Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with maintenance

Where can I buy reasonably cheap, reliable air filters for my 1997 Saturn SL2?

RobotHeart — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:10:25 -0800

Where can I buy reasonably cheap, reliable air filters for my 1997 Saturn SL2? I would prefer to walk into a store where I can talk to someone. I live on the border of Cuyahoga and Lake County near Cleveland, Ohio, if anyone wants to give region-specific advice. My car drinks oil a bit because the seals on the engine are getting old. I used to get my air filter checked every time I went for an oil change, but now I find it needs oil every 2k miles or so and the oil doesn't seem to be thickening, so now I top off the oil myself and go for professional changes a little less often. So I figure I should have a couple of filters around, too. But I don't know much else about cars. I can tell you I recently had to have my muffler, muffler strap and catalytic converter replaced (in a really good experience at Rainbow Muffler in Willoughby Hills -- seriously, ask for Ed, you'll love him), so I'm betting my air filter is pretty disgusting by now.

Fixing a broken iPhone?

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:51:31 -0800

Broken iPhone sleep/wake button... I have access to an old iPhone with a broken sleep/wake button. The button is "pressed into" the case, and so is permanently pressed in.

I'd like to do something with it. Other than the button the phone worked fine. Is there an easy / inexpensive fix for this? Are there instructions for disassembly? Is there a place I can sell this phone other than eBay?

How do you choose tires for a car?

Chuckles — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:49:24 -0800

How do you choose tires for a car? In particular, what is the best deal on all-season long lasting tires for a 2004 Toyota Matrix XR Front Wheel Drive, size 215/50/R17 in Southern Ontario. Some backstory...

So, my Mom needs new tires. The original equipment tires were some kind of performance compound type which have a wear rating of 200. She wants something that will last much longer, and perform well in winter weather (that is, cheapest possible tire per km driven, while not sacrificing utility in Canadian winters).

Problem is, she has been told by at least a couple of local shops that she has to replace the tires with similar performance compound type models. The local shops say that handling will be effected by any change, and they won't do it (or at least they don't want to).

This seems insane to me (Note: I've never driven, but I am technically minded). Sure, soft tires are going to handle better in ideal conditions, that's the whole point, but that doesn't seem relevant to my Mom's driving, or safety, or to anything other than up-selling an old lady.

Current status...

So, this whole 'replace with similar' issue may have been solved, because she has been shopping around and found places who are suggesting (or at least accepting her choice - whatever) a couple of relatively long wear tires. However, that doesn't really address the important question - what is the best value available.

Candidates...

Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread, at $195 each installed (and balanced, although why you'd quote an installation without it being a complete and proper installation is a mystery to me). These have an apparently extraordinary wear rating (according to tirerack) of 740!

Falken ZE-912, at $150 each installed. These have a wear rating of 480.

Finally, real questions...

Better deals around S. Ontario? Will the Goodyears really last 1.5x better than the Falkens? Remember that these have to be good in snow.

Every man's home is his weekend project

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:31:29 -0800

Every 3,000 miles, I change the motor oil. But what about the house? I need a home repair and maintenance schedule? I'm looking for the best books and online resources that describe optimum home repair schedules and practices. What I'm looking for is a generalized checklist of Good Things to Do around the house, in the same way your car's owner's manual describes regular maintenance activities (e.g. change the oil, change the brake pads, etc).

As in, every January, change the furnace filter; in February, change the smoke detector batteries.

Tipping maintenance workers?

anotherpanacea — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:13:48 -0800

Tipping maintenance work? We've recently moved into a large apartment complex, where there's on-site, salaried maintenance staff that handles most repairs. We had a lot of trouble when we first moved in, and the guy who fixed everything was really prompt and helpful. For instance, he came in at 1 AM on our first night to fix a leak in the bathroom ceiling.

Since then, we've had a few smaller issues, and though he's promised to deal with them, he's failed to follow through for weeks at a time. He's unfailingly polite, but I'm wondering if maybe we were supposed to tip and he's giving us the cold-service-shoulder in hopes that we'll get the message.

So: is it expected that one tip maintenance workers for each job (I know that Christmas gifts are expected) and if so, how much? Or should I simply call the building management and complain?

Preventive Medicine

netbros — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:24:03 -0800

Are expensive, precautionary tests for health preventive maintenance an abuse of the medical system? We change the oil, belts, and filters in our cars on a regular basis to avoid failure. We update our computers appropriately with the latest security patches. Women get mammograms, men prostate screenings. Occasional chest x-rays have become routine. But what about the more expensive diagnostic testing?

My grandfather died of heart disease. My father survived a heart attack when he was 52, but has had two angioplasty procedures since. Obviously, at age 55, I am at high risk for heart disease, but am otherwise very healthy. A couple years ago I talked with my physician about testing my arteries before they clog or blow. He ordered a preventive stress test, and everything looked rosey.

Is this kind of testing abusive? How about MRI or CT-scan for those with a family history of stroke? Will this kind of preventive testing cause insurance rates to go up for everyone? Should it be more common? Thanks in advance for your help.

My bike is making a clicking noise...

coolguy#1 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:30:27 -0800

My bike is making a clicking noise... Hey everyone. I recently purchased a used bike and it is making a mysterious clicking noise. I have been able to isolate the noise to the rear tire, and it pretty much only occurs when the wheel is rotating on its own, as opposed to when I'm pedaling. I tried lying the bike on its side and spinning the rear wheel in an attempt to see what may be causing the noise, but I can't see anything physically tapping the spokes or any other part of the wheel as it turns, so I'm stumped.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Best free Windows malware removers?

i_am_joe's_spleen — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:15:22 -0800

What free Windows malware detectors/removers should I put on a CD or USB stick? I will shortly be visiting a relative with an XP machine which I have reason to believe may be less than sanitary. I have not been maintaining Windows boxes regularly for a couple of years, so I am not up with the play, but I have a modest level of cluefulness as a hardcore Unix person and ex-XP user.

If I were to offer to clean this machine up, what I should I use to do so? I was thinking of creating a disk of utilities for the purpose before I leave.

My outside air conditioning unit needs a Karen Silkwood shower

Unicorn on the cob — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:56:31 -0800

Help me de-gunk my outside air conditioner. Last year, I had a great guy replace my air conditioning unit in my five-year-old house. Being not the best homeowner in the world, I had no idea there was a vast series of weekly and monthly steps to be done to keep things nice (with the house in general), which led to me spending three grand putting in a whole new unit.

The guy told me that my outside air unit needs to be cleaned regularly to keep debris (leaves, bug bodies, crap in general) out of the blades surrounding the fan. He said the occasional high-pressure spray down with an outside garden hose would do, and that's what I've been doing. But he also mentioned that every 5 years or so, the blades in the vents would get so clogged I should do an "enzyme clean." He specifically said it was for the blades on the outside unit, NOT a duct cleaning or coil cleaning. Well, I tried calling the guy this summer and his number is disconnected, and googled "enzyme clean" and all I get is services for cleaning air ducts.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I looked at my unit yesterday and it looks pretty gunked up and I would love for it to be running as efficiently, cleanly and coolly as possible now that the 100+ degree days have started. Ideally, I would love to just do it myself, if that were possible, and he mentioned you could buy the product yourself and do it without professional help or hire an HVAC person to come and do the cleaning for you... but now I don't know who to call or what to ask for. If it helps, I'm in Dallas.

Would you like to supersize that oil change?

wondercow — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:43:26 -0800

Are the "extra services" that the oil change shops offer ever worth it? I'm not particularly gifted in the field auto mechanics, so I have my car's oil changed at a local chain quick-lube shop. It seems like every time I go in, there is something that the computer says is due for my car. I have been to several different chains, and they all seem to do this. "Sir, according to the computer, it is recommended that you have your transmission flushed today." "The computer says that your ____ fluid ought to be changed today." Since I don't know much about auto maintenance, I never know how to respond to these sorts of questions. Are these "upgrades" ever worthwhile?

Last time I had my oil changed, they wanted to change my power steering fluid, and I said yes. The flushing machine had a window in it and I could see some sort of muddy brown fluid leaving my car and then a nice clear-ish fluid returning. It seemed like a good idea at the time and made me feel good about how I was treating my car. However, I thought about it later and realized that I have never heard of anyone ever, ever having their power steering fluid flushed and that this was probably a complete waste of money.

Today, they wanted to clean my fuel injectors with my oil change. I didn't want to be taken again, so I declined. Now I am wondering...are any of these oil change "upgrades" ever worthwhile? I see from my car's manual that the manufacturer has outlined a required maintenance calendar. However, I am of the school of thought that it is better to spend $30 on preventative maintenance now than $3000 a few years down the road when something important wears out. At the same time, I'm sure that some services they offer are just a plain old waste of money.

What do you think, hivemind? What sorts of services are and aren't worth it? In case it matters, I drive a 2004 Honda Civic with just under 40,000 miles, but any generic auto maintenance advice would be appreciated as well.

How difficult is a water softener install?

hijinx — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:37:16 -0800

Much like my last question posted here four years ago about OS9, I am being flummoxed by hard water. Or more specifically, the level of difficulty wrt installing a water softener. How hard is it? This is all before I RTFM which came with the softener, but I want to get a feel for what I'm getting involved in... hopefully from someone else who has done this.

Our house has an old (10 year old? maybe?) water softener that is rented. Thus, all of the hardware is in place for such a device. We went ahead and bought a new water softener outright, so once the rented one is gone we'll be putting in the new one.

My skill level with plumbing is low. I've replaced a gasket on a bathroom faucet handle once, I've removed and cleaned pipes under the sink once or twice, I've jiggled toilet handles 50 times, but that's it.

With my skill set and the existing hardware seemingly in place, can anyone provide a feel for how difficult a task this is? If it's too hard, we'll get a handyman. But I wouldn't mind avoiding that cost.

Maintenance for Dummies

ForeverDcember — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:18:07 -0800

What books can I get to not be a "dummy" when it comes to my new job? (more inside) I just took on a job as a secretary at a hospital in the engineering department. Basically, I want to know more about the technicians' jobs so I can better understand what they do and be a little more efficient in my position. I see a lot of work orders each day. There are HVAC techs, electricians, plumbers, painters and then maintenance techs. They oversee all the preventative and corrective maintenance in the building like air conditioning, heating, plumbing and installing lighting, automatic doors, freezers/fridges, clogged toilets/sinks/showers, patch and paint walls, fire systems, elevators.... a lot of stuff. I want to read up more on how to do some of these things (the basics) and how they work (again, the basics). There is no "building maintenance for dummies" unfortunately, does anyone have any suggestions? I would like actual books instead of websites, although websites can be helpful. Thanks in advance for any help!

How do I care for an antique flag?

sciurus — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:42:17 -0800

Antique Flag Care: How do I care for a WW I era flag? I recently received the flag that covered my great-grandfather's casket. He was a WW I POW [twice!]. The flag is roughly folded in an old cardboard box. I'd like to get it cleaned and cared for before I have my local Veterans Service Commission fold it properly so I can display it in a flag case.

How should I go about cleaning and caring for it? Is getting it drycleaned going to harm it? What else should I consider?

Help me not donate more money to dealer profit than I really need to...

Asherah — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:29:39 -0800

2006 Honda Civic service schedule: Maintenance Minder or dealer service recommendation? I've listed my 2006 Civic for sale, but am still unsure as to which maintenance schedule the car should follow, and would like to provide this information to any potential buyers. The operational and service manuals (as well as the Honda Owner's website) indicates that maintenance is only required when specific number/letter codes appear on the dash display.

Of course the dealer recommends services as specific set intervals, the next of which is 35K miles. They stated that this service includes: oil change, transmission fluid check/refill, air cabin filter and engine air filter (?) change, new brake pads, tire rotation, and a valve check. The quoted cost being a semi-outrageous $449, of course.

This car has been well maintained and not driven hard by any means. I know the dealer will obviously overcharge for the amount of work that will be done, but it would seem that getting this service done would bring more piece of mind to a used car buyer. I also already have one serious buyer who has driven the car and has not expressed concern over the lack of the 35K mile service (mileage just barely exceeds 35K).

Recommendations on what you would you do? Pay the dealer for the service, find a non-dealer who can to the equivalent for a lower cost, state to any buyers that all maintenance has been done per the 'maintenance minder' codes, which it has for the past two years.

Maintenance left paint on things. What now?

djpyk — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:55:02 -0800

While fixing a problem with my bathtub, maintenance guys got a nice mini-layer of paint all over everything in my bathroom, and some stuff in my bedroom. What do I do now? I queried my apartment building management to fix a crack in my bathtub from wear-and-tear. After a week of no communication, they finally showed up today without notice while I was leaving for a dentist appointment. It turned out to be 2 guys I couldn't understand and they couldn't understand me--an unfortunate the language barrier. I had to leave, so I left my apartment. Note that they had entry to my apartment either way (i.e., they locked the door when they left, a deadbolt). They seemed to know that the tub was the problem, however.

When I came back this evening, there was a nice white-paint soot over everything in my bathroom. They threw everything I had in my tub into the sink (I could have done this for them if I had known they were coming in advance) as well as on me and my girlfriend's contact cases, glasses, her hairdryer and straightener, my weight scale (a nice frosted look now), among other things one would find in a bathroom. Also, outside of the bathroom door, within ~3 foot radius there is also a nice white-paint soot on things. For example, my black chair had a book sitting on it, and the chair now has a nice outline of where the book was sitting.

I've taken pictures, documented things that would need replacing and I would never use again (a new toothbrush I just opened...). My girlfriend and I calculated up everything that has one-side of paint on it now, and it's around $300-$400 with the glasses included.

So my question is what is my recourse? Can I just tell the landlord to cut me a check for the stuff? Can I threaten small claims court? Is what they did legal (I hope not, but you never know).

Details: I'm in Atlanta, GA and am a tenant in an apartment.

Zen and the Art of Water Heater Maintenance

po822000 — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:14:36 -0800

How do you maintain your water heater? I live in a home with a water softener, and I'm not sure how often/what kind of maintenance I'm supposed to be doing with my water heater, if at all. I've not noticed anything detrimental in the quality of water in my house, but we have lived there for about 3 years and have never done anything with it.

It's located in the garage, and when I was cleaning out the garage last night, I noticed that there was what I'm assuming were some salt deposits on the outside of the tank - is this normal?

It's a gas water heater, if that makes a difference.

How often should I get my car maintained, if I don't drive much?

JZig — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:47:04 -0800

Should I believe the 6 months = 7500 miles rule in my car's maintenance schedule, or is miles actually the important number? I'm not exactly a car expert, but when I hear people talking about car maintenance, they always talk in terms of miles. So, I'd been following that rule. However, I went to actually read my car's manual and it says that you should get the 7,500 maintenance after 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever is sooner. I drive my car way less than that (I've driven around 6000 miles after a year), so when should I actually get my car maintenance done? Also in terms of selling used car, they always just mention the miles, so does that mean that other people always get maintenance done on a mile schedule?

Lawn care advice for renters?

willie11 — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 07:33:04 -0800

[RentalFilter] Lawn/yard care and rental properties... Does anyone have any experience or advice for a former city boy now stuck with 1/4 acre of rapidly deteriorating yard and no tools to speak of? I just realized that my landlord conveniently left the advertised yard maintenance out of my lease and now I'm stuck with this yard and no way to care for it. Money's tight but not non-existent. The same goes for my time. The idea of having something to do outside on the weekends is kind of appealing. My girlfriend/cohabitant has always dreamed of garden and I of the bounty of veggies & herbs said garden could produce.

But is it worth it to invest in suburban hardware when there's a good chance I might up and move back to the city in the next 5 years and certainly won't live at my current residence more than another 48 months? Should I just pay someone to make it look decent and mow the sucker every two weeks?

I should point out that I live in drought-ravaged Raleigh NC, a town that just imposed moderate-severe water restrictions. So an immaculate lush lawn is out of the question. I'm just looking for something that won't make me the eyesore of the neighborhood.

Can computers live forever?

doppleradar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:47:35 -0800

Computer maintenance 101: Just bought a Thinkpad T61. How do i make it go forever? Just bought my first laptop and don't know anything about computers.

Protecting the software:
- Mozy + Ad-Aware + Anti-virus + external hard drive. What am i missing?

Protecting the hardware:
- sleeve enough or do i need a "laptop bag?"
- I travel with it multiple times a day to coffeshops and other liquid/dirt heavy places. Best way to clean spills/smudges on the screen, etc. in case the inevitable happens?

AskMechanics, please help me diagnose this car problem.

toomuchpete — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:11:26 -0800

My vehicle has recently started shorting out while it's starting up... help? I have a '98 Chevy S-10 that has been behaving strangely. A few days ago, I went out to start it. When I got in, the dome lights came on, everything looked normal. When I turned the key in the ignition it started to turn over for a very small fraction of a second and then everything just stopped. It seemed that the starter had shorted out the whole electrical system of the car.

I let it sit a few days, come back to it today... same thing happens, but this time it goes about half a second through turning over to start before it went dead.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that there are self-healing breakers in some cars that can cause something similar to this, where they reset after a certain amount of time.

This is kinda perplexing and I don't want to take it to a mechanic before I have some idea what's wrong with it (if that's possible).

What does this sound like and is it something I can take care of myself?

Help make my PC better.

wilful — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:00:57 -0800

My computer is sick. Please help (XP pro). I'm not terribly computer literate, but I'm not entirely clueless. My laptop's currently slower than it should be and I can't work out why.

2Ghz, 1 Gb RAM. The HD is 70% full. I've defragged it (that took a while), I have a firewall on my wireless router, I have up to date AVG virus checker, I ran Spybot, I turned the performance settings up, it's still slow to load programs and process things. What do I do next?

Looking after a 1996 BMW 318is?

gttommy — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:38:51 -0800

Looking after a '96 BMW 318is? I just bought a 1.9L 1996 BMW 318i coupe (208 000 kms) and would like advice on maintaining this particular model. As this isn't a Toyota, I'm concerned about it breaking down, based on my general impression of non-Japanese cars.

I've already done some researching and thankfully it seems pre-1996 318 models had certain, model-specific problems. So perhaps advice on just maintenance and prevention tips for BMW cars would suffice.

Chevrolet Tracker Spark Plugs

Aanidaani — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:02:58 -0800

Changing sparkplugs: I have a 2003 Chevrolet Tracker, with an unusual ignition coil setup, and I want to learn how to remove the coils and access my plugs. (Pictures inside) Typically spark plugs have a boot with a cable coming out of them, but my car has a different setup that is confusing me. On the top of my engine are 4 caps that seem to be covering the spark plugs. I wanted to know if I can just pull them off, or if there are special steps I have to take.

Also, I'm concerned about the clips on the side of the caps -- do I remove those first or do I just pull the whole assembly off? If anyone has changed their plugs on a Tracker, I'd be most grateful for your advice!

Picture 1: Overview of engine

Picture 2: Caps up close

Help us get our crappy cars fixed.

santojulieta — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:37:38 -0800

Where in Chicago can I get the brakes on a '99 VW Jetta and '98 Ford Escort replaced reliably and cheaply? Do you love your Chicago mechanic? Does he/she do work on both Fords and VWs? We're in Lincoln Park (but willing to drive a bit for great service), and both of our cars desperately need brakes, though it's only crucial to fix one car this weekend. Where do you other MeFite Chicagoans take your own cars? Where do you NOT take your own cars?

Pre-gapped sparkplugs

Aanidaani — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:54:46 -0800

Is there any difference in performance between pre-gapped sparkplugs (such as these) and ones that you have to gap yourself? I'm going to be replacing my sparkplugs soon and I wanted to make sure that these pre-gapped plugs aren't a problem. Assuming the gap is correct I can't see any reason why not to use them, but I wanted to see if anyone else had any experience with these types of plugs. Thanks!