Auto Repair and Maintenance: Keep Your Vehicle in Tip-Top Shape

Family Car features 10 of the most common car problems (e.g., what to do when your car doesn't start), and each issue is explained in great detail. Scroll down the busy, ad-filled homepage to find the section on major auto repairs (it's on the right side).

OBD-Codes.com disseminates information about on-board diagnostics, the messages that say things like "MAP Higher Than Expected." The easiest way to find these facts and figures is to click on "Trouble Codes" at the top of the screen and then choose the model of your car. The forums here help with any other questions you may have; browse through the recent forum topics to view recent discussions.

Auto MD is an online car doctor. Features such as "Drip ID" and Virtual Automotive Diagnostic (VAD) help you diagnose mysterious blue leaks and pesky engine problems, and if these features still can't figure out your car's illness, you can always ask your own questions at "Mechanic's Corner." You'll have to register to use this site, but membership is free, and the wealth of information makes the effort worthwhile.

Be Car Care Aware is a campaign initiated by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). The site is meant to assist consumers with general car issues, and it touches upon many aspects related to car repair and maintenance. On this site you can find information about collision repair , getting your vehicle ready for a road trip, essential tools for DIY types, finding parts, and more.

DIY Network has information on a variety of topics, including auto body repair and tire alignment. The most popular projects are listed on the Automotive homepage-see what other car owners are doing for preventative maintenance this winter, for example.

Jonko Online Auto Repair compiles a substantial number of facts and recommendations about auto repair. The tutorials are short passages about auto repair that cover issues like common leaks and overheating thermostats. There are also opinion and troubleshooting sections and message boards that connect you to a wide community of car owners with similar questions. Although the site's design is rudimentary, these links are clearly visible and easy to distinguish from the ads at the top of the page.

Carbibles.com was created by a car enthusiast seeking to share his knowledge with other drivers. The graphic design on the site is a bit distracting, but the content is helpful. Information is organized into various bibles: the "Engine Oil Bible," the "Suspension Bible," the "Transmission Bible," and so on. Each section is loaded with text, photographs, charts, and pictures that guide you through the process of car repair and maintenance.

Auto-Facts.org provides a list of illustrated DIY car-repair articles on the bottom of the page. A column on the left of the page offers links to common auto themes offers car-buying tips, information on detailing, automotive news, and much more.

Auto Zone 's list of repair guides for various makes and models is by no means complete, but it just might include your car. The guides are thorough, easy-to-follow, and organized by car feature, such as "Body and Trim" and "Suspension and Steering." 

Popular Mechanics has a huge archive of how-to guides on car repair and car maintenance. Although there's a wealth of information, the site is not organized by category or topic; if you're willing to spend some time looking for them, you'll find articles with great advice, such as "How to Repair Your Car Scratch."

Haynes Online supplies popular DIY car repair manuals. Each manual has step-by-step instructions accompanied by hundreds of photographs. The site is easy to navigate, and you can search for a manual by the specific make and model of your car. The drop-down menu helps narrow your search by brand, year, and model, which makes finding a specific vehicle easy.

eAutoRepair offers do-it-yourself guides and schematics, mechanical repair advice, and factory tips for vehicles made between 1983 and 2005; the site also sells a DVD of vintage repair manuals for cars manufactured between 1960-1982. It costs $9.99 to access the information for a week, $14.99 for a month, and $29.99 for a year. Before you purchase a subscription, though, be sure to read "What's Inside" and "What's Not Inside" so you're not stuck with useless information.

Books4cars.com boasts more than 40,000 automotive books and manuals for American, European and Japanese cars, as well as motorcycles and trucks. If you click on the link to a specific manual, you'll get lots of information on what to expect: page numbers, illustrations, and the models discussed within the manual. The Seattle-based store ships books and manuals anywhere in the world.

ChiltonDIY.com offers detailed instructions on repairing cars. A one-year online subscription costs $19.95. Click on the "Features and Samples" link on the left side of the page to see examples of the detailed information provided by this service.

2 Car Pros , created by a father-and-son team of mechanics, is a great place to go with car-repair questions. The site is primarily organized in a question-and-answer format; the creators of the site have tried to answer each one of the more than 118,000 questions archived there. The "Site Menu" on the left-hand side of the page makes browsing categories easy; for example, you can search by topic, manufacturer, or symptom.

WiseBread is a blog about personal finance and "frugal living tips." This particular post shares the blogger's advice for removing car dents. His two tactics for this type of auto repair, one involving dry ice, and the other, a hairdryer and air duster, are both available on video. You can also read his insightful blog entry on repairing scratches.

Car Talk , the popular NPR weekly radio talk show, offers a helpful section called "Mechanics Files: The Ultimate Guide to Finding a Great Mechanic." Insert your zip code, car specialty, and the distance you're willing to travel to get to the garage, and you'll get a list of mechanics in that area. The best part of this feature is that customers rate the mechanics on a number of criteria; some even include comments.

Be Car Care Aware offers information on car repair and maintenance. This section of the site locates (but does not review or rate) more than 100,000 auto repair and maintenance shops throughout the United States.

Pro Car Care helps you find repair shops and learn more about your vehicle's problems. The search feature locates a qualified repair shop in your area. You can narrow your search by the specific problem or search by deals in your neighborhood. A great troubleshooting feature allows you to select the problem your car is having so that the site can provide an immediate potential diagnosis.

AOL Money & Finance provides this article, "Top 5ive Sneaky Auto Repair Tricks," to help you avoid getting ripped off by auto repair shops. After describing each ruse, AOL offers helpful tips on dealing with that scam. Have a look at "Spit-Shine Fixes" for example.

The Federal Trade Commission teaches consumers how to avoid car-repair scams. The site has information on understanding repair charges and written estimates, choosing a car repair shop, and more.

Cars.com explains care-care terms you should know. The hosts of NPR's Car Talk provide advice about air filters, brakes, coolant, drive-axle boots, drive belts, oil changes, power-steering fluid, rotating tires, spark plugs, timing belts, tire pressure, and transmission fluid.

The Family Car Web Magazine helps you choose the car-maintenance regimen that best suits your needs. Look to the "Which Best Describes Your Car Care Priorities" section to better understand the auto maintenance efforts you'll have to make. The site also offers articles on actual projects and services. 

Auto World has a brief introduction to car maintenance, with many car categories arranged across the top of the homepage. Although the site isn't organized well, it's not hard to navigate, and myriad topics are addressed in the tabs and columns on the top and side of the page.

OnlineOrganizing.com has a "Car Maintenance Checklist" that you might want to bookmark or print out for reference. This checklist helps you know what car parts you should check (and what you're looking for) each month, every three months, and every six months. This is a great source for auto-maintenance novices who are ready to learn. 

Edmunds.com has a tool that determines whether your car needs maintenance, and if so, what kind of maintenance it needs. Select the year, make, model, style, engine, and transmission type from the drop-down menu, and the site highlights the updates recommended by your car's manufacturer. Edmunds.com also determines how much you should pay to have the recommended inspections and changes made.

ConsumerReports.org has a page packed with advice and caveats about detailing, waxing, scratch removers, car-care myths, and more. Visit the "Cars Community" section for CR Expert's Cars Blog, a forum, and "Consumer Opinions" section, where you can read or write a review of various cars. These interactive elements can help you share firsthand advice with other car owners.

MSN Money has "20 ways you waste money on your car," an article debunking false auto repair maintenance notions. Many people believe premium gasoline is better for their car, for example, but this article suggests that if your engine doesn't knock, you don't need expensive gasoline.

The AAA's Via site published this short piece in September 2002 about keeping down the cost of maintaining your vehicle. Visit the related stories and online tools sections for more auto advice.

Bankrate.com 's  "8 Top Auto Maintenance Myths" explains that the cars of today are better designed than the cars of our parents' generation, and as such, don't require nearly as much maintenance. Most households, in fact, perform more routine maintenance checks than their owner's manuals suggest. This article wants to save you money and certainly deserves a read.

Samarins.com was created by an automotive expert with over 20 years of experience. The site's sections include body care, waxing, interior cleaning, engine and transmission maintenance, and more. Each section walks you through each step of the process, illustrating it with useful photographs.

DoItYourself.com is a great place to go for information on maintaining your car. The site is organized in four clear sections: car detailing, car engine maintenance, general car maintenance and seasonal car maintenance. Each topic has links to articles on a number of possible projects.

Auto Mechanic is all about auto repair and maintenance. The posts are frequent, and they cover common issues associated with owning a car, like tire repair, radiator hose replacement, and taillight maintenance. The author writes catalogs for a prominent U.S. car manufacturer.

Free Auto Repair Advice offers plenty of car repair know-how. The blog contains "wiring diagrams, TSBs, trim panel removal instructions ... everything you need to know to fix your car." The author is a retired ASE Master Auto Technician who writes an auto repair column each month for a consumer publication.

Autoblog thoroughly covers topics in the auto industry, often providing car repair and maintenance tips on topics such as changing brake pads; you'll also find reviews of new sites or gadgets in Autoblog's "maintenance" category. Looking for something specific? Click on "AutoNews" to see the new categories or "AutoTypes" to see a list of car manufacturers discussed on this blog.

RevMods is about "Car Repair & Maintenance for Newbies, Auto News, Car Enthusiasm, Car Modifications and Anything Related To to Cars." In other words, there's a broad range of information on this blog. Visit repair and maintenance for posts about auto repair and maintenance, but stop by the "Categories" section on the right-hand side of the page for links to many other discussions.

Edmunds Carspace offers this message board about car maintenance and repair. You'll find lots of categories and many posts; you may even discover that your question has been asked and answered already.

Automotive.com provides this car maintenance forum where you can ask questions and view other postings. It can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for here, however; although there are many different threads of conversation, they aren't organized very well.