What Is A Money Shift? Spun Bearings & Valve Float Explained

Mercedes vehicles have combined large displacement and big power with a plush ride and cozy interior for over half a century. Both long-term and short-term owners of Silver Arrows know that due to this trademark smoothness, few parts of ownership are more irritating than an intermittent but...

It’s no secret that we in the US have missed out on more than a few great models over the years. Emissions and crash safety regulations have played spoiler to many, leaving us no choice but to sit and wait for the 25-year import rule to roll around. Now, for an entire generation who grew up on...

The Mercedes M272 and M273 engines are some of the best to own second-hand. Each variant has a few unique foibles, but intake manifold failures are some of the most consistent across all of them. Their variable-length, vacuum-actuated intake manifolds are relatively uncommon among manufacturers...

The BMW M52TU, M54, and M56 engines are all related by their aluminum engine blocks. Until then, all prior M-series straight-six engines had used iron cases, making them strong but very heavy. The switch to an aluminum block with iron liners shed weight over the front axle, subsequently improving...

Starting a family is as expensive as ever; food costs are bananas, hospital stays can bankrupt you, and now there’s college tuition to save for. On top of everything else, you may need to swap out that sleek sports car for something with the all-important third row for hauling a family. Although...

“Time Attack” is a far simpler premise than wheel-to-wheel racing. Swapping positions and trading paint at any level is glamorous and sexy to most audiences, but Time Attack is either something people have never heard of or is discredited as your typical track day with additional steps. In...

The BMW E46 was a marvel when it debuted nearly a quarter century ago. Since then, it has remained relatively lightweight, with a powerful and exotic engine, sublime handling characteristics, and genuine character that laughs at the stereotype that German-made machines lack soul. However, its...

As we’ve demonstrated on the blog, the Mercedes 722.9 or “7G-Tronic” transmission is a tough and widely found unit. With regular maintenance, they’re as reliable as they come, but the service work needs to be correct. Mercedes offered two 722.9 variants that don’t share their serviceable filter...

The Mk6 GLI shares a platform with a handful of other performance-oriented Volkswagen models. The shared base allowed VW to engineer a smaller amount of components for a wider range of models to keep costs low and quality high. What that resulted in was a series of well-developed systems with...