When your car just won't start, you're not usually in a dire situation. You can call a tow truck and get yourself a jump. Even better, some good Samaritans will see you with your hood lifted up and...
Maintaining a European car often involves shopping for parts that meet or exceed OE quality, but aren't. This is almost always in the interest of cost-savings. Depending on the part, Original Equipment (OE) parts can sometimes be exorbitantly priced when similar OEM alternatives do the same job...
The parking brake is often used in manual transmission cars as well as automatic transmission cars especially during DIY servicing. This system can fail over time or fall out of adjustment. When this happens the system begins to lose braking or stopping ability thus the car will begin to roll...
The parking brake is often used in manual transmission cars as well as automatic transmission cars especially during DIY servicing. This system can fail over time or fall out of adjustment especially on 5 series cars like the BMW 525i. When this happens the system begins to lose braking or...
It seems the snow and cold fronts in the last few weeks have changed what had been a mild winter. Here are a few tips and reminders for drivers to help you finish out the season. To let warm up? Or not to warm up? That is the question... This concept of "warming up" often refers to car owners...
A very common wear item on nearly all transverse engine Volvos is the top engine or torque mount. Common symptoms of a failing or failed mount is lurching when first accelerating or applying the brakes. To further verify when a mount is at the end of its life, inspect for visible cracks in the...
Burning oil, low power, or misfires getting you down? Compression is the driving force that keeps an engine alive, and not enough can mean any one of these factors will set in. Often considered the benchmark of an engine's health, a compression test can provide a wealth of information to an avid...
Any car owner can probably tell you a horror story of some expensive repair or replacement part gone wrong. My worst one yet has been the ignition cylinder on my '99 Volvo V70R, and in the end it cost $489.00. But, there are certain purchases that are not only cheap, but make a significant...
We live in a throw-away society. If it doesn’t work, we tend to toss it in the bin. Bike tire has a hole? Toss it instead of patching it. Oven stopped working? Get a new one. Wiper blades start streaking? Buy a new one. Hold on there. Wipers are commonly tossed out in their entirety because the...
I'm not a fan of manual transmissions anymore. At all. Being a car enthusiast, this puts me in a tough place amongst others that swear by it. With modern DSG transmissions being so fun to drive (And non-DSG too! I'm looking at you, ZF 8-Speed) I feel that the need for a manual is dwindling....