April 2015 – Humble Mechanic

Eurowise VR6 Thermostat Housing Review ~ Video

Today we are going to be checking out the Eurowise aluminium thermostat housing for AAA VR6. Eurowise has become the go to place for VR6 goodies. And specifically VR6 swaps into MK1 cars. I used their kit on my Cabby. I also did a review of their “MK1 VR6 Engine Swap Kit” I was really excited to check out this thermostat housing. It does a great job of fixing a common VW coolant leak issue.

About Eurowise
They are located in Charlotte, NC and specialize in maintenance, repair, and modifying all European cars. I had the pleasure to meet a lot of the guys down there. I can tell you they are awesome! Check them out:

Join me today as we break down:

About the Eurowise Aluminium Thermostat housing
What is in the box
Add on goodies
Finishing options from Eurowise
Likes
Dislikes
AAA VR6 Thermostat housing.
Learn more about the VR6 Engine.

Trouble Viewing? Watch “Eurowise VR6 Thermostat Housing Review ~ 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. Thanks to Mike and all the boys from Eurowise for being such a great part of the community.

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April 30, 2015/3 Comments/by Charles

Humble Mechanic

Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 61

Happy Thursday everyone. Normally we do view questions on Monday. But on Monday, I wanted to post a video about Women in the Automotive Industry, with some comments sent to me buy Audra from Women Auto Know. It is a really great episode of the Podcast, I highly recommend it. So I am taking your questions today on the Automotive Podcast.

Join me today as I take your questions on:

Rant about “Automakers making it illegal to work on your own car”
Issues to look for when buying a Jetta SportWagen
VW Passat electrical issues
Issues with MK5 R32 DSG transmission
Steps in modifying cars.
Struggles as a new technician.
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 61” 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:

April 30, 2015/3 Comments/by Charles

Video

How VW Dual Mass Flywheels Fail ~ Video

The VW dual mass flywheel or DMF for short, was one of the first “How VW Parts Fail” videos that was suggested. I also happened to have a clip of what a failed DMF sounds like. DMFs are in several different VW models, including cars with a DSG transmission. While this is not an uncommon issue, I don’t see the failure rate that the internet makes it out to be. But since it is a VW part that does fail, I wanted to do a video about it.

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. Also check out their new site at SHOPDAP.com

Join me today as we break down:

What is a VW Dual Mass Flywheel?
How a VW Dual Mass Flywheel
Symptoms of VW Dual Mass Flywheel failure
Diagnosing a bad VW Dual Mass Flywheel
Sound clip of a bad VW Dual Mass Flywheel
Is a VW Dual Mass Flywheel DIY repair
Single Mass Flywheel option
and more

Trouble Viewing? Watch “How VW Dual Mass Flywheels 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:

April 28, 2015/3 Comments/by Charles

Podcast

Women In The Automotive Industry ~ Podcast Episode 60

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. I am sure in today’s show we are just scratching the surface. There is only so much insight I can have into this question. So I reached out to someone that is at the top in this area. Her name is Audra Fordin from Women Auto Know. She is truly a champion of the industry, and does so much good for women specifically. She was wonderful enough to give us her take on that question.

Join us today as we look at:

Are there women in the automotive industry?
A viewer question about women in the industry
Is the job too hard?
Where are the women in the industry
The women I know in the industry
Audra’s response to women in the auto industry
It is not just an automotive industry thing.
Women Auto Know
and more

Trouble Viewing? Watch “Women In The Automotive Industry ~ Podcast Episode 60” on YouTube.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Please post them below. If you would like to suggest a show topic, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com, or use the contact me form.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

April 27, 2015/5 Comments/by Charles

Video

The Jetta and Beetle Axle Recall ~ Video

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 will not explode or anything like that. It is actually to help prevent an issue if your VW is in a collision.

Join me today as we recall:

effected VWs on this recall
Rear trailing arms
What this VW recall does
Why you need to get this VW recall done
How long the recall takes
A rare on camera Charles rant
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “The Jetta and Beetle Axle Recall ~ Video” on YouTube.

As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Please post them below. If you would like to suggest a topic for a show like this, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(dot)com, or use the contact me form.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

April 23, 2015/1 Comment/by Charles

Podcast

Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 59

Happy Monday everyone. I hope that your week is off to an awesome start. Today on the automotive podcast, I will be taking questions that you sent in via email. To get an automotive question answered, email me Charles(at)HumbleMechanic(DOT)com and put “question for Charles” in the subject. Also if you can ask your question at the top of the email, then give me the details, that would be awesome.

2015 Golf SportWagen
I borrowed a brand new Golf SportWagen for a a few days. That gave me a chance to do a bunch of videos on it for you guys. There is a new playlist on the YouTube channel 2015 Golf SportWagen Videos. Some of the videos include:

How to change a tire on 2015 Golf SportWagen
How to check fuses 2015 Golf SportWagen
How to set the clock 2015 Golf SportWagen
How to reset the tire pressure light on 2015 Golf SportWagen
and more

I am also working on a full review of the car. That should be out soon.

Join me today as I take your automotive questions on:

Buying a MKIV VR6 GTI
Buying a modified car
Mechanic tattoos
Doing a transmission service
Being late or early for a service
A.S.E. certifications at a dealer
What to do before a dealer interview
VW and Audi similarities
2.0t TSI Timing Chain tensioners
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “Viewer Questions ~ Podcast Episode 59” 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:

April 20, 2015/0 Comments/by Charles

Video

How VW Wheel Bearings Fail ~ Video

No you are not dreaming, it is Wednesday. Normally we do failed parts videos on Tuesday. But I have been a little behind this week. Today we are looking at the failure of VW wheel bearings. The bearing show are from the newer generation VW cars, about 2005.5 and up. While the older VW cars have different wheel bearings, they fail in basically 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. Also check out their new site at SHOPDAP.com

Join me as we check out:

What is a VW wheel bearing
How does a VW wheel bearing work
How do VW wheel bearings fail
Symptoms of VW wheel bearing failure
Noises failed VW wheel bearings make
Tips for daignosing a bad wheel bearing
Time to failure
Is a wheel bearing a DIY?
Some tools needed
A Torque Wrench (I use a Snap On digital)
Triple Square set
24mm 12pt or 27mm 6pt sockets
and more

Trouble viewing? Watch “How VW Wheel Bearings 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:

April 15, 2015/0 Comments/by Charles