Wandering, clunking, and generally sloppy steering response can point to a number of issues in an E46 BMW, and all of them can lead to worn control arms. These arms contain ball joints, as well as...
Automotive engines are a myriad of rubber hoses, vacuum elbows, belts, and bushings. As they wear out, some may fail more catastrophically than others. I've had Volvos with perforated cooling hoses, missing serpentine belts, and rotten engine mounts come through my garage. But not many people...
The MAF (or Mass Air Flow meter) is an important part of a fuel injected engine, as it essentially estimates the amount of air going into the engine so the correct amount of fuel can be injected to match. If a MAF sensor reports more air than there is, then too little fuel will be injected and...
If you own an E36 BMW, no doubt you have experienced excess noise coming from the engine compartment. Finding the solution to these noises can seem taxing, especially since VANOS noises are so common with these cars. The VANOS ticking can sometimes overshadow other things making excess noise. It...
A car's suspension system cushions the vehicle from imperfections and undulations in the road surface, smoothing out the bumps while dampening suspension motion to help you maintain control of your car in a comfortable manner. When dealing with an older and tired suspension, the strut and shock...
This time around we have a W220 chassis Mercedes S500 with a very obvious misfire - the engine was clearly bouncing around on its mounts! Checking diagnostic codes should always be the first port of call in this kind of situation. Here two codes came back P0205 and P0305. P0305 is misfire on...
We've finally got a brick in the shop this week, and this '93 Volvo 940 is getting a full brake replacement at all four corners. Mike Rivera will walk you through the steps for caliper, rotor, line, and pad replacement. When it's all done, don't forget to bleed your brakes with a little help from...
For many '98-00 Volvo owners, faulty propshafts present a difficult decision. Replace and wait for something else to go wrong, or remove and have a perfectly functional FWD vehicle? While complete AWD removal is a bit extreme, I've gotten a lot of questions asked regarding how I did it. AWD...
If you've ever gone through the trials of removing a Vanos unit on an E36 BMW, congrats! You’re on your way to a well-functioning Vanos system. Vanos troubles can be very frustrating. They are prone to a nasty ticking noise and failed gaskets on the Vanos piston. If you go to BMW for replacement...
59 MPG highway, 48 MPG city. If you can believe it, these are the rated fuel economy numbers for the car I was driving on a flat, straight, stretch of highway. Even more unbelievable, it was not too difficult to match or even exceed the rated numbers. Just so we're on the right page, this was not...