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...
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...
This morning my BMW X5 3.0i was making a rattling noise with a light screech from the engine bay. The outside temp gauge read 23 degrees fahrenheit and as my engine started, so did the noise. My car has the updated style hydraulic drive belt (alternator) tensioner installed from the factory, but...
Seven years and four P80 Volvos have taught me there are some parts you don't want to let fail. These parts have either made me late or totally stuck - not something I like to admit considering Volvo's normally excellent reputation for reliability. Brake Light Switch Failure Point: 170,000...
We recently had our friends from CRP Industries drop in to our FCP office, and they showed us something that I thought was really important to point out. Like most other maintenance items on your vehicle you should always replace your brake hoses in matched pairs, left and right. This point was...
Let's face it, styling cues and equipment options have always been better on European spec cars, and design wise the equipment itself seems to be better. Many options on the Euro-spec E36 BMW M3 models weren't available on U.S models, simply because they thought the car was too expensive to be...
If you have been experiencing poor braking performance in the form of a stiff pedal, don’t immediately think you need a new master cylinder or brake booster. The simple and cheap replacement of the one-way brake booster valve could help remedy these braking problems. My Volvo 940 recently...
As a BMW ages, the transmission begins to become imprecise. This is due to age and wear of the associated parts. As a result, poor shifting, sloppy/loose gearing, and missed shifts can occur. When this happens it is best to begin to replace all the parts in the gearshift assembly. The following...
Winter is still coming on strong, and rain is still falling. We've written a lot about what to do to prepare your vehicle for the severe weather, but sometimes good preparation is not enough – even the Titanic had a bilge pump! If your car should flood this winter, it's not the end of the world,...