You are broken down and you know something's wrong. There is a funny noise or steam coming from the engine. The temptation is to 'just get it home'. That may not be the best idea, as more damage can occur. It's easy to destroy an engine if you run it without oil or...

When mechanics are like doctors When a problem in a car occurs, sometimes mechanics can easily find it (pray for those types of troubles!). But sometimes the problem is hard to find.  Cars are INSANELY complex now and getting worse. When my father did his...

Shortcuts ... the good, bad and the ugly. Would you trust an air conditioner mechanic to install one like this?  Some mechanics are like this! But sometimes there are legitimate mechanical shortcuts but with some problems, like overheating engines, noisy gearboxes or...

You have probably noticed that Car Keys have changed over the years. You can't just get one cut and start your car anymore. Modern car keys have an electronic transponder (not the central locking), that talks to the cars computer when inserted. If it matches with the...

Is e10 ok for your car? Ethanol is actually alcohol - normal garden variety alcohol found in XXXX!. It is made from sugar cane (and other crops, but mainly Sugar Cane in Australia). e10 means that there is 10% of ethanol mixed with petrol. (e85 means 85% ethanol, 15%...

Scam Alert There is a scam about if you choose to sell your vehicle privately. They SMS you asking you to contact them via email. This is your first clue. The SMS will come from a 'Sarah' or 'Jane'. I don't know how they do it, but the only way I can have Sarah come...

Our parent's and grandparent's cars were uncomfortable, less safe and the engines were dead by 150,000klms. A routine service would often turn into an engine rebuild - costing more, as a percentage of their wage, than it does today. Today's cars run (MUCH more)...

"Just an oil change thanks". This person would be talking about the Engine Oil, which is usually done at 10,000 klms. But did you know that your car requires other oil changes at different service intervals? Item Oil Type Service Interval Transmission (GearBox) Gear...

A cheap option for suspension sag when towing or carrying heavy loads. You might be able to use an 'air bag'. The air bag can be installed in a few hours, and is an inexpensive way of being able to lift the back of your vehicle higher when you have heavy loads and...

Thinking of buying a secondhand car, bobcat or truck? Pre purchase checks are a very good idea. A nice looking vehicle can hide plenty of mechanical nasties that you need to know about before committing to. RACQ charge $315 (non members) and $260 (members) for such a...