Disclaimer, affiliate disclosure & corrections

Editorial disclaimer

CarCaseFile publishes editorial fact-checks of viral car-repair claims. Our reviews represent our team's honest judgment based on shop-floor experience and the cited sources. Nothing on this site is a substitute for a hands-on diagnostic by a qualified mechanic on your specific vehicle. Symptoms, fixes, and product compatibility vary enormously between makes, models, model years, and engine families.

Some of the products we describe are intended for use only with specific personal protective equipment, ventilation, ignition controls, or trained handling. Where a product is dangerous to apply without training, we say so on the relevant claim page. Use your judgment, read the manufacturer's safety data sheet, and do not pour anything into your engine, cooling system, or fuel system that you have not verified is compatible with your specific vehicle.

FTC-compliant affiliate disclosure

CarCaseFile is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. We earn from qualifying purchases made through product links on this site. The commission is paid by the retailer, not the reader — the price you pay is identical whether you use our link or navigate to the product directly.

Per the FTC's 2023 Endorsement Guidelines update, here is exactly how affiliate links work on this site:

Every commercial outbound product link is marked rel="nofollow sponsored".
The footer of every page carries a standing disclosure.
Pages that contain affiliate links carry a top-of-page note before the first link appears.
A product's appearance on this site does not require an affiliate relationship. Some products we recommend have no affiliate program; we link to the manufacturer's site directly.

How we keep verdicts independent of commissions

A claim's verdict is set before the product list is built. The verdict does not change based on which related products happen to have affiliate programs.
We never recommend a product we have not either used in shop conditions or cross-verified against trade-publication or peer-mechanic testing.
When the only "product" related to a claim is the snake-oil product being debunked, we do not include it as a recommendation just because it would earn a commission. (See our "Dangerous" tier in methodology.)

Corrections policy

If you find a factual error in one of our reviews — a misidentified product, an outdated price, a misattributed quote, an incorrect ban claim — please email us at corrections [at] carcasefile.com with the page URL and what you believe is wrong. Material corrections are made at the top of the affected page with a "Correction:" line and a date stamp. Minor edits (typos, grammar) are made silently.

We take corrections seriously. Editorial credibility on a fact-checking site is the whole product.

Trademarks and editorial fair use

Product names, brand names, and channel names mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners. Their mention here constitutes editorial commentary and fact-checking under the U.S. fair-use doctrine. CarCaseFile is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the vehicle manufacturers, product manufacturers, or YouTube channels reviewed on this site.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CarCaseFile, its contributors, and its operators are not liable for damages arising from a reader's use or attempted use of any product, technique, or recommendation described on this site. Working on motor vehicles involves inherent risks (fire, asphyxiation, crush, chemical exposure). You assume those risks when you choose to follow any procedure described here.