Every single vehicle on the road today – gasoline, electric, and hybrid – has some sort of fluid coursing through its mechanical systems. Not all cars use the same fluids but we will focus on the most common ones here.

Learning about the different types of fluids in your car is time well spent, as running low on any of these could spell anything from minor inconvenience to major disaster.

Windshield wash.

Let’s start with the easiest and most common fluid: windshield wash. Make sure to look for seasonally appropriate wash liquid, as the stuff sold in summertime will quickly freeze and clog up the system when the mercury drops. Most cars will illuminate a warning light when only a few cups of fluid remain, giving drivers time to pick up a new jug or two at the next gas station.

Motor oil.

From the most common fluid to the most important one: motor oil is the lifeblood of your internal combustion engine. Without it, metal pistons would grind against their cylinder walls, making expensive noises and grinding the car to a halt. Additives in motor oil create anti-wear properties, allowing an engine to operate at peak efficiency.

Over time, thanks to countless heat cycles, motor oil will break down. Given enough time, it will lose its effectiveness and fail to protect the engine against metal-on-metal damage. This is why it is crucial for drivers to follow their car’s recommended maintenance schedule and heed any oil-related warnings that appear on the dashboard.

In most vehicles, a dipstick resides under the hood with which one can check the engine’s oil level. As all machines are different, so check your car’s owner’s manual for instructions on how to perform this quick visual check.