Society of Automotive Engineers. The professional association of transportation-industry engineers. A group known for publishing research papers and defining various standards of measurement. The SAE sets most auto-industry standard for the testing, measuring, and designing of automobiles and their components.

Devices that reduce injury in the event of a accident. Typical examples include safety belts and airbags.

The amount a salvage yard will pay for your damaged vehicle. This amount is used to determine whether your vehicle is 'totaled' or not. (See total loss)

A vehicle registered in the previous year but not re-registered in the current year.

The distance from the point where the steering axis intersects the ground to the longitudinal line that runs through the center of the tire's contact patch. Also called 'steering offset.'

A one-piece, hermetically sealed headlight in which the filament is an integral part of the unit, and the lens itself is the bulb. Sealed beams are relatively inexpensive and when one burns out or the lens cracks, the whole unit is replaced.

The high voltage side of the ignition system, usually above 20,000 volts. The secondary includes the ignition coil, coil wire, distributor cap and rotor, spark plug wires and spark plugs.

A repair method in which only a portion of a damaged panel is replaced. It is sometimes a preferred method of repair.

A closed, fixed-roof car for four or more passengers with either two or four doors. (Called saloon in U.K.)

The conventional manual transmission of today in which any gear may be selected at will as opposed to the very early progressive transmission in which the gears had to be selected in order.

A slightly curved leaf spring that is attached to a car's body at its ends and to a suspension component near its middle. One of the two body attachments is a shackle, which allows for changes in the spring's length as it flexes up and down.

An independent rear-suspension system in which each wheel hub is located only by a large, roughly triangular arm that pivots at two points. Viewed from the top, the line formed by the two pivots is somewhere between parallel and perpendicular to the car's longitudinal axis.

A mechanical, electrical, hydraulic or electromagnetic device which transmits information to a gauge.

Any device designed to measure engine operating conditions or ambient pressures and temperatures. Usually electronic in nature and designed to send a voltage signal to an on-board computer, some sensors may operate as a simple on/off switch or they may provide a variable voltage signal (like a potentiometer) as conditions or measured parameters change.

The numerical representation of a tire's aspect ratio. A 50-series tire has an aspect ratio of 0.50.

A serpentine belt is a wide single drive belt that drives all the engine's accessories (alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, etc.).

Any use that puts unusual stress or wear on a car, such as short trips, extreme temperatures, and stop-and-go traffic.

The mechanism in a transmission linkage that controls the motion of the gearshift lever. The shift gate is usually an internal mechanism; however, in some transmissions: including Ferrari five-speeds and Mercedes-Benz automatics : the shift gate is an exposed guide around the shift lever.

This is a series of rods and/or cables that connect the gearshift lever or gear selector to the transmission.

Spacers of precise, predetermined thickness used between parts to establish a proper working relationship.