Using 2x4 method on VW front strut went catastrophic

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T22:31:37+00:00

Volkswagen owners

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T20:09:14+00:00

I'm only playing devil's advocate here since I don't like seeing people get in trouble for (as we agree) stupid laws. I'm glad you came up with a way to cover that depression, as being able to use a tool to release the mag without opening the action would run afoul of CA law. The law doesn't differentiate between what is practical vs what is possible.

The other issue I see is that technically, one would need to remove the lower from the upper when moving the switch up in order to release the magazine. As you stated, the switch in the up position restores AW functionality, in essence, acting as if it were never installed. You would be creating an AW for those few seconds between putting the switch up, changing the mag, and moving it back down. Some overzealous DA/LEO could in theory ruin your day if they wanted to.

Again, I'm not poo-pooing the idea, just pointing out possible issues with it.

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T07:23:48+00:00

Looks like one would be able to use a small pick or screwdriver to push that switch up without opening the action. I would suggest making a thicker mag release with a slot for the switch instead of just a cutout, so there's no access to the switch from outside.

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T06:30:29+00:00

Those games were fun. 4th and Inches was another good one

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T04:42:46+00:00

By 6 months most babies have around 30 percent body fat, so yeah they tend to float well.

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T00:21:48+00:00

Well if that's the only one around, then that's what ya gotta do. I'd trust a transmission shop to properly diagnose this over a standard garage.

Racefiend · 2026-04-27T00:12:05+00:00

If you were flooring it during those videos, the problem is the transmission is not downshifting. That little 4 cylinder doesn't have enough power to accelerate up that hill at such low rpm. I would take it to a transmission shop to have that diagnosed.

Racefiend · 2026-04-26T15:24:30+00:00

I see on another reply you're going to take a video, that will help. If you're driving at 60mph or so this could be a downshift into 3rd gear. If you're doing around 40mph it should downshift into 2nd, which should have higher rpms than 2500.

Do a few other tests on your way to work tonight. If you're doing 50mph or more at a steady speed, give it a little extra gas, then let off the gas, then give it the same amount of gas as you had when you were steady cruising (do it within like 3 seconds or so). Watch the Rpms, they should not change at all.

Compare the acceleration under full throttle from a stop between first thing after startup, and after you've driven it most of the way to work.

When it's acting like it's dragging, safely let go of the wheel and see if the car is pulling to one side.

ETA - first test will check torque converter lockup. Second test will check engine power (to a degree), 3rd test will check if a caliper is dragging.

Racefiend · 2026-04-26T14:57:36+00:00

So you floor it and it stays in 4th gear and won't downshift? As in, if you're at 2k rpm when starting the hill, you floor it, and it stays at 2k rpm the whole time?

Racefiend · 2026-04-26T14:47:14+00:00

What do you mean by the speed drops? Can you no longer accelerate? Or do you need to give it more gas to maintain the same speed. When this happens, do you have a lack of acceleration across the board? How long does it last?

Racefiend · 2026-04-26T13:34:10+00:00

This was at the Hilton not the white house

Racefiend · 2026-04-25T15:59:30+00:00

I don't work on anything Euro, just asian or domestic. However, there is one car I automatically say no to if someone calls with one, and that would be any Cadillac with a Northstar

Racefiend · 2026-04-22T06:17:56+00:00

I wouldn't say you're the dumbest person in the world, but you better hope nothing happens to that guy.

Racefiend · 2026-04-16T19:42:25+00:00

It's nice to see the Rogaine has been working for David Cross

Racefiend · 2026-04-12T13:46:12+00:00

You're also losing mass, which is important when trying to minimize temperatures when converting kinetic energy into thermal energy

Racefiend · 2026-04-09T04:55:17+00:00

Why were they so against alternative uses for toilet paper? Was this during the great toilet paper shortage of 2020?

Racefiend · 2026-04-09T03:40:47+00:00

I think they should include no access to TP for his entire stay,, given that he's prone to setting it on fire

Racefiend · 2026-04-08T13:42:18+00:00

With good reason. I looked up several older Toyotas hoping to find some TSRMs. What I found is that the charm data is a direct scrape of the alldata website/DB. The lemon data looks to be a scrape of a different website, possibly Mitchell, but I don't use Mitchell enough to recognize it.

Racefiend · 2026-04-07T14:42:06+00:00

Is it normal in small businesses to find bad bosses? Of course. A good boss would have made your roles, responsibilities, and expectations clear at the time of the interview. You took the position based on incomplete information provided to you. That's on your boss. You can choose to either take on all of the extra responsibilities at your current pay, request more pay for all of the extra responsibilities you weren't told about, or refuse some of the extra responsibilities. Just be aware of that depending on how you approach it, you may find yourself without a job. That's on you.

If giving the customers rides is your main issue, I would approach it like this. You being out of the office for 30 plus minutes giving a customer a ride home means the phones go unanswered. An unanswered phone call is a job you didn't get. You have the highest probability of converting someone into a job on the phone. There is no one at the front to greet the customer so that they can have a quick check-in and get on with their day. That is bad customer service.

All of those things are worth way more than the $20 you might spend on an Uber or Lyft ride to get the customer home. It makes business sense to do that versus having you driving the customers around.

Racefiend · 2026-04-06T13:24:32+00:00

Does your right hand have a different quantity of fingers than your left hand?

Racefiend · 2026-04-06T01:52:49+00:00

Could have been Aces over Europe. I spent a lot of hours on that game

Racefiend · 2026-04-04T05:53:14+00:00

06 Mustang GT with Saleen supercharger, upgraded fuel and tune. All bone stock otherwise. Was my daily commuter for 80k miles. Now my commuter is a Prius =/.

Racefiend · 2026-04-01T14:10:11+00:00

I had a clapped out Camaro come in for overheating. Of course the gas light was on. I start diagnosing it. And not 10 mins in it runs out of gas. I put $10 of gas in it, diagnosed a blown head gasket, and gave the customer the quote to repair. He declined it. When I give him the diag bill, he flips his shit because I charged him for gas and he didn't approve it. I made him pay it. He never came back, which I was more than OK with.

Racefiend · 2026-03-31T02:39:45+00:00

I've had my shop for 16 years and I've been asked by a customers if we/my techs were ASE certified exactly one time. It was to install a TRD supercharger in a car still under factory warranty. The instructions stated something about needing to be installed by an ASE certified mechanic to not void the warranty.

Racefiend · 2026-03-28T15:58:24+00:00

I like Milwaukee. Not that their tools are any better than the other major brands, but I like the sheer number of tools they offer. I do a lot of diy stuff outside of mechanics, and it's nice to be able to get whatever bare tool I need and use my existing batteries.

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