We used to use some LEGO mindstorm sensors on our race cars. $40 vs $600 for the “right” Porsche certified Bosch sensor.
Fuck it. Apparently the sensor is a known issue, the usual advice is "Just disconnect it and check your coolant." Heh...I was 17 years old and broke at one time, so I get that. I'm not broke (Or 17) so I found a Delco replacement for something like $68. I also ordered the correct starter for my car...something like $250. It beats the hell out of the $488 the shop quoted me today.
I did oil, plugs. wires, air filters, brake fluid, brake pads/rotors, and diff fluid on my truck today. It took WAY too long... it's been a while since I had time/desire to work on my truck. Still, got it all done, and it didn't blow up after a test drive. It was a good day.
You fucking know it. $300 in parts, saved $600 in shop time. Drank 5 beers. Win Win. Feel free to take your Forrester into the dealer.
I will say that one of the best purchases I've ever made for my shop was a pneumatic bottle jack. It fucking SUCKS the air, but man is it ever worth it.
My truck is due for all of the above, unfortunately some of it is beyond my ability to do correctly in a timely manner. Between the newborn, my dad's funeral in a few days and dealing with his estate, l really don't have the time. A local garage I trust is scheduled to do all of it and more for ~$1400 tomorrow.
Depending on how extensive the wiring was, that’s a lot of skilled labor. Doing wiring and electrical stuff in general sucks balls.
well it he meant plug wires. But that isn't too bad for a shop price. Around here 100+/hour. Doesn't take long to add up.
When I was still auto-crossing my Mustang, 12 years ago, the limited slip would wear out every 9-10 events. I changed it myself the first time - very dirty, stinky job. Thereafter I was happy to pay a local guy $200.00, plus parts, to drain the diff, replace the friction plates and zip it back up. Shouldn't be more than $400.00 now, less if no LSD issues. Thing is, it can be safely delayed, unless you race or a/x your truck. All the other stuff can also wait, except maybe the brakes. DIY one thing a weekend and it will be done in no time. Good luck.
I remember my parents 94 taurus with a 3.8L v6, the front 3 spark plugs took minutes. The back 3 well it either took hours and a pretty bleeding arm or you had to unbolt the front mount and twist the engine forward. Not fun times.
A buddy and I used to do tune-ups on neighborhood cars to make a bit of extra cash. A '54 Mercury w/ the 292 ci(?) v-8 nearly drove us crazy. All but one spark plug were right out in the open, but the last was under the dash. You could see it, barely, but not touch it at the same time. No way you could get a socket on it even w/ 2 universal joints. We finally gave up and returned the car w/ 7 new plugs. Lucky for us the car ran fine w/ one old plug. Later on, I helped a friend w/ a Sunbeam Tiger change plugs. You had to access one plug through a hole in the inner fender panel w/ the wheel and tire removed. Great fun in the era when you used one set of plugs for the street and another for the track.
Fucking finally: C8 Corvette ZR1/Z06 to Ditch Pushrod Config for Flat-Plane Crank V8 https://ls1tech.com/articles/motortrend-c8-corvette-zr1-z06s-flat-crank-v8/
My CX5 lease is coming up and I'm looking into a midsize pickup. As of now, I'm looking at the new Ford Ranger and the Honda Ridgeline. Of the two, so far I've test driven the Honda. Super comfortable, drives very much like the CX5, lots of great tech. I'll test the Ford in a couple weeks. While "AWD truck" is sacrilege to some, I'm not going to be overlanding, and at most will be driving into a field while deer hunting. 90% of the time, I'll be hauling shit from Home Depot. Beyond that, I'm used to how front wheel biased AWD vehicles perform. On the other hand, 4x4, do whatever needs to be done, fuckin America! truck is also appealing. Open to hear some opinions from you folks on these two options, or others. One thing to note is that I can only fit a midsize in my garage. The Ranger and Ridgeline are both 230" long and will just fit. Have at it.
I drove a customers Ridgeline and was blown away by how it drove and how car like it was inside. Friend of mine has the diesel GMC Canyon and likes it a lot.
Friend of mine bought an older one and he drove us up fishing in it this year. I was pretty impressed with the under-bed storage it has... lots of room for things like cases of beer, and more cases of beer.
4x4 is nice but from the intended use you described, in my opinion not necessary. If you need extra traction just toss some sandbags or rock salt in the bed and leave it at that. I would definitely check out both the F-150 and the Dodge 1500 if they're in your price range. I drive an F250 but know quite a few people who drive either the f150 or 1500 (my first truck was a 1500 too) and they have nothing but great things to say. The ridgeline is nice as well, though I've never personally been in one.
In my entire driving life I've always driven a 4wd pickup. I grew up and lived in the north and mountainous areas and rarely in the winter have I needed to put it in 4wd during normal daily winter snow/ice driving. That said, I've also never needed to find bags of sand or figure out what to do with those bags of sand when I needed the bed space. During the unintentional skids I've experienced, the extra dead weight would only have exacerbated the skid. Unless effinshenanigans is looking for a regular cab, neither the F-150 or the Ram 1500 will likely fit within his space limit of 230in.
I used to drive an F-250 before ABS on the rear wheels, and it was a life-saver to have a ton of weight in the bed as it stopped the back wheels from locking up under the slightest breaking pressure. Sure, most (80%?) of your braking force is done by the front wheels, but you really don't want the back end breaking loose and sliding around. I've even watched teams wreck race cars because they got the brake bias set too far back in rainy/slippery conditions... car becomes totally uncontrollable in that scenario. Weight over the rear wheels in snowy/slippery conditions does help, in my experience, even with ABS, especially with a very heavy/stiff suspension. That's why you try to get a vehicle to squat under braking, not pitch the nose forward.