Christian Brothers Automotive is here to help. Familiarize yourself with the 5 terms below and you’ll have a basic understanding of what your mechanic is talking about.

1. Oil filter

You’ve probably heard of an oil change, but did you know this involved a filter? The oil filter cleans the motor oil as it circulates through the engine. The longer the oil is in your car’s system, the more debris and contaminates the filter has to clean out. At Christian Brothers Automotive Springfield, we replace the oil filter with every oil change.

2. Distributor

The distributor lives in the ignition system and gives power to your engine. Made up of the distributor caps and rotors, the distributor passes voltage from the ignition coils into the engine’s cylinders. This ignites the fuel-air mixture inside and creates energy, which powers the car.

3. Brake fluid

Your brake system is filled with a brake fluid. This fluid acts as an incompressible cushion between your foot and the wheel brakes. As you press your foot down on the brake pedal, the fluid squeezes the brake pads, stopping the car.

This fluid is vital because, without it, your foot would feel the full force of every stop – more than a little painful when slamming on your brakes at 70 miles per hour.

4. Radiator

If you’ve ever put your hand on the hood of a running car, you understand how warm the engine can get. This heat is only a fraction of how hot the car would become without the cooling system. To keep the engine from overheating and destroying itself, the radiator (a vital part of the cooling system) filters the lubricating coolant and distributes the heat.

5. Tune-up

A tune-up is simply a maintenance check to ensure all parts of the car are operating as expected. Over time, the parts will succumb to wear and tear, and fluid will contaminate or degrade. With a regularly scheduled tune-up, the engine will stay in peak condition and you can prevent the majority of serious repairs or damages.

Walk into your next auto repair appointment with confidence

Remember the meaning of these 5 auto repair terms, and you’ll be able to more easily communicate with your repair technician. If you have any questions or would like to know more auto repair terms, call Christian Brothers Automotive in Springfield today.