In 2001, my closest friend, Nick, and I took over FCP Euro, a humble brick-and-mortar auto parts store that Nick’s parents established in 1986. It wasn’t long before we transitioned FCP Euro...
Blown head gasket. To the uninitiated, it sounds like just another car repair term – an innocent phrase that might be mentioned alongside things like low tire pressure and warped rotors. The reality is that it’s a major car repair, one that can result in catastrophic engine damage if the early...
BMW’s high-performance nature means that every one of their engines is built with strict tolerances. In the more mechanical days, engine builders carefully measured their clearances to get them right and knew the correct tolerances via a book. Nowadays, BMW publishes engine clearances and...
Considering the Porsche 997 is mostly a reworked 996, its suspension changes are more revision than revolution. The same basic architecture remained, but new technologies and lessons learned translated to updates for every piece. Now, as a used model, the reworked 911 remains an analog time...
A money shift can be summed up pretty simply: it’s a shift gone wrong. Horribly wrong. Wrong enough that you’ll likely be coughing up big bucks in order to get your ride back to working order. That’s where the term originates from. Even though a money shift sounds like it could be the gear change...
Mercedes vehicles have combined large displacement and big power with a plush ride and cozy interior for over half a century. Both long-term and short-term owners of Silver Arrows know that due to this trademark smoothness, few parts of ownership are more irritating than an intermittent but...
It’s no secret that we in the US have missed out on more than a few great models over the years. Emissions and crash safety regulations have played spoiler to many, leaving us no choice but to sit and wait for the 25-year import rule to roll around. Now, for an entire generation who grew up on...
The Mercedes M272 and M273 engines are some of the best to own second-hand. Each variant has a few unique foibles, but intake manifold failures are some of the most consistent across all of them. Their variable-length, vacuum-actuated intake manifolds are relatively uncommon among manufacturers...
Possibly the most critical factor in car ownership is its reliability. Everyone pays for a vehicle once, but those who don’t do their research or choose with their heart can subject themselves to a lifetime of financial and emotional pain. Now, whatever constitutes something as “worth it” is...
The BMW M52TU, M54, and M56 engines are all related by their aluminum engine blocks. Until then, all prior M-series straight-six engines had used iron cases, making them strong but very heavy. The switch to an aluminum block with iron liners shed weight over the front axle, subsequently improving...
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