2018 Honda CRV

 2019 Honda CRV

Neighbor Sally came over and knocked on our door just as we were getting ready to leave for Chicago and the Happy Together concert.  Said her car's dash was flicking all the lights on and off, as well as the little turn signals on top of her rearview mirrors, and wouldn't start.

Went over and looked at it.  It is a keyless ignition like my Pacifica and pushing the brake several times and pressing it, finally stopped the display, but it still wouldn't start.  When you tried the display began again.  Tried several things to no avail.  Ultimately pushed on the horn and the slightest peep came out, so knew her battery was run down.

She was going to call the dealer and see if they would come out.  I went home and Cathy looked up a YouTube procedure to reboot the computer.  She printed that off but it wasn't going to be useful because I was sure the battery was dead.  Sally had the car parked in the middle of the garage, so I couldn't drive next to her and try and jump it either.  The dealer recommended she have it towed to them.

Just for the heck of it, I popped the hood and the battery looked pretty friendly to take out.  She said it was the original battery, so it was about 6 years old.  With a pair of pliers I was able to get the leads off the terminals quite easily and the restrainer strap was quite friendly as well.  Before you knew it I had the battery out.

We hopped in my car and drove over to the dealership and they confirmed the battery was way dead and sold her a new one.  

The new one went in quite easily and with a small flashlight I was able to hook the restrainer rods back up and tighter everything.

The car popped right on, but the dash lights stayed lit.  I told her to take it around the neighborhood for a mile.  She did and the computer reset and the trouble lights went out.  She was very happy.  Hopefully it solved her problem and the new battery will charge OK.  

2017 Subaru Legacy

 2017 Subaru Legacy

We bought this one new and added the 7 year/ 70K warranty (whichever comes first).$24,320 purchase price.  It's a great little car.  Because it's on the warranty, I will have Subaru do the oil changes so I have tire rotation and the check-ups to keep the warranty valid.

2021 Chrysler Pacifica

2021 Chrysler Pacifica   Touring L

March 31, 2023 found us trading in our 2009 Town & Country with 167,000+ on it for this white beauty with 7000 miles on it and 1 year 9 months left on the factory warranty.  Bought it at a Cadillac Dealership in Ocala, FL where it had apparently been traded in on a Caddy.  Car Fax is clean. Car runs great. It is like a brand new car for $33,465 plus the tax and paperwork which amounts to another 2500+.  It is a beauty.  Odometer rolled to 7000 while we were driving it home.

April 17, 2023 discovered a neat feature. I thought I would have to purchase crossrails aftermarket, but they are contained in the siderails already. Four thumb screws off, bridge them across (they are letter coded) and thumb screws back on. The ends articulate a little to give them some height!

Add the kayak holders 

2018 Dodge Caravan

 2018 Dodge Caravan (Chris Linzmeier)

114,000 Miles approx. Chris drove it down to FL but had a problem along the way. He turned into a short curb and damaged right wheel bearings slightly and had it fixed about a hundred miles later. New wheel bearings on left and right front.  The mechanic noticed a problem with the sliding pin of the right front brake caliper and we took it off to inspect and it was rusted and frozen.  We didn't try real hard to free it because we didn't want to get in over our heads. Took it to George in Leesburg and he was too inclusive and busy.  Discovered another mechanic (Hampton's) and took it there. We had seen both pins on the left rear caliper were frozen. Left it there for all to be put in order. More later.

2018 Dodge Caravan (Chris)

Chris bought this new a few years ago and has put 122,000 or so on it. He has had a lot of road trips and it is a beautiful car.  Looks very good yet. Except the brakes because of the salt in the winter up in WI, I think. He drove it down here to FL to visit in March 2021 and bumped the right front wheel over a curb up by Clarskville, TN somewhere. Stopped at a small town mechanic and had two new front wheel bearings put in. While up on the lift the mechanic noticed right front brake caliper slider on bottom was frozen.

We had looked at the left rear caliper and found it corroded and both slide pins frozen, but felt we could deal with that as a secondary issue.  They put it up that afternoon and quoted him $1100 for all four calipers, rotors, hoses, and pads.  They had found what we knew to be a true problem. Chris went for it and a few days later drove back north with new stuff all around and the two new front wheel bearings, but a small fold under the door, which I am sure we could have fixed with a vice-grip, piece of lath, and a rag, but didn't.

We can't claim any great success from this mission other than finding the deal, and a mechanic closer and cheaper than the one I had.

2014 Subaru Forester

 2014 Subaru Forester

Josie's latest car.  She got bid for 500-plus dollars from the dealership to replace all 4 brakes as they were getting worn down on inspection they did while changing her oil.  She brought it up to the farm and I popped all four in for one hundred dollars worth of pads.  

No problem with the calipers.  Front ones have double pistons, but I was easily able to push them back in after oiling under the boots.  The calipers came off easily.  A little trouble snapping the new pads into the new hardware in the slots, but it went.  

Back calipers much, much smaller and I did both sides in half an hour.  

Only problem was that one right front lugnut came off with much difficulty.  It was cross threaded and when I went to put it back on, I cross threaded another lug with it.  Josie commented that a state trooper had helped her change a flat and had said he cross threaded one.  Now I had to put a few washers on one to make sure she has four holding the wheel on.  She will take it to Severson's this week and see about re-threading it or whatever can be done.

2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

 2013 VW Jetta TDI

Cathy and I bought this beauty used up in Jacksonville, FL and traded in Patriot Blue in the process, which broke my heart to do.  24,000 miles on it and it is gorgeous.  We had given up our previous Jetta TDI in the VW buyback program because they offered us so much for it we were able to buy a brand new Subaru.

2009 Chrysler Town & Country

2009 Chrysler Town & Country

I call this one the "Silver Streak".  Brakes were getting very wobbly and I determined that I would change the warped rotors next job.  They finally started grinding and I tackled the job on June 14, 2019.

The calipers are very friendly and are held on with a 13mm bolt. You have to hold the nut with a wrench while you loosen the bolt. Take the top one out and just loosen the bottom one a little bit. The inner portion of the caliper will swing down, either with or without the pads.  In either case, pull out the pads and the old clips that the pad frame rides in.  The new clips are left and right; it matters which one is on the inside and outside. It is obvious if you pay a little attention to it, and dry-fit a pad. Once clipped in properly, apply a little caliper grease and wiggle the pads into place.  The piston does not rotate as it is depressed, so you can use a C-clamp with a socket placed inside the piston to have something less deep to push against.  Lube under the rubber piston cover and depress it in.  The assembly will now go back up and you can tighten everything back up. Mission accomplished.

The driver side front pads were worn thin but not to the rivets, and the rotor was fine on both sides, so I didn't replace that one.  The passenger side front was a different story.  The inside pad was worn down and metal had scored the rotor very badly.  Now things become more complex.  The other caliper bolt has to come off now and the caliper can be stuffed up above the transaxle for safe keeping.  There is a metal fence over the edge of the rotor that is held in place by two large bolts that do not want to come off.  A 13/16 socket can be tapped onto them and a breaker bar attached.  I have realized that pounding doesn't really do the trick and now have learned that steady pressure on the breaker bar is the answer.  I positioned it so that I could use my foot on it from laying under the front fender.  I was able to put a lot of pressure on it, and voila!  They come loose with much reluctance.  It is almost as hard tapping the 13/16 socket off the bolt head as it was loosening them, but now the fence comes off and we can remove the rotor.  This is also difficult because the rotor has been on there 106,000 miles and is corroded on.  If you hammer it too hard, you can fracture it and now you are in trouble if you can't get the rest off!  Penetrating oil and a gear-puller will do the trick.  The gear puller is put on the spindle with the grabs on the rotor edges.  The trick is to put moderate pressure on the gear puller, keep spraying WD-40 on the central edge where it slides over the hub, and tap on the backside of the rotor until it suddenly starts to move and eventually pops off the hub.  Now the new rotor can be put on very easily and the whole thing put back together.

2004 Hyundai Santa Fe

2004 Hyundai Santa Fe

This car belongs to Josie and had recent crankshaft sensor replaced, then brakes started grinding.  I drove it up to Sparta and put new pads in both sides of the front.  The calipers came off real nicely, but there are two pistons in each caliper on this car.  I had a problem pushing in one of them on the left front.  I needed two C-clamps to finally bully it in far enough to get the new pads on.  The inside pad was worn off right down to the rivets.  The rotor scoring was moderate and I did not replace the rotor even though it will probably wear the pad down more quickly.

The real problem will be that the tight piston will also wear more material off that inner pad.  I put it all back together and it brakes nicely, with no travel with hands off steering wheel while braking.  I told Josie that it may wear down within a year and that if she keeps this car and I redo them later, we will replace the rotor and also extrude the piston and steel wool it off until it travels without resistance.

2007 Mazda 3

2007 Mazda 3 (Sara & Aaron's)

First brake-job of the year, done in the driveway of the new house in Edgerton, with help from my little grandson, Nik.  After I got the right bit to remove the calipers at the parts store, everything went without incident.  Very friendly system, no surprises.  Pistons pushed back easily with a C-clamp and lubed.  Boots unharmed.  The old brakes all had a little left on them, so no appreciable rotor scoring.  It was a one-coca cola job.  Test drove it and everything worked well. 

2001 Toyota Sienna

2001 Toyota Sienna (Ben's)

In October, had the fun of putting new front pads in Ben L's Sienna minivan.  It was very straightforward with virtually no problems, pretty much like the Carolla.  Friendly caliper attachments and easy pad fitting back in over the rotors.

2005 Ford F-150

2005 Ford F-150 (Chris's)

His is silver and usually carries a rack for work.  Couple years ago, we replaced the front pads and last year he was certain that one brake was grabbing a little bit and heating up more than the other, so we took them down and examined/cleaned them.

Got a call from him while at Sparta, and after golfing all day with Mike in 95-degree heat.  Next morning I drove up there and we took the wheels off again, cleaned the little aluminum tracks that the calipers slide in, and greased everything up.  The pads were like new!  No unusual wear on either side.  Went for a spin and everything seemed great.  I noticed that on the end of those little tracks, there is a punch-tab which apparently just keeps the pad from sliding off the inside near the rotor.  The dust and grease did build up there and became like a little chunk of plastic fabric which we chased out of there before greasing.  Shot WD-40 behind the dual piston boots as well, like always.  It should be good for a long while.

2007 Toyota Carolla

2007 Toyota Carolla (Scott's)

Got the chance to work on my first Toyota. Scott's front pads were worn right down and scraping.  We had difficulty getting the wheels to fall off the hub after removing the lug nuts. The first one popped off after I let a little bit of the car's weight on it, but the second one eventually required a 2X4 against the inside of the rim and a whack from a mall.  Once that was solved the pad change went uneventfully.  The calipers swing down on the bottom bolt and then fall off and the pads are easy to insert.  The C-clamp pushes the piston back in without problem. We lubed the piston, put the new pad-tracks on the calipers and lubed them as well.  The front right was worn the worst and the rotor was somewhat scored but we did not replace it.  Once done, everything worked fine.

1991 Hyundai Accent

1991 Hyundai Accent (Josie's)

My first encounter with Josie's Accent involved a van-camping trip to Portland, Oregon to get at it.  Her front brakes needed doing and Chris and I needed a road trip through Wyoming, Montana, the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho, and the Columbia River Gorge.  We really lived it up on the way there.  Drove in to Portland, took her car and drove it to a parking lot below a service station where they said we could work on it for the day.  Started on the front passenger side and got into a nightmare right away.  I removed one bolt from the caliper but could not get the other to turn, even with vice grips and a universal nut removing tool.  After an hour, I discovered that the caliper simply swung up on a pin.  What I was trying to remove was just a bump in the casting to accommodate the pin on the other side. 

It turned out that the brakes were very, very friendly if you simply knew the set-up!  We drove to a parts store with the van and picked up the pads; and the driver side went in about ten minutes.  Anyway, we ended up doing a crack job, new pads, WD-40 squirted around the piston boots, and caliper crease where applicable.

Put the car back at Josie's and continued on our adventure, taking some waterfall hikes with her the next morning before starting home.  It turned out to be a very fine trip.

2000 Chrysler Town & Country

2000 Chrysler Town & Country

"Patriot Blue" was bought up in Kewaunee, WI a few years ago and has been a remarkable bargain.  67,000 miles on it when purchased, it hasn't had any major breakdowns.  I've replaced brakes and one rotor over the years and have run it on Mobil One 10W30 ever since buying it, changing oil and filters on the 10K markers since.  Rarely have even topped it up. 

A number of years ago, the right electric window motor failed and I was dumb enough to take it to a Chrysler garage to have it fixed because the car was so mint.  Cost me about 500-bucks and it failed a year later.  Not to be a sucker twice, I waited until Cathy went on a trip and then obtained a six pack of beer and took the door apart.  I had to work through an access hole that was quite small, but I eventually managed to get a small mirror, an electric drill, and my hand in there and drill a tiny hole through a Teflon piece which was supposed to fit in a metal cup that had obviously popped off and fallen out the drainage hole at the bottom of the door.  I replaced the joint with a small cotter pin and it has worked fine ever since.  The little butterfly windows in the back have motors that are weakening but I haven't bothered to address them because they close tightly even if they don't always go full open.

In 2013 I had the right wheel bearings start to rub and for the life of me couldn't get the knuckle off, so I took it to Severson's in Madison and they put in new ones on both sides, which have been performing beautifully ever since.

Fall of 2013, on the way down to Florida for the winter, the transmission started acting up, staying in too low a gear for the speed and ultimately refusing to shift out of first or second in Georgia.  We stopped for the night and I checked everything I could.  The next day we set out for big city of Albany, thinking to stop there and have it diagnosed.  Figured to maybe have to junk old "Patriot Blue" and rent a car to get the rest of the way to Mount Dora.  Set out in the morning and it was touch and go, grinding away in the wrong gear.  Going was quite slow and I was worried we would even make it to Albany.  Wouldn't you know, as we approached the city, it shifted up and acted OK.  We decided to wing it and actually drove it all the way to Mount Dora, albeit with lots of trepidation.  I took it to the Transmission Physician in Eustis the next day and he first put it on the computer.  A code came up for 'throttle-body sensor' and we examined the engine compartment.  The squirrels in Sparta, I am sure, had chewed the wiring.  He repaired all the gnawed insulation and wires and the doggone car drove like a champ.  We even drove it to Key West and back a few weeks later with no worries at all.  Before spring we made a decision to buy another Town and Country, which we managed to do, and we left Patriot Blue in the garage in Mount Dora, deciding to let her live out her days in the good weather.  We stuck cots in this van and taken it on camping trips to New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado; and Chris L and I took it on a camping trip to Portland and back and up over the Lolo Pass in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho.  My dream is to get a quarter of a million miles on her, which I have never done with a car. 

1/2020 -- 244,000-miles

Rear driver side brake pads ripped right off the shoes and flopping around in the drum causing many problems.  Replaced both rear brakes.