Vehicle maintenance

None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.

How this was put together

If you only read a few

Use actual axle stands instead of wood blocks when working under a car.
Wood blocks can splinter randomly at inconvenient times.
one person who lived it
Do not use hand signals by taking your hands off the wheel, especially when weaving through traffic at high speeds.
It is very dangerous to remove hands from the wheel in these conditions.
one person who lived it
Turn off your turn signal after passing your intended turn or merge point.
Leaving it on confuses and endangers other people.
2 people, independently
Check brake fluid levels if the parking or emergency brake warning light is on while the brake is released.
The light indicates low brake fluid, which can occur as brake pads wear down and pistons move inward.
one person who lived it
Begin changing lanes well in advance of an exit rather than cutting across multiple lanes at the last second.
Last-second cuts are dangerously risky.
one person who lived it

Regularly check tail and brake lights.
It helps avoid tickets and prevents rear-end collisions.
one person who lived it
Do not swing wide when making a turn unless you are driving a large vehicle like an 18-wheeler.
Swinging out exacerbates visibility issues with modern cars' wider A-pillars and makes the maneuver more dangerous for everyone.
one person who lived it
Perform a physical head check over your shoulder before changing lanes because mirrors have blind spots.
Mirrors have blindspots.
one person who lived it
If installing LED bulbs in halogen casings causes rapid flashing, use specific LED bulbs with correct hardware or add a resistor.
Changing to LEDs causes hyper blinking.
- One person noted they were too lazy to add a resistor.
one person who lived it

3 more on this

Allow other drivers to merge when they signal correctly, unless doing so would be unsafe given your speeds.
It is courteous driving behavior.
one person who lived it
Follow the sequence: check mirrors, signal your intention, wait, then maneuver.
3 people, independently
Signal only motorcyclists discreetly by holding up a fist and opening and closing your fingers several times.
Not all motorcycles have auto-disengage for turn signals.
one person who lived it