Best products from r/askcarguys

Those are my new favorite winter tire by far, but they wear down quick on pavement on the summer.

If you ever need a good tire for summer look into these https://www.amazon.com/Hankook-Dynapro-Performance-Radial-Tire-275/dp/B01KKWTSAA/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=dynapro+atm&qid=1572248975&sr=8-1

We run them on most of our trucks too. They have the mountain snowflake symbol as well so they are rated for ice, but in my experience they dont do anywhere near as good at the coopers but they wear like iron. They do sorta plug up with mud but great if you're mostly driving on pavement.

Make sure if you get some dynapros they are the ATMs and not the regular dynapro, they have different rubber compounds

Good luck!

Hey! I started much where you are and had no real way of learning from someone else on what to buy, what to look for, etc. etc. I've got a few tips for you!

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When I first started wrenching, I thought I needed air tools. Every mechanic's shop has airtools. Cars are big and mechanical, and it made sense that I'd need something beefy to pull them apart. TOTALLY FALSE. I'll let you know that 90% of my tools are handtools from harbor freight and I probably spent no more than $200 on the collection. Here's a rundown of my most used/invaluable tools:

• 3/8" drive socket wrench from harbor freight. Composite handle, great mechanism, very comfortable, very light. I have a nice set of kobalt socket wrenches. They don't shine a light on this bad boy in my experience. I have and use 2 pretty regularly. You might be able to get away with just an adjustable wrench.
  
• Impact sockets. Little bit beefier than regular sockets, but I very rarely come across an instance when these are not the answer.
  
• Color coded deep sockets. When the impacts aren't the answer, these are. I've only got a set of metric, and haven't needed to buy the SAE set yet. I won't buy them until I need them. The color coding seems trivial, but is HUGE when you're sick and tired of being under the car, just want to finish since the sun went down and your tired. Going for the blue socket is much easier than sliding around in relative dark trying every socket to see if it's right. That fucking sucks.
  
• Universal joints. Not 100% necessary, so don't buy them until you need them, but holy hell do they make life easier.
  
• Extensions. Access is everything when it comes to wrenching. These ones wobble, you might not like that. Try them in the store. Poking 18" of extension up into a crevice is all fun and games until your socket starts flopping around and you can't control it. Double entendre. The alternative are non-wobbling extensions. I have the non-wobbly ones. They've worked totally fine and I don't find that I need the wobble ones.
  
• Adapters to make all your junk work together.
  
• Breaker bar. When your arms fail you, this won't. Don't go for the cheapest. I did and snapped off the end. Totally fucked myself in my work parking lot.
  
• Torque wrench. Almost the most expensive tool in my arsenal. Torque specs are very important. This wrench is cheap as fuck, and people say it's a comparable buy to the snap on wrench. I love mine to death.
  
• Adjustable wrench Like having an entire socket wrench set in one single tool. More elbow grease, but very convenient.
  
• Body panel pry bars. You will need these for general "gentle" prying on body panel snaps. Where a screwdriver would mess up the paint, these are surprisingly effective.
  
• My crown jewel: The impact driver. This is my singularly most used tool. Get this with a set of bits, and you'll be unstoppable. Of course it's not necessary, but it makes 2 minutes of wrenching a 2 second affair. Add it up and it saves a lot of time. These and These are what make my impact driver the best tool in my arsenal.
  
• JACK STANDS. Cars are heavy, make sure it's safely supported and you'll be confident every time you go under your car.
  
• Jack to actually get your car up.
  
• Plywood squares to put under your jack stands, and jack. Jackstands have small feet that sink in grass and asphalt. Plywood stops them from sinking
  
• PB Blaster, or penetrating oil. This stuff will pay for itself the first time you use it. Loosens the bullshittiest of bullshit.
  
• OBD2 reader This bad boy combined with a $10 app on your phone (DashCommand) will let you communicate with your car's computer. I can read codes, clear codes, see voltage, and boost and vacuum pressures. I can see RPMs, engine timing, rich/lean conditions and any other shit that I'll never need to see. Troubleshooting is 100 times easier with this. Most auto stores will read codes for free, but they won't clear them.
  
  And that's basically it. Lift your car on level ground. Use jackstands. "Getting to" the actual issue is always like 80% of the work. The work itself is pretty easy generally. Youtube and reddit ( r/mechanicadvice, r/cars, and r/justrolledintotheshop ) are invaluable resources. These people know their shit and they know yours too. PB Blaster is magic oil. If something goes wrong, get it on video for the experts to see and hear instead of describing a skrrt skrrt sound when you're turning left then right, you know? Get cheap tools to start with. When they break, you know that you use them enough to justify better ones. If I've told you not to skimp somewhere, it's because I've skimped there before and I don't want you sitting there defeated. Buy tools as you need them. Start basic, then expand. It's not called a collection because you bought them all at the same time from the same place.
  
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  I got my start by changing my oil. Then my brakes. Then replacing this, then that, and now I'd feel comfortable working on a brand new vehicle. I'm no expert either. Just casual stuff. Building confidence is a big part of it. I wish you luck my man. If you ever need anything, let me know and if I don't have the answer, I'll find it for you.
  
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  To clarify. The tools I listed above are 99% of what I use.

Thanks for the answer! This is the first time we've been met with a car that recommends a variety of oils. We've only owned Chevy, Jeep, and Toyota in the past and they all have a pre-set oil viscosity they want irregardless of your climate.

I'm in New England USA which means its fairly moderate. Warm summers, chilly winters but rarely anything into the extremes.

Our cars mostly run 5W-30 which is why I was hoping we could get away with using that if it is a direct place in.

I'm thinking of using the Mobil 1 European Formula
https://www.amazon.com/Mobil-120760-Synthetic-Motor-0W-40/dp/B00HG76A9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478619568&sr=8-1&keywords=mobil+1+european+car+formula+0w-40

http://www.mercedesmedic.com/how-to-change-oil-mercedes-benz-diy-instructions-video/

Because that website recommended it. But I see it nowhere listed on the MB 229.5 page. Only general Mobil1 shows up there
Thanks!

Edit:
Got the Castrol 0W-40 :) all good

Yes, you can definitely maximize you high-beams. Your high-beams take H7 bulbs. Consider this Swedish test of various H7 bulbs. The best H7 tested, the Philips XtremeVision +130%, increased sight distance by 62 feet over stock.

The good news is that the Philips XtremeVision is an easy, cheap upgrade.

The better news is that the Philips XtremeVision H7 has been trumped by the Philips RacingVision H7 +150%, so with these Racing Visions, you can expect even more than 62+ feet of sight distance for like 2 dollars more. The trade-off is somewhat shorter lifespan, but I'd rather spend a few dollars on bulbs than hit a deer in prairie country!

So one of the best things I ever did to my beaters is one of the stitch-on leather steering wheel wraps. They take about an hour to put on, but it improves the feeling of a cheap plastic wheel 1000x and they're less than $15. Take your time when doing the stitching, though, a rush job will be noticeable once you're done.

What I'm talking about is something like this.

Yeah those are a simple "security" lug style. When purchased they would have come with a socket or adapter to remove them. Scour the car top to bottom, if you're lucky its in there somewhere.

If you're unlucky you can get something like this or this, your local parts house might have something like them.

Oh, did not know that. Looks like a tight area to work in with a bolt extractor like this: https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/bolt-extractors

Or, if there's room enough to work, I'd try a metal hacksaw blade to create a groove for a flat-head socket bit, or locking vice grips to unscrew the bolt stubs. They 'should' turn relatively easily.

https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-48-22-0012-Operated-Tool-Less-Included/dp/B003VY8WA2/ref=pd_cp_60_3?pd_rd_w=X8DFN&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=Z8MD51F382SSVSKN8MDA&pd_rd_r=0708639c-9c14-11e9-80a3-a18782f7606f&pd_rd_wg=oSuRD&pd_rd_i=B003VY8WA2&psc=1&refRID=Z8MD51F382SSVSKN8MDA

https://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-mini-hacksaw-65341.html

One last suggestion is to drill out the bolts and install "heli-coils". Wrap tape on drill bit at around 1 3/4" from end of bit so you wont drill to deeply. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFYa6sjhh_E

I have a Makita MAC700(~$200) and it is incredibly quiet. You can have a conversation at normal speaking volume with the compressor running in the same room. The tank isn't huge, so I wouldn't use it for sanding or painting, but it's great for the typical DIY'er in a home garage.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0001Q2VK0/

Yep. These devices are made for that application.

If you store your car outdoor, I'd recommend getting a car cover similar to this (get one that fit your car), which will reduce paint damage from UV exposure. I also put the car on a tarp to reduce rust under it (I live in Canada, this is good for winter especially).

If you live in an area where it can go below freezing, leave your fuel tank completely full.

Fuel stabilizer is a good idea, but not necessary for 5 months.

If you want, you can also over inflate your tires to prevent them from flat spotting. Again, this is not necessary, more like the cherry on top.

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So, to summarize, get a battery maintainer and a tarp if outdoor. Change the oil when you come back. If you stay for like 6 months, then leave the oil in the car when you leave and change when you are about to drive it.

They actually make a product specifically for what you need https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Protect-Universal-Advanced-Technology/dp/B07L2L12C2?th=1

Or just use a heavy duty clear zip lock bag and zip tie it or tape like the other guy said. Pull the back around the "neck" of the mirror and put the tape on tight around the skinny part. That should hold it tight without putting tape on the car itself.

Was maybe thinking of just getting this instead of even messing with the radio, I would be fine with just the Aux I just hope the sound quality is decent https://www.amazon.com/Nulaxy-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Handsfree-Voltmeter/dp/B01IT5QGLE?ref_=ws_cp_683579111e120b744774_dp_1_t_p

http://www.autoloc.com/catalog/FlipKey-Remote/FlipKey-Only/TRKB/AutoLoc-Switch-Blade-Flip-Key-System

https://www.amazon.com/Keyless2Go-Keyless-Equinox-Vehicles-OHT01060512/dp/B00XZ9PJUO

Honestly I'm surprised that car has electric locks...

If you're willing to pop the hood every night, something like this would make it relatively painless: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071D55VM3

Thanks, hub bearing seems to be what it is.

I've never replaced them before and I'm kind of confused. I guess it's two pieces and I can just replace the bearing since it's the wear part? or are there instances where I need to replace both?

Also if I just replace the bearing I have to get it pressed together right? Does that require special tools/a shop?

I found this on Amazon, since it says assembly that means it's the hub and the bearing pressed together already, right?