Category: Glossary
If you are a passionate car owner you care a lot about your vehicle’s appearance. You are probably one of those people who sticks to the maintenance schedule and …
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If you look up the words “trim level”, you are more likely to end up confused rather than enlightened. The word trim is often used on websites and in …
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There is a large variety of car fuses. They are needed to protect motor vehicle circuits. In the earliest automotive days, cars did not have fuses. However, as vehicles …
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An engine block heater is a handy electrical device used for the sole purpose of warming up your car engine and its fluids on those cold, wintery days. In …
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When deciding to buy a new vehicle, you’ve most likely considered the brand, performance, color, and make or model. Other questions you should ask yourself are: how many passengers …
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The word comes from French and simply means “frame” or “framework. It is also used to describe parts of a computer – but here of course, we will focus …
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The Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor measures the intake manifold pressure (IMP) downstream of the throttle valve in order to indirectly compute — by means of the ratio of pressure …
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The positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) is a feature in piston engines that maintains regulated pressure ratios in the crankcase in relation to the surrounding environment. A further function is …
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Fog lights are used to illuminate a motor vehicle in particularly poor visibility conditions caused, for example, by fog, rain, or snow. They are mounted below the headlights. Together …
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Car rain sensors are ingenious devices that detect the amount of rain falling on a car’s windscreen and then adjust the operation of the windscreen wipers accordingly. They are …
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Rotary engines are combustion motors that operate without the need for pistons. This topic concerns those used in cars, often called rotary combustion motors to tell them apart from …
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In a car with an internal combustion engine, the engine will typically run hot. This is a natural consequence of using rapidly occurring explosions of fuel mixed with air …
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ATTESA (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain) is the name for all-wheel-drive systems on Nissan and Infiniti cars. The system first appeared in 1987 when the Nissan Bluebird …
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XWD, Cross-Wheel Drive, or Haldex Generation 4 are names of the all-wheel-drive system which first appeared on the Saab Turbo X model in 2008. It was developed by the …
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FWD is the general term for front-wheel drive. It was installed for the first time on the Alvis roadster in 1928. It became widely used in the 1960s and …
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4motion is the patented name for all-wheel-drive systems featured on Volkswagen cars. It has been used since 1998. Before then, all-wheel-drive versions were referred to as “Syncro”. An increased …
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PCS (Precision Control System) is an electronic stability control system, which was installed on Oldsmobile cars. It was first used in 2000 on the Intrigue saloon. It improves the …
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RWD is the general term used for rear-wheel drive systems on all makes of passenger and commercial vehicles. It means that the engine torque is transferred to the rear …
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DSA (Dynamic Stability Assistance) is a dynamic stability control system designed specially for compact Volvo models. It prevents the drive wheels from slipping and improves their grip on wet …
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4Matic is an all-wheel drive system installed on Mercedes-Benz cars. It is a proprietary development of Daimler AG. It was created in collaboration with the Austrian company Magna Steyr …
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