Flipboard 2025 Car Tips

If your dealer keeps emailing about a “mandatory software upgrade,” it is easy to wonder whether you actually have a choice. In most cases, a dealer cannot simply force you to install routine software updates on your own car. The big exception is when the update is tied to a safety recall, because recalls are governed by federal safety rules and carry more legal weight.

Your friend is repeating one of the oldest rules in car shopping, and it exists for a reason. A first model year often means new parts, new software, new suppliers, and real-world testing that is only beginning once customers start driving the car every day. That does not mean every redesigned or all-new car is a mistake, but history shows the risk is usually higher when a vehicle is brand new.

Adaptive headlights are one of those features that sound incredible on paper. So when you buy a vehicle equipped with them and nothing seems to happen, it's easy to wonder whether they're broken or whether you're simply using them incorrectly.

Rust often starts as little more than an eyesore. But over time, what looks like ordinary corrosion can become a genuine structural problem.

A cracked windshield is expensive enough on its own. It's even more frustrating when it appears immediately after a routine service and nobody wants to accept responsibility.

A nostalgic look back at 25 popular 1970s car accessories, from fuzzy dice and 8-track players to CB radios and locking gas caps.

Learn why your vehicle's wireless phone charger overheats smartphones in summer, what causes the problem, and practical tips to keep your phone cooler while maintaining reliable charging on every drive.

Imagine answering your front door only to find police officers asking about your car's involvement in an illegal street race. You know you were nowhere near the scene, yet the officers insist your license plate was captured. That shocking moment is how many victims first learn that someone has cloned or swapped their plates.

These ultra-expensive luxury cars promised exclusivity, power, and prestige, but their million-dollar price tags often delivered more hype than substance.