How to Make Your Car Last Forever: Avoid Expensive Repairs, Improve Fuel Economy, Understand Your Warranty, Save Money

DRIVERS ASK, TOM ANSWERS: FLUID PROBLEMS SOLVED Dear Tom, Q I own a 2001 Ford Ranger (4.0 engine) with ...

Tom Tom, Q I own a 2001 Buick Century Custom that I purchased used with 59,000 miles. I didn’t notice ...

Tom Dear Tom, Q Help! When I parked my car yesterday and turned off the engine, all this green water came ...

Tom Tom, Q I have a 2001 Ford Explorer. The other day I checked the radiator fluid and it was rust col ...

Tom Tom, Q I have a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup. The brake fluid has a rusty sediment in the bottom of the mast ...

Tom Tom, Q I have a 2002 Chevy Cavalier with a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine. Lately, it has been r ...

Tom ...

Chapter 12 Maintenance-Free Cars (Is There Such a Thing?) “One hundred thousand miles before the first sch ...

100,000 MILES BEFORE THE FIRST “TUNE-UP!” First, there’s no such thing as a tune-up anymore. Years ago when ...

Here we have two sparkplugs. One is brand new, and the other has a heavy carbon deposit buildup. This ...

In a perfect world with no dirt, grit, or grime to contaminate our cars’ systems we might realize this ...

COOLANT THAT LASTS MORE THAN 100,000 MILES Twelve years ago GM introduced an engine coolant called Dexcool. ...

Ethylene glycol antifreeze has been used for years without problems. The key is to inspect it every six mont ...

Here’s the bottom line when it comes to cooling system maintenance: Whether you are running Dexcool (the orange ...

AIR FILTER Air filters have always played an important role in automobiles. They keep harmful, abrasive ...

CABIN AIR FILTERS With the increase of airborne contaminants, carmakers have designed more sophisticated ...

Air filters come in all shapes and sizes, as pictured here. Make sure you inspect the air filter every oil ...

FUEL FILTER Fuel filters are small yet critical members of the fuel delivery system. The injectors in the f ...

Fuel filters vary in size and exterior design. On low-pressure systems the filter usually connects in the ...

OIL FILTER The oil filter is the storehouse for dirt in the crankcase. It traps dirt, metal filings, and sludge ...