Your check engine light turns on.You buy a cheap $20 scanner.It shows codes like P0171 or P0300.You look up the code online.You buy a new part.You install it.The light comes back on. This is not bad luck.This happens because you confused reading codes with real diagnosis. Basic scanners only show what is wrong.They don’t show
Reality check: TPMS isn’t just a simple light Here’s something many quick tips miss: a TPMS light often isn’t just a warning that clears when you press a button. On most cars, the TPMS system checks more than just tire pressure. It needs to see valid signals from sensors with the right IDs. If this
1) Quick Problem Check Is your car fine today but dead tomorrow? You might have a parasitic drain. Signs you need this test: This test works best when: Your battery itself might be bad instead when: This test shows if something is stealing power while your car sleeps. It doesn’t prove your battery is good.
Dash cam parking mode allows your camera to keep recording when the engine is off.It captures incidents like hit-and-runs, vandalism, or suspicious movement while your car is parked. The problem is simple: the dash cam keeps drawing power from your car battery. To prevent a dead battery, hardwire kits use a voltage cutoff.This shuts the
If you are here because you remember Optima batteries being “the best” 15 years ago, I have bad news for you. Since Johnson Controls moved Optima’s production to Mexico, the quality of those iconic “Six Pack” Spiral Cells has cratered. The forums are full of horror stories about Red Tops dying in 13 months—just one
⚠️ WARNING: STOP! Do not press the “Recondition” button on an AGM battery unless your manual explicitly says it is safe. Standard reconditioning modes use high voltage (16V+) which will boil the electrolyte, vent the gas, and permanently ruin a sealed AGM battery in hours. The “Silent Killer” You bought a premium AGM battery for
Key Takeaways (The TL;DR) Parking Mode is a trade-off: You are trading a small amount of battery life for vehicle security. There is no such thing as “zero drain.” The 11.6V Trap: Never set your cut-off to 11.6V or 11.8V. This is “deep discharge” territory and will kill a standard lead-acid battery in months. The
Tesla’s Sentry Mode is amazing. But it has a dirty secret: it drains your battery like a thirsty camel. If you leave Sentry Mode on all the time, expect a 10–15% hit to your range each day. That adds up — hundreds of dollars a year in phantom drain. And Sentry only saves video when
Think a battery dash cam is better? Think again. We explain why lithium batteries swell in heat and why a capacitor’s “zero battery life” is actually a safety feature. Introduction If you buy a dash cam with a battery in 2025, you are putting a ticking time bomb on your windshield. Better to know more