For those of us unable or unwilling to make monthly payments to an OEM overlord, preventing us from ordering a car exactly as we'd like it from the factory, turning to the aftermarket sates our desire for owning a vehicle that's a bit different than all the others that left the factory. Beats turning to illicit substances, I suppose. Painting the brake calipers on… Read more

If you've skipped over all the DIY posts we've made in this series these last few weeks, perhaps this one will be more to your liking. While not everyone needs or wants to wrench on their own ride, there's a solid chance that most gearheads like to have a few cleaning tools on hand. Attacking your car's wheels with a general use brush isn't… Read more

Continuing the recent trend of DIY tools, we've selected spark plug sockets as today's list of choices. While not all of us set gaps and fiddle with old fashioned points systems, there's a solid chance most of our readers have had cause to throw a new set of plugs in their beater at some point or another. Digging through a pile of random tools… Read more

If you followed our advice about socket sets and garage door openers, you're well on your way to dabbling in a bit of automotive DIY. A good place to start? The simple oil change. Since oil is the lifeblood of your car, it's an excellent idea to understand why it's important to change it regularly. Ah, who are we kidding? You lot know all… Read more

Hands up if you've ever toiled on a car behind creaky garage doors with enough gap in the seals to let in heat during summer and snow during winter. Actually, a solid number of us have likely changed engines or replaced fenders curbside or in the parking lot of Canadian Tire. No? Ok, fine; AutoZone, then. For those of us who've grown up and… Read more

It's unfortunate the word 'creeper' has a different connotation in the Internet era. Anyone saying "Do you want to see my new creeper?" or "I crushed my old creeper and put it in the dumpster," will likely receive a visit from the gendarmes in short order. At the very least, the FBI will be watching your texts for a couple of weeks. But we… Read more

It is freely admitted that a bit of help was enlisted for this post. After all, your author does not generally purchase items for his daily driver that intentionally make it less comfortable (except for the U-Cheap-OutTM suspension kit he once purchased; best to gloss over that one). Plunking a set of racing seats in your whip isn't something to be done on a… Read more

We're confident a good many of you saw the viral video from earlier this week in which a tire and wheel assembly seemed to warp in from another dimension to clobber someone's front porch at speed. Pick your favorite part of the video (there's plenty) - the assembly itself tearing down a rural highway at a tremendous clip, the fact it actually rang the doorbell… Read more

There's solid evidence in the comment section of this august publication that we (the collective we, which includes readers and authors) have held the keys to a horrible car or two at some point in their automotive career. A quick headcount in the official TTAC Slack chat reveals humans with a propensity to own decrepit Miata convertibles and Lincoln coupes alike. This helps explain… Read more

The title for this post is as predictable as your author's propensity to fix himself a bacon sandwich at dinnertime. All the same, we're betting you lot tend to take care of your cars, so an article about car wax should be useful. And, before all hands chime in, we'll clarify there is indeed a difference between polish and wax. It's generally accepted by… Read more

It has been a minute since the days when one needed to change the spark plugs in their car every 35,000 miles. Today's machines are very different, to the point where most owners have no idea the firing order of the engine that's powering them down the road. For simplicity and consistency, we selected spark plugs listed to fit a car that is likely… Read more

Tacking extra lights onto one's vehicle is a practice nearly as old as the concept of the automobile itself. After all, you know better than the cadre of engineers who worked for ages designing the thing, right? We jest ... but only a little bit. It is true that some stock headlamps are approximately as bright as fireflies in jam jars, not to mention… Read more

Yeah, we've covered mechanic's sets in the past. However, before you go rushing to the comment section with a link to that post, know that we are trying to focus on decided socket sets this time around. That means no sets with piece-count padders like Allen keys or that one tool which only serves to remove the Färhfvingenator on your clapped out Volkswagen. Disagree… Read more

There's a general understanding amongst gearheads that, no matter how big one's garage or storage space, it'll eventually fill up. A two car garage will be just as full as a single, while that 40'x25' unit your neighbor is building will be filled to capacity by year's end. It's just the natural order of things. And before you get yer knickers in a knot,… Read more

We'll preface this post with the admonition that, unless you're reasonably familiar with the environs of an engine bay, you should keep your paws off stuff like this. However, a case can be made that anyone who's fleet is comprised of machines that actually need these products is probably intimately familiar with the contents of a rusty toolbox. On one hand, additives like these… Read more