I’ve received good car advice here, so here I am with another car question...

Our 2012 Mazda3 needed new shocks and sway bars last June. This was diagnosed by our Mazda dealer but their prices are too high.

So I took it to a local garage (which I’ve trusted & used for decades) and had shocks/swaybars replaced for a reasonable price. For years, this car has also had an annoying rattling noise coming from the back left (driver’s side). To my frustration, this noise remained even after the shocks/swaybar repair. 

About 7-10 days ago, we noticed some minor swaying when the car hit bumps. The rattling noise was still there but worse. 

So I took it to a mechanic friend who had a look at it. Immediately, he said the driver’s side shock had blown and the swaybars were shot. We both concluded I should take it back to the garage so they could repair it under warranty, which they did. The amazing thing is that the annoying rattling noise is now completely gone! (It was obviously caused by the loose swaybar.)

So, if they had properly fixed the shocks/swaybars in the first place in June, logically the rattling noise should have disappeared then as well. So my question is: How likely is it that this garage did nothing to fix the shock/swaybars at all back in June? 


Thanks in advance,
Rob

Barton St.,Leetown.

   

tonight one of my 10 cent bottles of pactra died  
Jim

I am early but hoping for more posts it the Photo Fun this week.     
Charlie

Hi all,

This is a hypothetical question. Steam engines obviously need to boil water in order to power them and I realize there is more than one way to boil water. Since a coal- or wood-burning fire is not the only way to heat water, could a steam engine be potentially created so that a powerful electric heater could heat the water? This seems to make sense to me but maybe a fire (that burns coal or wood) creates more heat than an electric motor could?

This is only a curiosity/theoretical question, so don't jump all over me! I'm not advocating that anyone should do this, just wondering if it would be possible or if it's feasible. It would also be totally green as well.

Thanks,
Rob (aka RobertInOntario)

WPMA-17 with empty grain cars for Agway.

Bruce

   

So my last two projects have been hand painted with a brush and Vallejo acrylic paints as I don’t have an airbrush or means to do any spraying with a rattle can or airbrush anyways. I’d like to hopefully change that sooner or later, but in the meantime I have been painting by hand. I’ve produced serviceable results but I‘m not as happy with the final products as I could be. What sorts of advise can you guys offer to improve the quality of my painting? Are there any particular products you guys would recommend? What’s your workflow look like when you do hand painting? Literally anything would be incredibly helpful.

WPMA-40 makes a pull from Pier 34.

Bruce

   

Hauling coal over the mountain.     
Charlie

A late start this for the thread this week.

Lehigh & New England Alco S-2 Switcher (Atlas) pulls some boxcars through a very busy Leiperville Union Station.