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Dealer Cash Incentives - Amounts that are paid to dealers by manufacturers to stimulate vehicle sales by incentivizing the dealers to lower their prices to consumers, typically paid or earned upon the dealers purchase of the vehicle from the manufacturer, upon the dealers sale of the vehicle, or when the dealer achieve specified sales volume targets.
Dealer Holdback - A percentage of either the MSRP or invoice price of a new vehicle (depending on the manufacturer) that is repaid to the dealer by the manufacturer after the vehicle is sold. For more information, click here.
Death Brake - A system of devices, including a heart rate sensor, that applies braking when the drivers heart stops beating.
Deceleration System - An emissions device on a manually shifted vehicle that bleeds vacuum from the intake when the vehicle is in gear with the throttle closed. This causes the fuel injectors to close during conditions of deceleration and results in reduced emissions.
Decked - To remove chrome trim from a custom car's trunk lid. When the chrome is also removed from the hood, the car is said to be "nosed and decked".
Declaration Page - The portion of a property or liability insurance policy that states the name and address of policyholder, the property insured, its location and description, the policy period, the premiums and supplemental information.
Declutching/Freewheeling - The act of disengaging a vehicles transmission from its driveshaft, either manually or automatically, when its driveshafts rpm exceeds the transmissions rpm.
Demo - Referred to as a test drive or could be a vehicle that has been used as a demonstration model by a dealership.
Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Fees - The fees payable to the state in which a vehicle is purchased and/or registered, primarily for vehicle titling, registration and license plates.
Depreciation - The amount by which a vehicle (or any physical item) loses its value over time.
Destination Charge - The fee that the manufacturer charges to deliver a vehicle from the factory to the dealership, and that is passed on by the dealer to the consumer; it is not included in the MSRP of the vehicle.
Destroked - An engine with a shorter throw crankshaft, usually done to increase RPM capacity or to fulfill racing restrictions on engine size.
Deuce - A 1932 Ford.
DeVille Extension - A sliding roof over the front seat with side arms that folded back into the remaining roof thus producing a Sedanca configuration in metal rather than the usual fabric.
Dickey - An English term for an external seat in the rear of the car, known in the US as a Rumble Seat.
Diesel Engine - A vehicle with an engine that uses diesel fuel and compression ignition.
Diesel Engine Hour Meter - A digital or analog display that shows the amount of time (in total hours) that a diesel vehicles engine has run over its lifetime.
Differential Fluid - The liquid used for lubricating gears inside the differential.
Digs - Drag races
Diminished Value - Diminished value occurs when a motor vehicle is involved in a severe collision and was repaired.
Direct Injection System - A fuel injection system in which the injection nozzles are located inside the combustion chamber of each piston.
Direct Shift Gearbox - Also referred to as "DSG," "SMG," "sequential manual gearbox" and "automated manual transmission."
Disc Brake Type - The type of brake rotors: solid, vented, slotted, cross-drilled, ceramic or carbon.
Disc Changer - An in-dash or remote-mounted CD or DVD/CD player that can store and read multiple discs and play them through the vehicles audio system.
Displacement (CCs) - The volume, in cubic centimeters, of a vehicles engine cylinder with its piston at bottom dead center, multiplied by the total number of cylinders in the vehicles engine.
Disposition Fee - An amount charged by the leasing company at the end of a lease that is intended to cover the cost of retrieving and selling the vehicle if the lessee chooses not to buy it. The lessee is billed for this charge after the vehicle is returned.
Distributor Cap - The nonconductive cap of the distributor that contains the contacts leading to each individual spark plug.
Distributor Rotor - The rotating, nonconductive component of a distributor that contains contacts and that, when aligned, complete an electrical circuit between the ignition coil and a spark plug.
Diverter Valve - On an engine equipped with an air pump, a valve activated during deceleration that allows air from the air pump into the intake to dilute the air/fuel mixture (in an attempt to reduce emissions).
Dog Leg - The corner of a wraparound windshield on a 1950s car. It's a multi-purpose term, and is also used to describe, among other things, the rear door jamb on the back door of a sedan, a sharp turn on a race course, or a manual transmission where first to second gear is an up-and-over movement of the shifter.
Double Clutching - A technique used with older manual transmissions that do not have synchronizers (a "crash box" transmission). The driver puts in the clutch, moves the shifter into neutral, releases the clutch, and then puts the clutch back in and shifts to the next gear. This extra step allows the engine speed to match the speed of the gears, so the shift is smoother and prevents excess wear on the transmission.
Down Payment - A cash payment credited against the purchase price of a vehicle, which reduces the amount to be financed. In a lease transaction, this amount is often referred to as the "capital reduction."
Downshift Cable - A transmission cable connected to the throttle that shifts the transmission into a lower gear when the accelerator is depressed suddenly beyond a certain point.
Drag Plates - Metal plates that have a car club's name and logo identifying the vehicle and its driver as a member of that club.
Drain Plug Washer - A composition or plastic sealing washer used on a bolt-type drain plug.
Drive Axle Boots - The flexible, conical, accordion-like covers that contain lubricant and protect the constant-velocity joints on a drive axle shaft.
Drive Belt Tensioner - A self-adjusting device used for maintaining proper tension on the drive belt.
Drive Belt(s) - A belt that transfers the rotation of the engine through the crankshaft pulley to drive various devices, such as the alternator, water pump, air conditioning compressor or power steering pump.
Drive Shaft - A sturdy metal tube with universal joints on either end that connects the engine to a differential on a rear-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle.
Drive System - The type of drive system: two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
Drive Train Mounts - Flexible, energy-absorbing components that attach parts of a vehicles drive train (for example, the transmission, transfer case or differential housing) to the chassis.
Drive-Off Fees - The total cost that must be paid by the lessee at the inception of a vehicle lease, which typically includes the first months lease payment, any security deposit required by the leasing company, any acquisition fee charged by the leasing company, any documentation fees charged by the dealer, and various state registration fees. Also referred to as "Total Due at Signing."
Driver State Sensor - A device that monitors a drivers eye movement and/or vital signs while a vehicle is in motion.
Drivetrain - The system of components that generates power and transmits it to a vehicles wheels.
Drivetrain Warranty - A vehicle warranty that covers most of the parts that make the vehicle move, including the engine, transmission, drive axles and driveshaft. As with a basic warranty, "consumable" parts such as hoses and belts are not covered. However, most of the internal parts of the engine, such as the pistons and bearings, which are also subject to wear and tear, are covered by a drivetrain warranty. Also referred to as a "Powertrain Warranty."
Driving Lights - Auxiliary high-beam driving lamps.
Drophead Coupe - An English term for convertible. Also known as a Cabriolet in France.
Dropped Axle - A special front axle with its wheel spindles higher in relation to the height of the axle than in a stock unit. The result is a lower ride height.
Dual Cowl - A touring car driver′s compartment with a front and rear seat. It also has a second, folding windshield to protect backseat occupants.
Dual Quads - An engine with two four-barrel carburetors.
Dual-Mode Hybrid - A hybrid vehicle with two different drive systems, referred to as Modes. In the first mode the vehicles runs solely on an electric motor powered by the vehicles battery system. When the electric-only mode is low on power, or during harder acceleration and faster speeds, a gasoline engine mode will initiate. The second Mode uses a gasoline engine to help power the vehicle and recharge the electrical system batteries.
Dynamic Brake Control - An electronically controlled system that maximizes brake efficiency during panic stops. Also referred to as "Emergency Brake Assist."
Here is a list of various Automotive Definitions. These are not specific to just Classic Cars, but covers all Automotive Definitions in general. This is not an all inclusive list and as we come across more, we will add them here. Drop us a note if you see something we missed.
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