Mike Parra
Master Mechanic
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Co-authored Articles (18)
How to Fill Air in a Car's Tires
Step-by-step instructions to gauge your tire pressure and pump up your rideYou can quickly and easily fill up your car's tires using a home or gas station air pump. Make sure to keep a tire pressure gauge on hand for a m...
How to
Loosen Lug Nuts
Lug nuts are used to secure the wheel to the vehicle, and lug nuts need to be loosened and eventually removed any time you want to change a tire, access the brakes, and do a variety of other repairs on your vehicle. Lear...
How to Fix Squeaky Windshield Wipers: Best Tips, Tricks, & More
Kick squeaky windshield wipers to the curb with our 12 solutionsSqueak, squeak, squeak…alright already! The piercing shriek of your windshield wipers can make each use an irritating, even distracting experience. While ...
How to
Fix Car Tail Lights
If your tail lights are broken or not illuminating, don't take your car to the mechanic! For a straightforward light or fuse replacement, you can fix your tail lights yourself for a fraction of the price. You can be cite...
How to Flush a Car's Radiator Coolant System
Draining, rinsing, and refilling your radiator to keep it clean It’s recommended that you change the coolant in your radiator every 4 to 6 years or after driving to keep your engine running safely and efficiently. Cha...
How to
Charge a Car Battery
Car batteries stay charged by harnessing the extra power of the car's engine, and most can go for at least five years without needing to be replaced or recharged. But even the best car batteries will run out of power eve...
How to
Replace Ball Joints
A worn-out ball joint will pivot horizontally and vertically, negatively affecting your handling at low speed, and becoming especially dangerous at high speeds. Recognizable for a knocking sound in the wheel well as you ...
How to
Check Ball Joints
The ball joints allow the suspension of your vehicle to move up and down, while at the same time allow the wheels to turn left and right. Over time, a car’s ball joints may wear down. If a ball joint starts to loosen, ...
How to
Check Air Pressure in Tires
Incorrect pressure can cause poor mileage, uneven tire wear, or a tire blow-out. To prevent these events from happening it is important to maintain proper tire pressure. Check your tire pressure every time you fill your ...
How to
Remove Locking Lug Nuts
Lost the key to your locking lug nuts? Here is how to get the locking lug nuts off without the key and save money from a costly tow.
How to
Install Snow Chains on Tires
When driving in snowy or icy conditions, snow chains can be extremely helpful for safe handling and control. On steep roads or in mountainous terrain, they may even be required to travel at all. Although installing and r...
How to
Check and Add Fluid to Your Automatic Transmission
Your car's automatic transmission system is one of several hydraulic systems in your car. To maintain your system, you must check the transmission fluid periodically to make sure there is enough fluid of sufficient quali...
How to
Refill Brake Fluid
Maintaining the proper level of brake fluid is a vital part of keeping any vehicle's brake system working. For this reason, most drivers are advised to replace their vehicle's brake fluid about every two to three years. ...
How to
Test Spark Plug Wires
A spark plug wire is a basic but critical engine component. It carries the high voltage (30k to 50k volts) produced by the ignition coil to the spark plug. When exposed to heat and vibration, the carbon in the wire may l...
How to
Diagnose an Alignment Problem
Alignment refers to the angle and direction of the wheels on your vehicle, but it’s also the name of the repair procedure that fixes problems with your wheel alignment. It may sound confusing, but you need to get an al...
How to
Put Air in a Tire
Feeling a little run down lately? Flabby, with no get-up-and-go? Perhaps a little soft around the middle, even? It's a hard life, being a tire. No worries though—we'll show your owner how to fill you and take care of y...
How to
Replace Disc Brakes
Front brakes on all modern cars are disc brakes. The front brakes generally provide 80% of the stopping power, and so tend to wear faster than the rear. Replacing them — pads, rotors and calipers — is quite simple ...
How to
Replace Spark Plug Wires
So you need to replace your spark plug wires. Plug wires do wear out, usually at the connections in the boots at both the plugs and the coils. You'll need to locate the wires, identify the proper length and amount, and r...
