NAPA Know How

Engine oil specifications from most major car and truck manufacturers can get very, very detailed. We’re talking beyond simply matching viscosity ratings and brands — today’s companies often have in-depth requirements as to what oil you can put into their vehicles in order to properly protect the motor while maintaining…

Your car temperature gauge seems straightforward: a needle that shows you whether your engine is hot or cold, with a “safe zone” of temperatures in between. However, not every car has this type of setup, as some feature a digital readout with actual temperature numbers, and others simply have a…

The number of tools at an automotive technician’s disposal is truly amazing. Socket options alone can span pages and pages of a tool catalog. But there is a growing list of specialty pro tools that can help a technician nail down a problem quickly and efficiently. Unless you are doing…

You left your convertible top down, because when you parked, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A few hours later, you look out the window, and it’s suddenly pouring! You run outside and close the roof, but the damage is done — your interior is soaked, or at the…

The best cordless tools add convenience to any project for DIY fans, all without detracting from efficiency or capability at the moments you need them most. The ability to work in almost any environment without having to worry about being tangled up in a cord, or even where the location…

Vision, four-fifths of our perception, is one of our most important abilities. While driving, your eyes sweep the road for danger, but dusk, night, dawn, rain, and fog are difficult situations to see and be seen in. Knowing how to replace a headlight keeps you and others safe on the…

If you’re tooling around with a wrench set in the U.S., you’ve probably cross-threaded a bolt or two, thinking it was a standard when actually you had a metric in your hand. It happens. With the metric system being adopted (almost) everywhere else in the world and the U.S. stubbornly…

(Editor’s Note: Welcome to NAPA Knows New Cars with the 2018 Ford F-150 Diesel 4×4 SuperCrew Platinum. This is not your normal new car review. This series focuses more on the nuts & bolts of the vehicle that are not usually covered by other outlets. The intention is to inform,…

Keeping the inside of your car clean any time of the year is tough. During the summer, Thoroughly Vacuum and Steam Clean Using the same vacuum as the one you clean the floors of your house with won’t cut it when it comes to your car. You’ll need a stronger…

Shopping corded power tools vs. cordless can sometimes be a confusing experience. With so many options out there — cord length, motor power, battery capacity — it’s not always easy to know what the right choice is. Ultimately, the best tools are the ones that can get the job done…