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I miss able to idle an engine with all lights off. My van, that I use for camping, will light up at all the marker lights and the daytime running lights (Canadian here). I may not want to announce to the world that I'm somewhere when I just want to run the engine so that the alternator can...

If car sits a lot, you could put in a battery kill switch. There are some cars that the manufacturer knows wouldn't get driven much. They come with a factory battery kill switch.

What I miss about older cars (80's and before) is the feeling of spaciousness around the cockpit. Around your knees. Nowadays, cars have wrap around consoles and smooth curvy dashes that while they look attractive, they really encroach into the cockpit space. I had an ancient econobox. Very...

Fortunately, the many years of consumer backlash have finally (finally!) taken their toll. I've heard that car companies are going to revert back to buttons (for some things...). Touchscreens are just a stupid marketing decision fueled by the fact that it was actually cheaper to use touchscreens...

I have a van I use as an RV. I try to travel only in mild temps. But because of the long trips I make (thousands of miles all over N. America), I could find myself surprised by a heatwave somewhere. I'm wondering if I run into a heat wave, could I simply idle the van and use the dash air...

We also have a Grand Caravan (3.6L). It's been 5 months since you posted this. How has the new fluid been for you?

I recall people swapping in 1000cc motorcycle engines into Smart cars and they'd be able to take on very fast sports cars.

Am not a welder so I'm just asking: how much work is it to weld a metal plate over the cat so that it can't be removed? Is it like 20 minutes? One hour? I'm thinking it could take enough extra time to cut through the plate that a thief would simply move on. And if they actually try to cut it...

What is that device?

Curious if there is some kind of reverse search to see what other cars some filters I have lying around would fit. I have a bad habit of buying extra things just in case or "planning for the future". e.g. if I go to a parts place to buy an oil filter, I would buy 2, maybe even 3. This applies...

I agree. And if you want to talk about stupidity, there is the Fiat 500L's filter location. A cartridge design also but pain to get at, needing several wobbly extensions, two people, and turning the tire to get at.

I'm cheap and so I think I'll try using the engine oil dipstick like in the video earlier in the thread. :) I did see a Dorman (I think) trans pan with a drain plug. It was plastic though. Not sure if that's altogether bad or not. I don't drive that much and so I think I will just keep draining...

I have a fairly new Chrysler 62T3 transmission. There is no dipstick as they don't want the average owner to mess with it. I'm not keen on removing the pan to drain the fluid as it's messy. And I'd like to not introduce any new chance of leakage (say I put the pan back poorly). I'd like to...

I didn't think the 3.3 had this either, but it's a possibility whenever an engine has not been maintained well. I've been fairly punctual with it, never going too long before oil changes. It sounds bad that I've done it only once a year but that's lately when it hasn't been driven as much...

I'll inspect it. I saw either Speedkar99's or someone else's video talk about it but not mention replacing it. I think I will be proactive.

Correct! Yes, it's about the right time for the spark plugs. I was going to replace the coils in the back bank. And then keep the 3 working ones pulled out to be spare for the 3 in the easy to replace bank. If any one of them go, I've got 3 spares. I didn't think coils frequently go bad though...

Great advice! I hadn't thought of the painter's tape idea. I do take many pictures, but sometimes I find I didn't get the right angle. I could also enlist the help of a family member, but I heard the procedure could take 4-5 hours or more if it's the 1st time someone is doing this for the first...

Thanks. I've seen some videos that are both encouraging and discouraging. The encouraging part is that no special tools are needed (though I don't yet have ratcheting box end wrenches yet; maybe it's a good reason to buy some!). The discouraging part is that there is so much stuff. I'm...

It's so hard to even inspect. It's so stupid that Toyota had to do so much shoehorning. Would it have killed them to make the vehicle 6-inches longer, making maintenance much easier? This applies to other manufacturers too like Dodge ramming in a Pentastar V6 into my Caravan. The rear bank in...

I have a Toyota V6, a 3MZ-FE. An observed oil leak seems to be coming from the front cylinder bank valve cover. The forum here suggests that the gasket there could get hard with age and weep. And that it's not uncommon. Engine is 18 years old, 100K miles, yearly oil changes with M1 10-30 and...