There is so work much to do. Where to begin? In my latest post, I mentioned that the BMW E30 is well balanced, reliable, relatively quick, and pretty cheap to maintain. I have a fair amount...
This procedure is outlined for the GM-built automatic transmissions that were commonly installed with many six-cylinder engines in the 1990s era 3-Series (E36), 5-Series (E34), and Z3 (E37). To BMW nerds, these are known as the A4S-270R or the A4S-310R transmissions. But they are also commonly...
Do you, as a DIY mechanic, ever give much consideration to your engine’s coolant? I would wager that if you do you are an exception. I believe most DIY’ers do not. This belief is based on years of interacting with DIY’ers on various European car forums and at local car meetups. Most simply shop...
For Volvos of all years, you essentially have two choices of radiator caps: the Green cap or the Grey cap. Grey caps were prominent on RWD Volvos, with green caps making their appearance in FWD Volvos. The differences between the two are simple, but choosing between them isn’t as straightforward...
If you are in the market to modify your Volvo, you may be quickly disappointed to find how very few parts exist for these cars. Once you do finally discover the few things which can be upgraded, you will be even more put off by the price tag. For those in the Volvo tuning world, we do have to pay...
It often seems that coolant is one of those out-of-sight, out-of-mind maintenance items even for most DIY mechanics. Especially with modern coolants that have extended lifespans of 5 years or 100,000 miles, it can feel like an item that needs little or no attention. However, neglected cooling...
Whether you drive your cars thousands of miles a year, or leave it parked for many seasons, hydraulic shocks and struts will inevitably be in need of replacing at some point in the vehicle's life. FCP Euro offers a very wide variety of suspension parts for P1 Volvos. You might be surprised just...
Several months ago I replaced the front struts on a 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc. The struts were shot and I skimped on replacing any of the other components as they seemed to “look” ok. For months it bugged me and after doing some research I decided to replace the strut bearings + mounts as they typically...
An endurance race is true test of man and machine. It takes a reliable car, a strategy, money, and a team. Having FCP Euro on our team has helped get us the parts that (hopefully) will get us through 18 hours of grueling racing. But you can't just have a reliable car. The people behind the...
There are two times of year that usually have me changing the cabin filter on my cars: Pollen season and leaf season. But if you have an E39 like the BMW 525i, you should probably take the job one step further. One of the E39’s known design weaknesses is the compartment that houses the brake...