We think its good news that Mercedes is dropping their Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) from some of their models, starting with the E-Class. While the concept was good, unfortunately the SBC system has been a chronic thorn in Mercedes' side. The SBC system has led to the system recall of over 2 million Mercedes models (primarily the E-Class cars), and has played an integral part in the widespread "Mercedes quality problems" you hear about so often. So what exactly is the SBC Braking system? I'll briefly try to sum it up in a nutshell. The SBC braking system uses a microcomputer [...]

Maine's roads take their toll on our cars, and nowhere more so than in your vehicle's suspension, particularly the springs. These large coil springs serve to absorb impacts and bumps in the road, and provide you with a steady, smooth ride. However, even the most robust part can wear out or fail, and when it does, the results can be quite dramatic. Remember that this is not just a Volvo problem, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Saab and VW can, and do, suffer the same malady. Located where they are, just inside the tires, springs are a safety item. See that sharp edge [...]

First time we've see this on this engine, the BMW N52, though on the earlier M54 series of engine, crankcase breather updates are very common. In this case the car presented with very loud whistling noise under the hood, problem is that it would come and go when the engine was turned off, on restart the noise would vanish. Using our special BMW diagnostic tool, we confirmed a severely clogged engine breather box, on this engine located in the camshaft cover, another key diagnostic indicator was the oil fill cap was stuck down by excessive vacuum, negative pressure. Not an easy job as this [...]

Scotty pointing out an often overlooked Audi feature. Audi A6 Quattro engine replacement. Question - The blue object Scotty is pointing at is an engine vacuum reservoir. Physics question, why is it does spherical? Answer - A sphere has no weak points unlike a cube, rectangle, or other shape. That's why you'll also see spherical nitrogen accumulators, a very robust design. Great job!

Be it an Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Saab, or Volvo, one question we get asked almost daily is about grinding brakes, especially so first thing in the morning. Q - We often get a question about why a car makes a grinding noise when applying the brakes the first thing in the morning, or after it has been sitting a few days. Sometimes this noise can be quite loud. A - This is usually cause by rust on the brake rotors, and brought about by the semi-metallic brake pads - brake pads, especially those used by European manufacturers like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, [...]