Any car owner can probably tell you a horror story of some expensive repair or replacement part gone wrong. My worst one yet has been the ignition cylinder on my '99 Volvo V70R, and in the end it...
We live in a throw-away society. If it doesn’t work, we tend to toss it in the bin. Bike tire has a hole? Toss it instead of patching it. Oven stopped working? Get a new one. Wiper blades start streaking? Buy a new one. Hold on there. Wipers are commonly tossed out in their entirety because the...
I'm not a fan of manual transmissions anymore. At all. Being a car enthusiast, this puts me in a tough place amongst others that swear by it. With modern DSG transmissions being so fun to drive (And non-DSG too! I'm looking at you, ZF 8-Speed) I feel that the need for a manual is dwindling....
From the moment I became aware of the Pick 'n' Pull concept I was hooked. The notion you could just go wander a massive field of cars with your vehicle listing in one hand and a spanner in the other is very exciting. Every car and part on the lot is for sale. At some facilities a bucket full of...
Some Mercedes models like the W220 S-Class and E210 E-Class include a heated washer fluid reservoir in addition to heated spray nozzles. From the parts diagram below you can see it works by recirculating engine coolant throughout a pipe loop within the reservoir. This is great for keeping the...
European vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and more attainable as manufacturers trend towards the mainstream buyer. Vehicles like the Mercedes CLA and Audi A3 simply didn't need to exist in the past - entry level luxury wasn't "entry level" yet, and there was no cheap way in without...
The Mark 4 Volkswagen is all things to all men. Its simple, serviceable, bulletproof design brings both reliability and driving pleasure to the consumer, all at an affordable price. The chassis design was so good that for a period, almost everything was built on this platform – Golf, Jetta,...
Driving a car with a manual transmission adds a level of enjoyment to the driving experience, I typically prefer a manual (sometimes called stick shift or standard, depending on your location) Over the years I've had a number of opportunities to teach others how to use them, and thought it might...
Seats are often the first thing you see when getting in a car, and old worn/dirty seats make a terrible impression when buying or selling. On the other hand, great seats can really lift an interior and increase the value if you're trying to make it stand out. The original seats in my 1993 BMW...
For many enthusiasts, increased road noise isolation simply means there is less communication between the driver and the road. A quiet engine and exhaust prevents you from knowing what’s happening under the hood. Worst of all, all of these additions to reduce noise in the cabin equals more...