In Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home, we opened the door for you into the world of basic home repairs. Now, we're opening a different one-a car door.

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xvi
Pit Stop	p. 2
Unden the Hood	p. 5
Maintenance	p. 55
Safety	p. 226
Finish Line: Resources	p. 326
Index	p. 328
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Dare To Repair Your Car
A Do-It-Herself Guide to Maintenance, Safety, Minor Fix-Its, and Talking Shop

Chapter One

Hood and Trunk

Popping Open and Closing the Hood and Trunk

You can open a jar of pickles with one twist, a container of crescent rolls with one bang, and plastic packaging with one pull, but you're all thumbs when it comes to opening the car hood. Not anymore.

We can't possibly begin this book without the first basic step -- learning how to open the hood and trunk. It may sound (and is) easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind before exploring the great beyond.

Popping Open the Hood

Note: If you're opening the hood after the engine has been running, be careful because the engine and other parts will be very hot.

Exterior Latch

Older cars typically have just one release mechanism for the hood, located on the exterior of the car. The mechanism may not be visible, so stick your fingers under the edge of the hood, in the middle of the front of the car, and feel for the latch. Move the latch and lift open the hood.

Some cars also have a thin metal prop bar that lays flat on the front of the engine. It acts as a kickstand so after you've lifted the hood, you just prop up the metal bar and let it rest in its designated spot on the interior of the hood.

Interior and Exterior Latches

Note: Some interior hood latches look and feel like the parking brake release mechanism.

Most car manufacturers install two release mechanisms -- one interior and one exterior -- to ad as a theft deterrent, and more important, to prevent the hood from opening while driving.

If your car has two release mechanisms for the hood, you have to release the interior one first, and then the exterior. The interior release mechanism is located on the driver's side, below the steering wheel and to the left of the pedals (typically, there's an illustration of an open hood on it). Pull up on the latch to release. This will only open the hood enough for you to find the exterior release.

The exterior mechanism may not be visible, so stick your fingers under the edge of the hood, in the middle of the front of the car, and feel for the latch. Move the latch and lift open the hood.

Closing the Hood

There's no need to slam down the hood of the car. Instead, just guide the hood down a few inches above the front of the grille and let it drop. The metal used on newer cars is much thinner than the metal found on its older counterparts; therefore, when you close the hood, be careful not to use the palms of your hands to force it down because you could leave permanent indentations. If your hood uses a metal prop bar for support, be extra cautious once the bar is removed because the hood will come down fast.

Opening and Closing the Trunk

A trunk typically has one release mechanism, which can be opened with a key, a remote entry, or an interior latch. Follow the same guide -- lines for closing the hood as for closing the trunk so that you don't dent the metal.

Dare To Repair Your Car
A Do-It-Herself Guide to Maintenance, Safety, Minor Fix-Its, and Talking Shop. Copyright © by Julie Sussman. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Excerpted from Dare to Repair Your Car!: A Do-It-Herself Guide to Maintenance, Safety, Minor Fix-Its, and Talking Shop by Julie Sussman, Stephanie Glakas-Tenet
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.