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Two snowboards, one Audi A8, no roof rack: the towball carrier solution
February 2022 — on not accepting that “luxury sedan” and “ski trip” are mutually exclusive
The Audi A8 is not obviously a ski car. No roof rack options, no factory ski bag slot, seats that cost enough to make you nervous about wet gear. The commercial answer to this problem is “buy an estate” or “get a roof box,” neither of which I was prepared to accept without at least trying to solve it properly first.
My Porsche kept spitting out second gear — so I rebuilt the gearbox
November 2021 — on not ignoring what a gearbox is trying to tell you
It starts subtle. You’re lifting off the throttle coming out of a fast corner, already in second, and the lever just… moves. Not violently. Just a gentle migration toward neutral. You push it back. You wonder if you imagined it.
Android head unit in a Boxster 986: when the adapter doesn't exist, make it
October 2020 — on the gap between “there’s an adapter for that” and “there’s no adapter for that”
Most modern cars have a standard double-DIN head unit slot. You can buy an Android head unit for €150, an adapter plate for €20, and have navigation, Bluetooth, and a reversing camera in an afternoon. The aftermarket has been doing this since 2010.
The caravan door handle that keeps breaking — and why it always will
August 2018 — on the difference between repairing a failure and fixing the root cause
The caravan door handle failed. We had it repaired. It failed again. We had it repaired again. The third time it failed, I stopped calling the repair shop and started asking why it kept happening.