Don’t Hang Calipers By The Hose

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Dan

One of my pet peeves, and something that I was taught early on when learning about fixing cars, is that when you’re doing a brake job, it’s not good to just let the caliper hang by the hydraulic hose. This stresses the hose and if you do it too much it could lead to a premature failure.

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Amazingly Clean 1998 Honda Civic

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Dan

Typically cars get driven 10,000 to 15,000 miles each year when used as a commuter car. If a car only gets used for a weekly trip to the grocery store, or to doctors appointments, or to church, as a lot of cars owned by the elderly, they don’t accumulate many miles. Additionally, if a car is a special model like an older Civic Si or an S2000, they may only get driven once in a while, and get even fewer miles on the clock.

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Gratuitous Snow Donuts – 6 Cylinders of Fury(ish)

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Dan

New blog posts every Monday and Thursday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

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-Dan

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Customized Accord

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Dan

Most cars are left stock, the way they came from the factory. Some owners may add a few accessories, like splash guards, door visors, or seat covers. Sometimes the stock radio isn’t enough and they put in an aftermarket unit. Most of these aren’t huge modifications that would take a lot of time or money. This Accord came into the shop, and it had some customizations that I hadn’t seen anyone do before and must’ve cost a lot of money.

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My New Civic!

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Dan

New blog posts every Monday and Thursday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

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9-Year Patina

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Dan

In recent years, classic cars that have faded paint and surface rust from decades of exposure to the environment have become more accepted instead of only cars with showroom-quality paint. I’m not sure if that applies to cars that aren’t even a decade old, though.

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Posted on January 13, 2020 by Dan

New blog posts every Monday and Thursday, plus pictures throughout the week on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Watch Mechanical Malarkey on YouTube!

Mechanical Malarkey T-shirts, hats, and stickers are available to order!

-Dan

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Drilled Rotors and The Northeast

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Dan

Brake rotors get hot during braking. Usually the front rotors of cars are vented, with space between the two sides for air to flow and cool them off. For high performance applications, there are drilled rotors, with holes going through the rotor at regular intervals to aid in cooling and also to remove a little weight.

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Overtightened Oil Filter

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Dan

Some parts of cars need to tightened really well, others don’t need that much. Some people seem to confuse the two.

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The Story of My First Crash

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Dan

This is the written version of my video from Monday about my recent crash in my Toyota Corolla.

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