(Part 2) Best products from r/Autos

I don't know about the Pontiac, but your Jeep is easy to work on. Longitudinal inline engine and rear wheel drive, plenty of activity on forums, and good used/aftermarket part availability.

Get the Haynes or Chilton manual and join a forum. This text is a good general reference to have: http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Technology-Approach-Jack-Erjavec/dp/1401848311 .

Do you have a garage you can work in and store tools in?

My breaker bar has saved me so much trouble on tough to knock loose bolts. I recall a few months ago I was trying to remove the bolts on a brake caliper with a regular 12" ratchet. I managed to get the bolts off the driver's side caliper bracket off, but it literally took all my strength (and I had bruises on my biceps from doing it.) I wrestled with the passenger side for a good hour before I drove to a shop and bought a 1/2" attachment so I could use my 2 ft breaker bar. The bolt literally just fell off with barely any pressure.

I also have the regular automotive tools needed to work on my car (jack, stands, ramp, socket set, hex set, allen set, wrench set, etc.) I just ordered an cordless electric impact wrench today since using my breaker bar to remove lug nuts was exhausting.

I ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/DeWALT-DW059K-2-18-Volt-Ni-Cad-Cordless/dp/B0001LQLE2/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1324404837&sr=1-2

It ended up costing me $226 and change after $25 dewalt promo discount and $20 promo I had from pre-ordering some games on amazon. From the reviews I've read, it should be good enough to handle the majority of the maintenance work I do on my car and my hope is that it saves me a significant amount of time and effort when I work on my car.

I'm planning on replacing my CV joint axles in the next two months, so I'm hoping the impact wrench will come in handy.

The driver in the Disappearing Trick video recently posted was Alain de Cadenet. When I saw that name I practically jumped out of my chair, because he was the host of the incredible series Victory By Design.

Each episode featured a different brand of car, and they somehow got the most famous and desirable race cars in history out of world famous collections and museums for Alain to drive.

The video I linked to is typical: he's driving one of only 6 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes, and it's the one with the most race wins. In the video he casually mentions that it might be the most valuable car in North America.

If you're looking for a Christmas gift for a car guy, Amazon has the individual episodes available on DVD. In their streaming video section, they have the "making of" episode available for free. Check it out.

I know it sounds like I'm going over the top, but this was seriously one of the best series I've ever seen on race cars. Alain talks very knowledgeably about the strengths and weaknesses of each car, and why they earned a place in racing history, all while driving the crap out of 'em.

Upvote for autocross. I've been to a few, they're usually very friendly and welcoming. You see everything from stock Miatas (a LOT of Miatas) to Porsches in race gear. It's a casual atmosphere, very safe, and will boost your skills immensely. Check out this book. I have it and it's terrific. After reading a few chapters you'll be thinking about your apexes while driving a mini van.

RCDrift is spot on for cars but I would add older VWs to that list, Rabbits and Cabriolets. Look for a Cabriolet (stiffer floor pan) with the Wolfsburg option package (stock sway bars). From talking to some of the long time autocrossers, VWs were once what Miatas are now. Ubiquitous, cheap, and surprisingly competitive.

Edit disclaimer: I am not an experienced old fogey but I have been known to pick their brains extensively.

I've got the old version of that camera and it's very good. Importantly for me, it's small enough to fit behind my rear view mirror and has a really nice small mounting bracket with tape rather than a huge suction cup that will fall off every other week.

My power outlet is inconveniently placed, so I used add a circuit to hard wire it into my fuse box.

Congrats! I learned how to work on a car with a few E30s. Great fun to drive. Now go out and buy your new bible: http://www.amazon.com/BMW-Series-Service-Manual-1984-1990/dp/0837616476

http://www.amazon.com/Modify-Management-Systems-Motorbooks-Workshop/dp/0760315825/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300143812&sr=1-3


this is another good book. it helped me figure out my boost leak issue and adjusting my apexi safc unit. get a boost guage and wide band reader to start. good luck!

Excellent choice. I've been a Mazda fan for years.

Along with the other things mentioned, check the undercarriage for rust, which seems to be the biggest complaint about this car.

A spray-on undercoating can keep it from rusting further, and will also help with road noise (note: this is not the snake-oil undercoating that dealers try to add for markup; I've used this stuff in the past with great results).

If you got yourself a RossTech cable and an Mighty Vac oil extractor (on top of your “well equipped” tool set) you’d be pretty well set for maintenance.

Having said that, Audi treats loyal clients pretty well in the event of major events outside of warranty, IF THEY ARE LOYAL. Basically, “you spend money with us, we’ll spend money on you.”

Edit: and Audi =/= an Audi Dealership.

Edit 2: that didn’t come out right either. The dealership is licensed to sell the brand but they still have to get the brands approval for certain things, engine failure at 120,000 miles. It’s not always up to the dealership.

I have a seething pet peve for yellowed headlights; use this headlight kit and follow up with this coating

I would apologize for unsolicited advice but I'm a little tipsy and tired and I love the subies, especially that blue on the Impreza. Idk which one you got first but they're both baller.

Clean headlights would be even more baller and it's surprising how much it de-ages a car

Yeah, that year range was horrible. A friend had a E-430 that went through 5 window regulators in 2 years.

The deal with leasing is that you're paying for two things - the depreciation, and the cost of money. The depreciation is estimated by the leasing company, so you have no control over that. The cost of money is based on your credit rating, so you can at least affect that some... Oh, and your state will likely be charging you sales tax each month.

In order to get the payment down, the dealer will increase the amount of the line-item called "capital cost reduction". That's you pre-paying some of the rent. It's good if you have a pile of money up front (like you sold another vehicle), but don't anticipate a solid cash-flow during the lease period.

Since this is really just money from the left hand instead of money from the right hand, you shouldn't be swayed by these numbers.

A good book to read up on the formulas and terms used is: Look Before you Lease (Kindle edition - there's a dead tree edition too)

You can but a enamel clear coat to protect it - Before spraying the cover, try and test a small piece before applying the enamel. fyi
http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-DE1636-Ceramic-Clear-Engine/dp/B000GKEXW0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319598525&sr=8-1
Can be bought at any local Auto store.

A nice sponge like this one will have netting on the back designed for this task. You can lay into it pretty good, but the netting is made of nylon, so it never scratches.

After you get them off, do a nice 3 or 4 stage paste wax system on the whole car. That makes the next battle much easier; you can wipe them with a paper towel.

Source: I live in a house in rural PA surrounded by farms and streams. In one drive after sun down, my Corvette has more bugs on it than most people see in their entire lives.

If you have the room to use one, a set of Irwin Bolt extractors are your friends

They WILL trash the bolt, but its coming out. I also suggest soaking the bolt with good penetrating oil. Automatic transmission fluid mixed 50/50 with acetone works wonders. Apply it with a brush, and it goes to work better than PB blaster or Kroil

Also one more thing. Buy this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B8GTQG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what they use on the rubber trim on the hardtop convertible tops on bmws. Put it all around the rubber seal on the T tops. It refreshes the rubber and prevents leaks. This shit works like a charm. brought my rubber seals back to life.

Bottom feed paint gun + Plastic horn

I've never seen them before, but they look like they could be helpful at times.

Laugh if you want, but I have been using these oil valves for years with no problems. Just connect a tube from the valve to a gallon jug and open it up. No cleaning to deal with. Still need to do the filter but these valves make the bulk of the clean up super easy.

I personally use a Cd slot mount, if available to you, ive had to go through about 2-3 of them to find one that will: (A) actually fit, (B) will tighten up, and (C) not move once its in there.

My vents wont allow for a vent mount due to the design, and i always found a way to break off the louvers, but since CDs are not really used by me anymore these days, this is a good alternative.

just check where your cd slot is, some cars it is recessed back a bit and these may not fit, or like my range rover, its mounted vertically, so that wont work either.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/WizGear-Rectangular-Universal-Swift-Snap-Technology/dp/B01K52AE4E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491329873&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=cd+mount+cell+phone+holder&psc=1


*Edit: depending on your phone case, a strong magnetic mount works amazingly, but with some phone cases, its not a strong enough pull so the phone will slide a bit. play around buy a bunch and return the ones that wont work with your car if you have Amazon Prime.

There's this stuff called Invisible Glass. My whole family swears by it. Comes in a black spray CAN with a yellow cap and blue/white lettering if I remember correctly. Think you can get it at Target or Wallyworld.

Edit: [Probably best to just post the Amazon link](Invisible Glass Premium Glass Cleaner - 32 oz, 92194 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037LKPWC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0gupyb7TTQ0QA)

I highly recommend buying the Rendezvous film on DVD. It's unreal.
http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Claude-Lelouch/dp/B000CFL6DS