ThrottleHolic

Why Take Your Car to the Mechanic When You Can Simpy DIY?

Tips, Tricks & Hacks

Buying a Great Used Car Starts with Research (Not an Inspection)

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I recently published the definitive field manual on inspecting used vehicles like a true professional. In that manual, I introduced and argued what many would conclude is an unpopular opinion: buying a great used car isn't an affair of the inspection alone; it starts well before it, during the resea...

5 Places You Should NEVER Place a Jack (& Where It Should Go)

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Automotive jacks are extremely unpredictable things: while they can easily help you raise your vehicle up to effect a tire change, for instance, they can also easily damage the very undercarriage of your beloved vehicle if and when you don't pamper them (read: use them right). If you'd rather not bo...

Codes Recently Cleared on a Used Car? How to Check

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One of the biggest challenges of not buying a brand-new car is this: you constantly worry about the vehicle's past, how it was treated before it came to you. At the inspection, for instance, you constantly worry if the seller or dealer cleared off the codes before putting the vehicle out for sale. ...

How to Buy a Good Starter Battery (Without a Battery Tester)

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The joy of a good starter battery is second to none, as far as your car is concerned. You get into a vehicle, and on the first crank, the motor comes alive, without any hesitation. You decide to attend a party and, without any fear, turn yourself into a DJ using the car's speakers as your equipment....

Sharing a Car with Your Wife? Here Are 4 Magic Tips

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In an ideal world/relationship, sharing a car with your wife (or husband) is the most stress-free thing in the universe. You simply hop in the vehicle you're sharing and drive off, your partner does the same, and life, ultimately, goes on. When it comes to putting gas, whoever is driving the veh...

Tired of Car Fights? Here’s How to Keep Your Wife & Car Happy

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My wife is a wonderful woman; no day passes that I don't thank my stars that we're married. She brings so much joy to my life. However, just a few months into our marriage, something came to my attention: I discovered that her car had a way of being 'out of service' every time, all the time. Ini...

How to Test Your Alternator Easily (Without a Voltmeter)

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The easiest way to test your alternator without a multimeter (or voltmeter) is to remove one of your starter battery cables when the engine is running. If the engine stalls, you're likely dealing with a bad alternator. If on the other hand, nothing happens (and the engine continues to run just f...

Want Luxury And Reliability? Buy & Drive This Marque

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I'll start this article with a personal confession: I wasn't always interested in a vehicle's luxury and reliability. Pure luxury? Maybe - but only up to a point. But reliability? I always made the type of face that spells: 'Now, what's that?' My father's first ride was a Peugeot 504 - and that ...

Are O2 Spacers a Quick Fix for Bad Catalytic Converters?

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The ECU of a modern vehicle is a wonderful thing: it determines transmission shifts, engine timing, and an array of other things, including monitoring many other modules for consistency. Fortunately (or unfortunately) depending on how you look at it., O2 spacers negate that function - or help it, de...

Flat Clutch Even After Changing Master & Slave Cylinders

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Very few things in life beat the joy of driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, especially on a free road. However, a flat clutch is an issue that has made many drivers look away from manual trannies, even if it means having to replace bushings on an auto tranny, change fluids, consider filter...