Just my luck right before the weekend. Backing out of a parking spot near Marina and suddenly reverse just feels like neutral – engine revs but no movement. Forward gears work fine though which is weird. Had to get some strangers to help push me out so I could drive home going forward only. Been calling around this morning and most transmission s…[Read more]

I imported a 2015 Suzuki Every (the little van) from Japan and now I’m struggling to find a replacement battery. The size is 55B24LS which is smaller than what most shops carry. I’ve driven around Rashidiya and asked at least six battery shops, and they all either say “not available” or try to sell me a bigger battery that won’t fit the tray. I…[Read more]

My 2018 Hyundai Tucson just hit 60,000 km and the dealer sent me a list of everything they want to do for the “major service” including cabin filter, engine filter, oil change, brake fluid flush, coolant flush, spark plugs, fuel injector cleaning, throttle body cleaning, and a bunch of inspections. Total quote is just under 3000 dirhams. I’m sure…[Read more]

So I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that my 2017 Grand Cherokee feels kind of floaty and loose over highway bumps, like the front end takes an extra bounce to settle down. Cornering feels vague too, almost like the car is leaning more than it used to. I’m pretty sure the original shocks are still on there at 120k km, so that’s probably the…[Read more]

I’ve got a 2018 530i that just hit 95,000 km, and the dealer is quoting me a crazy amount for the upcoming major service. I’ve been doing oil changes regularly but I’m wondering what else really needs to be done at this mileage besides the usual plugs and filters. Some people say every 80k, others push it to 120k. I’m looking for a BMW Major…[Read more]

I’m trying to decide if I should spend the extra money on a Genuine Amaron 50Ah Car Battery Dubai or just grab whatever the local garage recommends. My car is a small sedan, nothing fancy, but I’m tired of replacing batteries every two years. A friend told me that genuine Amaron units have better lead quality and thicker grids, which helps them…[Read more]

Learned the hard way once, now I won’t buy used without someone who actually knows what to look for

A few years back I bought a used BMW that looked amazing on the outside and the seller had a whole folder of receipts but it turned out half of them were from a shop that didn’t even exist and I ended up stuck with a car that had a warped head and…[Read more]

My 2013 C250 has been a solid little commuter for years now but just last week the AC compressor started making this awful grinding noise on cold starts that fades away after a minute or two but comes right back if I turn the AC off and on again, and I’m pretty sure the clutch bearing is on its way out or maybe the whole compressor is just tired…[Read more]

Moved over from Ajman about two months ago and of course within three weeks of settling in my daily driver started acting up, it’s nothing fancy just a 2014 Accord V6 that’s been in the family for years and has always been rock solid until recently when I started noticing a slight delay going into drive and a weird vibration under load that my…[Read more]

ZF 8 speed acting weird on my X5 when it’s hot outside, anyone else dealt with this in AD?

My 2016 X5 has been doing this thing for the last couple of months where the gearbox feels buttery smooth when I first leave the villa in the morning but by the time I’ve been crawling along the E10 in traffic for about forty five minutes in the afternoon…[Read more]

So I took my 2017 CTS into a shop in Al Quoz yesterday just to have them listen to this faint squeal I’ve been hearing on the way to JLT in the mornings, and they came back with a quote that honestly made my eyes water a bit, they’re saying the rear pads are basically metal on metal and the rotors have a pretty deep lip so the whole assembly needs…[Read more]

Setting up a new blending station and honestly overwhelmed by all the bunding options out there

We’re expanding our little operation here in Ajman and I’ve been handed the not so glamorous task of making sure the new mixing area doesn’t end up with a permanent stain on the concrete before we even get the first batch out the door, and while I…[Read more]