Millions of people own and drive cars, but many of those people go through their whole lives not knowing anything about how to fix or notice the minor details of their cars. Every now and then they shell out hundreds, or even thousands of dollars to take their cars to get fixed for small things. If they were to able to take a little of their time and much less money, they could easily take care of some things themselves. A few of these problems include the following: the charging system, oil changes, and fluid levels.

Let's start with the easiest thing to take care of: the charging system. This system is made up of two main parts: the alternator and the battery. The alternator initially sends out an A.C. current, but automobiles need D.C., so the current must be converted by diodes and sent back...