I love digging into quirks on older cars — especially when the fix doesn't require throwing money at the fuel system. A used Honda Accord that stalls intermittently can be maddening: it may run fine for days, then cut out at a light or hesitation under load. I’ve chased this problem across...
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Maintenance
I’m often asked why adaptive cruise control (ACC) seems perfectly fine on the...
Buying Guides
I buy winter tires the same way I approach any tool for the road: with...
Buying Guides
I get a surprising number of messages asking the same question: “Which used...
Buying Guides
I tow a lot — boats, trailers, sometimes a load that pushes my SUV closer to...
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been called out or stood in my own driveway scratching my head at a car that won’t start even though the battery reads “perfectly charged.” It’s maddening because the obvious culprit—the...
I’ve spent years wrenching on cars in my garage and coordinating repairs with shops, and one thing keeps coming up: drivers often do small, daily things that quietly shorten the life of an automatic transmission. Unlike engines, which often give...
I’m sharing a job I’ve done more times than I’d like to count: replacing a corroded wheel hub bearing. It’s one of those maintenance tasks that looks intimidating at first, but with patience, the right approach and common tools you likely...
Buying a lease-return Volkswagen can feel like a smart move on paper: relatively low mileage, dealer-serviced history, and a price that’s often below private-sale levels. I’ve inspected dozens of lease-return cars over the years, and while many...
I spend a lot of time eyeballing tires — in my garage, at the shop, and on the road — because tire wear tells a story about what’s happening beneath your car. If you learn to read that story, you can catch alignment, suspension, and inflation...
I was cruising down the highway the other day in a midlife SUV I’ve had for years when that familiar buzz started around 70 mph. It wasn’t subtle — the steering wheel and seat vibrated, the radio sang a slightly different tune, and I felt my...
I’ve taken older diesel pickups on long trips enough times to know that a weekend tow or a half-day roadside repair is far more likely when you leave the basics unchecked. Preparing an older diesel for a long haul is part mechanical, part common...
I change brake pads more often than many drivers change their oil — partly because I love working on cars, and partly because a Honda Civic is a great platform to test different pads and learn what fits different driving habits and budgets. Over...
I’ve fixed dozens of faded, cloudy headlights in my garage and on friends’ cars, and I still get a little thrill when a dull, yellowed lens comes back to life. Restoring headlights is one of those high-impact, low-cost jobs that makes a car look...