February 2015 – Humble Mechanic

Being A Situationally Aware Driver ~ Podcast Episode 47

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, this can really apply to all parts of life.

Join me today as we chat about:

Understanding odd situations
Making very quick decisions.
Stop texting while driving
When a situation feels wrong
How I avoided a bad situation
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Being A Situationally Aware Driver ~ Podcast Episode 47” on YouTube

As always I love to hear your thoughts. Please post them in the comments section below. Again, if you have a question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)humblemechanic(dot)com with Question for Charles in the subject. Also if you have an idea for a show you can email me, or use the contact me form!

Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 27, 2015/1 Comment/by Charles

Video

VCDS or Vag-Com Review and Demo ~ Video

Happy Thursday everyone! Today we are talking about one of the best investments that you can make if you are working on a Volkswagen or Audi. That is VCDS or Vag Com Diagnostic Software. I refer to it as Vag-Com. I purchased Vag-Com years and years ago. I would say that I use it almost every day. If you are planning to do any DIY on a VW beyond oil changes, you really need this!

Join me today as we look at:

What can Vag-Com do?
How Vag-Com has bailed me out
Graphing features of Vag-Com
Screen capture and walk through of Vag-Com
Where to get Vag-Com
Ross-Tech Wiki page
Buy or not to buy
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “VCDS or Vag-Com Review and Demo ~ Video” on YouTube.

As always, post your comments below. If you have a tool or product you would like for me to review, use the contact me form. Or email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com, and put TOOL REVIEW in the subject.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 26, 2015/0 Comments/by Charles

Video

How VW Ignition Switches Fail ~ Video

Hey Everyone. Normally these failure videos come out on Tuesday. I had some audio issues so we are a little bit behind. Oddly enough I had ordered some new audio gear on Sunday. Gotta love that timing. 🙂 Today are are looking at how Volkswagen ignition switches fail. These switches have been failing forever. We are going to look at some ways that can happen.

Sponsor of the day
Today’s show is sponsored by Deutsche Auto Parts. They are the VW and Audi parts experts. They have great prices and awesome service. Plus they work really hard on a ton of VW DIY videos. Paul and the fellas at DAP are awesome.

Join me today as we look at:

Quick note about the blog
What a VW ignition switch does
How VW ignition switches works
How VW ignition switches fail
Symptoms of VW ignition switch failure. (this part is fun)
Diagnosing a failed VW ignition switch
Time/miles of ignition switch failure
Is the VW ignition switch a DIY part?
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “How VW Ignition Switches Fail ~ Video” on YouTube.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Please post them below. If you would like to suggest a part of a show like this, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com. Thanks again to Deutsche Auto Parts for being such a great sponsor.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 25, 2015/4 Comments/by Charles

Podcast

Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 46

If you move to VW, you will NEED this oil filter tool. It is the one I use all the time. I LOVE it.

Today on the automotive podcast, I will be taking your questions. To get a question on a show like this, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com. Be sure to put question for Charles in the subject. This is one of my favorite shows to do. I really like to see the things that you guys want to know.

Quick thing about the blog
As you can see, the blog looks VERY different. My good buddy Richard is doing an amazing job retooling the site. That means for a little while, things will be changing. Once we (well Richard really) are done, I will be sure to let you guys know. I am pretty excited. 😀

Join me as I take your questions on:

Dealer or Indy show for a VW timing belt replacement
Story about diagnosis or lack of diagnosis
Problem with generic code readers
Cold start issue on a Tiguan
Cold start issue on a MK6 TDI
Changing brands as a tech
Tools you will need to start as a VW tech (See Below)
How to ask for the BEST tech at a dealer or Indy shop
Bringing a modified car to the dealer ~ video
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 46” on YouTube.

As always I love to hear your thoughts. Please post them in the comments section below. Again, if you have a question for a show like this, email me Charles(at)humblemechanic(dot)com with Question for Charles in the subject. Also if you have an idea for a show you can email me, or use the contact me form!

Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 23, 2015/2 Comments/by Charles

Video

OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer Review ~ Video

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for another tool review. Today we are looking at a different tool to clamp CV boot clamps. This OTC 4722 or “Stinger” is a great addition to the tool box. I picked this up after a recommendation from a coworker. He found a work around for those pain in butt VW CV boot clamps.

Join me as we check out the OTC 4722 “Stinger”

Demo of the OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer
Pros of the OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer
Cons of the OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer
Overall thoughts of the OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer
The OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer vs the Lisle 30800 CV Boot Clamp Pliers
Price Points of each tool
Buy the OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer
Buy the Lisle 30800 CV Boot Clamp Pliers (yes you need both)
Are you on Amazon Prime?
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “OTC 4722 CV Boot Clamp Installer Review ~ Video” on YouTube.

As always, post your comments below. If you have a tool you would like for me to review, use the contact me form. Or email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com, and put TOOL REVIEW in the subject.
Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 19, 2015/5 Comments/by Charles

Podcast

Bringing A Modified Car To The Dealer ~ Podcast Episode 45

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.

Do you bring your modified car to the dealership for work?

Join me today as we break down:

Cool part about modified cars at the dealership
Well modified cars are great
Poorly modified cars are not so great
Why modified cars may be more work for the technician
Areas where modified cars are a problem
How modified cars impact labor times and work flow
Who pays for repairs under warranty
Being honest about your car mods
It only matters when it matters
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Bringing A Modified Car To The Dealer ~ Podcast Episode 45” on YouTube.

As always, your thoughts and comments are more than welcome. If you have an idea for a show, use the contact me form, or email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com.

February 18, 2015/2 Comments/by Charles

Video

How The VW Trunk and Fuel Door Release Motor Fails ~ Video

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 the failure of the VW trunk or fuel door release. The parts are very similar to each other, and generally fail in the same way.

Sponsor of the day
Today’s show is sponsored by Deutsche Auto Parts. They are the VW and Audi parts experts. They have great prices and awesome service. Plus they work really hard on a ton of VW DIY videos. Paul and the fellas at DAP are awesome.

Join me today as we look at:

What the VW trunk fuel door release does
How the VW trunk fuel door release works
How the VW trunk fuel door release fails
How you know the VW trunk fuel door release failed
Ways to diagnose VW trunk fuel door release failure
Common time and mileage failure
DIY or no DIY VW trunk fuel door release
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “How The VW Trunk and Fuel Door Release Motor Fails ~ Video” on YouTube.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Please post them below. If you would like to suggest a part of a show like this, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com. Thanks again to Deutsche Auto Parts for being such a great sponsor.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

February 17, 2015/2 Comments/by Charles