Are you of the widespread opinion that anything and everything can be found on the internet, at the touch of a button, and for free?
If so, you’re far from alone. In fact, the internet has evolved into such an incredible hub of instantaneous information that some scientists believe it’s affecting our memory.
However, while everything from how to cook the perfect steak through to the answers to life’s big questions are all available at our fingertips, there’s one thing that remains exceedingly difficult to find online: step-by-step advice on how to troubleshoot your car.
Yet don’t fret: here are four great sites that will help you on the quest to troubleshooting your car the Google way.
How Stuff Works
Arguably the web’s number one educational resource (after Wikipedia of course); How Stuff Works has grown through the years into an unbelievable learning tool.
With everything from historical lessons through to an insight into the inner workings of the great Einstein’s brain, How Stuff Works is the encyclopedia for the 21st Century.
Best of all, head over to the site’s highly comprehensive ‘autos’ section to get instant access to information of a quality and volume unavailable even in most books.
AutoZone
AutoZone is a dedicated motoring site that, while its primary purpose is to sell, the site still offers a vast library of high-quality and best of all, free, information.
Simply register with the site (for free) to get access to AutoZone’s comprehensive vehicle repair section.
This section includes a fantastic feature that enables motorists to pinpoint precisely what is wrong with their vehicle according to characteristics including sounds and smells.
Also available is a huge selection of ‘vehicle repair guides’ that are again, completely free, and yet contain information of a quality akin to that which you’d get from a paid equivalent.
2CarPros
2CarPros is, as the name would suggest, a site owned and operated by two highly knowledgeable motor professionals.
The site is essentially based around questions and answers. Ask a question such as ‘why aren’t my brake lights working?’ and wait for a kind and helpful expert to offer you an answer.
In addition, visitors can ask their question directly to a team of car electronic technicians, by typing it into the central text box on the homepage.
In addition, the site contains countless detailed and illustrated articles that are also available to browse completely free.
Yahoo Autos
Finally we have a resource brought to you by one of the web’s longest-standing search engines; Yahoo.
A large portion of the site is dedicated to information on car manufacturers and warranties. Valuable information no doubt, but not much help when it comes to troubleshooting.
However, Yahoo Autos also boasts an impressive selection of vehicle repair tips and advice all, of course, for free.
The section is based around ‘frequently asked questions’ which although named as ‘frequently asked’ is actually one of the most comprehensive car question and answer libraries available online. Pretty much any imaginable problem can be answered by the copywriting team behind Yahoo Autos.
As well as the fact that all the answers are incredibly detailed, Yahoo Autos also benefits from a near absence of advertisements and underlying attempts to get you to purchase something. The site is let down however, by a lack of videos, photos and other illustrations that help to take a troubleshooting advice piece from good to great.
Lastly, if none of the above worked, try car insurance estimator to never have troubles like that in the future…
And finally:
Remember that no amount of pictures, videos and detailed descriptions is a substitute for hands on experience in troubleshooting problems with your car.
Taking the matter into your own hands is great, but remember that cars are dangerous machines, so if you’re unsure about your ability to find or fix a problem yourself, take the problem to a professional.
These 4 sites really helped me a lot to find solutions for my automotive problems. Have you seen our Online Mechanic site? We provide resources for everything about repairing vehicles.