Recent content by barlowc

Yeah, about 3 years of salt and corrosion seemed to do the one in.

I have an aftermarket set of wheels on my 2013 BMW 335i. They came with 72.6mm ID to 73.1mm OD hub centric rings. During a tire rotation today, I discovered that one of the hub rings had pretty much disintegrated. Given that they are only 0.5mm thick, how necessary are they? They are so thin and...

Thank you for all the input! Since the previous owner did not have a detailed service record, I don't know if the spark plugs have ever been replaced. I ordered a set of the OE Motorcraft ones and am going to start there. It's an inexpensive and simple thing to rule out.

I picked up the leak dye manufacturer's kit containing a UV leak detector and protective glasses. No difference. Their light contains 9 LED bulbs whereas the one I'd already bought has 12. At this point in time, I have to suspect that either a) the dye is defective, or b) the dye has not mixed...

"Scan the system with a fluorescent leak inspection lamp. Leak glows bright fluorescent yellow-green." I initially wondered if the dye just hasn't made its way through the system yet. But I'd think that when I shine the light on the remnants of fluid in the bottle, I'd get some glow.

I'm trying to track down and confirm a potential rear main seal leak. I bought a 1 oz bottle of Tracer Products LeakFinder leak detection dye for oil-based systems (Link) and added it to the engine oil. After cleaning the area really good with engine degreaser, letting it dry, and taking the car...

I purchased a 2011 Fusion SE with 109K miles a couple of months ago for my daughter to drive. There have been two occasions when the check engine light came on, both while she was driving on the highway. She said there was no "hiccup", loss of power, or anything otherwise noticeable and that the...

Yup! I was the OP. We turned the vehicle in a few months later and nothing was said. Then again, the replacement was pretty much a perfect match.

What's funny is that we're talking about something that was resolved over a year ago.

Thanks for the quick reply. It looks like there is also a free FORScan Viewer which may enable me to read the DTCs. FORScan Lite has additional capabilities and only costs $6.99. Car Scanner ELM OBD2 is one that I found shortly after posting. According to the developer, most features of the app...

Does anyone have a recommendation on an ODB2 scanner app for iOS, preferably free. I just need something that will help me determine why the check engine light on a 2011 Ford Fusion came on. I already have a Veepeak OBDCheck BLE adapter that I use along with the BimmerLink and BimmerCode apps...

Can you premix coolant with distilled water and store it for future use? I have about one-fifth of a gallon left and would like to premix it so that I don't have to store it and a separate bottle of distilled water. I read somewhere not to do that but can't think of why it would be bad or wrong...

Thanks for all the input! To summarize... No, no, no, no, no... Sylvania SilverStar Sylvania SilverStar Ultra Yes... Sylvania XtraVision Phillips NightGuide platinum Phillips X-tremeVision Phillips VisionPlus Wagner TruView OSRAM Night Breaker I find it interesting that Sylvania's website...

H11B for the low beam

I'm looking for feedback on what folks consider the best halogen headlight bulb these days. I'm looking to replace the ones currently in my fleet's 2011 Ford Fiesta. It's headlamps had really deteriorated and gotten very, very cloudy. I spend hours yesterday restoring them with a Sylvania kit...