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What maintenance do you recommend outside the manufacturers schedule and why? On my Ford I'm doing bake fluid every few years and power steering fluid at about the 8 year mark. Both items excluded from any schedule I'll do the spark plugs and maybe PCV a year earlier than recommended But what...

So I've gotten my laptop reading OBDII codes from my 2004 Ford Taurus (70k) & 2009 Mercedes CLK550 (35k) and have a few questions. All of these readings are not while driving. Haven't had a chance to go out yet in either car, but will soon with a helper driving. The Ford has sat for a couple of...

So I've managed to get access on my laptop to what appears to be every Ford code through my OBDII reader. But I don't seem to have oil pressure. Is there something else that I should be looking for? I have all sorts of things I can monitor. Also, I have a code that's telling me I have 91...

VIDEO: Toyota dealer employees caught snooping through customer vehicle http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/07/video-toyota-dealer-employees-caught-snooping-through-customer/

I just ordered 6 Autolite Iridium (XP104) spark plugs for the grand sum of $14 after rebate. I thought that for that cost, I may as well put them on my almost 9 year old / 70k Taurus sooner rather than later and enjoy the improvement. I've never done spark plugs before and need tools. The...

For some time, I've used my el cheapo ebay China 99c battery tester to, believe it or not, test AA, AAA, C & D batteries. It is amazing, in how many cases, only 1 battery out of the 2 or 3 that were being used, is actually dead. The other batteries are perfectly ok. Most recently my HVAC...

Before I came to BITOG and was looking for more info on oil, there was a chap who did an extended oil study with Amsoil & Mobil 1. I was wondering recently about the rate of TBN decline and decided to look up that study. The live web page is now down, but thanks to the Internet Archive...

So while I was trying to determine whether to use my stash of Synpower SM 5w30 or my QSUD SN 5w20 in my 3.0 Duratec, I was looking for the HTHS specs. Synpower only gives KV100 so that will have to do: SM 11.8 SN 10.7 So immediately realized that Synpower SM 5w30 will be quite thick for an...

So I'm a few months away from an oil change in my MB with the 5.5 V8 and am eyeing the various oil deals. The car is under warranty so I'm looking at 229.5 approved oils. M1 0w40 has a HTHS of 3.8 & a VI of 185 GC 0w30 has a HTHS of 3.5 or 3.6 & a VI of 175 M1 0w40 shears quite quickly so I...

I heard that 0wXX is only useful vs 5wXX below 0f. At what temp does 5wXX begin to be useful vs 10wXX? Btw, which product data sheet figures do you use to estabish this?

2004 Taurus 3.0L Duratec 70k. Will do 5k annually, say 80% highway. Currently QSUD 5w30 & Bosch Premium filter for 1 year. Prior to that Synpower 5w30 & Motorcraft filter every year for 2 years. Prior to that Motorcraft Syn Blend 5w20 & Motorcraft filter every 6 months for 3 years. It needs 6...

Techron 5000 MSDS (Techron Concentrate in Australia (but is it?))

MC Mercon V is rated for 3 years / 30k in a Taurus. Amsoil say their ATF is Mercon V compatible and will last the longer of 50k severe service / 100k normal service or manufacturer's recommendation. So if I do 5k a year, I could do 20 years on this? Would you recommend it for that long and as...

Amsoil Signature Series: Highest performing product for automotive gasoline engines Longest Life Best high-temperature deposit control Best coldflow properties Best wear protection Maximizes fuel efficiency In light of this, why would they put a 1 year limit on it's use? I mean it can go 25k...

So I had failing original front struts on my 2004 Taurus with 70k and, with the Monroe 4 for 3 offer, decided to get Quick Struts installed on all 4 corners. Prior to the install, I quickly measured the ride height. I was trying to establish whether to change the rears or not. They had been...

It's quite fitting on the final day before the election for me to put up a misleading title. What I mean is that the FRAM oil filter application lookup causes my internet explorer to crash.

For fun, I'd like to see statistics for my Ford on my iPhone in real time as well as when not driving. Has anyone got a bluetooth ODBII dongle that they would recommend for use in a Ford?

I've got 3 of these in my stash so it's not like I need to run out and buy more, but when I look for alternatives, I see FRAM and Purolator Classic. The FRAM says 95% efficiency. The Purolator Classic I presume is 97.5% efficient. But there is no Pure One equivalent. Is this because the OEM...

I'm going to be buying a couple of tablets in the months ahead for my wife and daughter. I have an Iphone already and was leaning towards Ipads due to the user experience. But the new Nexus seem really good from a value for money point of view as well as spec (as well as using micro usb)...