Here's What You Wish You Knew About Cars

You were probably born just knowing everything about cars, right? You were always the smartest person in the room, and the most confident, too. Even before cars were released to the public, you already knew everything about them, and never had to learn anything from anyone. This is information that just appears in your brain just by divine interjection. You have always known and you always will know. 

The rest of us, however, have some questions. 

Over the weekend I asked Jalopnik readers what car-related questions they weren't sure of the answers to, but were too embarrassed to ask. The responses, er questions, we got are wide ranging and indicate a bit about where we are as car enthusiasts. We have the entire world at our fingertips, but we've never been more separated from our community. We should all be pushing to bring more people into the fold and help them learn the kinds of things they don't already know with hands-on opportunities. That's why I never hesitate to toss someone the keys to one of my fun cars, or help them out with a project, or invite them to help me with mine. If you want a better community, you have to help raise up everyone. 

The whole idea is that we're breaking down the barriers to car enthusiasm and getting more people under the big tent of cars. You don't have to like the same kinds of cars, in fact we still encourage Mustang and Camaro folks to give each other a wide berth. That being said, your duty as a car person is to spread the gospel of car far and wide, as though it were religion, and you're some kind of transportation international mission tripper. Have you heard the good word about your Lord and Savior, the Honda S2000?

I think I know just about exactly what I would like to know about cars.

Not saying that I know everything. Far from it. But I'm not sure how much more I want to know.

Kind of happy where I'm at right now.

Thanks for asking! 

Suggested by Anonymous Person

Charles Bukowski once asked, "Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?"

What is the minimum level of knowledge/skills needed to consider yourself a car guy?

I have my own answers, but I'm curious on others' thoughts!

Suggested by Weirdisgood

I don't personally subscribe to any kind of litmus test for car enthusiasm. You don't have to be able to wrench on your own car. You don't have to know how much horsepower a Corvette ZR1X makes, or how fast a Bugatti Veyron went. You just have to be an enthusiast. Are you excited to see, drive, and talk about cars? You're a car enthusiast.  It isn't what you know, it's how you feel.

Why don't/can't VW/BMW/Audi/MB try to build cars as reliable as a Toyota?

Suggested by BuddyS

They can, and often do, but Americans aren't great at keeping up with the strict maintenance they require. German cars, particularly the expensive ones, are built with tight tolerances, advanced high-tech systems, and come with high labor costs. Skipping or delaying a service can be detrimental to your vehicle's health. All of my German cars are deep into the six-figure odometer readings without much effort, and they're some of the most reliable cars ever built. 

Do you have any openings for a former professional mechanic who's also a decent writer?

Suggested by Dave Fancella

I've been writing about cars for almost twenty years, and the best time to become an automotive writer was forty years ago. This is an industry in collapse with hundreds of layoffs and closures every year. My recommendation is to stay as far away as possible. Maybe start a YouTube channel?

Why do people ask me for advice on which car to buy – but then they NEVER listen to me and end up buying something completely different?

Suggested by Radar Lover Gone

People asking for car-buying advice don't actually want your input. They're looking for validation of a car buying decision they're already made in their head. They want someone they view as an authority on cars to tell them the car they want to buy is the best decision, so they can feel better about what they're dropping tens of thousands of dollars on. Even if it's a bad idea, just tell them to buy what they want. 

Is it too broad an answer to say everything? I pride myself on my driving ability but pop the hood and I couldn't tell you what anything is or what it does. I think one of the things in there is the engine? It make car go?

Suggested by ChozoCraig

Sometimes engine make car go, that's true. The best way to learn anything is to put in some effort. Read some books, magazines, and websites about wrenching, watch a few YouTube videos, particularly about your own car so you can have hands-on study material, and you'll be up to speed in no time. I learned how to rebuild engines by pulling the engine out of my car and tearing it apart one winter. It helps to have knowledgeable friends. 

My gearhead friend told me to check the blinker fluid, but I don't know how or where to check it on the car.

Suggested by Alf Enthusiast

First you need to buy a set of left-handed wrenches and adjust your turbo encabulator. 

What made the unique and delightful chortle sound in vintage air-cooled VW Beetles, buses, square backs and fastbacks?

Suggested by Joseph

That delightful sound you're hearing is whimsy. 

I know how a manual transmission works, but I always wondered how automatic transmissions deal with a car braking to a stop at a traffic light, for instance. I know (or suspect) it has something to do with the torque converter, but what it is actually doing to "disconnect" the motor from the wheels is probably pretty complicated.

Suggested by JimmieG

The old saw in the car world is that engines produce power, which goes into an automatic transmission, magic happens, and sadness comes out. The automatic transmission doesn't actually "disconnect" the motor from the wheels, as there is still some engine braking done with automatic transmissions. Here's a short video explaining how traditional torque converter automatics work. Obviously this is completely different from CVTs and dual-clutch gearboxes. 

Why American car brands cant stick to a nameplate? (Like Corolla, Camry or accord)

Why german engineering is so sought after if their cars are expensive to fix and don't last long

Why can't the car display what's wrong instead of a dumb check engine?

Suggested by Hector David Salinas

1. American car brands absolutely stick to nameplates. Corvette, Mustang, Suburban, and F-series all pre-date Corolla, Camry, and Accord, in some cases by a couple decades. 

2. German cars will last forever if you keep up with maintenance. They are expensive to fix because all cars are expensive to fix now. 

3. The vast majority of drivers know less than nothing about how their car operates or what things mean. A check engine or service engine soon light lets the driver know they need to schedule an appointment, but if the dash said "O2 Sensor Fault" or "Cylinder One Misfire" they're more likely to ignore it. There's also the fact that most dealerships make a huge profit on service, and the automaker is in the business of making their dealer customers happy. 

Why is car culture hella straight? Why do straight men look at LGBTQIA+ folks like aliens when we are in the same space?

Suggested by Scoobie2

Not only will I not make excuses for my fellow straights, I will continue to push them to be more accepting. We, as car enthusiasts, need to do everything in our power to open the arms of car enthusiasm to embrace the LGBTQ community, and push out the bigots. I co-founded Radwood, and one of my friends told me the first time they felt comfortable being out in public as a trans woman was at a Radwood event, which remains one of my proudest achievements. For queer-focused car spaces, look up Out Motorsports, they're great people! 

Why do automakers make interference engines when they get destroyed if a timing belt or chain breaks?

Suggested by Bruno

There are significant engineering benefits to designing an interference engine. While there is risk of catastrophic engine failure with a snapped timing belt, this can typically be avoided by changing the belt on the manufacturer recommended interval. Interference engines offer a higher compression ratio, more power, better fuel economy, and lower exhaust emissions, on average, than their non-interference counterparts.