NAPA Know How

There’s no better road-trip buddy than your dog or cat. While it can be fun to take a trip with your fur babies, you’re going to need to pet proof your car before you hit the open road. Pet proofing means more than just clearing a space for Rex to…

Upgrading to high-performance brake fluid isn’t the flashiest modification you can make to your vehicle, but if you ever intend to compete in an autocross event or try your car out at a track day, it’s a must-have. Moving to enhanced brake fluid is one of the most important upgrades…

You just changed your vehicle’s motor oil and oil filter and recycled both. Mission accomplished! But when you slip behind the wheel of your vehicle and activate the ignition, you notice the oil change maintenance light is still illuminated. What gives? Sometimes, the light needs to be manually reset. Instructions…

The neutral safety switch is an important safety feature on all modern cars with an automatic transmission. It makes sure your car doesn’t start in gear and take off unexpectedly, which is a good thing. But what are the signs of a bad neutral safety switch? And how can you…

Somehow, spring finally arrived, and it’s time to get your lawn mower ready for a season of grass cutting. You probably already know you need to do a lawn mower spring tuneup and give it some fresh gas and spark plugs, but lawn mower tires deserve your attention, too. A…

Practically every drive shaft and drive axle is fitted with at least two flexible joints that enable engine and transmission torque to be transmitted at an angle. Ideally, torque would be transmitted in a straight line, but this would result in an extremely rough ride. Instead, the suspension and steering…

The function of coil springs is to support the vehicle at its desired height, to maintain proper alignment angles and to absorb road shock transmitted through the tires and shock absorbers. Constant flexing in normal service gradually weakens the suspension system, which in turn allows the car to sag. Once…

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Rather than just relying on the old standbys, like flowers and jewelry, why not give her a gift for her car that she can use all year long? After all, she makes dozens of trips each week, driving the kids around town, going…

In the old days, the method of choice for checking a circuit was to grab the test light and start probing. While a test light has its place, many times you can actually do more damage by using a test light, especially on today’s high-tech electronics. What you need is…

After purchasing a used car, it’s common to be concerned about both its past and its future. Even if it came with a warranty, or if you had the time to do a full inspection, there can still be some uncertainty about the maintenance that was performed on the vehicle…