Others
Can You Drive Without a Rearview Mirror? The Answer Is Annoyingly State-Specific

So, can you legally drive without a rearview mirror? The slightly irritating answer is: maybe. That is not very satisfying, but it is the truth. In the U.S., mirror laws are not perfectly iden

AutoExpert
Others
Cruise Control Is Set to 65, So Why Is the Car Doing 72 Downhill?

Cruise control feels wonderfully precise on a flat highway. Set it to 65 mph and the speedometer settles into place, leaving the car to handle the small adjustments that a human ankle normally makes.

AutoExpert
Others
That Little Shark Fin on Your Roof May Be Running Half the Car’s Digital Life

The old-fashioned car antenna made no attempt to hide what it was. It was a long metal whip sticking proudly out of a fender, ready to catch radio stations, snag a car-wash brush or disappear overnigh

AutoExpert
Others
Your Eyes Are Not Broken: Here Is Why Moving Car Wheels Suddenly Spin Backward

A car accelerates away on screen, clearly traveling forward, while its wheels begin doing something ridiculous. First, the spokes slow down. Then they appear to stop. A moment later, they are rotating

AutoExpert
Others
Your Window Reaches the Top, Then Drops Again. It May Be Protecting Fingers That Are Not There

The window glides upward, touches the top of the frame and immediately retreats several inches. Try it again and the same thing happens. Up, nearly closed, then back down. It has the comic timing of a

AutoExpert
Others
Your Brake Lights Will Not Turn Off, and the Clue May Be Lying on the Floor

A car sits empty in the driveway, engine off and doors locked, yet all three brake lights are glowing as though an invisible driver has a foot planted on the pedal. It looks like a wiring problem. Pos

AutoExpert
Others
Only One Reverse Light Works, but the Red Lamp Beside It Is Not Broken

Select Reverse, walk behind the car and one white lamp comes on. The other stays dark. The rear light clusters look symmetrical. Both contain clear and red sections. Surely one bulb has fail

AutoExpert
Others
Your Speedometer Says 70, but GPS Says 67. Which One Is Lying?

Set the cruise control to 70 mph and glance at the navigation screen. It may insist the car is traveling at 67. Increase the cruise setting to 71. GPS grudgingly moves to 68. The two displays can sp

AutoExpert
Tips & Tricks
That Little Lurch After Selecting Park Is Your Car Asking for the Parking Brake

Park on a slope, move the shifter to P, take a foot off the brake, and most automatic cars will perform a small, familiar shuffle. The body rolls a fraction of an inch, stops with a muted clunk, then

AutoExpert
Tips & Tricks
Your Garage Door Sensor Is Probably Not Broken. It’s Usually Just Dirty, Off-Target, or Being Ridiculous

Nothing makes a normal morning more annoying than a garage door that suddenly decides it has boundaries. You hit the button, the door starts to move, then stops, blinks at you, reverses for no

AutoExpert
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