I Fixed The Most Important Thing On My Mercedes-Benz

The three-pointed star hood ornament is one of my favorite features on my car. New Mercedes models did away with them, so they’re kind of a neat thing you don’t see much anymore. And so when mine got knocked off, a piece of my heart went with it. I had...

Sep 13, 2025

How A $28 Laboratory Test May Have Just Saved My Engine's Life

One thing I didn’t mention in my writeup of the wacky road rally was that my Jeep overheated, and it was all my fault. When I returned from the rally, I frantically shipped off an oil sample to a lab to have it tested. That decision may have saved my...

Sep 13, 2025

West Coast Customs And Mitsubishi Are Doing The Engine Swap Of The Century

This summer, I’m going to help put the hybrid powertrain from a hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander into an ancient 1917 Mitsubishi Model A. And by “help,” I mean stand in a corner and try not to hurt myself while the craftsmen at West Coast Customs cut and weld and create, and...

Sep 13, 2025

Guilt Is Forcing Me To Fix My 1985 Jeep After 18 Months Of Neglect

I haven’t even thought about my 1985 Jeep J10 since I wrote the on the old Jeep truck back in November, 2015. Yes, that’s 18 months ago, and yes, I feel horribly guilty. So, to stop feeling disgust every time I look in the mirror, it’s time for me to...

Sep 13, 2025

I Just Attended A Police Auction And My God Are The Cars Cheap

I’ve always heard that anyone off the street can go to police auctions and bid on hilariously inexpensive cars. But it wasn’t until last week that I actually attended one of these bidding wars and learned how true that is. Let me tell you, friend: it was amazing. I reached...

Sep 13, 2025

I'm Going To Miss The Indy 500 If I Can't Fix One Of My Jeeps In The Next Three Days

I’ve got to drive more than 300 miles to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday to go watch some auto race that’s apparently happening, but at this moment, I have no vehicle to get me there. Once again, all of my cars have crapped out simultaneously. And I’ve got three days...

Sep 13, 2025

Engineers Are Not Mechanics

It may be hard to believe, but most mechanical engineers designing your cars have no clue how to fix them. That’s because engineering and automotive repair are two very separate entities. Here’s the difference. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told someone I’m a mechanical engineer, only...

Sep 13, 2025

The World Of Aftermarket Car Parts Is Confusing And Dangerous

Here’s a question: Would you ever buy a crucial suspension part from Ebay that costs one-tenth as much as a similar piece at the parts store? Many of you would answer “no,” because something just doesn’t feel right about it. But it’s easy to understand why so many people do...

Sep 13, 2025

These Crazy Bastards Are Building A Quad-Rotor Lamborghini Gallardo

I don’t know about you, but I spend a good chunk of my free time daydreaming about cars with rotary swaps. All kinds of cars: Camrys, M3s, Corvettes. And then these guys came along with the idea for a quad-rotor Lamborghini Gallardo, which essentially sounds like automotive perfection to me....

Sep 13, 2025

Are Prelude Seats Any Good And Other Idle Thoughts From Modifying A Car

I am idly contemplating a racier set of seats for my sweet, sweet Volkswagen. Something comfy for a road trip but with enough bolstering so I’m not bracing against the door in corners. I have a variety of options, none of them seem ideal. My first thought was to get...

Sep 13, 2025

This Mad Genius Is Saving An Ultra-Rare VW Harlequin From The Junkyard And Is Driving It Across The Country

Jamie Orr decided he was going to save this ultra-rare from a junkyard. One of the most beloved cars that VW ever made, the Harlequin deserved better. The only problem was that it was 3,000 miles away. Well, that wasn’t the only problem. Jamie runs a business buying and shipping...

Sep 13, 2025

Five Mods I'd Do To My 2017 Honda Civic Type R Immediately

The lands in the U.S. this week and after 20 years of waiting for it, American enthusiasts can finally feel the fury of Honda’s international hot hatch. But as this car was born into tuner culture and it’s hard to resist fantasizing about modifying it. So I will. If you’re...

Sep 13, 2025

Here's How To Get Used Motor Oil Off Of Your Walls

If you’re an avid wrencher like me, and you’ve been living in a house covered in oil stains for years, be stained no more. I have a solution that may change your life. I know it’s probably hard to take cleaning advice from someone who tried fixing stained clothes by...

Sep 13, 2025

This Video Of A Running Engine Cutaway Shows You Exactly What Happens When Your Motor Blows Up

Few terms spell death for an engine quite like “seized” and “threw a rod.” Now, thanks to the magical technology known as an angle grinder, we can see what those two terms truly mean. Watch through a hole in the side of the engine as the thing seizes up and...

Sep 13, 2025

Here's What Happened When I Drove 500 Miles To Pick Up A Free Car

Unable to resist the lure of a free Jeep Cherokee, I drove to Columbus, Ohio this weekend to meet up with a totally random reader who—I was convinced—had plans to . Now I’ve returned from my trip, and while I didn’t have to endure horrifying surgery from a crackhead...

Sep 13, 2025