Category: Glossary

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

4×4 is a general term for a four-wheel-drive system on vehicles with two axles.  It is used specifically to indicate four-wheel-drive versions of Jeep cars. It means that the …