Car Smarts: An Easy-to-Use Guide to Understanding Your Car and Communicating with Your Mechanic

The information in this book helped me when a mechanic tried to rip me off. I needed to use a locksmith to get into my car in the school parking lot, found out that the car wouldn't start after we got in, and the car had to be towed to the closest auto shop. The mechanic tried to tell me that the fuel pump was broken, and he quoted me $600 - $700 to repair the problem. I was able to ask intelligent questions about what was going on, asked him to take another look at the vehicle, and refused to let him replace the pump without looking further into the problem. I insisted that he investigate other options, and he eventually acquiesced to a $50 repair in a completely different part from the pump. Sadly, it's easy for women to be preyed upon because they don't know what to check for when something goes wrong with the car. This book didn't make me a car genius, but it did save my hide from an unscrupulous mechanic who had my vehicle hostage at his shop.

I bought this book after I started working at a garage as a service writer. My job was to make quick diagnosis and recommendations for services to customers. I thought I knew a decent amount about cars, but learned in the first week that I was way out of my depth. This book helped me understand the basics and then some. After reading sections I would go out in the garage and ask the guys questions. They started quizzing me on parts in the cars and functioning of things as well. I was able to answer most questions. I even ended up changing my own spark plugs. If I hadn't moved out of state, I probably would have gotten further into it. I highly recommend this book. It's great for younger folks to learn too, like my 14 year old son. The boo uses examples that relate car parts and systems to body parts and systems which makes it easy to understand and retain. Very happy I chose this book out of all the others.

I loved this book as it delivered on what it promises - to instill a basic understanding of the various components of the car. I also came away with an appreciation for the bigger picture - how these components work together.The book is very well written and I found the checklist of the things to do at the end of each chapter very helpful. I agree with another reviewer here that the troubleshooting map at the end of the chapters were not as useful (especially for someone who is a beginner). But make no mistake; this is a very good book (and a fun read) if you just want to understand the inner workings of your car as well as pick up basic tips to maintain your car. If you want to learn to repair your car (as a mechanic does), then you need a different book. As for me, I will use this book to have a more intelligent conversation with my mechanic!

Mary Jackson's Car Smarts provided a very in depth, easy to read summary of cars and how they work. I actually bought this book in conjunction with Tom Newton's How Cars Work and I am extremely glad I bought Jackson's as well because How Cars Work does not adequately explain the process of how cars actually work! (I ended up using it as a reference after reading Car Smarts). Car Smarts, however, inundates the reader with information in a manner that allows the reader, who - like myself - is probably fairly ignorant when it comes to the mechanical operations of a car, to learn and associate the workings of the car to the workings of the human body. Now when I think of pistons, I can picture a person's legs pushing down on a bike to create motion. And when reading Motor Trend or Automobile Magazine I actually know what DOHC and an "inline six" on a BMW means. Great book - highly recommended.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and it answered all of my basic questions to how a car actually works. If you are looking for a book telling you how to actually fix something in your car then this book is not for you. But if you are curious about the inner-workings of a car and want to be knowledgeable in general car conversations, then this book fits the bill.

Having a tough time finding this book? Keep trying. It will be worth the search. Fantastic resource for the car owner that want to understand more about how to have their car taken care of and how to talk with their favorite mechanic.

This book was exceptional helpful in explaining the different systems that run a car and how they should be maintained. I found cars and car repair fairly intimidating before reading this book. Now I understand how my car runs, I know what maintenance is required and why, I can diagnose or at least narrow down problems to a system, and I feel confident talking to a mechanic about my car.Car Smarts is straightforward, well-illustrated and thorough enough to give any car novice an overview of their car.

This updated version of her original book written to help women in general to get a better understanding of their car so they could convey needed information to their service technicians is a genuine jewel. The sense of humor and the illustrations make things easier to comprehend for everyone. As a trainer for an automotive group, I recommend this book to all new sales people. It's simply the best for people who never had to learn how a car works.