| About diesel fuel
Diesel engines require their own type of fuel. Due to their high compression combustion, they use a diesel fuel oil. This fuel is available in three grades, depending on the temperature.
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| Air filters
The last line of defense between the outside elements and the inside of your car's engine is the air filter. This filter removes contaminants such as soot, carbon, and other abrasives from the air before they can mix with the fuel in the combustion chamber.
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| Automotive tools
A small box of tools can be invaluable in case of an automotive emergency or the need for simple repairs. The type of tools you carry don't have to be complicated, but they should be high quality.
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| Belts and hoses
Some of your car's cooling system parts that take quite a beating on a daily basis are the belts and hoses. If a belt breaks, or a hose develops a major leak, your car will most likely overheat, and it could lead to engine damage.
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| Changing your oil
Your car's engine oil serves several crucial functions. Most importantly, it's a lubricant of the many internal parts of the engine. Oil also helps to collect and disperse heat generated by moving parts.
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| Cooling systems
Failure of your car's cooling system becomes readily apparent when it happens. The first sign is usually a glowing warning light or an extremely high reading on your car's temperature gauge.
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| Fuel and oil additives
In most modern cars, there's usually no need for oil or fuel additives. Most of the gasoline and oil already has detergents, boosters, and other additives to increase the performance of your car.
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| Gas
The kind of car you drive may help determine which kind of gasoline you should put in the tank. The octane rating that's best for your car's engine should be listed in the owner's manual.
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| Repairing tires
Flat tires can be inconvenient in the least and can sometimes be dangerous. If you get a flat, the first thing to do is pull over to a safe spot, whether you plan to change the tire or not.
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| Rotating tires
Your car's tires wear at different rates. Depending on what kind of vehicle you drive, some wheels power it, some steer it, and some just roll along with the others.
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| Spark plugs and filters
Many parts of your car may wear out periodically and need to be replaced. Some of the most common items that need replacing are the various filters in your car as well as the spark plugs.
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| Steering fluid
Caring for your car's steering system is a fairly simple matter. Check the power steering fluid periodically to make sure it's at the correct level. If the fluid stays too low for too long, damage to the steering system could result.
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| Types of oil
Your owner's manual should recommend the right type of oil to use in your car. Five-w-thirty or ten-w-thirty s-j-c-f oil is used in most modern automobiles.
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| What about my brakes?
Brake problems rarely appear suddenly. There usually are several signs to let you know something's wrong. Squeaks, squeals, grinds, or shudders can all be warning signs of impending brake trouble.
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| Your car battery
A good quality battery should last four or more years. Battery failure doesn't usually occur spontaneously. Most often there are telltale signs that your battery is going bad.
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