Some folks have gotten used to the start-stop feature while others are adamantly opposed to it. For those who can’t stand auto start-stop, there are a number of ways to permanently disable the feature. These methods vary in cost, ease of installation, and have varying effects on other features of the vehicle. I’ve compiled all of the ways to permanently disable auto start-stop on the 13th gen Ford F-150 and I hope it helps you determine what is best for you if you choose to do it.

The spark plug replacement on a 4th generation Toyota 4Runner is a job that you will need set aside 2-3 hours for. The replacement of the spark plugs themselves doesn’t take long, but most of the time will be spent removing components in the engine bay to get access to the spark plugs. I recommend using a step stool to get some additional height as you will be working closer to the middle and back of the engine bay; this is especially needed if you have a 4Runner that has a lift on it. This guide is written for the 4.0L V6 (1GRE-FE engine code) on the 4th Generation Toyota 4Runner.

My new 2020 Ford F-150 has been babied over the past year and a half having only driven about 2,000 miles on it so far. Many folks suggest changing out the oil at 1,500 miles if its a new vehicle as you may have more deposits and metal shavings in the oil from driving a new engine. Because I tend to agree with this concept, as well as the fact that it has already been over a year, I decided to change the oil and oil filter. In this write-up I performed the oil change using Ford’s recommended Motorcraft Synthetic Blend motor oil and Motorcraft oil filter.

Depending on your trim level you may have a different size information display, or as Ford calls it a productivity screen. The XL trim has a 2.3 in. productivity screen, the XLT trim has a 4 in. productivity screen, and Lariat and better has an 8 in. productivity screen. The instructions below apply to the 13th generation Ford F-150 (model years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.)

Replacing the brakes on a brake drum and shoe system can be a bit overwhelming upon first glance as there are quite a few different parts to work with. To successfully replace the brake drums and shoes on the rear brakes (in this case a 1st gen Toyota Tacoma), it is important to work methodically and keep track of your progress. I found it very helpful for the brake job to document the process along the way, but you may also reference this guide to help you with the removal and installation of the brake drums and brake shoes.

On my parents’ 1st generation Toyota Tacoma PreRunner, they have brake pads and rotors on the front of the vehicle and brake shoes and drums on the rear. The front brake pad and rotor replacement is pretty straightforward to replace. As such, the replacement process is pretty consistent with other vehicles that utilize a brake pad/rotor setup.

As I continue to slowly do work on my 2003 Acura CL-S to get it back in proper shape, I had to address one of the issues that I experience every time I take the car out for a drive to keep the battery from dying. And that’s a simple one: the windshield wiper blades. The original wiper blades that came with the car have fallen apart and the rubber portion was barely hanging on by a thread. Every time I turned on the wiper blades, I’d hear screeching as the metal parts of the wiper arm scratched against the windshield. Although this is an easy fix, it’s a very effective one and is a good reminder to regularly change out the wiper blades on your car.

Changing the oil on a car can vary in difficulty depending on the vehicle you’re working on. Unfortunately on a 1st generation Toyota Tacoma with the 5VZ-FE (3.4L V6) engine, it is more on the difficult side mainly due to access issues with the oil filter. The draining and refilling of the oil on this vehicle is pretty straightforward, but the accessing, removing, and draining of the oil filter can be frustrating.

To properly and completely drain and fill the the coolant on our 1st generation Toyota Tacoma, it is necessary to replace the coolant in both the radiator and the engine. This requires emptying out the coolant in two locations and refilling accordingly. The 1st generation Tacoma has a variety of configurations that can make the coolant capacity slightly differ from one model to the next.