Car Anatomy 101: 9 Auto Parts Your Sweet Ride Can’t Live Without

Don’t get the title of this article twisted; all car parts are important, and each serves a specific purpose. Some parts, however, just happen to be a lot more important as the others – kind of like how you can live without an appendix but never could without a heart.

So, which parts can’t your car work without? Is the muffler included? Well, if you really have no idea, read on below.

Engine

Even if you put the hot in hotrod and the luxury in luxury car, your ride is going to be nothing but an exhibit display without an engine. This is the part of your car that consumes fuel in order to power the wheels, allowing the vehicle to move.

But nowadays, thanks to the advancement of technology and the need for eco-friendly development in the automobile industry, cars with a hybrid engine – those that are powered by both fossil fuels and electric power, a fully-electric engine, and even a water-powered engine have been invented. Heck, there are even talks of engineless cars, but that’s going to be so far into the future, so you don’t have to worry just yet if you’re into customizing these powerful compound machineries.

Radiator

While it is in the engine where fuel is burned for power, it’s the radiator’s job to keep things from getting too hot. It cools the engine by letting a coolant pass through the engine block, which is then fed to the inlet tank of the radiator, where it is distributed and transferred to the other tank to let the heat off into the fins and ultimately into the air.

This cycle goes on and on as long as your engine is purring and your radiator is working. And if your radiator is broken, you’ll be seeing steam – or worse, smoke – come out of your hood. Don’t let things come to that; regularly check your radiator and either repair or replace it if needed.

Gas Tank

If you don’t have a gas tank, then you’re going to have to ask someone to feed the engine with fuel for the duration of the trip. Either that’s near-impossible or too great of a hassle.

Body

Just like us human beings, our cars need a body. After all, if you lump together all car parts and don’t have a body to attach them to, you still can’t call it a car.

The body dictates which style a vehicle is – a sedan, hatchback, SUV, MPV, or pick-up truck – and how big the engine and the interior is.

Wheels

Without the four wheels, your car won’t be able to go anywhere. Plus, they’d look pretty ugly and incomplete. And mind you, it’s not enough that your car has wheels, as they have to be inflated, aligned, and attached properly, or else you might get into an accident.

Steering Wheel

To be fair, your car can manage without a steering wheel; it’s just that it won’t be able to turn left and right. Of course you’ll hit something if you can’t. And more importantly, without a steering wheel, you won’t be able to do donuts.

Gear Shift Box

Imagine a world where cars don’t have gearshifts. They’d easily bulge even though they’re parked, and they can’t go in reverse. Yes, it’s a pain to imagine, so just be thankful for gearshifts.

Pedals

Being able to go faster is just as important as being able to stop. That is why cars have pedals. After all, it would be pretty annoying, not to mention a major inconvenience, if cars were all slow-moving machines. On the other hand, it’d be dangerous for everyone on the road if they were always running on breakneck speed, and worse – if they can’t stop at all. Good thing there are pedals.

Brakes

No matter how hard you slam on the brake pedal, it’s not going to work if your brakes are broken. And if you’re on the road and you have a problem with them, it’s going to be a nightmare, as you can either crash into another car, a barrier, the sidewalk, a wall, or a building, or worse – an innocent person. That’s how important brakes are.

Every car part has a role to play. However, just like in a stage production, some parts have bigger, more important roles to fill. So if you love your car, you better make sure that these parts are functioning perfectly well.