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If you suddenly find yourself in a lights-out situation, or the music seems to stop for no reason, you may have blown a fuse. Your fuses are meant to protect your car or truck's electrical system from damage due to overloads or short circuits, so if you have a fuse that blows regularly, you need to take a look at your electrical system. Sometimes a fuse will blow for no terrible reason, in which case you can simply replace the fuse. Be sure to check ahead of time so you can buy the right replacement fuses!

Blow a Fuse? Don't Sweat It! originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 at 22:13:49.

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It can be dauntingly expensive to put together your first set of mechanic's tools. There are so many things to buy and each item can be so pricey. Some of the consumer stores sell starter kits that can save you some money (I prefer Craftsman anyway), but you're still shelling out major cash. Every saved dollar can make you feel better. I was recently helping a friend put together her first tool kit and checked into the deals available at Sears through their Craftsman Club. If you join and watch the specials (in addition to the discounts you get just for being a member!) you can save some serious cash on what I consider to be the best entry level tools available. Check it out!

Building a Tool Chest? Craftsman Club Can Save You Money originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 09:04:39.

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Be Prepared for Unexpected Winter Stuff originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 23:49:24.

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You wouldn't think of a perfectly healthy car or truck overheating while driving a snowy road, but it happens all the time. What can make a well maintained engine heat up like that? Driving in the snow can present problems to your car or truck outside of the obvious traction issues. In low temperatures, snow and ice can build up and actually clog your car's cooling system. It doesn't clog it from the inside, but rather blocks the air from flowing over the sytem from the outside. It's important to keep your cooling system clean with a regular radiator flush, but don't forget to simply clear the snow and ice from your front grill and underneath your bumper -- that will keep cool air flowing where you need it most.

Overheating in Winter Weather Driving originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 00:33:30.

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Dead Battery? Be Sure You Know How to Jump Start Your Car originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 at 22:47:11.

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If you've been thinking of getting snow tires and are putting it off until the first coating of white stuff, you might want to get with the program and buy them soon. As reported recently on About.com's Tires Guidesite, there's a good chance that tire prices will be going up not just once in 2012, but many times over the course of the year. Tires Guide Sean Phillips explains it well in his article, Why To Swap Tires Even Before the Snow Comes. Its worth checking out. Saving ten percent on your set of snow tires is surely worth the effort of getting it done now. If you aren't sure about snow tires, check out my discussion, The Difference Between Snow Tires and Summer Tires for lots of info and answers.

Snow Tires: The Time is Now originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 22:26:53.

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With snow season upon us, more and more people are asking me about snow tires. They want to know whether their all-season tires are good enough for winter driving, or if they should spend the extra dough for a set of proper snow tires. The decision is yours. I swap my summer tires for snow tires every winter, on both my car and my wife's AWD wagon. Opinions on snow tires tend to be like snowflakes, no two are alike and trying to catch the truth on your tongue can drive you nuts. To make it easier, check out this simple explanation and you'll make the right choice.

Do You Need Snow Tires? originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 23:02:01.

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There are some products out there claiming to have the ability to change your life. We recently saw one advertising this type of advantage and gave it a test run. They were right! The things that were included in this oil change kit could make things a lot easier for the do-it-yourself mechanic. But there's a catch. Check out the full review and see what we found!

All Talk and Nothing Worth Your Money originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 at 00:14:49.

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Over the years I've received more than a few letters detailing a very unfortunate drop of the car keys followed by a resounding "plop." The drop isn't so bad, it's the plop, and where people usually are when they hear that plop, that makes the situation ugly. Each year there are countless cell phones, pens, spare change and , yes, keychain remotes that fall into the toilet -- Plop! If you're lucky, you'll be so shocked at the event and worried about your personal piece of electronics that your hand will plunge deep into the commode and retrieve the precious item before you have a chance to consider what's in there besides water. This is usually the case. The good news is there's a real chance that your remote can be saved. The first step is not to try it. There will be a temptation to go out to your car to see if it still works. Don't do it! You need to let it dry for 24 hours before you use it! I also recommend removing the battery to help it dry and to ensure that there is no chance of a short circuit due to moisture. You can put the remote someplace warm -- like near a heat register -- to help it dry, but do not put your remote in the oven or the microwave!

On a side note, this also works with cell phones. My mother's iPhone survived the plunge using this method.

You Dropped it Where? Oh No ... originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 22:04:16.

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Most cars these days come with new school frameless wiper blades, those slick, flat, contoured blades that do a much better job than the old versions. As great as they are, they still need to be replaced when they wear out, and there are a few tricks to replacing them that didn't apply to the old blades. Whether you're replacing factory frameless blades or upgrading your old suspension type blades to new versions, this easy step by step instructional will make it easy to get it done reliably and quickly. Check it out!

Installing New School Wiper Blades originally appeared on About.com Auto Repair on Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 23:10:29.

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