Customer Reviews

Auto Fundamentals: How and Why of the Design, Construction, and Operation of Automobiles. Applicable to All Makes and Models

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fantastic book! It explains difficult concepts in easy-to-understand language, but it never patronizes the reader. The depth and breadth of the coverage are also very good - while reading it, I never found myself wanting information that I couldn't find somewhere within this book.

The most surprising feature is the book's readability. For starters, the grammar and spelling are great, with no typos or conflicting information, which is (sadly) exceptional for this sort of small-press technical book. The text flows nicely from one topic to the next, complemented by the ample diagrams and photos. It's rare that I find myself not wanting to put down a industrial textbook, but this one kept me turning pages.

The book deals primarily with the 'theoretical' side of auto mechanics, meaning that it answers questions like 'What is x?', 'What does y do?', and 'Why did they do z this way?' rather than 'How do I fix component x on a y model car built in year z?' But the text is plainly oriented toward working mechanics (unlike Bosch's Automotive Handbook), offering much practical info as well as many general rules and guidelines of interest to mechanics.

In short, if you want to learn how automobiles work with a view toward fixing them, you can't go wrong with this book. If you were born with a wrench in your hand, you probably won't learn a lot here, but anyone else from neophyte to advanced intermediate will get his money's worth.

This is an excellent book that explains the purpose, function, and development of every aspect of a car from the beginning right up to the complicated vehicle systems of today. It is easy to read and features plenty of illustrations and diagrams taken right from car manufacturers. I found that many of the parts illustrated in the book appeared exaclty as they did in my own engine, making it very easy to apply the book to your own car. This book is suitable for anyone, no matter how much or little they currently know, who wants to learn more about cars. I gave it a 4 out of 5 because I felt that certain explainations could have been clearer, but that is the only fault of this book. It should also be noted that this is not a "how-to" book. It explains how an engine works, but if you're looking to learn how to perform repairs etc., that is beyond the scope of this book.

This book provides excellent explanations and great diagrams. But I feel that it provides so many details that it can be very confusing for a beginner like me. For example, the book devotes 6 pages of the first 40 pages to just piston rings! I set out with the goal of understanding roughly how all of the parts of a car fit together and was overwhelmed with minutia about piston design. And it talks about the different procedures used to make different parts (whether they're cast iron or die-cast metal or pressure cast or pressed or forged or drop-forged or cam-ground, etc.) without describing what these mean (or, more importantly, the physical differences of the result, which is what presumably makes it worth knowing how each is made). I think the book would be significantly improved if it were reorganized to provide an introductory chapter of how the major parts of the car work (explain the four-stroke engine, for example, without mentioning considerations in piston shape and without distractions like discussing two-stroke engines, etc.) It seems like you have to read all 600 pages before everything starts to fit together. I would also like to see more discussion about why certain features make cars faster. Rather than just a taxonomy of the ways to design a certain part, I'd like to understand how the design choice affects the overall car. For example, when I go to the website of a car manufacturer and see the extra features in the sports-car version of a vehicle, I'd like to understand why exactly those make the car faster.

This is that rare type of technical book which one might choose to read purely for pleasure. I searched local bookstores for a single volume which contained fundamental information of all automotive systems and could find nothing. This book has it all. It is writtten in language which any person of average intelligence can understand and is illustrated throughout. I would recommend it to anyone who feels his or her knowledge of automobiles is weak.

This is a really good book !! Stockel explain step by step how automobiles systems work with each other in a very understandable way. Even if you have no experience with cars mechanics, you will like this book. I just bought the second part: Autorepair fundamentals, hoping to find it as good as the first part. Two greassy thumbs up !!

Reading 'Auto Fundamentals' is like taking a college Auto Tech class at your own leasure! Pretty much every question you have about the fundamental automotive systems WILL be answered by the time you finish this textbook. This is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to get into an automotive field, no matter what branch. Plenty of pictures (with thier own accompanying explanations) are placed throughout the book to give you plenty of visual aides to go along with the text. Although this is an excellent read, there are a few parts of the book that can overwhelm you (eg. automatic transmissions/transaxles and power steering systems we're so over my head I had to skip those chapters). The author goes into extreme detail at the beginning of the book, but that detail kind of tapers off near the end. Not so much that you won't be able to comprehend what your reading, but enough that it may get a little frustrating to read. I'm still giving this 5 stars though, it more than deserves it for it's wide variety of content and (for the most part) clarity.

This book is a good read for anyone who has an interest in automotive technology/mechanics. A begineer/novice will learn an immense amout, and an advanced person will find this book to be a good referance. It can be read front-to-back, or by individual chapters. Each chapter isolates a particular area of a vehicle and then proceeds to break it down. Truly a great book.

I purchased this book to gain a better understanding of the inner workings of engines. I was a bit hesitant at first because of the somewhat high price tag, but after reading only the first part of the book, the amount of knowledge I have gained is priceless. The book is incredibly detailed but everything is explained quite clearly and in easy to understand laymans terms. The authors have taken a very technical engineering subject and have successfully made it enjoyable to read. The abundance and clarity of diagrams and technical cut-away drawings in the book is astounding. Everytime I turn the page I found myself saying 'Wow!', then spending 10 minutes looking at all the cool pictures before I begin reading. If you are thinking about becoming a do-it-yourself mechanic or just want to know anything and everything about the workings of automobiles, this book is excellent.

As an avid car lover, I have always wanted to know what makes them "tick". With literally no prior automotive experience, this book fit my needs exactly! You, too, will be talking "compression ratios" and "camshafts" in no time at all! And this book makes it fun to learn, easy to learn, and is simply enjoyable to read, put down for a bit, read some more, etc....

I looked at several other books as well (Bosch, ACE, etc.), but this is the best $40 I have ever spent!

Now, I'll be able to talk with the mechanics about my repairs, and help to make sure I am not getting taken for a ride! Plus, I can now understand what makes my 'Vette go 180+ mph! Yeee-Hah!

I learned everything about cars from this books. The colors diagrams are very clear, and the text is novice-friendly. For car enthusiasts and people who've just grown fond of cars, this is an excellent starting point. I've recommended this book to at least two friends.