Welcome to the Humble Mechanic Video Podcast. This is the show were we talk about many areas of the automotive industry. Everything from being an auto tech, buying tools, earning money, talking to customers, and more. If you are not a mechanic, tune in to learn the ins and outs of the industry. It can help you find a good tech, and help avoid getting ripped off.

failed VW coolant bottle

failed vw coolant bottleHey everyone! As you all know, Tuesdays are failed VW part day. Today we are looking at failures of Volkswagen coolant bottles. This has been happening since the start of VW having a coolant bottle. Failures of this VW part comes in a few different forms. Luckily this is an easy DIY, and pretty cheap too. Check out all the Failed VW Parts videos on YouTube.

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 boys at DAP are awesome. Check them out!

Join me as we break down the VW coolant bottle

  • What the VW coolant bottle does
  • How the VW coolant bottles works
  • How the VW coolant bottle fails
  • Signs of coolant bottle failure
  • Diagnosing VW coolant bottle issues
  • Is the coolant bottle a DIY part?
  • Get a new coolant bottle from DAP. (As always confirm with your VIN)
  • and more

Having trouble viewing? Watch “How VW Coolant Bottles 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. Also thanks to VW for hooking up some sweat VW Driver Gear.

Streamlight Stylus Pro ~ Tool Review

Happy Thursday everyone. As you know, today is tool review day. We are going to take a look at the Streamlight Stylus Pro flashlight. As you will see in the video review, I really like this little light. I think it is perfect for keeping in a shirt pocket.

Join me as we break down the Streamlight Stylus Pro

Having trouble viewing? Watch “Streamlight Stylus Pro ~ Video Review” 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.

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leaking 2.5 Vacuum pump

IMG_3779 2Hey everyone! It is Tuesday, so we are looking at failed VW parts. Today we are diving into the 2.5L vacuum pump leaking oil. Last week we looked at how a 2.0T rear main seal fails. The funny thing is, this vacuum pump leaking is often mistake for a leaking rear main seal. For a list of all the failed part shows, check out “Failed VW Part Videos” on YouTube.

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 even hooked me up with a sweet custom Humble Mechanic/Deutsche Auto Parts bottle opener!

Join me as we take apart the 2.5L vacuum pump:

  • What the 2.5l vacuum pump does
  • How the 2.5l vacuum pump works
  • How the 2.5l vacuum pump FAILS!
  • The signs of 2.5l vacuum pump failure (hint it leaks oil 😉 )
  • Why the vacuum pump fails
  • How to diagnose 2.5l vacuum pump failures
  • DIY or Not?
  • Link to buy this pump 2.5l Vacuum pump
  • and more

Having trouble viewing? Watch “How The VW 2.5L Vacuum Pump 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. Also thanks to VW for hooking up some sweat VW Driver Gear.

Don’t forget to follow me at:

Hey everyone. Today we are talking about the Busted Knuckle Garage Work Bench Mat. As I mention in the video, this was purchased on a whim. This is a cool mat. If you have never seen anything by Busted Knuckle Garage, they do some neat garage decor type stuff. Some of it is snarky and I like that 🙂

NOTE
It seems their prices fluctuate on each item. I recommend comparing Amazon and Busted Knuckle for the best price.

In this tool review, we talk about:

  • Why I bought this
  • The thing that would make this amazing
  • built in trays
  • Liquid trap
  • funnel
  • Pricing
  • When it is a MUST buy
  • When it is a fair buy
  • Get this mat on Amazon for $19
    and FREE shipping on Prime Busted Knuckle Garage BKG-80 Work Bench Mat
  • and more

If you are having trouble viewing, watch “Busted Knuckle Garage, Work Bench Mat Review” on YouTube.

As always your comments and questions are very welcome. Do you guys use mats like this? If so, what kind? Or are there better solutions that I don’t know about. If you are just looking for something to set on a bench, I found this one for about the same price JEGS Performance Products 80170 Workbench Utility Mat.

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VW oil leakHey everyone, I hope that you are having a wonderful first Tuesday of 2015. Today we are taking a look at the failure of the 2.0T TSI (or TFSI) VW engine. For those of you that are new to the blog, every Tuesday, we look at a different failed VW part. As you will see we look deep into how it fails. This is one of the most popular shows here on HumbleMechanic.com. You can check out more Failed VW Parts videos on YouTube.

Sponsor Of The Day
The Sponsor of the day is DeutscheAutoParts.com. They are VW and Audi parts experts. They have awesome prices and incredible service. They also do great VW DIY videos. I have even made an appearance or two 😉

Today we look at the Rear main seal and see:

  • What the VW rear main seal does
  • How the VW rear main seal works
  • How VW rear main seal fails
  • Why the VW rear main seal fails
  • Ways to diagnose rear main seal failures
  • DIY or no DIY a rear main seal
  • Buy the 2.0t TSI rear main seal here.
  • and more

If you are having trouble viewing, watch “How The CCTA Rear Main Seal Fails ~VIDEO” on YouTube

As always, your questions and comments are welcome, please post them below. If you have a part you would like discussed on a show like this, email me Charles(AT)humblemechanic(dot)com and put “FAILED PART” in the subject. Or you can use the contact me form.

Podcast
Don’t forget to check out all the episodes of the Automotive Podcast, and Mechanic Tool Reviews

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door latch faiure

IMG_3518Today we look at how VW door latches fail.This is an issue not just with the Jetta as shown in the video. This is a part that I have replaced all across the brand. Every car in the VW line has had an issue with door latch failures. You may also hear them called “door lock modules”. That is because they are such an important part of the central locking system

Sponsor Of The Day
The sponsor of today’s show is Deutsche Auto Parts. They are the VW and Audi parts experts. I know them personally and they are great guys. You see how many sponsors I have. I have high standards for the people I recommend. Paul and the guys fit that bill. Plus they did a MK4 Jetta door latch DIY video. Check them out at DeutschAutoParts.com

Today we look at:

  • How VW door latches work
  • How VW door latches fail
  • What are the symptoms of VW door latches failing.
  • Most common is “My Jetta door will not lock”.
  • Ways to diagnose VW door latch failures
  • Skill required to replace door latch
  • And more

You might have a failing door latch if:

  • Your VW door will not lock
  • Your VW door will not unlock
  • Your door shows open when it’s closed, or closed when open
  • Cluster doesn’t light up when door is opened. MK5 and up mostly
  • Doors will auto lock all the time
  • Windows do not drop when doors are unlocked (Beetle convertible, EOS, CC)
  • Alarm goes off by itself
  • And more

 

If you are having trouble viewing, check out “How VW Door Latches Fail~ Video” on YouTube.

As always your comments and questions are welcome. If you have a VW part you would like me to explain, use the contact me form, and let me know. Shout out to Deutsche Auto Parts for sponsoring today’s show.

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Top 5 favorite Mechanics tools

Hey everyone. Today we step out a little from the standard tool reviews. A viewer asked me what some of my favorite tools are. So I figured I would do a quick video of my Top 5 auto mechanic’s tools. I actually did sneak an extra one in there 😉

For a tool to make my list, it either needs to save me time, or save me money. So these 5 are at the top of the list for that reason. They are also in no particular order.

Top 5 auto mechanic’s tools:

  1. Makita LCT200W 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Combo Kit, 2-Piece
  2. Klein Tools Tools Diagonal Cutting Pliers
  3. Power Probe PP3LS01 Power Probe III Circuit Tester with PPLS01 Lead Set Kit
  4. Magnetic Tools Tray, Stainless Steel, Rectangular, Chrome
  5. Streamlight 66118 Stylus Pro Black LED Pen Flashlight with Holster

If you are having trouble viewing, You can see Top 5 Favorite Auto Mechanic’s Tools on YouTube

What are your top 5 favorite? If there is a tool you would like for me to review, use the contact me form, or email Charles(at)humblemechanic(dot)com

Here are some more of the tool reviews that I have done.