Since an automobile is so present in everyday life, and for so long, it is expected that it also became a part of the language. A lot of automotive terms have entered common language and some have even been imported from other languages, like French or German. However, over the years, lots of technical terms have entered the slang or jargon and with the help of books, magazines, movies or internet, those terms have spread all over the world. So, today, we have a pretty strong automotive jargon which is globally recognisable and can be used in almost every country in the world. Even if you are not a car enthusiast, you should know this terms because it could help you understand the car culture better.

1) 4 bangers or 4 pot

Terms describing a four-cylinder engine, making reference to the number of cylinders. Sometimes you can hear the term 6 banger or 6 pot which is the same principle but referring to six-cylinder engines. It is often used to describe a generic four-cylinder engine or to describe a small engine of sorts.

2) Beater

General term for describing a bad, old, rusty and unsafe car. Comes from the term “beaten“ and implies that the car is badly beaten by its owner and it is in bad shape. It is used when you want to describe a car that is in need of everything, but is still somewhat usable.

3) Beemer

It’s a generic term for any BMW model, new or old one. The term originated from Britain, but it is used all over the world. In some other languages, you can find similar terms but the Beemer is most common and understandable.

4) Land barge or land yacht

A common term for big and older cars, American cars or big formal sedans like Toyota Century, for example. The terms suggest that the cars are as big as a yacht or a barge, and it sails trough the streets. Often used for big and unpractical cars that are like boats on land, big and useless. Even though modern cars are getting bigger and heavier, this term is used for older vehicles mostly.

5) ATF

ATF is short for Automatic Transmission Fluid and every time you hear these three letters you should know that your transmission is either in need of oil change, or in need of new oil filter.

6) Brake flush or flush

When you hear the word “flush“ in car conversation, you can be sure that there is going to be some fluid change. If it is brake flush, brake fluid is going to be drained or changed, and if you hear “coolant flush“, the radiator and antifreeze are up for cleaning. There is also a flush which means that oil will get changed and tank flush which means that fuel tank will get cleaned.

7) LOF

This stands for “lube, oil, and filter” and it is basically a regular oil change, which includes new oil for your engine and new oil filter.

8) Tune up

This is one of the most common terms describing adjusting, repairing and sorting out any car component. If you want something to be tuned up, you don’t want it replaced or fully repaired, you just want it to work better.This term can be used on various things like tune up of the injection system, tune-up of the engine etc.