Recent content by Kira

Without regard to brand (which is important) the most surprising thing I have learned is that some have fully glazed throats to reduce friction / improve efficiency. Some are not glazed and are less efficient. Who knew? And, obviously, repair part availability is crucial.

A neighbor -a true 'boat guy' from birth- is a Coast Guard instructor. When Anti-Seize came up, he said, "We put it on everything"

Darn few of them. HURTS: There was a garage near me which had a balancer which featured a crank the tech turned to set to the rims' width. He's measure the width at the beads with a caliper. Perfect results every time. $5 per. The old garage sold out and a new, slick service station with...

Year, make, model and mileage, please. For the many occasions interior odors come up, it's funny there appears to be no "data base" of vehicles which are more prone to collecting water or otherwise generating smells. Does the OP's vehicle have a sunroof? Leakage in the draining system could...

Just some of what's under the sheet metal of the Beverly Hillbillies truck.

OK, so it sounds like you gotta get well manufactured ones. Be prepared to 'go back'. If the mileage sagas in post #17 are representative, a thoughtful driver might see 50,000 miles. A second set might be a great graduation present!

You're saying there's a chance you will? If it's a customer, they likely don't know they have a thoughtful and engaged mechanic. Whenever I chat with someone about their newer vehicle, I always mention that they should avoid the "bargain oil change" and get it done right. I immediately know...

Bear

~17.5K per year. It sure doesn't appear to have been a "street-parked daily driver". Perhaps he towed others' horse trailers for pay and plowed it back into maintenance. Seriously, could this setup go another 200K? ....possibly needing a new trannie somewhere along the line? Does the seller...

Ahhh...does this resurrect the "Anti-Seize / No-Anti-Seize" debate? Seriously, what could the OP have done to prevent this? All I can think of is squirting penetrant ahead of time.

Exactly which "uncommon" vehicle plays into it.

Leak or just drain? just askin'.

Used them a lot and had no difficulty. The colors can be entertaining. Silicone vacuum hoses come in 4/5mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm so you can retrofit a "turbo's tree".

Holding breath.....

Arthur Kill to The Atlantic Ocean. (ha-ha)