There are occasions when a sturdy canvas or cloth tool bag is handier than a cumbersome metal tool box. Hitting a bump with the latter in your trunk or truck box results in a crashing sound not heard since the implosion of The Sands nearly 25 years ago. It helps to buy a tool bag whose length exceeds that of the longest item you'll… Read more

It's totally not a filled-with-soap myth that a clean car runs better, right? Except for off-road rigs. They run best when caked with a thick layer of sticky mud and dirt. But even the gnarliest 4x4 can do with a good spritz now and then. In case you've been living under a rock for the last few decades, pressure washers amplify the force of… Read more

Quick - what's the first thing you reach for when starting any DIY project? No, it isn't the perpetually absent 10mm socket, nor is it a quarter for the swear jar. It is, most likely a good pair of gloves. Protecting your hands serve many purposes, from keeping them off harsh chemicals to cushioning a blow when you finally overtorque a stubborn bolt and… Read more

Hands up if your spouse has ever stood in the with a perplexed look as you applied tire shine to the ride-on lawn mower. Anyone? No? Well, I guess it's just me and my fanaticism for clean machinery, then. In any case, there's plenty of room in your arsenal of car care products for a bottle of tire shine. It's a great topper to… Read more

It's a debate for the ages: should one put tools back in their place during a repair? One school of thought says that if you don't, then they're at hand and easy to reach. Others argue that the time spent walking back to the bench is well spent since you always know exactly where the tools are sitting. We'll let you guess which side… Read more

We'll preface this post with the note that your humble author has never, and likely will never, have any canine livestock in his home. But plenty of people do, while continuing to maintain their gearhead status, explaining the presence of today's list. (more…) Read more

Let's get something clear right from the start: these locks are best thought of as a deterrent to the scourge that is vehicle theft and not an outright prevention tool. If two identical cars are parked side by each, one with a steering wheel lock and one without, there's a good chance the robber is going to target the one sans lock. (more…) Read more

Gearheads are lucky. We're interested in vehicles, so the natural extension of our interest is to pick up a set of tools to poke and prod at the very machines we enjoy. Someone who is interested in horses would be well-advised not to do the same, for example. Or those who have more than a passing interest in household electricity. (more…) Read more

Most dealerships will, as a rule, install a bed liner of some sort in the back of every single new pickup they park on the lot. Whether one agrees with this propping up of the parts department usually depends on which side of the financial ledger one resides. Nevertheless, some buyers get a bed liner of their own after the fact or install one… Read more

There are few irritants more exasperating in a car than listening to the rattle and swoosh of items rolling around in the cargo area of that vehicle. Whether it's a bag of groceries or a box of tools, objects sliding to and fro with each turn of the steering wheel is an annoyance beyond compare. (more…) Read more

Dispensing sage advice is a task most fathers are eager to carry out. Whether their teenage offspring actually listens to these words is something else altogether. Dad offered many invocations to my predictably deaf ears, not the least of which was to stop wasting all my money on "wine, women, and song". He was right, of course. (more…) Read more

Cinder blocks, welded-together steel wheels, janky-looking lengths of board - most of us know we're not supposed to rest the weight of a car or truck on anything other than a pair of stout jack stands. Whether or not we actually do this is better left unsaid. (more…) Read more

There's a marked difference between having to wash a car and wanting to wash a car. The former is a chore that is assigned to sullen teens in the wash bays of countless car dealers across the nation. The latter is a task enjoyed by gearheads on a Sunday afternoon. (more…) Read more

After assembling a helpful list of car emergency kits, we noticed there are an abundance of kits dedicated to simple first aid. Given that your author has a terrible history of managing to injure himself during even the simplest of jobs, today's list is very fitting. (more…) Read more

Like car insurance, emergency kits are something no one wants to think about until it's really needed. These compact sets are filled with the gear one might need should the unthinkable happen, leaving a person stranded or wrecked on the side of the road. (more…) Read more