Others
A Tire Shop May Cut Tread Off Your New Tire to Save You Buying Four

Can tire shaving help when you need to replace one AWD tire? Sometimes. A specialist can remove tread from a matching new tire to bring it closer to the wear of the other three. It may avoid replacing

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Others
A Metal Valve Cap Looks Harmless Until It Seizes Onto Your Tire Valve

Tire valve caps have a talent for disappearing. One drops beside the air pump, another vanishes during a tire change, and the next set you find online looks far nicer than the little plastic ones the

AutoExpert
Others
The Wheel Nut Wouldn’t Budge. The Mechanic Was Turning It the Wrong Way

A stubborn wheel nut invites a familiar response: a longer wrench, a firmer pull and perhaps a few unkind words. On certain older Chryslers, that approach can end with a snapped stud. The nut was neve

AutoExpert
Others
That 15-Year-Old Car Has Only 30,000 Miles. Its Easy Life May Not Have Been Easy

A remarkably low odometer reading has a way of making every other detail fade into the background. The paint may be dull, the tires may look suspiciously old and the service book may contain a de

AutoExpert
Others
Move the Jack a Few Inches Too Far and a Flat Tire Can Become Body Damage

The emergency jack in a car’s trunk rarely inspires confidence. It is narrow, awkward and usually accompanied by a handle that looks as though it escaped from flat-pack furniture. Then ther

AutoExpert
Others
That Small Square in Your Bumper Hides a Tool You May Need on the Worst Day

A small square or circular panel sits almost flush with the painted bumper. It has no button, light or obvious reason to exist. Once spotted, though, it becomes surprisingly difficult to ignore. Be

AutoExpert
Others
Your Tire-Pressure Light Flashed First, and That Changes the Diagnosis

The tire-pressure warning light is not one of the dashboard’s more mysterious creations. It looks like a sagging tire with an exclamation mark inside, which is a fairly direct way of saying, &ld

AutoExpert
Tips & Tricks
Buying Only Two New Tires? They May Belong on the Opposite End of Your Car

At the tire shop, the choice seems too obvious to question. The front tires on a front-wheel-drive car handle the steering, put the power down, and do most of the braking. They usually wear out first.

AutoExpert
Others
Those Nearly New Tires May Be Much Older Than They Look

A tire can look almost offensively healthy for its age. The tread grooves are deep. There are no nails in sight. The sidewalls still turn glossy after a wash, and the car has covered so few miles th

AutoExpert
Others
The Spare Tire Quietly Disappeared From New Cars, and Many Drivers Haven’t Noticed

Here is a mildly alarming experiment: open the trunk of your car and lift the floor. There may be a spare tire under there. There may also be a little black compressor, a bottle of sealant, and a

AutoExpert
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