Featured Story

How to Troubleshoot a Tire-Pressure Monitoring System

Are your tires really inflated properly? Don’t put too much faith in your tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS)—it often won’t give a sign that they are low until it’s too late. Here’s how to set up your TPMS system so that you are never caught without enough air.

Previous Auto How-To Central Stories

How to Fix Car Radio Static Do you hear static on your radio when you turn on certain devices in your car? Use a simple digital multimeter to determine the source and repair it. (Published in the November 2009 issue)
Hydrogen Gadgets at SEMA: Cars Still Can't Run on Water This year's SEMA show is blissfully short on bogus gas-saving gadgets. Unfortunately, there are still some hydrogen-on-demand holdouts claiming dramatic improvements in fuel economy by burning water in your car.
Escort Redline Radar Detector Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award The new Redline is essentially the company’s Passport 9500ix detector with a big boost in horsepower. The Redline, according to Escort’s tester, provides an incredible 13-mile detection range and is the most sensitive detector the company has ever made.
Jig-a-Clean Wins SEMA Editor's Choice Award It comes as no surprise that we sometimes tend to get our hands a little dirty here at PM. So we’re always looking for new and easy ways to get them clean again. We tried Jig-a-Loo’s new Jig-a-Clean hand cleaner earlier and it really works.
Gates Belt Wear Gauge Wins SEMA Editor's Choice Award How do you know if your serpentine belt is worn out? Most of us look for signs of wear like fraying or a spider’s web of cracks on the surface. But Gates has made the procedure so easy you don’t need any special expertise.
Dimension U Print 3D Printer Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award Jay Leno has been using his $30,000 Dimension 3D printer for about a year now and has created some amazing parts for his classic cars – completely from scratch and in house. Now Dimension has a more affordable version that could help schools and small businesses learn the art of rapid prototyping.
Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Tire Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award Few realize just how important tires can be for decreasing fuel usage. Pirelli’s new Scorpion Verde All-Season SUV tire not only provides lower rolling resistance but is also manufactured with fewer damaging compounds for less of an impact on the environment.
SMC Innovations Master Mind Tools Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award Good tools are hard to find. Good tools that take the chore out of tough jobs are even harder to find. Master Mind’s lineup of new tools are ergonomically designed and innovatively engineered to handle rounded-off fittings and get at hard-to-reach fasteners.
Autoglym Perfect Palm Applicator Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award Sometimes the simplest innovations are the smartest and most useful. Autoglym, new to the U.S. consumer market, has developed a “handy" (pun intended), applicator for waxes and polishes that fits the contour of the hand.
Permatex Wheel Restoration Kit Wins SEMA Editor’s Choice Award New alloy wheels and low-profile tires look great—until you misjudge that curb. Instead of purchasing an expensive replacement, Permatex’s Wheel Restoration Kit allows you to repair the wheel by sanding down the affected area and filling in the low spots.
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