Has your Saab 9-3 rear window strip seen better days? Mine was disintegrating and becoming an eye sore: Ordering a new strip for a 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc (SAAB 12789697) helped me figure out how this...
In case you haven't read the article yet, we broke a connecting rod in our relatively stock BMW M20B25 during our last race at Watkins Glen. The engine may still be salvageable, but with only about a month before our next race at Palmer Motorsports Park, I thought it may be best to find a good...
When the OM61X equipped diesel cars were being produced back in the 1970's and 1980's, Mercedes-Benz knew that the diesel fuel available could often be rather dirty - full of particulate matter that could clog and damage the lift and/or injection pump. While less common this can still be the case...
Having owned two S40s, a C30, and a recently purchased V50, I have acquired quite a bit of experienced with P1 maintenance and common problems. While also having examined hundreds of Volvos when shopping for the perfect cars, I have developed a fairly solid check list for examining potential...
A reader asked if I could write a post on replacing a radiator (which I assumed would be for the 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc I usually write posts about). I wasn’t planning on replacing mine (yet) but figured I could outline what’s needed to complete the job for those that need to do it. I’ll be using a...
One of the most effective ways to make sure your classic diesel Mercedes keeps on ticking for a long time to come is to stay on top of fluid changes. In between changes, however, all of the fluids in your car shouldn't just be ignored. Slow leaks can gradually drain the pans and reservoirs that...
Anyone who owns a car understands that typical wear parts need to be replaced - things like brakes, shocks, belts, etc. Generally these are things that move, compress, switch, twist, grab...they work hard to keep your car going or under control and it stand to reason that after enough hard work...
On older Volvos, owners often dismissed ABS messages because the culprit was likely a faulty solder on the control module; no functioning ABS, but not harm to the car. However, ABS warnings should be addressed immediately on modern day vehicles. A faulty ABS is dangerous in emergency braking...
Car batteries are a wear item that gets replaced every few years. Hopefully you’ll change it before you get stuck somewhere with a bad battery, which is the leading cause for car breakdowns. Most batteries fail because of sulfation: a build-up of lead sulfate crystals. A sulfated battery can lead...
Our April AER race at Watkins Glen was cut short when the engine went "boom" and stopped running at about 100 mph through the esses. Many hours of "what the hell happened" later, we discovered that one of the rod bearings had failed, causing the rod to overheat and eventually snap in half. We...