If you have an overheating problem, or if your engine just seems to be running hot, you should check out this quick list of things that can cause your engine to build up excessive heat. It won't solve all of your cooling problems, but knowing the most common overheating causes could help you diagnose your hot engine problem more quickly, and save you money.

If your car is having starting problems, or you have a sudden bout of no-startedness, you should have a look at this No-Start Troubleshooting Checklist. It could really help you narrow down the problem if your car down't start, and can save you some serious cash. It's always worth taking the time to see if you can diagnose or troubleshoot a problem before you have it looked at by a pro. If nothing else, it will leave you a little more educated and prepared for the bill.

Your suspension is the most abused system on your car or truck. It's no wonder that your shocks and struts will start to complain after a few years of hard work. Before you start replacing components of your suspension system, you should do a little troubleshooting to be sure you don't waste time and money replacing something that won't help your situation. Check out this suspension troubleshooting helper to see what your worn components may be.

I am a huge proponent of saving money by recharging your own air conditioning system. If your AC is blowing warm, a recharge can give you a cool summer. But every time I mention recharging an AC system, the expert chime in saying, "If your AC system needs a recharge, it's leaking and needs professional repair." In some cases this is true. Recharging a leaky AC system is a temporary fix. But to find a more universal answer, I turned to physics. Without going into details that I can't fully explain to you, suffice it to say that even a healthy AC system will naturally lose some of its gas and pressure over time. If your car is 10 years old, it's had 10 years to leach little bits of refrigerant and lose pressure. This may be enough on its own to cause the system to lose the ability to compress and cool. Whether your air conditioning has leached over the years, or you're perfectly happy putting a band-aid over the problem, I still say you can save huge money by recharging it yourself.