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Auto Parts

As anyone who’s ever opened the hood of their car and gazed in can attest, a lot goes in to the makeup of an automobile. Whether it is the construction of the engine or the car accessories such as the heater and radio that make the car so enjoyable to drive, auto parts are essential to any kind of automotive transportation.

Basically stated, auto parts are the manufactured components that make up automobiles. More simply still, they are the pieces that make up the car. As a result, they influence everything from the car’s design and style to how it handles and how fast it can go. And without the right auto parts, a car won’t run at all.

Some of the most important auto parts include the internal-combustion engine (a type of engine that uses the explosive combustion of fuel to push a piston within a cylinder), which made way for the earliest mainstream cars to succeed. The wheels and the body of the car are essential for obvious reasons. And smaller parts are no less vital. An auto can’t start without the spark plug, for example.

Not all of the auto parts we think of when we hear the phrase today—turn signals, air conditioning, even electric starters—have been there from the beginning. The first air conditioning (then called a “refrigeration system”) in cars, for example, was invented in 1940. Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938. Francis W. Davis developed a hydraulic power steering system that led to power steering, which became commercially available by 1951.

These and other developments have revolutionized the way we drive today, and made driving as accessible as ever. Safety features, too, have come a long way. The quality of the brakes, seat belts and air bags in today’s cars make them much safer than anything on the road in the 1950s, for example.

Clearly there have been numerous developments and innovations in the auto parts industry, and the technology continues to evolve. Fuel efficiency is the current focus of many auto manufacturers, and efforts to improve fuel standards have led to the revitalization of the electric car, as well as the ultra compact “smart” cars available today.

As the parts themselves have developed, so have the ways of finding them. Many auto parts can now be purchased online, whether from a mechanic’s shop or from your own home. Moreover, customized features including stronger engines and new paint jobs—once very popular in the muscle car era—are again growing in popularity, partially due to internet technology.

When you consider all that goes into making an automobile—the need for it to run smoothly, the safety features, and the additional accessories—the vital importance of auto parts cannot be overstated. As with the automobile in general, auto parts have come a long way. Also like the automobile, they continue to evolve and improve.

 


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