Customer Reviews

Recipes for Car Care: Guide to Auto Health

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you know nothing about cars, this is the perfect book to start with! It doesn't teach you how to do complicated repairs; mainly it gives you a thorough explanation of how cars work, and it also shows you how to test how well certain car parts are functioning and how to do simpler procedures like replacing filters and valves.

All I knew before reading this was how to open the hood (and you don't even need to know that--it tells you how.) Now I can scan the mechanics' sights on the internet and see terms like "EGR system" and "oxygen sensor" and not even blink an eye--I know what they are and what they do and it actually makes sense!

The best feature of this book is definitely the way it's written. The author doesn't use analogies to other machines that you don't understand either. She compares different car parts to everyday things like rolling pins and tuna cans to help you understand what they look like and what they do. It makes things infinitely less intimidating and easier to understand. Everything is explained step-by-step and system-by-system, and technical terms are introduced slowly enough that you can absorb them. (You definitely need to have enough patience to start reading at the beginning and work your way through, though, because she builds on previous explanations.)

There are also diagnosing sections in the book to help you figure out what's wrong with a sick car and a maintenance chart to give you an idea when to replace things before they break anyway and cause more expensive problems.

A couple of things this book didn't have that I wished it did were price estimates for commonly replaced parts, photographs of parts (it has drawings instead), and a guide on how to negotiate a good deal when buying a car. A good book to get for those features is Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care. Auto Upkeep is more the kind of book you can flip through. It has a lot of little tips on diagnosing problems and car maintenance separated from the main text in little boxes. It isn't nearly as thorough in its explanations as Recipes.., though, and even though it has photographs that help a lot in locating parts, I think the drawings in Recipes are a lot more helpful in figuring out the big picture of how the parts actually work. In other words, Auto Upkeep makes a good supplement, but defintely get Recipes for Car Care if you want an excellent, understandable explanation of how cars function!

Hundreds of basic car care books are out there, but two that I have are excellent: Recipes for Car Care and Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care. Recipes for Car Care lists basic auto maintenance and diagnosing procedures written in a cookbook type layout. Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care uses the text with a supporting activity CD to give you step-by-step methods for basic automotive procedures. Recipes for Car Care uses well-drawn line art to illustrate concepts. Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care uses both line art to illustrate concepts and photos to show car parts (I really like that!). Recipes for Car Care is more for one who wants to diagnosis and repair their automobile, whereas Auto Upkeep: Basic Car Care is more for any car owner that wants to learn more about the automobile, its parts, and car ownership. Both books cover most systems of the automobile (such as fuel, suspension, lubrication). However, in addition to explaining automotive systems, Auto Upkeep also explains the car buying process and automobile insurance basics (such as liability, collision, and comprehensive policies - and what they mean). I recommend that you have both books in your personal library.

An excellent car care book, with preventative maintenance instructions, do-it-yourself tips, and a well-organized log of common problems. Great for diagnosing those mysterious sounds your mechanic can never duplicate.

This book contains a wealth of information, with each sub-section descriptively labeled according to whether it is background, maintenance, diagnosis, or repairs. I have read 16 books on car care, and "Recipes" was the easiest to read and offered the most useful information. This book is a real stand out in the car DIY category.

"Recipes" is appropriate for rank beginners, who will find summaries of car principals as well as step-by-step guides to performing simple diagnosis, service, and repairs. More advanced readers will appreciate the in-depth explanations of how to troubleshooting literally dozens of hard to diagnose problems.

My only quibble with this excellent book is the use of the kitchen metaphore to explain the workings of a car. It did not take away from the book, but in my opinion, it did not add anything either. You may find the comparison to cooking more useful than I did, but even if you don't this book is a gem for learning about cars.

This book is excellent. It takes the mystery out of how a car runs and what you need to do to keep your car running smoothly. "Recipes For Car Care" has made it easy for me to do my own maintenance checks and simple procedures to my car. I can see myself saving hundreds of dollars a year on auto shop visits!! Now I can determine when my brake pads are worn before it is too late. I can also speak intelligently to my mechanic when there is a problem. This book is priceless!!

What a great idea! Car repair, even in small doses can be very intimidating. Recipes for Car Care takes the mystery out of the most simple procedures...things that will come up for all of us that own cars. It breaks down each area of the car into maintenance and then diagnosis (for when a problem arises). I simply like knowing that if I need to jump start the car, inflate the tires or change the brake pads, I have a resource to give me details. More importantly, learn the basics so when you take your car to a mechanic, you won't get the run around! This should be in everyone's car (and my daughters are both getting a copy for the glove compartment!).

Good News:
Great selection of books. Book was in excellent condition. The price was very reasonable. Enjoyed the convenience of shopping at home. Delivery was quick.
Bad News:
The shipping cost was twice the cost of the book.
Otherwise, I have no complaints.

Overall it's an alright book. The author does her best to break down the complex subject, and it reads pretty well. However, her goal is to de-mystify car repair, and at times the writing is so technical it is difficult to follow. The discussion gets very detailed and you wind up thinking there's much more wrong with your car than you could ever have expected.