A charge for paint products, and other materials, such as sandpaper and polishing pads, expended to repair your vehicle.

These describe various methods of ensuring that there is no perceptible difference between the appearance of newly refinished panels and undamaged panels on your repaired vehicle.

A long lateral link that provides lateral location of a rigid axle. It usually sits roughly parallel to the axle, with one end attached to the body and the other attached to the axle.

This is a gear found only on automatic transmissions. The park gear locks a vehicle's transmission in place, preventing the car from moving.

This is a switch found on many modern automatic transmissions that prevents a vehicle from starting unless the gear selector is in park or neutral.

Also known as the emergency brake. The parking brake is used when parking on an incline to prevent the car from rolling away.

The parking brake cable connects the parking brake pedal or handle to the parking brakes themselves.

The parking brake shoes/pads are just like normal brake pads or brake shoes. The only difference is that they work specifically with the parking brakes.

Established in 1993, this partnership, between the United States Federal Government and the Automotive industry, was founded to establish global technical leadership in the development and production of affordable, fuel-efficient, low emission vehicles that meet today's performance standards.

Four wheeled motor vehicle that also includes mini-vans and sport utility vehicles.

PCV is an acronym for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. Emission device that routes oil pan (crankcase)vapors to the intake manifold to be burned during combustion.

A type of paint that is similar to metallic paint, but instead of minute metal particles it uses mica. Mica is a kind of semi transparent, crystalline mineral that absorbs and reflects light in prismatic fashion. This gives a dramatic, multi-dimensional effect to the paint. Sometimes called 'pearl coat'.

A combustion chamber whose upper surface resembles a shallow peaked roof. Usually used with four valves per cylinder.

A small valve, either metal or plastic, at the bottom of the radiator for draining coolant.

The phaeton term was often applied to convertibles built in the1930's and earlier. A phaeton is a sleekly styled car (usually 2-door) with a convertible top. The conventional body has 4 doors with convertible top and side curtains rather than roll-up windows. The four-seater was called a double phaeton, and the six- or seven- seater a triple phaeton.

An engine noise caused by faulty fuel ignition.

A small diameter gear with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a much larger gear wheel or a toothed rod (rack). Used in rack-and-pinion steering and the differential ring and pinion; for speed reduction with an increase in power.

A partly hollow cylindrical metal engine part closed at one end, fitted to each of the engine's cylinders. Connected to the crankshaft via the connecting rod and usually fitted with rings to seal it in the cylinder. Each piston moves up and down in its cylinder, transmitting power created by the exploding fuel to the crankshaft via a connecting rod.

An open-ended ring which fits into a groove on the outer diameter of the piston. Its chief function is to form a seal between the piston and cylinder wall. Most automotive pistons have three rings two for compression sealing; one for oil sealing.

The up and down movement along an imaginary axis between the front and rear of a vehicle. Often during hard braking, the vehicle's nose will 'dive' or pitch down in front. During acceleration the back end will 'squat' or pitch down in the rear.