The Savvy Guide to Car Maintenance and Repair

Has the technology in your car or truck passed you by? We hear mechanics talk about the "computer" in our car, and every visit to the service center requires a "diagnostic" check where our car is hooked up to a machine that somehow tells the mechanic what is wrong. While today’s cars rely heavily on computers and electronics to maintain a high level of performance and efficiency, there is still much that you can do when it comes to maintenance and repair of your car.

General maintenance and repair of your vehicle need not be an expensive or daunting task. A well-tuned car means better fuel mileage, a more comfortable ride, and the pride from "doing it yourself." Whether you are male or female, this book is written to help you perform the multitudes of tasks that you can perform, without the aid of a mechanic and his or her magic diagnostic contraption.

This book steps the reader through a tour of a vehicle’s major parts and connections, how to play car detective, and how to find out more information when needed. General maintenance and repair topics are covered, as well as good advice on when to seek professional help.

Topics addressed include:

Troubleshooting • Equipment Needs • Sample Repairs Maintenance • Selecting Equipment • Finding a Mechanic

Kate J. Chase is a freelance journalist and reference book author based in Marshfiled, VT. As a writer and journalist, she’s found herself both occasionally either short on money for car repairs or replacement, and out in the middle of nowhere on assignment with a broken-down car.. Couple that with being a woman who’s occasionally gotten some incredibly "creative" estimates from repair shops and you have someone who’s learned how to do essential car repair and maintenance out of necessity. She brings to the topic the same savvy, intelligent "get control of your machine" approach Kate teaches her readers in her PC books.

Kate’s work has included articles in The New York Times and many other newspapers and magazines. She’s written hundreds of product reviews, help articles, and feature stories appearing online. She has also authored, contributed to, revised, or edited more than two dozen PC reference books including Buying Rx Drugs Online (Course Technology, 2005), Norton All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies (Wiley, 2005), PC Hardware and A+ Handbook (Microsoft Press, 2004), and PC Disaster and Recovery (Sybex, 2003).