Breathe Easy

Recently, I've received a few emails from friends and family asking me to look over their tune-up invoice to see if they are being ripped off.  At the top of each invoice, it seems that mechanics are over charging for a simple air filter change.  I've seen some charge up to $55 for this service!  This is three times more than the actual cost of a regular paper filter that can be bought at any Autozone, Pep Boys, etc.  As a service to you, here's a quick video I found on Youtube that walks you through the simple process of changing an air filter.  Similar videos for your specific car can also be found on Youtube if you're still nervous about trying this.  Remember to check this every 15,000-20,000 miles.  You can thank me later for the savings at the mechanic as well as the pump.

N-thusiast X-tinction Part 2

Look down at your center console (now at me, now back to your console...damn Old Spice commercials).  I bet there's at least 3 things that you notice right away.  There's the shifter, a cup holder probably, and the hand brake.  This last item goes by many names.  There's hand brake, parking brake, and emergency brake, or e-brake for short.  I've decided that e-brake will from now on mean "enthusiast brake."  Let me explain after the jump.

My Mazdaspeed 3