Since the 1970's, it's been hard to find a car that didn't have at least one set of brake calipers. Though the calipers have changed a lot over the years, the job they do has not. Caliper...
When preparing to buy a new or used car, or getting ready for a particular maintenance item, it pays to research. In this day and age there is seemingly endless information literally at your fingertips. Buying a new car Cross shop as many dealerships that you can realistically get to in your...
Part of the charm in owning a European car is finding all of its quirks. You can sit in a Mitsubishi Mirage or Chevy Cobalt and never remotely find anything resembling clever engineering, but I always seem to be finding new things in Volvos, Audis, and BMWs. Whether it be a center-visor above the...
While doing some last minute maintenance on my 1995 BMW 5-Series "Grau," I noticed a wet spot under my power steering fluid reservoir, I had a power steering fluid leak. It was an easy fix, but it occurred to me that this repair was put off for other maintenance issues. Most BMW models if not...
When a sunroof leaks on any car, the first place to check is usually the drains. Standard sunroof seals are not designed to keep all of the water out, they're designed to keep large quantities out and allow small quantities to pass through into the rain channels and then out of the drain tubes....
Shortly after purchasing my W124 E-class, I went to work replacing the entire front suspension. Rust damage had gotten the better of most of the iron bits on the underbody. Also, the front, due to the stressed ball-joint design, was of special importance for me to address. After taking care of...
Back in the day, servicing your own car was a labor of love. On air-cooled Volkswagens, there were millions of things that needed to be checked during a service. Points needed to be adjusted, zerk fittings needed grease, and valves needed to be adjusted. On newer cars, even the humble dipstick...
Let’s be honest. Being stranded and stuck on the side of the road sucks on so many levels. With most of America hitting the roads for the holidays, being stranded on the side of the road can be a nightmare. With children in the car multiply that by 1000. Thankfully most modern cars have some type...
Aging Volvos often have one more trick left up their sleeve before they die, if they die. A beat-up Volvo S70 T5 might have a disgusting, ripped interior, but still throws you back in your seat on the highway. Or, you could find yourself in a '98 Volvo V70 XC with the propshaft removed, no AWD...
It seems that the newer the car, the less serviceable it is. New Audis don't even come with an oil dipstick! The transmission dipstick was phased out years ago, and transmissions were equipped with “lifetime fluid.” Fast forward to today, and this “lifetime fluid” is dirty, your car shifts...