How Cars Work
Demystify what happens beneath the hood and behind the dashboard. Learn how engines, transmissions, and brakes operate, how to spot warning signs before they become costly breakdowns, and how to make confident decisions as an owner.
Like Duolingo, but for How Cars Work. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
21 levels across 3 sections, about 42 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Confidence Under the Hood and Behind the Wheel, How the Machine Moves and Stops, and Troubleshooting and Smart Ownership. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in How Cars Work
- Dashboard alert severity mirrors standard traffic light color logic
- Red dashboard lights mean immediate danger to the car or passengers that requires stopping right away
- Yellow or amber lights act as warnings that need attention soon without requiring an instant roadside stop
- The horseshoe with an exclamation mark is the tire pressure warning light
- Modern radial tires can be dangerously underinflated well before they visibly look flat to the naked eye
- Driving on low tire pressure ruins fuel economy and makes car handling sluggish and unsafe
- A temperature gauge in the red means coolant can no longer protect the engine from extreme heat
- Continuing to run an overheating car engine can warp metal parts and destroy the engine block in just a few minutes
- An overheating alert demands pulling over safely and shutting the engine off right away
- A steady check engine light flags a general emissions or sensor issue that can be diagnosed later
- A blinking or flashing check engine light indicates an active misfire dumping unburned fuel into the exhaust
- A flashing check engine light requires pulling over because it can quickly melt or destroy the catalytic converter
- The dashboard fuel icon features a small triangle or arrow alongside the pump symbol
- The arrow points directly toward the side of the car where the fuel tank door is located
- A car must be parked on flat ground so oil settles evenly in the pan
- The first pull only shows splashed oil, so the stick must be wiped clean and re-dipped
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives How Cars Work the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What system does your car's dashboard borrow to show how urgent a warning light is?
Get it right to open this lesson and 20 more in the app.
Where How Cars Work takes you
- 1
Confidence Under the Hood and Behind the Wheel
- Decoding Dashboard Alerts and Quick Triage
- Essential Under-Hood Checks
- 2
How the Machine Moves and Stops
- The Engine: Turning Fuel into Motion
- Transmissions and Drivetrains: Directing the Power
- Tires, Brakes, and Suspension: Staying on the Road
- 3
Troubleshooting and Smart Ownership
- Diagnosing Sounds, Smells, and Sensations
- Maintenance Strategies and Choosing Your Next Car
3 sections · 7 units · 21 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
How Cars Work is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Technology on Tomo
Everyday Car Mechanics
Demystify what happens under your car's hood with practical, hands-on knowledge. Learn how to check vital fluids, diagnose weird noises, understand core engine systems, and deal honestly with mechanics.
Everyday Car Mechanics
Demystify what happens under the hood. Learn to spot early warning signs, check vital fluids, and understand the core mechanical systems that keep your vehicle running safely.
Car Mechanics and Everyday Upgrades
Understand how cars work from the engine bay to the wheels, and learn the essential logic behind modifying them for speed, sound, and handling.
How Engines and Turbos Work
Discover how cars turn droplets of fuel and gulps of air into rotational wheel power. Follow the path of combustion through pistons and crankshafts, then see how turbochargers harvest waste exhaust to create effortless boost.
Practical Auto Mechanics
Learn to maintain, diagnose, and repair your car with practical confidence. From roadside tire swaps and fluid checks to brake service, electrical diagnosis, and engine troubleshooting, build real hands-on mechanical competence.
How Car Engines and Turbos Work
Discover how tiny drops of gasoline create explosive forward motion. Trace the path from piston stroke to crankshaft spin, then see how a turbocharger harvests exhaust to unlock effortless speed.
Start How Cars Work today.
Download Tomo, search How Cars Work, and play your first lesson in under a minute.