, make and model of a car as described in the recall. For example, if you have a 2005 Ford Focus and only 2006 Ford Focus automobiles are subject to a recall, you have no reason to be concerned.

If you’re buying a car, you need to know whether the car in question has ever been the subject of a recall, and if so, if the necessary repairs were made. You can determine whether a car has been the subject of a recall through internet searches for recall notices, by talking to a mechanic certified to repair the car in question, or by obtaining a commercial car report from a service such as CarFax.

Any repairs and recalls should also be noted in the car’s maintenance and repair records. If you only find a notice of a recall, but no record that the repair was made, a pre-sale inspection by a mechanic can tell you whether or not the repair was made, but not when. Whenever car maintenance and repair records aren’t available, a pre-sale inspection becomes a crucial part of your car buying process.