Author Archives: Dan

Another One Bites The Rust

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Dan

Besides the repairs themselves, one of the things technicians dislike most about recalls is the cars that come in that are absolute junk. I’ve never seen a car this rusty before.

Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Nobody Has The Right Tap?

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Dan

It was supposed to be a simple job, just a factory trailer hitch installation on a Honda Odyssey. The only problem was it wasn’t a brand new Odyssey, it was a used one from 2014. The hitch attaches with six … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Abandoned 1960 Chevrolet

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Dan

When I was kid I remember finding an old car in the powerlines running near my home. I never saw it again and figured it had been removed when they put in a pipeline, but then last week my brother … Continue reading →

Posted in At Home | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Unusual Fluid Leak

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Dan

A Honda Pilot came in for us to look at because the owner saw fluid leaking from the rear. I put it up on a lift and took a look. The rear differential was dry, but the subframe had some … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop | Leave a comment

New Car Accessories

Posted on June 8, 2017 by Dan

It used to be that when you were buying a new car there was a big list of factory options to choose from. Nowadays it seems like your choices are restricted to a trim level and then two or three … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Just Get The Torch

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Dan

When starting as a mechanic, there are things you learn from reading, and things you learn from seeing and doing. After a while you know when not to bother with some things and when to skip straight to what’s usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Cars, In The Shop | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sway Bar Link Mistake

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Dan

Almost all cars have sway bars, a long piece of metal running from one side of the car to the other. They tie each side of the suspension together to lessen body roll during cornering. Most cars have one in … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop | Tagged | Leave a comment

My Car: Sprung Drum Brakes

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Dan

Rarely a dull moment with my car, which isn’t surprising given that it’s a 1997 Civic with over 200,000 miles. I was driving along as usual, when suddenly I heard a clunk and a horrible rotational scraping noise started. I … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop, My Car | Tagged | 1 Comment

Wholesale Rust

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Dan

Many times dealerships get trade-ins that aren’t worth their time or effort to fix up and sell. Older cars, higher mileage, damaged, rusted. When they decide not to do anything with them they get put on the wholesale line where … Continue reading →

Posted in In The Shop | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Throwback Thursday: Using The Tools You’ve Got

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Dan

Today I’m going back to a time before I was a mechanic. Before college, I’d never really done any mechanic type work, except for a little bit on our lawn mower with my dad and brother. One year, the starter … Continue reading →

Posted in At Home | Tagged , , | Leave a comment