Demystifying Your Vehicle

At Duxler Complete Auto Care we hope to inspire confidence in our clients when they come to us for their vehicle maintenance and repair needs. Aside from doing good work and having the vehicle ready when we promise, we want you to feel knowledgeable about your cars and what we do with them.

To this end we are happy to offer this basic information about how your vehicle works. As daunting a task as this may seem -- particularly for the car-care novice -- the basic components and mechanics of the vehicle are really not that complicated.

Let's start with the engine, the energy source that moves your car. In the engine, fuel and air are mixed, the vapor is ignited by a spark plug, and then the energy from this mini-explosion forces the pistons in the opposite direction. The repetitive motion of the pistons rotates the crankshaft. It's this rotation that essentially powers the car.

The transmission is the part of your car that actually allows it to move. The transmission captures the power created by the engine and transfers it to the axles and wheels. This transfer can only happen when the transmission is engaged with the engine. For example, when your car is in neutral and you step on the gas, the engine revs but the car does not move. In neutral the transmission is disengaged from the engine. By contrast, when you put the car in gear, or engage the transmission, the car moves at a rate in proportion to the amount of power created by the engine.

Making your car go is one thing, how to make it stop is everything. When you take your foot off the gas pedal to apply it to the brake pedal the engine slows down. Less power is transferred to the transmission, which results in fewer rotations of the axles and wheels. The brake system then takes over. When stepping on the brake, the brake pad or shoe is pushed against a rotor or drum which creates friction. This friction inhibits the wheel from rotating freely and brings your car to a stop.

Check back for our next article to learn about the other basic systems of the car -- the suspension, the steering, and the electrical system. In future articles we will go a bit more in depth about each of these parts of your car, and also offer you some basic tips on how to best care for these critical systems.

To learn more about Duxler, please visit any one of our 5 locations on Chicago's North Shore or on the web at duxlertire.com. You can also stay in touch with me on Facebook by becoming a friend of Duxy Duxler or a fan of Duxler Complete Auto Care.