Recent content by captainbeandip

My kid is stationed at the submarine base in CT right now. They have an auto repair shop that people can reserve for free. I think it has tools and a lift and a guy there to help you. Not sure how long this has been a thing, but it is handy.

That guy was way younger than I thought he was. 20 years ago I would have figured he was about 87.

Is that what we call the meat sweats?

I was following this truck the other day and it made me realize I haven't thought about STP oil in quite some time. Did they just completely give up trying? I just did some quick research and it appears that STP has changed hands several times over the years and is currently owned by the...

I think a big flaw in your math is stating that your rent payment is $875. No it's isn't. Your rent payment is CURRENTLY $875, and will most likely creep up little by little over time. In thirty years your rent payment will most likely be more than what a mortgage payment would have been...

I have been trying to teach her stuff about cars, and she has seemed to be interested, but she may have been just pretending and/or just doing it to spend time with me. I have showed her around under the hood before, and I even had her dump oil into the engine after she helped me with an oil...

My 18 year old daughter has been sharing our spare vehicle since she got her license a couple of years ago. It's a 2003 Ford Ranger. She drives it almost every day. About a week ago I told her that I changed the wipers and filled up the washer fluid and asked if she noticed a difference. She...

Fun fact... An airflow restriction with the older type of blower motors in units like these could actually be easier on the motor. In general that's true of standard squirrel-cage-type blowers with a "PSC-type" motor. With those an airflow restriction equals less work being done, which equals...

Is that for compressed air? If so PVC pipe is about the worst material you can use. It can get brittle over time and shatter. I don't think PEX is technically approved for compressed air either, but it would be a huge improvement safety wise. Threaded steel pipe would be best.

Hold my beer and help me lift this stupid thing into my truck. I'll get it there for you!

Not necessarily. It depends on the insurance. With mine (for example), an in-network urgent care center is treated almost the same as a regular clinic visit, which means a $35 co-pay for almost anything that they do there, and the deductible doesn't come into play. An in-network ER is 10%...

Is this why the caliper bolts on my Chevy Express work van were ungodly tight when I was trying to replace the rotors a few weeks ago? Were they Loctited from the factory? Are my brakes going to come apart on me while I'm driving down the freeway because I reused the bolts with no loctite? At...

Man that's a beautiful car, but what's going on with the condensate drain on that furnace? Do the laws of gravity not apply in this dude's garage? (I'm an HVAC guy and couldn't help but notice it).

Might have to hold out for a Slate. In case you don't know what that is, it's a new electric vehicle company that's not manufacturing anything yet, but they're promising a small electric truck that will be about as basic and bare-bones as it can be. If you don't want to wait for that, I think...