Brake bleeding sequence; right rear, left rear, right front and then left front

Brake bleeding is necessary when a system has been opened or the brake fluid has been allowed to get too low in the master cylinder. Air can enter due to a low master cylinder caused from a leaky wheel cylinder or other brake component. If a hydraulic part like a wheel cylinder, caliper or brake line has been replaced the system will need to be bled. Brake bleeding at the wheels can be done several different ways. The most common way is old fashioned manual brake bleeding. 

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New cars don’t stay new for long – sooner or later the AC will need Freon added

Adding freon or topping off a cars A/C system is the most common task performed to restore performance and get cold air blowing again. However, adding refrigerant isn’t always the solution for car air conditioning problems. There can be many other things wrong besides a system being low on refrigerant. To diagnose problems, an A/C manifold gauge set is needed to read high and low side pressure readings. Avoid adding refrigerant with a simple charging kit like the ones sold at parts stores. Don’t add any stop leak, this can cause problems in the compressor, expansion valve or condenser.

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2003 Sebring Convertible rear quarter window regulator failed.

Chrysler Sebring convertibles have a common problem of rear quarter power window regulators failing. The window will typically stop 1/2 or 3/4’s of the way up at the worst possible moment  – i.e. when the the convertible top and windows are going up due to a torrential downpour! Kidding aside the rear windows on these cars do have a lot of problems. Sebring quarter windows may not fail as often as the New Beetle windows we blogged about previously. But like the Beetle, the Sebring has a particular weak point in the quarter window regulator, they were either designed horribly… or were designed to last until out of warranty, I’m not sure which. As the picture shows above, the pulley has grooves that keeps the cable separated.

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