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Tool Review VW Connector Release Tool from Schwaben – Humble Mechanic
Schwaben connector tool. Picture fromECSTuning.comIt’s Thursday, so it is time for another tool review. Today I am reviewing the Schwaben Connector release tool for VW and Audi Connectors. I picked this tool up from ECS Tuning for about $15. Initially I was concerned that it would damage the connect
How to Buy Tools as a Gift ~ Podcast Episode 15 – Humble Mechanic
After talking aboutPrepping a car for winter yesterday, I have the holiday season on the brain. Now, this is NOT a holiday show, but I thought it would be a great time to talk about buying tools as a gift. So today on the automotive podcast, we are talking about things to consider when buying tools
Shop Shots Volume 81 Insider Pictures of Automotive Service – Humble Mechanic
Happy Wednesday everyone. And because it’s Wednesday, it time for Shop Shots! This week we are moving out of the shop, and to an Oktoberfest. On Saturday, the folks at Black Forest Industries hosted their annual BFI Oktoberfest. If you are a social media person, check out the hash-tag #BFIOktoberfes
The State Of The Shop 5 ~ Podcast Episode 77 – Humble Mechanic
Happy Wednesday everyone! Today we are talking “State Of The Shop”. This is the show that we chat about the overall happenings at my VW dealer. This will be the 5th “TSOTS” episode. I really dig doing these videos. It is a great way to let you guys know some of the odd ball things that are going on,
RYOBI Phone Works Inspection Camera Review ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
Happy Thursday everyone! Today we are looking at the RYOBI Phone Works Inspection Camera. I had really high hopes for this tool. I had been looking for this exact thing for a while. It is what kept me from buying a $400+ inspection camera from Snap-On or Matco. RYOBI has an entire line of tools buil
Recap of US Grand Prix with Shell – Humble Mechanic
WOW, what an amazing weekend of fuels and racing. For the second time this year, the folks at Shell have asked me to come out to learn more about fuel and oil technologies. It didn’t really take much for me to say yes!While I dig through all the pictures and videos of the weekend, I thought I would
Women In The Automotive Industry ~ Podcast Episode 60 – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone. I know that today is normally viewer questions. But I got a really great question last week. One that I thought I would get a true expert’s insight on. That is “Where are the women in the Automotive Industry?”. I think this is a great question with multiple layers to evaluate.
Tool Sorter Pliers Storage Tray Review – Humble Mechanic
Hey everyone. As you may know, Thursday’s have become tool review days. I have to say that I love doing tool reviews. As someone that owns a ton of tools, it is fun to share my experiences with them.Today we are talking about the Tool Sorter Pliers Storage Tray. This is a very timely review for me.
How The VW Trunk and Fuel Door Release Motor Fails ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
Happy Tuesday everyone. Today we are looking at another VW part failure. For those of you that are new to the show, every Tuesday we look at how a VW part fails. As you will see in the video, we look at how it works, how it fails, how to diagnose, and is it a DIY or not. This week we are looking at
Episode 14 Prepping Your Car For Winter – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday Everyone!The season is upon us. Yes winter is almost here. Heck depending on where you live, it IS winter. As I type this, it is 44 degrees in NC. It is probably a million below in the northern states. 🙂 With all that, today we are talking about getting your car ready for winter.This is
Volkswagen TDI Fuel Pump Warranty Extension ~ Episode 79 – Humble Mechanic
Today we are going in depth on the warranty extension for common rail high pressure fuel pumps HPFP. This is a new extension that will cover certain Volkswagen TDI engines including:2009-2012 Volkswagen Golf2009-2012 Volkswagen Jetta2009-2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen2009-2012 Volkswagen Touar
Episode 4 – What To Do When Your Car Is Not Fixed Right – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone. Today on the Automotive Podcast, we are talking about what to do when your car is not fixed right the first time. As much as I wish all cars were fixed right, that is just not reality. We discuss the steps you can take to get your car back on the road with as little headache a
Podcast Episode 12, What To Do When The Shop Is Slow – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone.I am finally getting back to the real world this week. As almost all of you know, I was traveling a ton at the end of October. Between a trip to Virgina for an ASE workshop and my trip to Austin for USGP I was toast. But now that I have a week back at work behind me, it’s time
The Jetta and Beetle Axle Recall ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
A ton of you guys have asked me about this recall on the Jetta and Beetles. This new recall is related to the rear axle, specifically the trailing arms. So today I am going to break down exactly what this VW recall does. I will just let you know up front that it is NOTHING to panic about. Your VW wi
Episode 9 Customer Pay VS Warranty Work – Humble Mechanic
Happy Tuesday everyone!Today on the Automotive podcast, we are talking about work! We dive into the differences between:Customer pay workWarranty work, from the manufacturer. Think bumper to bumper new car warrantiesExtended warranties. This would be a warranty you purchase separate.Many techs have
Shop Shots Volume 78 Insider Pictures of Automotive Service – Humble Mechanic
Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope that y’all are having a great week so far. Yesterday was the first day of fall. That means cooler temps, leaves changing, and prepping cars for winter. Before we get rolling with this weeks behind the scenes pictures, I have a few updates.Video PodcastAs many of you
Pull A Part Outtakes with EricTheCarGuy – Humble Mechanic
Today I kick off the series of DIY videos with Pull A Part used auto parts. I wanted to share some of the bloopers and outtakes from the week. Eric from EricTheCarGuy was my camera man. When you are kinda goofy, and have a great friend as your camera guy, hi jinx will ensue! This is a fun video, but
Bringing A Modified Car To The Dealer ~ Podcast Episode 45 – Humble Mechanic
Today we are going to take a look at some of the pro and cons of bringing a modified car into the dealer for work. This can be a hot issue from a technician standpoint, as well as a customer standpoint. For the most part it is not an issue. Plus we don’t see a ton of modified cars at the dealership.
Shop Shots Volume 79 Insider Pictures of Automotive Service – Humble Mechanic
Happy Wednesday everyone. As you have come to expect, it is Shop Shots day. For those that are new to the blog, here is a little about Shop Shots. This all started in the early days of the blog. In an effort to share more about what a mechanic does, I thought sharing pictures would be cool. I posted
Do Mechanics Hate Vehicle Recalls? ~ Podcast Episode 90 – Humble Mechanic
Before we look at vehicle recalls being good or bad, we need to understand what exactly makes a recall. This is information straight from Volkswagen defining what a recall is.Remedies defects relating to motor vehicle safety or emissions, and non-compliances with motor vehicle safety standards and e
Episode 7 Ways to Becoming a Better Technician – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday folks. Today on the Automotive Podcast, we are exploring ways to become a better automotive Technician. This will probably be just the first of several podcasts about way to get better at fixing cars. Also, just an FYI, I am a little under the weather today. This show may be a little we
Talking Cars with Rusty from Bench Racing Garage Episode 2 – Humble Mechanic
Hey folks,Last week my buddy Rusty and I got together and started a video show. It is basically 2 buddies chatting about our love for cars. We both really have a great time doing these show for you guys. We also have a pint or two. That probably doesn’t hurt the fun factor 😉This week we are talking
Get Sorted Socket Organizer Video Review – Humble Mechanic
Happy Thursday everybody. I have a really cool tool for you guys today. We are looking at the “Get Sorted Socket Organizer” from the great folks atSky Leap LLC. You may remember that I did a review of their wrench holder. You can check that outhere. They also have some other really neat organizers.
Talking Cars, Being a New Automotive Tech – Humble Mechanic
Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope that your week is off to an awesome start. Today on the Automotive Podcast, I am joined by Rusty fromBenchRacingGarage.com. We are talking about being a new Automotive Tech. These shows Rusty and I do are a blast. I hope that you guys enjoy them.Normally I post the vid
How A VW Throttle Body Failed with VAG-COM Demo ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
Today we are looking at more failed Volkswagen and Audi parts. This part is not the most common failing part, but they do fail. In addition to the normal flow of a failed parts video, I have added some basic Vag-Com diagnostic DIY. These failures can occur on just about any generation of Volkswagen
Advice For New Drivers, Beyond Drivers Ed – Humble Mechanic
Happy Friday everyone. I have something very different and awesome for you today. As you know, my good pal Rusty and I have been doing a show together for the last few weeks. It is basically us chatting about many things in the car world. I am still playing around with some of the scheduling for the
Kobalt 20V Impact Review ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
Hey everyone. I picked up this impact wrench, which I call a gun, a while ago. This is a pretty nice impact. While I don’t think that it will replace my air gun, it does have some really great features.You can pick this up at your local Lowe’s Hardware, or buy it online. I did find it on Amazon, but
Episode 8 Common Car Repairs and Patten Failures – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone. Today on the automotive podcast, we are talking about Common Car Repairs and Pattern Failures. This topic came in from Brain on YouTube.As a dealer tech, this is really the world I live in. Not only do we see tons of broken VWs, we see the same VW problems over and over. Now,
Prepping Your Car For A Road Trip, Episode 10 – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone. I am still in catchup mode from last week’s travels. The awesome part about a 5 hour drive is, it gave me plenty of time to shoot some videos for you guys. The funny part is, I forgot my notes. This is an on the fly, no notes, just me talking show.Today we are talking about ge
Video Review M12™ Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver Kit – Humble Mechanic
Today I give my initial thoughts on the Milwaukee M12 Screwdriver kit. This is a great little screw gun.I have been thinking about picking up another small gun like this for a while. I really like this type of tool for removing interior parts. I like the fact that you can adjust the power setting. I
Episode 6 Buying Tools – Humble Mechanic
Happy Friday everyone.Today on the Automotive Podcast, we are talking about tools. It is a subject we have talked about on the blog before, but is always fun to revisit. Today’s view comes from all the years and dollars that I have spent on buying mechanic’s tools, as well as tools for the house.Tod
F1 Race in Austin and a VR6 Cabriolet Update ~ Podcast Episode 13 – Humble Mechanic
Happy Friday everyone! Today’s show is a multi-part show. It has been a while since I just had a chat with you guys. Since things are finally getting back to normal, I thought it would be fun to give you a recap of my F1 and Shell trip. It has also been a long time since we have talked about the Cab
How VW Water Pumps Fail ~ Video – Humble Mechanic
Hey everyone. Today we are looking at moreFailed Volkswagen Parts. This video is about how VW water pumps fail. We are specifically talking about the water pumps driven by a timing belt. I have done a video abouthow the CCTA water pumps fail, if you want to check that out. The timing belt driven wat
Podcast Episode 11 How A.S.E Tests are Made – Humble Mechanic
Have you ever wondered how ASE tests are written? On today’s automotive podcast, are looking at how A.S.E tests are born. For those of you that may not know, ASE is the industry standard in testing automotive techs, as well as many other parts of the auto industry.As you know, I spent several days i
Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 44 – Humble Mechanic
Happy Monday everyone. We are back on track with the automotive podcast. Today I will be answering your questions about all things automotive. Remember to submit a question for a show, email me Charles(AT)humblemechanic(dot)com and putquestion for Charlesin the subject. Also, when it comes to diagno
Makita Drill and Impact Combo Review ~ Podcast Episode 21 – Humble Mechanic
Hey everyone! Today is Thursday, so it is tool review day. Today I have the most used tool in my box. The Makita impact driver, and drill combo CT200RW. I have owned 4 of the impacts, and 2 drills. So I am a big fan of this tool. The price point is from $179-$199.One quick thing, I did a little “fix
Being A Situationally Aware Driver ~ Podcast Episode 47 – Humble Mechanic
Hey we made it to Friday! Today I want to talk about being aware of your surrounding while driving. This comes from something that happened to me a few months about. If I was not as aware of a driver, I may have gotten myself into some trouble. While today we are talking about being an aware driver,
Shop Shots Volume 80 Insider Pictures of Automotive Service – Humble Mechanic
Hey everyone! It’s Wednesday, so that means it’s time for some behind the scenes action. This series is where we look at some of the crazy things that auto mechanics see. Unless otherwise stated, I take each and every one of these pictures.I have a few things to let y’all know before we get rolling.
Podcast Episode 20 How VW 2.0t TSI Intake Manifolds Fail – Humble Mechanic
Hi Everybody,(I hope you said, ‘Hi Dr. Nick’)Today we are continuing the Tuesday episodes where we look at a failed VW or Audi part. This is like the podcast and Shop Shots piled into one. The response to last weeks show about failed VW 2.0t water pumps was awesome. I am thrilled that you guys like
Episode 5 Dealing with Bad Jobs – Humble Mechanic
In today’s episode of the Automotive Podcast, we talk about how mechanics can deal with bad jobs. This comes on the heals of me having a rough day. I do not want you to think I spend the entire show complaining about the bad jobs mechanics get. This is an episode explaining how a job that stinks can