Tag: hardway learning

Categories
Travel

Germany Day 1

It has been a while since I have written anything on here.  Brynn and I just got back from a trip in Germany.  We had a rental car and drove from Frankfurt to Munich along the romantic road.  After having our fun at Oktoberfest we went to an Audi factory tour in Ingolstadt where we watched robots weld sheet metal together and employees assemble the interiors of RS3 wagons and Q2 SUVs.

We spent a day touring Dachau where nearly 31,000 prisoners were murdered.  The sheer size of the camp was shocking, it was the housing for 181,000 inmates over it’s course of operation.

It was then time for us to runaway from the horrid truths of German death camps and visited Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen.  This is the castle that inspired the famous Disney castle.  The interior was only 1/3 furnished, but has been frozen in time since it’s original development in 1869.  It is built on a hill near the alps with a bright aqua river and lake flowing nearby.  It is truly picturesque and was the peak of our trip!

Our last day in Fussen I woke up with a bit of a sore throat and we had about a 5 hour drive ahead of us with a small stop in Lindau near lake Constance as we journeyed towards Baden Baden to experience the roman baths of the black forest!  Our 3 hour stay at Caracalla Therme was incredibly rejuvenating as I was trying to run away from my sore throat symptoms.

We wrapped up our trip with a stay in Stuttgart in hopes of touring the Mercedes and Porsche museums, but poor planning lead us to the realization that they are closed on Mondays.  Never fear, we had an amazing dinner at a local restaurant near our AirBNB where the waiter could barely speak English, but damnit if he didn’t spend 10 minutes helping us translate the menu!

Our whole experience was captured on footage and can be viewed at your leisure on our YouTube channel.  Day 1 is officially released now and I plan on release a day per week!

Day 1 can be viewed here!

 

Video Gear (Affiliate Links):

DSLR: http://amzn.to/2sYTNYK

Wide Angle Lens: http://amzn.to/2tiSdR4

50mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2skUAWd

Camera Bag: http://amzn.to/2rXxKTT

External Recorder: http://amzn.to/2sxWPpJ

Lavalier Microphone: http://amzn.to/2sZ3UwY

Sony Action Cam: http://amzn.to/2wNit7i

Action Cam Suction Mount: http://amzn.to/2sl5ICp

Thanks again and check out all of our social media locations:

Social Media:

http://www.hardwaylearning.com (blog)

http://www.instagram.com/hardwaylearning/

http://twitter.com/hardwaylearning

http://www.pinterest.com/hardwaylearning/

Categories
Cars

Miata Front Brake Pads

As with any new to you car (used), there is often a couple of maintenance items that will need to be performed!

I noticed that when I was coasting off the brakes I could hear a little squeeking from the brakes.  I pulled the wheels off to inspect the pads and it turns out that my front brake pads were nearly worn out.

I took this opportunity to share with you how to replace your front brake pads!

Tools needed:

  • Me
  • Dan
  • Car Jack
  • Jack stands x2
  • Wheel wrench
  • 14mm socket
  • Socket wrench fits compatible with your 14mm socket
  • C-clamp to compress the piston

Video Gear (Affiliate Links):
DSLR: http://amzn.to/2sYTNYK
Wide Angle Lens: http://amzn.to/2tiSdR4
50mm Lens: http://amzn.to/2skUAWd
Camera Bag: http://amzn.to/2rXxKTT
External Recorder: http://amzn.to/2sxWPpJ
Lavalier Microphone: http://amzn.to/2sZ3UwY
GoPro: http://amzn.to/2tiwfxq
GoPro Suction Mount: http://amzn.to/2sl5ICp

Thanks again and check out all of our social media locations:
Social Media:
http://www.instagram.com/hardwaylearning/
http://twitter.com/hardwaylearning
http://www.pinterest.com/hardwaylearning/

 

Categories
Cars

100 YouTube Subscribers and New Project Car!!

We hit 100 subscribers and are celebrating with an awesome new project car!

Check out the celebration video and the new 1996 Mazda Miata. (NA MIATAS FOR LIFE)

Thank you to everyone for all the great support! We couldn’t do it without you all!

 

Sincerely,

Kyle

HWL

Categories
Cars

Replace Dash Lights in Subaru

I noticed that I could no longer make out the RPMs on the right side of my dash. I took this opportunity to learn how to replace the dash lights which was easy.

Steps to follow:
1) Remove the 2 screws located on the top of the dash coil
2) Remove the coil from the dash with the steering wheel adjusted to lowest setting
3) Remove the 3 screws holding the dash to the car
4) Pull out the dash to access the three wiring harnesses
5) Remove the connectors on the wiring harness from the dash
6) Locate the bulbs that are burnt out. (This can be done by shining a light in a light hole with the bulb removed)

I recommend replacing all of the bulbs that are related to back-lighting the dash as these are on whenever you turn your headlights on.

Purchasing through our affiliate link means we can keep making mediocre content for your leisure!

I ordered a 10 pack from amazon here (affiliate link): Replacement bulbs for Subaru Impreza

I also recorded a video of my endeavors!

This was on my 2005 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS which has about 136,000 miles on it.

Thanks for watching!

Categories
Cars

2017 Chicago Auto Show

Dan and I decided on a Saturday evening at about 6pm that we would drive 6 hours to visit the Chicago Auto show.  We had never been to it and heard that it is one of the largest auto shows in the country.  This was intriguing and we had an opportunity to ride in style.

This video encapsulates the experience from waking up in the morning at 8am (After arriving at 1am) to eat breakfast with the most efficient wait staff.  It also shows a lot of different cars and the discussion of what we enjoyed the most.

 

Thanks for watching!

 

Categories
Cars

Replace your own brake pads and rotors!

You’re at the mechanic for a routine check-up or maybe an oil change and the mechanic says it is time for new brakes!  This is what happened with Hunter’s girlfriend.  She was told her brake pads are worn out and she has warped rotors.  They also said that her ball-joint needs replacing and gave her a final quote of $1200.

YIKES!

This is a 2006 Pontiac G6 with only 40,000 miles on it.

So Hunter and I did what we always do, we learn how to do it ourselves.

Here we show you how to replace your rotors and brake pads all the way around the car.  We also talk about troubleshooting whether or not you have a bad ball-joint.

Tools:

  • Jack
  • Jack stands
  • Ratchet set
  • Wrenches
  • Flat head screw driver
  • Bolt cutter (Side cutter would work, but this is what we used)
  • Rubber mallet
  • Extra set of hands
  • C-Clamp

 

Parts:

  • Rotors for the front
  • Rotors for the rear
  • Brake pads for the front
  • Brake pads for the rear
  • Control arm (If it actually needs replacing)

 

One thing that may not have been clear in the video is that you can use a C-clamp to compress the piston to make way for the fresh pad that is thicker than the old worn out ones.

Stolen google image (https://i0.wp.com/www.2carpros.com/images/articles/brakes/front_caliper/compress_caliper.jpg?resize=453%2C337&ssl=1)
Stolen google image (https://www.2carpros.com/images/articles/brakes/front_caliper/compress_caliper.jpg)

Also we did not talk about the pad retaining clips.  They pull out easily, pay attention to orientation before you pull them out.  Brake pads usually come with fresh replacements. They should be placed before putting the pad back in.

Stole this from google (https://i0.wp.com/www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/MINI/33-BRAKES-Brake_Pad_Replacement/images_med/Pic17.JPG?resize=580%2C435)
Stole this from google (http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/MINI/33-BRAKES-Brake_Pad_Replacement/images_med/Pic17.JPG)

 

Anyways, thanks for reading!

 

HWL

Categories
Build stuff

$6 Bar Table continued

So I finally wrapped up the bar table.  It only needed the base and top flattened off (on the pallets).  Then I wanted to make sure I got the video edited and released before posting.

This project was cheap and easy.  I hope to have some additional modifications of the table top posted in the future.

The tools needed for this:

  • Drill
  • Drill Bits
  • Skill Saw

Materials:

  • pallets
  • cheap table to steal table top from (Goodwill win!)
  • 2″ Deck screws

The drill that we used:

 

 

Categories
Build stuff

$6 Bar Table

We have a new video in production about how to make a bar table! We bought a table from Goodwill for about 6$ and acquired some safe to use pallets from a friend. In about an hour you can have a steady bar table for hosting delicious adult beverages for friends and family! Tune in for an upcoming how to video some time this week or next!

Want to learn more about which pallets are safe to use?  We learned a lot from this website: Learn about pallets

I would stick to heat treated as they are not treated with harsh chemicals, but simply heated in order to kill potential pests.  If the pallets are unmarked don’t risk the chance of them having harsh chemicals or potentially infested with nasty pests.  Also avoided any pallets that show visible stains as you can never be too sure what has spilled on them when delivering something.

Categories
Cars

Changing out an old alternator!

I received a call from my buddy Hunter again about his ES300.  He said his alternator went out which he wasn’t excited about obviously because that means he needs to buy a new one.  To me this was exciting  because it was another opportunity to learn how to do something.  He got it diagnosed at the local auto parts store and they said the solenoid was bad.  He ordered one online and it was set to arrive the next day.

Some symptoms he was having include:

  • Car won’t start (really inconvenient when leaving for work)
  • Car won’t start again (hmmmm this is when you know something isn’t right)
  • In the case of the Lexus ES300 the traction control light came on (I am guessing due to lack of voltage from the battery

After having these issues it could either be a tired old battery or an alternator.  Getting the the alternator checked at the local store was an easy way to diagnose.

Our video shows the struggles of learning how to take the old alternator out and putting in the new one!

The process goes like so:

  1. Disconnect the negative terminal of your battery
  2. Loosen the tensioner on the alternator (This was the lower bolt on the alternator)
  3. Slip the belt off of the pulley on the alternator
  4. Loosen and remove the remaining support bolts from the alternator
  5. Place the new alternator in position of the old
  6. Place the support bolts into position and tighten just enough to hold the alternator in position (We still want it to be able to pivot with tensioner)
  7. Tighten the tensioner until the slack in the belt is gone (Do not over tighten or it could cause excess belt wear and puts strain on pulleys)
  8. Tighten the support bolts to desired torque rating

That is it!  You just saved yourself a bit of money by applying yourself instead of paying some other guy to do easy work for you!

 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the video!  We never know what we are doing until the job is done.

Categories
Build stuff

How to make a laptop bed stand! (DIY)

Today we show you how to make a laptop stand for your bed.  This lets you work while you relax and lay down in bed.  Netflix and chill just got a whole lot easier with a little up front effort.  Take a trip to your local lumber yard and get the wood and hardware you need to build this laptop that will keep the movies rolling!

This project should only take about an hour or so.  If you have experience with a compound miter saw and a drill it is simple and easy to build.  The hardest thing to find was the furniture knob.  I got this at my local Ace Hardware (not a plug)!  It is better to have this larger knob over using a cabinet knob because it allows you to grip and twist it firmer in order to lock the legs in place.

Supplies:
-Compound miter saw
-Drill and drill bits
-9ft of 1.75″x.75″ board
-2×2′ medium density fiber board (MDF)
-Hand knob (Can’t find it on ace website)
-1″ wood screws

 

The drill used: