Flipboard 2025 Car Tips

A simple wheel alignment can now come with an unexpected sensor-calibration charge. Here’s why modern safety systems may need recalibration, what it costs, and when the extra work is actually necessary.

Automatic wipers struggling in snow even though the dealer says they are “working as designed”? Learn how rain sensors work, why snow confuses them, what problems to check for, and when your car may actually need repair or calibration.

Finding somewhere to park on the street is annoying enough. Finding an empty spot occupied by your neighbor’s traffic cone? Somehow more annoying. He apparently thinks the space outside his house belongs to him, and everyone else is supposed to agree. But does that little orange cone actually mean anything?

The car is not sitting directly across the driveway. But it is close enough that getting out requires backing up with such precision that being an inch or two off could mean scraping your car...or worse. The driver would probably say it is a public road, so the space is fair game. But is it?

Backup cameras have dramatically improved the view immediately behind modern vehicles, but many newer cars also have thick pillars, high bodywork, and sloping rear glass that make traditional visibility surprisingly poor. Cameras are valuable safety equipment, yet winter weather shows why drivers still need mirrors, clean windows, and a usable backup plan when technology cannot see.

Modern smart keys may require specialized programming, security credentials, and a cut emergency key, pushing replacement costs into the hundreds of dollars. Federal used-car rules do not specifically require dealers to list the number of keys included, but promises, certified-pre-owned standards, state law, and the sales contract can change what the dealer owes you.

New-car touch controls can become frustrating and distracting when winter gloves enter the picture. Here's why physical buttons may still matter for safe cold-weather driving—and why automakers are beginning to reconsider touchscreen-heavy dashboards.

Some cars lose value faster than free donuts disappear from an office break room. And while that is painful news for the first owner, it can create some almost unbelievable bargains for the person waiting patiently in the used-car market. Like...

If you leased a car and now don’t need it, the goal is pretty simple: get out with the least amount of money left on the table. The tricky part is that leases are designed to keep you locked in, and the “easy” exit options are often the expensive ones. The good news is you usually have more than one path out.