Service

Some maintenance tasks are easy enough for the average consumer to handle, but others might be best done by a shop or dealer — even if you have the skills to do it yourself.

While the majority of motor mounts aren’t very expensive in and of themselves, the labor involved in replacing them can be.

Oxygen sensors are not among the maintenance items that need to be replaced regularly, so they typically are replaced only when they fail.

A car’s thermostat typically requires replacement only if it fails, but more complex systems in modern cars may require assistance from a mechanic.

Asking your mechanic for a general tuneup isn’t really a viable request anymore — nor is it likely to be the fix for a running problem.

A bad tank of gas can be caused by a variety of issues, and it can prevent a car’s engine from running as well as it should.

Engines are getting smaller and more powerful, but these high-strung engines may not be as reliable in the long run as older engines.

While having too little oil in your engine can understandably cause problems, having too much oil can be just as bad.

VVT-i is short for Variable Valve Timing-Intelligence, an early version of Toyota’s variable valve-timing system that came to be offered on many of the company’s engines.

Powertrain control modules determine how much fuel to inject into the cylinders and when that fuel should be ignited.