It often starts the same way. You leave a friends house and they point to a fluid patch on their driveway. You stop the car and inspect closely and wipe your finger over the substance. First you smell the fluid, then rub it lightly between your fingers. Many car enthusiasts know this feeling...

I suspect our Christmas parties may have been a little unconventional. We had the usual nibbles and drinks at the end of the day, combined with plenty of laughs about what had transpired through the year. But, I believe what made our workshop's Christmas parties very different was one of the...

Mass Air Flow (MAF or Air Mass Meter) sensors are often overlooked when doing your routine maintenance schedule or a general service. This little sensor is usually housed in the intake hose duct or body between the fuel injection body and the air filter box. The MAF sensor monitors the amount of...

So, you’re heading off to work in the crisp cool morning and you hear a new strange “ping” noise when engaging reverse. There are many reasons for a metallic noise when you do this, but let’s just explore some of the most likely causes. At times, this noise is just driver error, such as engaging...

I must admit I get funny looks when buying rims and tires when I ask how much they weigh, as well as how much they cost. There is some controversy around unsprung weight, what it actually is, does it make much difference to how a car accelerates, brakes, and handles. Is it worth even thinking...

Typically, the under the hood temperature in our old V8 Chevys may have reached little more than the ambient temperature outside. There was almost enough room for me to climb in to those old engine bays and change the plugs. However, under hood temperatures have soared over the past decade in our...

I was driving home one evening when a car overtook me with what appeared to be showers of sparks emanating from the rear tire. The driver appeared to be unaware of anything being wrong. Fortunately he had to stop just up the road for a set of red traffic lights. I pulled up alongside and informed...

A car came into the workshop last week with some brake shudder. The owner was quite irate and informed me that he had recently had the brakes repaired at another local shop and now there was something else wrong. Later that day, I pulled the wheels off for my first inspection. I could hardly...

Did I just hear you say, “I don’t need to wait for the car to warm up, just give it a big rev!?” Some years ago I used to be awoken early in the mornings by my neighbor revving his car very loudly in his garage.  It wasn't pleasant to hear, especially at 5 am!  It was a new car that he...