What Automotive "How To" Would Mean A Lot To You?
Late night conversation with Kreindler, “Hey Steve! Do you know what one of our top articles of all-time is?”
“The one where Bertel put a sex toy on the front of the page?”
“Hah! No, the one about changing your oil.”
“Really?! Well if Yahoo (recent!) and Jalopnik (recent!) want to feature my work, I guess I should throw my old stomping grounds a bone.”
There are a slew of topics that I have covered over the last six years. 500+ articles in all, and more than a few of them covered a “How To Do This” slant of automotive wisdom. But there could be more.
That’s where you come into play. TTAC will be dedicating some major real estate towards featuring articles that have a helpful bent for auto enthusiasts. If I help others become long-term car owners, instead of perpetual debtors, I feel like this site has truly served a greater common good.
Think about yourself. Your parents. Your children. Even your friends and acquaintances. What “How To” articles would help push the ownership experience to it’s furthest limits of personal satisfaction?
Thanks for all you do. All the best!
More by Steven Lang
Comments
Join the conversation
After reading many of the suggestions, I would suggest anything that can't be easily googled. For example, what to do with engine codes? Google it, and that's pretty much going to get you into the right ballpark every time. But the series on how to buy a used car--that sort of thing isn't available all in one place anywhere else.
Yikes, I think Steven bit off more than he can chew! If he responded to everyone's requests, he'd have to take a year off to author "The Comprehensive Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide to Auto Maintenance and Repair." My recommendation is to cover only the basics initially, such as fluid filter, and bulb changes/replacements, safe jacking, tire rotations, brake pad and shoe replacement, and something along the lines of how to remove and reinstall interior plastic trim without breaking anything. (These are in line with KrisZ's suggestions above.)
Aggregate the best content, and provide editorial comment on why it's the "truth". Don't link to anything shoddy or generic. Find the best. Find the truth: about tools, about methods, about assumptions. That's your brand promise.
How about how to spot a padded repair estimate? I got an estimate to replace a distributor crank angle sensor that was about double the normal price - about what a new distributor cost. That's what they wanted to do - replace the entire distributor, because it was faster and easier than replacing the part by removing and re-installing the distributor, plus they didn't have to guarantee the work, the new distributor came with a warranty.