I have a 20-year-old furnace. [more inside]
posted by Nonce on Oct 20, 2009 - 15 answers

Going through old stuff, I found a box for an old Ibook that had a weird handwritten shipping label from "I.S. 339 School Of Communication Technology." Google says it's a performing arts school in the Bronx. What gives? [more inside]
posted by puckish on Oct 10, 2009 - 3 answers

Electric-start gas oven unable to reach over 250 F (121 C) degrees--any way to fix or time to replace? [more inside]
posted by erin_trying on Jul 27, 2009 - 8 answers

Our neighbor wants to hire my husband to act as a sort of general contractor to oversee some repairs on our neighbor's house. Before we say yes to this, what questions should we ask? [more inside]
posted by Ladybug Parade on Jul 20, 2009 - 14 answers

ApartmentNightmareFilter: My new apartment is falling apart and no one will step up. What are my rights here? [more inside]
posted by telegraph on Jul 15, 2009 - 16 answers

When should I stop repairing this bike and buy a new one? I have a road bike of unknown age which I bought for $95 last year. Since then I've spent half again that on it---truing the back wheel, putting the chain back together after it inexplicably fell off, new (27") tires that won't fit a modern bike's wheels, etc. Now I'm looking at some more repairs, and I'm wondering whether it might be more economical to buy a newer (i.e., slightly nicer, but still used) bicycle. I'm in Chicago and mostly ride to get around the neighborhood, with the odd weekend ride (<25mi, maybe 12-14mph). [more inside]
posted by d. z. wang on Jul 13, 2009 - 23 answers

Engine is turning over slowly and I think it might be the battery. Affordable way to check this myself or just take it into the garage? [more inside]
posted by scarello on May 29, 2009 - 31 answers

My car has 130K miles and I think I'm going to stop going to the dealership for repairs despite a great deal of trust in them; it is just too costly. I plan on going to an independent mechanic near my office, but it's one of those tire shop/muffler shop places who also seem to do other repairs/maintenance. Do these places actually fall into the category of an independent mechanic or are they simply rolling the dice when they are out of their area of expertise (like tires, brakes, or mufflers)? And second, where can I get the recommended maintenance *activities* for my vehicle based on mileage. I always followed my dealership's recommendations, so I need a better idea on what might be needed bringing it into an independent shop.
posted by teg4rvn on May 11, 2009 - 16 answers

When is it no longer economical to repair a car instead of buying a newer one? [more inside]
posted by elder18 on Mar 18, 2009 - 31 answers

Source of creaky sounds in an older model vehicle plus general maintenance questions? [more inside]
posted by limonade on Feb 15, 2009 - 5 answers

Our house is in sad state of disrepair. We'd fix it if we could, but we don't own it. We'd be persistent with the "landlords" but, we don't pay rent or bills. How do I tell them in a forceful, but considerate way that the house needs to be fixed? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 15, 2008 - 31 answers

Around a year ago, I was digging through applying for jobs at Mac repair and sales places around the country, and ran across a small (not TekServe) independent, storefront shop in NYC. I've tried to find it again, with no luck. Any ideas?
posted by frijole on Nov 10, 2008 - 7 answers

Are my noise-cancelling really dead? I have a pair of Sony over-ear noise-cancelling headphones, which I have been very happy with for several years. They still work, but the noise-cancelling part does not. I changed the batteries (of course), but the light does not come on. Are they toast or is there somewhere I could take them? The local shop of course says 'buy new ones' but I'm not sure I want to give up so quickly. This question applies to electronics in general, actually. I often have stuff that stops working (in part) and feel bad about throwing it out. What do you do?
posted by sinbarambam on Oct 3, 2008 - 4 answers

The superintendent of my building has been dragging her feet for months on getting the building's washer and dryers repaired. In my lease, it says that the landlord is responsible for the upkeep of these items. The management company that actually owns the building and pays the super's salary is also not being responsive. Now what? [more inside]
posted by schroedinger on Sep 12, 2008 - 13 answers

I'm working in a gallery in Ireland and we are trying to get an Eiki SL-0 16mm film projector, we ordered one on ebay from the US but it arrived damaged, we've contacted someone in Dublin about fixing it but he doesn't think it's worth his time and another person in Amsterdam who also doesn't think it's worth fixing. Does anyone know someone in Europe where we could get another Eiki 16mm projector in working order or does anyone know someone in UK/Ireland who loves fixing these machines and would be willing to take it on? [more inside]
posted by seaweed on Jul 24, 2008 - 4 answers

How much would it cost to fix this (1,2,3,4) hole in my surfboard? [more inside]
posted by chrisalbon on Jul 5, 2008 - 4 answers

Help me sort through the hype, gimmicks, and dealer doublespeak. What do I need to service on my car at 50,000 miles? [more inside]
posted by yoyoceramic on Jun 24, 2008 - 14 answers

How important is that I get these repairs done to my 2001 Honda Civic now, or can I wait a bit longer? [more inside]
posted by Four-Eyed Girl on Jun 13, 2008 - 6 answers

What can I do to prevent a toilet falling through my ceiling and crushing me, and how do I finagle the end of this (literal) mess? [more inside]
posted by Madamina on Apr 26, 2008 - 21 answers

I have about a week or so to find some of this carpet. Yep, it is that stuff that's everywhere. You probably even have 3 rolls of it under your house as we speak. It's almost safe to say, at some point, you really did have like 3 rolls of it - what did you do with them?!! Where should I inquire about getting a scrap of it?? (30cm/12inch -sq.) Demolition.. people? The dump? Is there like an Elephants Graveyard but for carpet?? Also.. I need a hand with repairing melamine/laminex?? ( Bathroom vanity and a cupboard). And (omg!) this blind ( /s)... [more inside]
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har on Apr 2, 2008 - 5 answers

Where can I find online laptop ratings about durability, repairs, or typical problems, the way Consumer Reports does for cars? [more inside]
posted by salvia on Mar 14, 2008 - 17 answers

Should I keep my Saturn that suddenly needs quite a few expensive repairs or get a new car? [more inside]
posted by jenfu on Mar 11, 2008 - 22 answers

Thinking of solder to fix a broken flask. Tell me why I shouldn't do this. [more inside]
posted by ®@ on Jan 15, 2008 - 12 answers

A year ago I moved into a lovely, large, but old apartment, on the understanding that some repairs were needed...now that they're a year overdue, how do I get them done without becoming the tenant from hell? [more inside]
posted by sarahkeebs on Sep 5, 2007 - 6 answers

Water Damage: The apartment I'm moving into has significant water damage from last May, and the landlord has promised to fix it. What should I know about water damage repairs to make sure my health isn't going to be risked from shoddy repairs? This apartment is in Austria, if that's important to know. [more inside]
posted by sirion on Jul 25, 2007 - 3 answers

Selling my Car: Help me make wise repair/body/cleaning choices prior to selling my '99 Infintii i30 [more inside]
posted by anonymoose on Jul 24, 2007 - 1 answer

My 2001 Chevy Impala, which has given me nothing but problems for most of the time I've had it, has thrown another doozie at me. It overheated out of the blue yesterday, and it was pouring out coolant from the bottom. I brought it to my trusty mechanic this morning. He called and told me it was the head gasket in the rear (?) and that his shop doesn't get involved in engine repairs. He recommended a place, and they said *if* the cylinder heads aren't cracked, it would be ballpark $1300. I'm getting close to paying this thing off. There's [more inside]
posted by meggie78 on Jul 19, 2007 - 15 answers

How much do I charge for my lovingly restored 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger with a salvage title? [more inside]
posted by rileyray3000 on Jun 18, 2007 - 8 answers

Macfilter: is it on it's last legs? My dual-1.25 ghz G4 running 10.3.9 with 768 MB RAM and 14 gigs of empty space on it's hard drive is acting strange. What should I do? How serious is this? [more inside]
posted by fingers_of_fire on May 25, 2007 - 14 answers

What is the REAL life span of auto spare parts compared to what the manufacturer or the auto mechanic tells you? Is there some sort of graph showing risk of failure of parts versus time out there? Specifically I am interested in Peugeot cambelt life spans. How dead am I if it fails? [more inside]
posted by vizsla on May 24, 2007 - 11 answers

What's a good foundation repair contractor in Austin, TX? [more inside]
posted by kiita on Mar 6, 2007 - 4 answers

I have a kawai k1 synth, it's been lying around for ages and took it out to play it with but a couple of the keys don't work now and another key always strikes at full velocity. Is this fixable by myself?
posted by quantumonkey on Feb 19, 2007 - 1 answer

Is Apple Care worth the money in the UK? [more inside]
posted by ClanvidHorse on Dec 6, 2006 - 8 answers

My car has developed pulsing brakes and a low-speed wobble, for the second time in under 2 years. Help me get it fixed right this time, please? [more inside]
posted by vytae on Nov 28, 2006 - 17 answers

I'm having car trouble. Someone with a similar car suggested I get a certain car part in order to attempt to fix the problem. Help me remember the name of the car part. [more inside]
posted by starbaby on Oct 30, 2006 - 16 answers

Car Repair Advice: '99 Infiniti I30. Needs new front & rear brake pads, rotors, struts, rear shocks, and drive belts. Mostly looking for advice on how to intelligently shop around for repairs, and mostly for brake-related repairs. [more inside]
posted by sirion on Oct 4, 2006 - 4 answers

can anyone recommend a good DIY/home improvement guide on-line? [more inside]
posted by randomizer on Aug 19, 2006 - 4 answers

Why do all my table fans eventually stop working? [more inside]
posted by ashbury on May 3, 2006 - 7 answers

Is there any way of getting scratches out of a brushed stainless steel appliance? [more inside]
posted by janecr on Mar 2, 2006 - 10 answers

Dodgy charges for a car repair and recommendations for extended warranties? [more inside]
posted by Mave_80 on Feb 16, 2006 - 11 answers

I am returning my Hyundai Accent after a four-year lease and leasing a new car with the same dealer. They evaluated some damage on the returned car which we negotiated around. Can the dealer legally come back after me in the future for any additional repairs or problems they find with my car that they did not find initially.
posted by sandrapbrady on Nov 24, 2005 - 5 answers

The front porch of my 1926 non-historic house needs to be refinished. It has peeling paint over stain, is developing 3-4mm wide cracks and when I make it down to wood, the boards seem to be damp. Small ants come spilling out when I turn off my orbital sander. [more inside]
posted by QIbHom on May 21, 2005 - 14 answers

One of the few repairs that needs to be performed on our next apartment is a leaky bathtub faucet. Not mere drips: a constant steady stream of water is wasted. If they are unwilling to fix this leak, would I be silly not to take this otherwise perfect apartment? How guilty should I feel about so much water wastage? [more inside]
posted by skryche on May 2, 2005 - 12 answers

I have a 99 Hyundai Sonata, that we purchased used from a Hyundai dealer. The remainder of the manufacturers warranty remains...and we purchased the extended warranty. I Took it to my friendly neighborhood repair shop to have the rotors replaced. They mentioned to me that we also might need to have a bearing replaced. Here's the question... if I take it to the dealer they want to charge me $75 just to look at it to tell me if it's covered by warranty. Does replacing the bearing sound like something that might be covered by my warranty?
posted by TuxHeDoh on Dec 6, 2004 - 5 answers

Part of my apartment's bedroom ceiling collapsed. Can I get compensation from the management company or should I be glad that they're coming to work on it tomorrow? [more inside]
posted by lychee on Oct 3, 2004 - 13 answers

TenantFilter: So I gave permission for the building manager to let a contractor into my apartment to do some fix up work. Not only does she not let him in personally, which is what I thought I okayed, but she leaves the key to another tenant to pass on to the contractor when he shows up. Am I overreacting in thinking that was way out of line? How do I go about responding to something like this? [more inside]
posted by ODiV on Jul 18, 2004 - 10 answers

It seems like at least once a year my washing machine starts leaking where the hot and cold water hoses screw into the back of the machine. This time it leaked for at least a few days before I caught it, leaving water spots on the ceiling downstairs. I usually take the hoses off and replace the washers in the ends of the hose. Anyone have any better ideas or is there anything I can do so they never leak again?
posted by ttrendel on Jul 7, 2004 - 7 answers

Is there help for my poor little snowglobe? I have a Fargo snowglobe (car tipped over, Marge in the snow, etc.) that's seen better days. The water (or some vaguely oily approximation thereof) has slowly leaked over the years to the point that it's about half full, and what's left is yellowy and horrible. Can I fix it?
posted by scody on Jun 21, 2004 - 7 answers

Landlord issues! I'm on a month-to-month lease in a duplex and I'm having a terribe time getting my landlord to make basic repairs. I've sent him a letter asking for repairs to be made within 14 days, but he hasn't gotten back to me yet. What do I do next? [More inside] [more inside]
posted by Coffeemate on Feb 5, 2004 - 13 answers