Every major German manufacturer began to use plastic coolant expansion tanks in their vehicles around the mid-nineties. BMW is no exception, and its plastic expansion tanks have played a significant role in their seemingly constant cooling issues. The plastic designs are cheap, lightweight, and...

There are two things that you can guarantee a Volkswagen will need during its lifespan. Those are fuel, and new ignition coils.    If you recently grabbed a set of red top Genuine VW Audi ignition coils, you might be wondering how to install them. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest repairs...

  Automatic transmissions are fickle beasts which can be astronomically expensive if not maintained. Throw in the fact that it's a BMW, and the need for regular maintenance becomes quite clear. Unfortunately, a fluid and filter change is not as easy as it used to be. When parts are replaced in a...

BMW doesn't recommend replacing fluids other than oil and brake fluid as they have an unfortunate "lifetime fluid" recommendation. Although they say their "lifetime fluid" never needs to be replaced, it should be at around 50,000 miles. Changing the fluids this often will ensure a long service...

The Volvo electronic parking brake is often referred to by names such as the emergency brake or handbrake or even abbreviated as "EPB". No matter what it's referred to as, you will hear of the inevitable problems and that it needs to be serviced. For Volvo drivers, when replacing rear brake pads,...

Your engine's valve cover gasket is the main part that keeps the top end of your motor sealed up and leak free. These parts are almost all made of rubber material and over time the rubber will dry out and become brittle - allowing oil to leak out of the engine. On straight-six BMW engines like...

The BMW E39 has an electronic wheel speed sensor located at each hub. In the simplest terms, the car uses these sensors to count the number of rotations made by each wheel. It monitors each one to recognize if one or multiple of the wheels are slipping or are locked up. This is how the car’s...

The M156 engine found in the Mercedes-AMG models such as the C63 AMG, E63 AMG, and CLK63 AMG, is a V8 monster. Such a massive, powerful engine requires an incredible amount of airflow, and that is why Mercedes designed this engine with dual air intakes. With dual air intakes, that means dual...

Since 1993, Volvo 5 and 6-cylinder FWD vehicles have used an upper engine mount designed to keep engine movement at a minimum. They are built from aluminum and rubber, the latter typically succumbing to engine heat around 100,000 miles.  When the rubber in these engine mounts dries out,...

How do you know if the part you're buying is going to last? Sometimes choice is one of the most difficult things a car enthusiast can face. Agonizing over which brand to use and researching the reliability of a part can be time consuming and make a project last much longer than it should. Having...