In most exotic, high end, or luxury cars, they will either have their own brands of motor oil, or they reference a specific vendor that supports the proper oil specifications for the engines that they manufacture. You may be thinking “why don’t I just go ahead and put a non-synthetic in since they do the same thing?”. The answer is, if you put a non-synthetic engine oil into a system meant to handle a high-quality synthetic oil, you could have some lubrication issues. In engines such as BMW or Mercedes or other high-end vehicles, the engineering involved could be so precise that the use of a non-synthetic oil without the correct specifications can lead to severe and expensive engine failure.

If you drive a vehicle that does not require synthetic oil, you should still consider the benefits of synthetic oil over conventional oils. A synthetic oil can provide more benefits to conventional oil such as:

• Longer lasting, 7,500 to 10,000 miles between oil changes
• Resists breakdown over time
• Withstands high temperatures, commonly found in performance and diesel engines
• Flows in cold weather, allowing cold starts to be conducted more easily with less engine wear
• Less likely to form sludge in the motor because synthetic oil is a much cleaner-running oil to conventional
• Protects the engine and turbo charger parts with better efficiency over conventional oil

Motor oil is essentially the lifeblood of your vehicle and your investment can be better protected with synthetic oils so consider the benefits of switching to a premium synthetic oil on your next oil change.

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Even if you are sitting still, you will see the tachometer needle move around the gauge as you accelerate by pressing on the gas pedal. The tachometer indicates how many times the engine is rotating each minute. Multiply the number on the gauge by one thousand. For example, if the needle is sitting at 1, the engine is rotating one thousand times per minute. (If the numbers on the tachometer are multiples of 10—numbers like 20, 30, 40, and so on—then you multiply that number by one hundred instead of one thousand.) That number is how many times the engine makes one full revolution each minute—called revolutions per minute or “RPMs” for short.

It can be helpful to keep an eye on the RPM gauge. The RPM number will drop each time the transmission shifts into a higher gear to increase fuel economy. If you notice that the engine appears to be running at a higher RPM than normal, it may indicate that something is not right; that the engine is working harder than usual. Another situation when the tachometer is helpful is as you are idling. If you have a vacuum leak or a similar problem, your idling RPM will be higher than usual. Most engines should run just below the 1 mark. If the idling RPM is significantly higher, that’s a problem. You should expect to see the idling RPM a little bit higher when the engine is cold. Once the engine reaches operating temperature, you will see the gauge go back down to the 650-750 RPM range.

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You will find the coolant temperature gauge on either the left or right side of the dash. This gauge monitors the temperature of the engine.

Transmissions usually will not shift into the final drive gear until the engine temperature has reached at least a quarter of the way of its full gauge range. Most gauges are set to run—in normal operation—about midway of the gauge. So, you’ll usually see a “C” (for cold) on the left and an “H” (for hot) on the right (or Blue for cold and Red for hot).

The gauge could be installed vertically—in that case, the ‘C’ would be on the bottom and the ‘H’ would be on the top. The needle is typically going to be in the middle of the gauge, indicating what is called, “Normal Operating Temperature.”

Interestingly, if the indicator needle indicates your engine is staying cold, that impacts your fuel mileage. The vehicle’s computer is designed to put fuel in the engine based on a certain engine temperature. When the engine is cold, it puts in more fuel because a cold engine needs more. If the thermostat is not working—a typical failure—then the computer perceives that the engine is running at a colder temperature and continues putting more fuel into the engine, increasing your gasoline usage. Because the thermostat can affect fuel mileage, it’s important that you are familiar with the temperature gauge to know what is normal. Check that gauge on a consistent basis.

Note: If you continue running the vehicle when the gauge shows the engine is hot, this will cause very expensive and critical internal engine damage. Too many times we have seen very expensive engine damage caused by someone who knew the gauge was reading hot but explained that they only drove “less than a mile” to get to an exit, home, or elsewhere. Don’t make this mistake!

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The reason the airbag doesn’t deploy with a child in the front passenger seat is because the car industry has learned that small children do not withstand the explosion of an airbag as well as an adult.

The inside of an airbag contains a substance similar to gunpowder. When triggered, the “gunpowder” explodes the bag out of the dash at an extremely high rate of speed. The air inside that bag immediately deflates, but is present for just long enough to provide a cushion to the blow of an impact.

Typically, the occupant of the seat moves forward while the bag deploys rearward so a collision takes place between the bag and the occupant. Because the airbag deploys at such a high rate of speed, a child’s body simply cannot withstand that kind of force. Injury or death can occur as a result. After learning this, car manufacturers introduced smart bags—which was quite a “smart” thing to do.

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To clarify, you can be low on oil and still have oil pressure. The oil light may not let you know that you are low on oil—in some cars, only checking the level with a dipstick can tell you if you are low on oil. (One new technology in some of the higher end cars, like some BMW and Mercedes models, uses no dipstick. Instead, a sensor inside the engine reads the oil level and indicates its level. Most cars still have a dipstick.)

Even when you’re a quart or two low on oil, you still have enough oil in the engine to produce oil pressure. In that case, the oil light might not come on because adequate oil pressure exists. However, the lower your oil level, the more stress and damage to your engine may occur. Potentially, you could have a low oil level and no indicator light to warn you. That’s why regular oil changes are so important.

Having a sufficient oil level provides several benefits. Lubricating the engine is the oil’s primary job, but it also assists in engine cooling. Most people do not think about the cooling properties of the motor oil but that is an important function as well. The oil moves heat from critical moving parts as it circulates through the engine.

Using the correct oil type is also important to maintain maximum fuel economy as using the wrong oil can lower your fuel mileage.

Want more great advice on saving money on car repairs? Order Russell McCloud’s book Knowledge is Power by clicking here

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When the temperature light comes on, you should safely pull over and check the temperature gauge if it is so equipped. If it indicates the engine is too hot, turn your engine off as quickly as you safely can. The first step in the troubleshooting process is to make sure that your coolant level is full. However, be very careful!

You have to use extreme caution when checking your coolant level or adding coolant to a hot car because you can be severely burned. It is best to let the car sit for at least an hour with the hood raised to allow the engine to cool down before adding coolant. In these situations, you must check the radiator coolant level, not just the overflow bottle. Before opening the radiator cap, squeeze the upper radiator hose to ensure it is fairly soft and that you can hold it without burning your hand. If it is hard and feels under pressure, it is not yet safe to open the cooling system for inspection.

The need to add coolant usually indicates you have a leak that needs to be repaired. If the coolant is full and the vehicle is running hot, that means a component within the system has failed. Either way, you’ll need to get your car to the repair facility as soon as possible. If the coolant level is full, it is almost always best to have the vehicle towed in order to prevent expensive engine damage.

Want more great advice on saving money on car repairs? Order Russell McCloud’s book Knowledge is Power by clicking here

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Some limp modes limit your speed to no more than 25 miles an hour, which will allow you to drive to a safe place. You’ll likely need to have it towed from that point, especially if you have a long way to go. Other limp modes allow you to go 40 miles per hour, usually enough that you can get to a repair facility on your own.

The reduced power light will almost always be red. It indicates a problem that needs to receive immediate attention.

A question that is often asked is “How do you know if the car is safe to drive when a warning light comes on?” The general rule of thumb is determined by the color of the warning light. Yellow warning lights in general meant that it is okay to continue driving as long as there are no noticeable vehicle performance issues such as poor acceleration, unusual sounds, odd smells, etc. Red warning lights in general mean you must stop driving immediately, or at the very least, as soon as you safely can. For instance, you should not stop for a warning light if you are on a two lane bridge with no shoulder or on a freeway where there is no safe place to pull over to the right side of the road. You do need to take advantage of the very first opportunity to safely pull over though. We have seen many instances where someone drove “just a couple of miles” to get to home or an exit and turned a $400 repair into a $2000 repair needlessly.

In the case of the reduced power warning light, it is generally red but you can continue to operate the vehicle long enough to get to a repair facility providing it has not limited you to an unsafe speed on a highway. In that case it is best (safest) to pull over as soon as practical and call for a tow.

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Traction control also works during acceleration. An example of acceleration mode is when you turn a corner and the weight of the car shifts from one side to the other. The traction control system is going to move the power to the wheels with the best traction.

The Traction Control warning light will typically have the abbreviation TC or TCS. Many other models will use a symbol that looks like a car with squiggly lines underneath it. Many traction control systems will illuminate the warning light when the system detects a loss of traction such as in snowy or rainy weather. Typically, the light comes on when the system kicks in to maintain traction. It’s a good idea to read the section in your vehicle’s owner’s manual to familiarize yourself with how your traction or stability system operates so that you are not startled or confused when it illuminates.

As with any warning lights that come on, it is important that you seek professional assistance as soon as practical. If you are traveling and the weather is good, the need is not immediate in most cases. However, you do not want to place yourself in a situation where an accident could have been avoided but a warning light was ignored for too long.

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That means it supplements your safety system and that safety system is your seat belt. If you are not wearing your seat belt when you are in an accident that deploys the airbags, a greater amount of bodily injury will occur. For that reason, you should ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.

If the airbag light is on, there is a problem in the system and the airbags will not deploy if an accident occurs. As you can imagine, this can be very serious. If your SRS light comes on, get your vehicle to the shop quickly.

You will notice that the SRS warning light is yellow in color. Yellow warning lights typically indicate that you may continue driving your vehicle without causing immediate further damage to the vehicle. However, keep in mind that this important safety system will not be protecting you so this is definitely one you should not ignore for long.

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