Common Maintenance & Repair Terminology
AC Condenser: An apparatus that condenses vapor for the AC, it is located behind the reinforcement bar.
Other names: AC Panel
Brake Calipers: The assembly that holds your brake pads and provides the mechanism to press your pads to the rotor.
Brake Shoes: Internal long curved blocks that press against the inside drum of drum brakes.
Brake Pads: Thin blocks that grip the disk on disc brakes. Held on by calipers.
Bumper Absorber: The front or back impact pad that goes between the bumper cover, and the reinforcement bar.
Other names: Front or Rear Absorber.
Bumper Cover: The very front or very rear painted cover that goes over the reinforcement bar and bumper absorber. Sometimes these covers come in many pieces; lower, upper, sides.
Other names: Front or Rear Fascia.
Bumper Deflector: The very bottom trim piece under the bumper cover.
Calipers: The assembly that holds brake pads, and presses them together on disc brakes.
Deck Lid: The truck lift lid.
Other names: Truck Lid.
Door Skin: The outer panel of a door that can be replaced without replacing the interior workings or glass of an entire door.
Other names: Door Panel, Skin.
Drum Brakes:
Fender: The body panel above and behind the front wheel wells on each side.
Fog Lamp: The lower smaller pair of lights on the front of the vehicle.
Moldings: Any type of add-on decorative or protective pieces that go on the exterior of the body or its assembly.
Quarter Panel: The rear body panel above and around the rear wheel wells on each side.
Radiator Shroud: The fan mounting assembly that mounts on the radiator to assist in the cooling of the fluids.
Other names: Shroud.
Radiator: An engine cooling device that is made of thin tubes that circulates and cools fluid with the surrounding air.
Reinforcement Bar: The steel or aluminum impact bar that mounts to the front or rear of the frame of the vehicle, behind the absorber, and cover.
Other names: Rebar, Front or Rear Bumper, or Bar.
Rocker Panel: The lower panel that runs the length of the doors at the bottom of the vehicle on both sides to and from each wheel well.
Roof Moldings: Rubber seals that go where your roof is attached to the upper body frame on the top of the vehicle.
Other names: Drip moldings
Rotors: The disc that the brake pads squeeze on to slow down the vehicle.
Scalp Moldings: Rubber moldings that line the top and adjacent area of the window and door panels.
Shroud Fan: The fan that goes inside the shroud assembly used for assisting the radiator to cool the engine.
Shroud Panel: One of the many panels that can be associated with the proper installation and support of the radiator shroud.
Spark Plugs: The plugs inserted into the block of the engine that provides a spark to ignite fuel in an internal combustion engine. 1 spark plug per cylinder.
Tie Rods: A rod that acts as a tie in a structure of a vehicle, most commonly the steering structure.
Wheel Flares: Any type of molding that attaches to the fender or quarter panels and runs the border of the wheel wells.
Wheel Skirt: The Lining that attaches to the upper wheel. It helps protect the inner compartments from wheel well debris.
Other names: Wheel Liner, Lining, Fender Liner.
