(NAPSI)-After a fender bender, it's just as smart to steer yourself into the hands of the right auto body collision repair center as it is to check out a contractor's credentials when you need home repair. With more than 35,000 auto body repair shops nationwide, choosing a shop can be confusing.

One of the most irritating occurrences for a driver is to lose their rear view mirror. Not lost exactly, just that it is no longer attached to the windshield. Besides being illegal and unsafe, not having a rear view mirror is a serious inconvenience to a driver. The good news is it is fairly easy and inexpensive to reattach the mirror.

You're not sure if you hit a nail or ran through glass. What you do know it that your tire is definitely flat. It could be repaired at the mechanic's shop or you could save yourself the trip and expense and do it yourself. The process can be a little time consuming, but once you know how to repair a flat you will never again be at the mercy of closed shops or stuck in the middle of nowhere. Taking the time to learn this essential maintenance process now will save a lot of time and hassle later.

Picture this. It's a beautiful night and you and your sweetie are driving down a pretty country road. The bliss of the night is interrupted by a high-pitched scream. The scream wasn't Sweetie; it was you because the car just lost all power to the headlights.

It's inevitable. You're leaving work, more excited than usual because you have big plans for the night and your car betrays you. Turn the key and ...nothing. The engine doesn't turn over, the interior lights don't come on, and absolutely nothing happens. It may be stating the obvious, but your battery is dead and is in serious need of a charge. Not to worry, a few necessary items will have the battery doing its thing in no time.

Did you know that every year in the US there are more than 10,000 car accidents and some 400 Americans die in them. The usual reason is failure to have routine maintenance done on cars. The car is the most popular and usual means of transportation in the United States, and about 90% if adult Americans own one now or used to own one. By keeping your car in good condition you can reduce the risk of easy to fix problems causing an accident that could kill you, your passengers or people in other cars.

You accidentally scratched your car door with your keys while you had your hands full and now you have an awful mark staring back at you every time you get into your car. Do you have to go to a professional who will charge you for labor? Or can you do it yourself for a fairly cheap price? Well, the answer is, an undersized scuff is something you can most likely fix at home by yourself. However, if you're small scratch looks more like a tree branch than a stick; it's time to consult the professionals.

If your car window has been cracked by a rock, you don't have to replace your entire window. You can just repair it at a fraction of the price that you'd pay if you were to report it to your insurance company or if your insurance agent was to send you to an inexpensive repairman.

Once rust starts to eat away at your car, there is no turning back. The rust spots start to plague your vehicle, leaving spots that cannot be eliminated and that never slow down. Caused when mild steel comes into contact with water, which is slightly acidic, the wetter the weather is, the more rust your car will have.

You can find them at any automotive repair and car accessory store, on the Internet, and just about anywhere else involving vehicles: the car repair guide. They come in versions for young drivers and everywhere in-between, but they're all basically the same in that a car repair guide teaches the car owner, step by step, how to repair a car.