Oil & Miles: what your car actually costs to keep running.
Look up your car, work out what is due, and find out what the light on the dash wants. Free, no sign-up.
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VIN Decoder
Type the 17 characters off your windshield and read what they say: the year, the plant and the engine, and what owners of that exact car reported to the government.
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Car Complaints by Model
No VIN to hand? Pick a year, make and model instead, and read what owners of it actually complained about, ranked by the part.
4,087 models · 2010–2025
Check your car before you buy
All car recordsPick a make and model to see its recalls, owner complaints and crash tests by year.
Work it out before the counter
Calculator
Oil change interval
Normal schedule or severe, and whether the miles or the months run out first.
Normal vs severe CalculatorTiming belt interval
Whether your belt is due on mileage or on age, and which limit arrives first.
2 verified engines CalculatorFair price
What a repair should cost in your state, with parts and labor priced separately.
50 states and DC FinderSymptom finder
Start from the sound, the smell or the light, and it names the article.
By sound, smell, feelWhat's that light?
Which ones mean stop →Warning lamps
- Oil pressureStop when safe
- Coolant temperatureStop when safe
- Brake systemStop when safe
- Check engine, flashingWhat it means
- Check engine, steadyBook it
- Charging systemBook it
- Anti-lock brakesBook it
- Tire pressureBook it
- Service wrenchBook it
- All 51 symbolsWhat each one wants you to do
From the owners' manuals and our dashboard symbols guide
Also: the oil change reminder and engine power reduced.
Got a code off a scan tool?
Type the letter and the four digits. A code with its own page opens that page; any other goes to the index of all 29.
What repairs actually cost
All 88 prices →Cheapest first. Each range opens the box it comes from, where who published it is named. The bar is drawn to one scale, $0 to $5,500.
- Transmission fluid service$6.19 – $121Parts only
- Coolant flush$90 – $160Parts and labor
- Alternator$112 – $411Parts only
- Brake pad and rotor job$152 – $434Parts and labor
- Valve cover gasket job$163 – $675Parts and labor
- Car battery$180 – $312Parts only
- Timing belt and water pump job$443 – $945Parts and labor
- Head gasket job$1,200 – $5,500Parts and labor
Ranges, not quotes. Labor is figured against US independent shops at about $120 to $160 an hour.
Adjust it for your state: Fair price calculator →Fresh off the bench
- Brake Fluid Flush Cost: What Your Carmaker Says vs the Dealer
- P0401 Code Meaning: Low EGR Flow, Causes, Fix and Cost
- Battery Light On in Your Car? How Long You Can Drive
- ABS Sensor Replacement Cost (Wheel Speed Sensor Cost)
- Black Smoke from Exhaust: Meaning, Causes, Gas or Diesel
- Check Engine Light Comes On and Off: Why It Keeps Returning
By topic
Every article →Check engine light codes
27 articles
HubCheck Engine Light Codes: 29 OBD-II Codes, 6 Families
- P0420 Code: Bank 1 Meaning, Causes and Repair Cost
- P0300 Code: Random Misfire, Causes and Who Pays
- P0171 Code: System Too Lean Bank 1, Causes and Fixes
All 27 articles
- P0401 Code Meaning: Low EGR Flow, Causes, Fix and Cost
- P0101 Code: Check These Before You Buy a MAF Sensor
- P0011 Code: Check the Oil Before You Buy a Solenoid
- P0299 Code: Turbo Underboost Meaning, Causes and Fix
- P0720 Code: Output Speed Sensor Causes and Free Recalls
- P0440 Code: EVAP System Malfunction, Causes and Fixes
- P0700 Code: The One That Points at Another Code
- P0128 Code: Thermostat, Sensor or a Software Update?
- P0441 Code: Incorrect Purge Flow, Causes and Fixes
- P0442 Code: Small EVAP Leak, Causes and How to Fix It
- P0446 Code: EVAP Vent Valve Causes, Location and Fix
- P0443 Code Meaning: Purge Valve Circuit, Causes and Cost
- P0455 Code: Large EVAP Leak Causes, Cost and Fix
- P0456 Code: Will It Clear Itself, and What It Costs
- P0174 Code: System Too Lean Bank 2, Causes and Fixes
- P0172 Code: System Too Rich Bank 1, Causes and Fixes
- P0305 Code: Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected and How to Fix It
- P0306 Code: Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected and How to Fix It
- P0302 Code: Cylinder 2 Misfire Causes, Fixes and Cost
- P0303 Code: Is Your Cylinder 3 Misfire a Cheap Fix?
- P0304 Code: Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected and How to Fix It
- P0301 Code: A Plug, a Coil, or Coolant in the Cylinder
- P0430 Code: Bank 2 Location, Causes and Repair Cost
Dashboard lights
8 articles
HubABS Light On: What It Means and Is It Safe to Drive?
Transmission
9 articles
Start hereBad Transmission Symptoms: Is Your Transmission Going Out?
Coolant
12 articles
Start hereCoolant Leak: Where It Comes From and How to Find It
- Head Gasket Replacement Cost and Repair: Is It Worth Fixing?
- How Long Can You Drive With White Smoke From Exhaust?
- What Coolant Does My Car Need? Chart by Maker and VIN
All 12 articles
- P0128 Code: Thermostat, Sensor or a Software Update?
- Coolant Flush Cost: What Shops Charge vs Your Manual
- Coolant Leak Repair Cost: How Much to Fix Each Leak
- Blown Head Gasket Symptoms: The Signs and How to Test
- Does Coolant Evaporate? The Water Goes, the Antifreeze Stays
- Coolant Stop Leak: When It Works and What It Wrecks
- Antifreeze vs Coolant: Are They the Same Thing?
- Can You Mix Coolant Colors? The Color Isn't the Answer
Brakes
9 articles
Start hereBrake Pad Replacement Cost: With or Without Rotors?
Catalytic converter
7 articles
Start hereCatalytic Converter Replacement Cost: Parts, Hours, Warranty
Engine oil
5 articles
Start hereHow to Read an Oil Bottle: API, ILSAC, OEM Approvals
- Synthetic vs Conventional Oil: Most "Synthetic" Is Crude
- 0W-20 vs 5W-30: What Happens If You Use the Wrong One
- 0W-20 vs 5W-20: The One Real 0W-20 Substitute and Why
All 5 articles
Wet belt engines
7 articles
Start hereWet Belt Engines: What They Are and How They Fail
Counted, not quoted
60,408
Owner complaints read directly from NHTSA's database, counted here rather than quoted from someone else's summary
667
Outside documents cited across 127 publishers: recall PDFs, standards bodies, manufacturer press rooms, each linked where it is used
Every
Article names its own limits. Each one ends with what we couldn't check and what we didn't do
0
Sponsored articles so far. No dealer, manufacturer or brand has paid for anything here. If one ever does, the page will say so at the top