European vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and more attainable as manufacturers trend towards the mainstream buyer. Vehicles like the Mercedes CLA and Audi A3 simply didn't need to exist...
The Mark 4 Volkswagen is all things to all men. Its simple, serviceable, bulletproof design brings both reliability and driving pleasure to the consumer, all at an affordable price. The chassis design was so good that for a period, almost everything was built on this platform – Golf, Jetta,...
A relay is a simple device, but when a relay fails, its can be very difficult to diagnose. The Volvo 940 has a very common failure of the Radio Suppression Relay. Despite the name, it neither suppresses anything nor is it related to the radio. What it does is simply give power to the fuel...
Driving a car with a manual transmission adds a level of enjoyment to the driving experience, I typically prefer a manual (sometimes called stick shift or standard, depending on your location) Over the years I've had a number of opportunities to teach others how to use them, and thought it might...
Seats are often the first thing you see when getting in a car, and old worn/dirty seats make a terrible impression when buying or selling. On the other hand, great seats can really lift an interior and increase the value if you're trying to make it stand out. The original seats in my 1993 BMW...
For many enthusiasts, increased road noise isolation simply means there is less communication between the driver and the road. A quiet engine and exhaust prevents you from knowing what’s happening under the hood. Worst of all, all of these additions to reduce noise in the cabin equals more...
Driving a four-door coupé in the winter is not my idea of a good time. The impracticality of this front-wheel drive sled is exacerbated by the wide front wheels (Skinny snows? Nope.) and poor rear visibility in all types of weather. Despite all of this, the car is still drop-dead gorgeous. I can...
Over the holidays I had an idle and running issue. The car displayed a irratic or hunting idle, hesitation on acceleration between 800-1500, and was throwing a CEL. I went through all the normal procedures to diagnose the issue, finally discovering my O2 sensor was causing the trouble. Knowing...
I recently wrote about checking driveline mounts and flex joints and the problems they can cause on a BMW, often starting as vibrations. This time let's look at the practicalities of swapping them out on the Mercedes W220 S-Class chassis. The procedure for E-Class and R-Class models is very...
It's unfortunate that winters are so harsh on our cars. With a tenfold increase in road debris this time of the year, it's no wonder a winter car takes some serious clean-up work in the spring to get ready for the shows again. If you've got a new addition to the family that must be driven in the...
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