If you’re a DIY mechanic or just someone wanting to identify and better understand vehicle problems before taking it to the local repair shop, an OBD2 (or OBDII) diagnostic tool (or scanner) is almost necessary. What is an OBD2 Scanner? An OBD2 (on-board diagnostics – generation two, post-1996) scanner is a device that can read, … Read more
It’s wintertime, and that means the wife will be reminding me soon that the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) lights in her car are alive and well. See, when it gets colder outside, tire pressure can decrease by about 1 PSI (pounds per square inch) for every 8-10 degrees the temperature drops. Of course, normal … Read more
I’ve done several different rounds of modifications to my Jeep and each time I do, I have to reconfigure things like gear ratio, tire size/speedometer, idle speed, and certain creature-comforts I either want or don’t want. Until just recently, I used a $180 OBDII device, designed specifically for my model/year Jeep, with a bunch of … Read more
After a trip to the pier, park or plant nursery, dragging out a big shop vac can be a hassle just to clean light-duty messes in the car. I know this first-hand, as I’m constantly reminded that I should do a better job of keeping the wife’s car clean in between more thorough detail cleanings. There … Read more
A few weeks ago, the dreaded Check Engine light came on in my Jeep for the first time (it’s a 2013). Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I checked a few of the more common issues many Jeepers report seeing from time-to-time but to no avail. Instead of letting my brother-in-law charge me an arm … Read more
If you call yourself a gearhead and don’t know about Jay Leno’s Garage, you’re no gearhead, my friend. Okay, that was a little contentious, but Jay Leno has one of the coolest garages on earth (pretty sure more than one, though) filled with a huge collection of amazing cars—old, new, and exotic. Recently, Jay launched … Read more
Given how often we parenthetically talk about Jeeps and off-roading here at GarageSpot.com, it’s no surprise that brands catering to the off-roading community reach out to us quite often. We’re also huge supporters of the little guys—startups and product innovators that are busy putting good ol’ American ingenuity to work, while focused on filling a … Read more
Back when I ran my detail shop, we paid big money for the best products to solve what, in those days (the late ’80s into the ’90s), were major challenges: oxidized paint, acid rain damage, and the much more difficult challenge of etched or peeling clear-coat. Of course, since then, automobile paint has come a … Read more
One day way back when I was a punk kid—like 15 or so—I was helping a friend “fix” the brakes on his new-to-him ’78 Chevy C-10 pickup truck. He was 16 and had just started driving. He also thought he knew everything there was to know about cars and trucks. We all did at that age. … Read more
Last week, Ford announced a new device to enable owners of 2010-2016 model-year Ford and Lincoln vehicles not equipped with a modem access to a wide array of connectivity features through a new platform called Ford SmartLink. Components of SmartLink include a 4G LTE-enabled OBD II plug-in device, as well as a companion mobile app and web … Read more