The smell of burning oil and a cloud of blue smoke as you pull away is never pleasant... I had this exact experience with my 1998 V70R shortly after taking delivery of it. I decided to go for a...
The newer C-Classes and E-Classes like the Mercedes E350 have really made cabin filter replacement much more of a chore. No longer are the cabin filters located under the hood in a large plastic box like their predecessors. Now you must earn your purified air if you choose to do this job...
Suppose you wanted to cook yourself a burger. It would make sense to go to the grocery store, buy all your ingredients that you need, then bring them home ready to cook and sit down to watch latest F1 race in Montreal. Replacing individual parts can be like putting duct tape on yout car: its...
If you have an older Mercedes station wagon (pre-2004) you have probably dealt with poor ride quality at some point. I like to compare it to driving around a basketball. This is similar to driving a car with cut coil springs or having no give to the suspension. These station wagons are equipped...
Buying a used vehicle always involves a few surprises. Luckily, my recent purchase of a 2004 Volvo C70 didn't involve major ones, and I knew the car wouldn't be perfect. With a bad transmission and cupped (feathered) tires, I knew something was amiss with the steering or suspension, so it was...
My friend Binny asked for my assistance in replacing the front brake pads on his 2010 Mercedes E63 AMG. His rear pads and rotors were replaced not too long ago by his indie tech so there was no need to for replacement. However his front pads were squeaking pretty good - it was time for a...
A common ailment to the 2006-2012 Mercedes-Benz ML and GL (W164 and X164) is the automatic tailgate. The automatic tailgate is an option that was almost always been chosen when they were new. If you own one of these, chances are you have had trouble with inconsistent closing, opening, and latch...
It is no secret that automatic transmissions can be more problematic than manuals. The P80 Volvo V70R models, which came to the US from 1998 - 2000, only came with automatic transmissions. The 1998 used a 4-Speed (Aisin-Warner AW50-42) where as the later years used a 5-Speed (AW55-5X, also made...
Continuing on the path to keeping my old Volvo on the road, it was a logical step to replace the distributor cap and rotor. While I was at it, I thought I might as well replace the seals. How hard could it be? Well, in most cases, you never want to start your car project thinking that. But in...
Brittle plastic is the inconvenient truth of 90's Volvo ownership. Whether it be broken dashboard mounts, interior trim pieces, or turn signals, nothing is safe from shattering in the palm of your hand. In particular, "Little fender blinkers" are quite easy to break, and quite difficult to find...
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