Buying a used vehicle always involves a few surprises. Luckily, my recent purchase of a 2004 Volvo C70 didn't involve major ones, and I knew the car wouldn't be perfect. With a bad transmission and...
My friend Binny asked for my assistance in replacing the front brake pads on his 2010 Mercedes E63 AMG. His rear pads and rotors were replaced not too long ago by his indie tech so there was no need to for replacement. However his front pads were squeaking pretty good - it was time for a...
A common ailment to the 2006-2012 Mercedes-Benz ML and GL (W164 and X164) is the automatic tailgate. The automatic tailgate is an option that was almost always been chosen when they were new. If you own one of these, chances are you have had trouble with inconsistent closing, opening, and latch...
It is no secret that automatic transmissions can be more problematic than manuals. The P80 Volvo V70R models, which came to the US from 1998 - 2000, only came with automatic transmissions. The 1998 used a 4-Speed (Aisin-Warner AW50-42) where as the later years used a 5-Speed (AW55-5X, also made...
Continuing on the path to keeping my old Volvo on the road, it was a logical step to replace the distributor cap and rotor. While I was at it, I thought I might as well replace the seals. How hard could it be? Well, in most cases, you never want to start your car project thinking that. But in...
Brittle plastic is the inconvenient truth of 90's Volvo ownership. Whether it be broken dashboard mounts, interior trim pieces, or turn signals, nothing is safe from shattering in the palm of your hand. In particular, "Little fender blinkers" are quite easy to break, and quite difficult to find...
I recently picked up a used Thor Skid Plate. A skid plate is nice to have if your car is lowered to protect the oil pan as well as other components and is a lot more durable than the plastic belly pan. This installation took place on my B6 Audi A4. Install The install is pretty...
DIY car repair is sometimes really disheartening. For every great success, sometimes there is an equally great failure. Working on cars professionally is an art form that takes a great deal of experience to perfect and understand. Occasionally a simple shade tree service can turn nasty. In my...
The Volvo S70 is a legendary cult-classic vehicle, not because of its looks, not because of the quality of the interior, but because of the bulletproof powertrain that sits between the front wheels. Any Volvo with a whiteblock 5-cylinder is going to last a long, long time, and despite the rest of...
How do you define a “new” car? In my family, any new car is simply younger than the outgoing car. Our 2005 Volvo S80 was 5 years old when we bought it, and that was our newest car in the family fleet. I personally don’t like the idea of needing to go into a dealership and bargaining for a new...