Needless to say, we’re talking minor traffic violations. If you’ve just led the cops on a high-speed chase down the freeway, you’re on your own.

You Will Need

* Chutzpah
* Acting Ability
* Shamelessness

Pick your nose : Casually start picking your nose as the officer approaches. He’s apt to let you go with a warning so he won’t have to touch anything of yours.

Start crying : Turn on the waterworks—the louder and more inconsolable sounding, the better. A crying woman makes people uncomfortable enough—imagine how unnerved the officer will be by a blubbering man.

Pretend someone's pregnant : Play the pregnancy card—if you’re a woman, blame it on the hormones (assuming your sleek, rock-hard abs won’t betray you). Guys, say you need to get to your in-labor wife. What cop would stop you?If asked, “Do you know why I stopped you?”—for goodness’ sake, act dumb. True, ignorance is no excuse under the law, but willful disobedience is even worse.

Play the victim : Affect an air of vulnerability and victimhood. End each sentence with “sir” or “officer.” Mumble something about your dad’s bad temper and hint that this will no doubt incite your second beating this week.

Begin blabbering : If all else fails, begin blabbering—as much and as fast as you can. Pretend you’re a professional auctioneer. This has the dual effect of scaring the officer away and tiring him out as he tries to follow along.

If you don’t know how to raise a car off the ground by now, you don’t know jack.

You Will Need

* A car jack
* Your vehicle owner's manual (optional)
* A jack stand (optional)

Park car : If you have an automatic transmission, park your car and put on the parking brake. If you have a manual transmission, put your car in first gear or reverse and put on the parking brake.Make sure the car is on solid ground, like cement.

Make sure no one's in car : Everybody out: make sure no one’s in the car.

If care is on incline : If the car is on an incline, place something sturdy, like a block, a brick, or a rock down slope of the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel you plan to jack up.Make sure to wedge something in place securely, even if it’s just a large branch—seventy people die every year when a car rolls off a jack.

Locate car jack : Locate your car jack in the trunk; it’s usually under the mats. The jack and the handle used to raise it are usually two separate pieces. The jack may be screwed in place in the trunk.

locate jack point : Feel along the car frame near the wheel you want to jack up until you locate an indentation, known as a jack point. Place your jack on the ground under this spot.Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the correct placement of the car jack before you begin to raise the car, as a wrong position could damage the vehicle—or you, if the car moves!

Follow jack's instructions : Follow your particular jack’s instructions to raise the car. Most of today’s car jacks are scissor jacks; just turn the knob at the end of the jack using the hand crank that comes with it.If your jack doesn’t seem to be working, try turning the handle the other way, or see if your jack has a switch you need to flip marked “L” for lower and “R” for raise.

Raise jack to desired height : Raise the jack to the desired height. For changing a flat tire, this is when the damaged tire is 6 inches off the ground.For extra safety, invest in a jack stand, which can be slid under the car after it’s been jacked up. It holds more weight than a jack.

Perform work : Perform whatever work you need to do—changing a flat tire, draining the oil, etc. Slide out jack : Carefully lower the jack until it is not supporting any weight and can be easily slide out from under the car.

Return jack to storage : Return the car jack to storage so you can be sure to find it when you need it next time.

The best way to deal with icy roads is to stay off them. But if you must make your loved ones anxious by braving the drive, here’s what you need to know.

You Will Need

* Snow chains
* An ice scraper
* Self-discipline
* Knowledge of your vehicle
* Patience

Install snow chains : If you have snow chains and they are allowed in your area, install them before setting out.

Clear your windows : Use an ice scraper to clear your windows and mirrors of any ice.

Slow down : The most important thing you can do to stay safe on ice is to slow down. And don’t think four-wheel drive will save you; it provides absolutely no benefit when it comes to braking on a sheet of ice.

Keep your distance : For every ten miles-per-hour that you’re traveling, keep at least four car lengths between you and the car in front of you.AAA recommends that drivers practice slow-speed maneuvers in an empty ice- or snow-covered parking lot to familiarize themselves with how their cars react to those conditions.

Know your brakes : Know if your car has an Anti-Lock Braking System, also known as ABS. If it does, apply steady pressure to brakes when stopping on ice. If it doesn’t, pump the brakes.

Keep your eye on the road : Keep your eye on the road. This is always important, but it’s absolutely essential when driving on ice, because a sudden stop could send you into a skid. So stay off the cell and don’t fiddle with the radio.Use extreme caution on bridges, overpasses, tunnels, and shaded areas; they tend to freeze up first.

Brake early : As soon as you see a corner or a turn ahead, begin braking. You do not want to brake or accelerate during the turn itself. When the turn is complete, accelerate smoothly.

Steer gently : Aggressive steering easily can send your car into a spin, so avoid jerking the wheel.

Know skid recovery rules : Know the rules of skid recovery. If the car is turning unintentionally, steer into the skid—if the rear of your car begins fishtailing to left, steer left. If you car is refusing to turn, steer away from the desired turn.

Never slam your brakes : No matter what’s happening, never slam on the brakes while on ice. If you weren’t already in a skid, you will be now. And if you were skidding, it will just make matters worse.

 

The humble spark plug has changed very little over the years—and changing them is as simple as ever.

You Will Need

* A vehicle owner's manual
* New spark plugs
* A socket wrench
* A spark plug socket
* A socket wrench swivel joint
* And a socket wrench extension
* A spark plug wire puller (optional)
* A cleaning rag (optional)
* And rubbing alcohol (optional)]

Let car cool down : Park your car and wait for it to cool down. This may take a few hours, since the spark plugs are among the hottest parts of your engine.

Locate spark plugs : Pop open the hood and locate your spark plugs by referring to your owner’s manual.

Remove one spark plug : Remove one spark plug wire from the end of the row by pulling its boot, or the little cap where it connects to the engine—not by yanking on the wire itself.You can also use a spark plug wire puller to easily detach the wire.

Attach spark plug to socket wrench : Attach the spark plug socket to the socket wrench. You may need to use a swivel joint and/or a socket wrench extension to reach the spark plug.

Remove spark plug : Remove the spark plug by turning the socket wrench counterclockwise.

Make sure hole's clean : Make sure that the spark plug hole is clean. If necessary, use a rag and rubbing alcohol or compressed air to clean the spark plug hole.

Install new spark plug : Carefully install a new spark plug into the empty hole and tighten it by hand.

Secure new spark plug : Use the socket wrench to secure the new spark plug in place.

Reconnect spark plug wire : Reconnect the spark plug wire onto the new spark plug.Changing your spark plugs one at a time prevents incorrect installation that can affect the car’s timing and engine performance.

Move on to next spark plug : When you have successfully changed a spark plug, move on to the next one until you have finished installing all new plugs.