Cars

Buying it, keeping it running, and the jobs worth doing on your own driveway.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

GuideDean ShawNov 7, 20265 min

A hum that changes in the turns is a wheel bearing talking

A wheel bearing hums at 40 mph and gets louder when you steer. That's the clue that tells you which corner of the car to look at.

Replace the serpentine belt when it's worn, not when you're told

From the Cars archive

Older stories

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The used car tricks that still work, and how to beat them

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Getting your motorcycle license and choosing a first bike

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Saturday morning truck detail, start to finish

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The lease is cheaper every month and that's not the point

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Winter Driving When You Have the Whole Family in the Car

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Find the Rust Before It Finds Your Brake Lines

Cars on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

Doug DeMuroNov 7

I Rank The Best A4/S4 Generations

Doug DeMuroNov 6

Can I Handle a Bugatti Veyron?

Doug DeMuroNov 6

A Gallardo Restomod?! Bugatti CEO’s Bugatti STOLEN! Civic Type R HRC! THIS CAR POD! EP136

Scotty KilmerOct 8

How to Replace Brake Pads and Rotors in Your Car (COMPLETE Guide)

1A Auto: Repair Tips & Secrets Only Mechanics KnowMay 21

Most Common Brake Installation Mistakes!

Car and DriverMay 1

How to Replace Your Car's Brake Pads

The F-SeriesSep 6

1987-1993 OBS F-Series: Front Brake Pad Replacement

Scotty KilmerDec 30

How to Check Used Car Before Buying - DIY Inspection

DEBOSS GARAGEJun 28

12 Things To Check Before Buying A Used Car

ChrisFixMay 7

How to Test Drive and Buy a Used Car

Budget MechanicMay 8

How to Inspect a Used Car For Red Flags and Not Get Scammed

Chevy DudeNov 24

INSPECT Like a PRO! The BEST Way to Check a Used Car

Royalty Auto ServiceDec 25

Everyone Should ALWAYS Do This Before Buying A Used Vehicle!

The Car Care NutDec 7

Don't Make These Mistakes When Buying a Used Car!

CarEdgeSep 21

DO NOT Do This When You Test Drive a Car | Former Dealer Explains

Car WizardAug 7

4 things you MUST check before you buy any used car! CAR WIZARD shows how not to be scammed!

Cars quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideDean ShawOct 25, 20266 min

A rough idle usually has a cheap cause. Check these first.

Before you approve a $900 repair, spend an hour with a code reader, a flashlight and your own two ears. Here's the order that saves the most money.

GuideDean ShawOct 25, 20266 min

Your manual sets the coolant interval, not the service counter

Some shops push a flush every 30,000 miles. Your car may want one every five years. Here's how to tell the difference and say no politely.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

StoryDean ShawOct 10, 20266 min

The tire gauge nobody has managed to improve on

A small metal tube with a needle has outlasted every gadget built to replace it. Here's why it earned a spot in the Hall, and how to buy one that stays accurate.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

7 min read

Seven car upsells to turn down before you sign

The finance office and the service lane run on extras you didn't ask for. Here's what each one promises, what to do instead, and the rare case it pays.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideDean ShawOct 9, 20265 min

A trunk kit is four jobs, not a hundred pieces

Skip the giant boxed kit with the flimsy cables. Build around a jump starter, an inflator, a light and a way to be seen.

GuideDean ShawOct 9, 20266 min

Spend your money on the stands, not the jack

A floor jack lifts the car. The stands keep it off you. Here's how to buy both once and never think about them again.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 7, 20265 min

The transmission quote that almost bought me a new truck

One $3,200 repair bill made a new truck payment look like a bargain. Then somebody asked what the truck costs besides the payment.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

StoryDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

Nobody at the parts counter can guess which engine you have

A Saturday morning in line at the auto parts counter, where every wrong guess comes with a lesson you can use before your next oil change.

GuideDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

How to jump a dead car, in the order it really happens

Red to dead, black to metal, and the one cable you'll swear you put in the trunk last winter. A correct jump start with the honest parts left in.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

GuideDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

Changing your own oil in the driveway, the way it really goes

The video says twenty minutes. Plan on ninety, a shower and one trip back to the parts store. You'll still come out ahead.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

ReviewWes DunbarOct 6, 20267 min

The new truck tugged the wheel and Grandpa checked the tie rods

Fifty years of backing up by turning around, one backup camera, and a lane assist system Grandpa calls "the passenger." He's half right.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

StoryDean ShawOct 4, 20266 min

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The muscle car began as a loophole, a price tag and a few engineers who knew exactly who was buying. That's still the formula worth chasing.

GuideDean ShawOct 3, 20267 min

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

Gapping, torque and the hand-start habit that keep a simple plug change from ending with a stripped aluminum head and a tow truck.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideDean ShawSep 26, 20266 min

A supercar is bought. A coachbuilt car is argued into existence

The one-off cars from Rolls-Royce and Ferrari cost millions. The rules for commissioning one scale all the way down to your local shop.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

5 min

The best collector-car deals aren't under the auction lights

6 min

What to Buy When You Need Three Rows and a Trailer Hitch

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Classic Cars Still Cheap Enough to Buy This Year

Seven cars the market still files under used instead of collectible, plus the one rule that decides whether you win or bleed.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

5 min read

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find

Most project cars die in the disassembly phase. Pick the job that fits the two days you actually have, and the car stays a car.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

Older articles

Older Cars stories

Cars

A hum that changes in the turns is a wheel bearing talking

Ten minutes and a voltmeter before you buy another battery

Soft brakes after winter? Check the fluid, then the rest

Read your transmission fluid before the shop reads your wallet

Frame damage hides from cameras, not from a flashlight and a gap check

Replace the serpentine belt when it's worn, not when you're told

From the Cars archive

The used car tricks that still work, and how to beat them

Getting your motorcycle license and choosing a first bike

The Saturday morning truck detail, start to finish

The lease is cheaper every month and that's not the point

Winter Driving When You Have the Whole Family in the Car

Find the Rust Before It Finds Your Brake Lines

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

A rough idle usually has a cheap cause. Check these first.

Your manual sets the coolant interval, not the service counter

The tire gauge nobody has managed to improve on

Seven car upsells to turn down before you sign

A trunk kit is four jobs, not a hundred pieces

Spend your money on the stands, not the jack

The transmission quote that almost bought me a new truck

Nobody at the parts counter can guess which engine you have

How to jump a dead car, in the order it really happens

Changing your own oil in the driveway, the way it really goes

The new truck tugged the wheel and Grandpa checked the tie rods

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The spark plug job is easy until the last quarter turn

A supercar is bought. A coachbuilt car is argued into existence

The best collector-car deals aren't under the auction lights

What to Buy When You Need Three Rows and a Trailer Hitch

The Classic Cars Still Cheap Enough to Buy This Year

Start With a Weekend Project, Not a Barn Find