"A do-it-herself guide to auto maintenance, roadside emergencies, and the real scoop on how women can get honest car service at the garage, from engineer turned auto mechanic and award-winning entrepreneur Patrice Banks"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes index.

Pop quiz: check your auto care IQ --Introduction -- Part I. Get to know your vehicle -- Changing your vehicular relationship status -- Must-know facts about your car -- Get to know your dash -- Your primary care technician -- High maintenance -- DIY #1: Under the hood -- DIY #2: Check and add windshield washer fluid -- Part II. Everything you need to know about how cars work -- Anatomy of a modern car -- The "three E's": engines, exhaust, emissions -- DIY #3: How to check and add oil -- DIY #4: How to check and add coolant -- Motion electric: the electrical systems and computers inside your car -- Transmission: an orderly transfer of power -- Brakes: the most important system in your car -- DIY #5: How to check brake fluid and power steering fluid -- Keep 'em rolling: tires and wheels -- DIY #6: How to check air pressure and tire tread -- DIY #7: How to change a tire -- Steering: navigating your chariot -- Suspension: giving you that smooth ride -- Heating and air conditioning: keeping it cozy -- Gas: the joys and pains -- Part III. Common roadside problems (and a mini buyer's guide) -- Buy, sell, ditch: how to avoid a clunker (or tell when your car has become one) and buy a car you can afford -- What to do in an emergency -- DIY #8: How to jump-start a car.