| w/: | Abbreviation for "with," as in black w/white top. |
| Waddle: | A side to side rocking movement of a vehicle in motion, caused by suspension or tire damage or excessive lateral runout |
| Wankel Engine: | The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. This design promises smooth high-rpm power from a compact, lightweight engine; however Wankel engines are criticized for poor fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions. |
| Warm up: | [1] To run an engine until it reaches normal
operating temperature. [2] The laps taken on the track prior to the race used to warm up the tires, transmission, engine fluids and other components of the race car before the start of the event. |
| warning lamp: | A small lamp on the instrument panel that lights up if there is a problem |
| warning light: | A small lamp on the instrument panel that lights up if there is a problem |
| warranty: | The promise made by both the vehicle manufacturer and the vehicle dealer to fix or replace parts on a new vehicle if there is a malfunction before a specific time or distance has elapsed. In some instances some manufacturers or dealers grant warranty even after the expiry of the designated time or distance. This is called "good will warranty." |
| washer: | A flat disc with a hole in the center. It may be made of metal, rubber, plastic, or leather. It is often placed under a nut to even out pressure and prevent damage to the part on which it rests. |
| washer fluid: | A fluid added to the water in the windshield washer and rear window washer reservoirs/bottles to improve the cleaning action and lower the freezing point |
| water-cooled: | An engine which is cooled by antifreeze in contrast with an air-cooled engine. |
| water cooling system: | The normal cooling system used on most cars and trucks to keep the temperature of the engine down to a desirable level; engine heat is removed via water acting as a coolant which surrounds the cylinders in a water jacket; the system typically includes water passages, coolant pump, thermostat, hoses, and radiator |
| water pump: | A device that circulates the liquid through the cooling system by pumping it from the engine water jackets to the radiator. The pump is usually mounted at the front of the engine and is driven by a belt from a pulley on the front end of the crankshaft. Also called a "coolant pump." |
| water spotting: | Stains on the paintwork that occur when a drop of water evaporates from the painted surface and leaves a white spot behind. |
| watt: | The international unit of measurement of power. One watt equals one joule per second. |
| wax: | [1] A substance resembling beeswax in
appearance and character, and in general distinguished by its composition
of esters and higher alcohols, and by its freedom from fatty acids; used
for underbody sealing, cavity sealing, and paintwork care. [2] To treat with wax. |
| waxing: | [1] The formation of wax crystals in diesel
fuel in freezing conditions, thus clogging the fuel filter and stopping
the engine; avoided by the use of a fuel heater or fuel additives. [2] The application of a wax finish on the paint surface of a vehicle to preserve the paint and maintain its beauty |
| WD-40: | A proprietary water-repellent spray |
| wear and tear: | The condition of a vehicle where some parts are damaged from normal use |
| weather resistant: | The ability to withstand natural climatic conditions which cause surface deterioration |
| weather strip: | A rubber seal fitted to the body, e.g., along a door aperture or trunklid, to prevent water, air, and moisture from getting into the interior of the body |
| webbing: | A woven nylon strap used for seat belts. |
| weigh scale: | A roadside scale which determines the weight of transport trucks and their load. |
| weight: | The force of gravity acting upon a body. It is measured in Newtons. |
| weld: | To join two pieces of metal together by raising the area to be joined to a point hot enough for the two sections to melt and flow together. Additional metal is usually added by melting small drops from the end of a metal rod while the welding is in progress. |
| w-engine: | A rare engine design, basically similar to a V-engine, but using three instead of two cylinder rows. The W-engine is less perfectly balanced than a V-engine, but this is compensated by balancer shafts; the main advantage of the W-engine is its short crankshaft which results in a very short block; the compact construction permits a 12-cylinder W-engine to be installed transversely in a mid-engine sports car |
| wet sanding: | Sanding with wet-and-dry sandpaper that has been wetted with water to prevent the paper from clogging; commonly used for final sanding |
| wheel balancing: | A procedure that ensures that the weight of the wheel is distributed evenly to improve performance and cut tire wear. |
| wheelbase: | The distance between the front and the rear axles on a vehicle, motorcycle, or bicycle. In a few cars (e.g., Renault 5), the wheelbase is longer on one side of the vehicle. |
| wheelchair lift: | A platform which is deployed from a vehicle, allowing people who use wheelchairs or have trouble stepping up easy access. These platforms or lifts are run by electricity or hydraulics but can always be manually operated in the event that one of the previously-mentioned power sources fail. |
| wheel chock: | A wedge-shaped block put under a wheel to prevent a vehicle from rolling |
| wheel cover: | A hubcap which covers the entire wheel (but not the tire, of course). |
| wheelie: | An acceleration phenomenon of rear drive vehicles (especially motorcycles) in which the front wheel(s) lift off the ground. Most automobiles are too heavy and lack the proper balance to accomplish this feat; but bicycles, motorcycles, and even wheelchairs can perform it. |
| wheel lug bolt: | The bolts used to fasten the wheel to the hub. Also called "lug bolt." |
| wheel nut: | (Br) lug nut -- one of several nuts which hold the wheel and tire assembly on the car and are screwed on the studs |
| wheel nut wrench: | A cross-shaped wrench with four socket heads |
| wheel rim: | The outer part of the wheel on which the tire is mounted |
| wheel rotation: | Swapping wheels around to compensate for unequal tire wear and increase tread life; moving them from front to rear is generally recommended and is the only safe method on vehicles with directional tread tires |
| whiplash: | An injury to the head and neck of an occupant of a vehicle. The action is somewhat prevented by head restraints. |
| white flag: | The white flag is the flag shown to the race leader and the pursuing drivers telling them that there is one lap to go before the end of the race and the finish line. This final lap is almost always one of the most exciting as lead drivers vie for the best possible position -- making that last ditch, all-out effort to win. |
| whitewall: | Tires that have a concentric white line. Some are up to four inches wide and called "wide whitewall." |
| wholesaler: | An intermediary which sells to other intermediaries, such as a firm that buys from a manufacturer and sells to a retailer. |
| widget: | Any small gadget, device or mechanism that is unknown or temporarily forgotten; a car is full of them |
| winch: | Manual or power device employing a drum with cable or rope for pulling objects where great power is required. Power generated by vehicle engine and transmitted through power take-off on transmission. |
| windscreen: | (Br) British term for windshield. |
| windshield: | The primary piece of glass in front of the driver and front passenger. In some older vehicles, there were two pieces of glass. Both are considered the windshield, left and right side. In Britain, it is called the windscreen. |
| windshield washer: | [1] An apparatus for spraying windshield
washer fluid on the outside surface of the windshield and removing the
solution with the windshield wipers and thereby removing contaminants from
the windshield. [2] A person who washes windshields |
| windshield washer fluid: | A soapy solution used to remove dirt and bugs from the windshield. In colder climates this solution must not freeze. |
| windshield wiper: | A squeegee attached to an arm in front of the windshield. When activated, it sweeps across the windshield to remove any moisture such as rain or windshield washer fluid. |
| wind tunnel: | A tunnel-like chamber in which a current of air can be maintained at a constant velocity and in which motor vehicles (and aircraft, etc.) are tested to determine their aerodynamic properties and the effects of wind pressure |
| wind-up window: | A window that is manually operated with a winder |
| wing mirror: | (Br) British term for fender mirror |
| wing Nut: | A nut with two flat projections (i.e., wings) to be turned by thumb and finger. Also called a butterfly nut. |
| wing shield: | A small curved panel in front of the front side window which deflects wind and reduces draft with the window open; typically made of transparent acrylic, clear or smoked |
| winter tire: | A tire with a deep tread suitable for winter conditions |
| wiper: | A metal or plastic device with a rubber blade that scrapes across the windshield to clean the windshield from rain or other moisture. Also called delay wiper, hidden wiper, hideaway wiper, intermittent wiper control, linear wiper system, rear wiper, self-parking wiper, and windshield wiper. |
| wire brush: | A brush with wire bristles for removing loose paint, dirt, carbon, or rust from metal surfaces. Wire brushes come in a variety of shapes, e.g., with an extremely thin head for cleaning parts in very tight places (such as brake rotors or calipers), or they can be attached to power tools to remove carbon and deposits from cylinder heads, transmissions, etc. e.g., as knotted or crimped rotary wire brushes, wire cup brushes, or wire end brushes. Also see cup-shaped wire brush |
| wiring harness: | The collection of color-coded wires which connects all the vehicle's electrical components. Sometimes refers to the main bulk of wires, not the secondary wires which are plugged into the main collection. |
| w/O: | Abbreviation for "without," as in excellent condition, w/o body damage. |
| wobble: | Side to side movement -- usually unwanted |
| woodie: | [1] A shooting brake. [2] A wood-bodied vehicle, especially station wagons of the '30s and 40s. |
| woody: | A station wagon with wood sides. It was made popular by the surf-board crowd |
| wraparound: | Curving around in one continuous piece |
| wraparound bumper: | A modern bumper style that extends around the front and rear of the body right up to the wheel cutouts to offer maximum protection of the body panels |
| wrench: | [1] A device for removing nuts, bolts, and
other fasteners. [2] A colloquial term for a mechanic or someone who is handy repairing engines. [3] To use a wrench tool. |
| write-off: | A car damaged beyond repair or so badly damaged as to be not worth repairing for insurance purposes |