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.
At the dawn of the 2000s, automakers went wild with digital dashboards, silver plastic, bubbly bodywork, and concept-car styling. These Y2K-era cars once looked futuristic—but today, they’re wonderfully, unmistakably dated.
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?
These once-common Japanese cars filled American roads in the 1990s, but many have nearly vanished. Revisit forgotten models from Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru, Acura, and more today.
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?
Eight rare Corvettes vanished into a massive museum sinkhole in 2014. Discover how crews recovered them, which cars were restored, and why five remain damaged reminders of the disaster today.
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.
