5 Important Maintenance Items After Purchasing a New (Used) Car

For 3-4 weeks my shifter seemed to be getting worse and worse. Not knowing what the immediate cause of this was I would just wiggle and jiggle the handle until it got into gear and then be on my way. For a few days I would park it and leave the key in the ignition for fear I couldn't get it into...

A cost effective brake upgrade is to replace the single piston calipers with the two piston calipers that are found on many different Audi models, such as the D2 A8, C5 A6 with 2.7T engine and B5 S4. The B6 A4 upright has the same caliper bolt spacing as the B5 S4, so the caliper bolts right up....

The odometer gear is a weak point in the Volvo 850, among others. Unfortunately this brute of a vehicle may last forever, but most owners won't know the true mileage due to the brittle plastic that drives the odometer. Depending on the year, it is possible to read the true mileage out of any...

Anyone with a '98 or older P80 Volvo probably feels a bit left out of the game when it comes to OEM side markers. The hole in the fender is currently covered up by a moderately ugly VOLVO badge that fades and discolors over time. This article applies to the '93+ Volvo 850 and '98 S70/V70/C70...

A common failure point in the VW/Audi family are the engine mounts. In order to reduce NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) transmitted into the cabin, the engine mounts are filled with a damping fluid as opposed to being made completely out of rubber. This makes for a more comfortable cabin,...

I probably don’t need to bore you with my tales of vacuum leaks on my car. I finally relented and took it into a shop to get it smoke tested and traced my leak to the throttle shaft seal. In the following diagram of the air intake system of my B234F engine, you can see the small seal as #20,...

Tired of looking at your outdated B6 key fob? Well, you're in luck! You can easily upgrade to a newer B7 key fob with simple hand tools and a little patience. Here's how. First things first, obtain a B7 key fob. These can be found on eBay for around $20, but do your due diligence. Make sure you...

I'm really starting to enjoy my new-to-me 2004 Audi A4 Avant. Like any Euro, it's got a few quirks but overall it's been an honest, fun to drive sports wagon. However, the other day my Audi had its first real "problem." While at a weekend picnic, my car was sitting in the driveway relatively...

Clunk....clunk. The noise of a bad suspension looms. Whether it be a bad ball joint, spring seat, or sway bar link, something is worn out. When accompanied by a bump in the road, this noise most often indicates there is "play" somewhere in the suspension. This play is usually just audible at...