Life On Four
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Read authoritative buyer guides and the latest car news. Life On Four is a website where experts share their insights on car problems, engine problems, and transmission issues. Creator Jure Hodnik is an automotive researcher and writer.
Life On Four
3M ago
Hey there, welcome! I’m hoping you enjoy reading my newsletter.
When you signed up to the newsletter I promised you some exclusive Amazon.com discount codes, and I’m here to deliver just that.
Fresh Amazon Discount Codes will be added to this page as soon as I receive them!
If you scroll a bit further down this page, I’ll also regularly rotate some of the most popular automotive products you can find at Amazon, many of which I am using myself.
Thanks for supporting Lifeonour!
Currently Active Automotive Amazon Discount Codes
Updated on 9th January 2024. Grab these products before they are go ..read more
Life On Four
4M ago
Toyota GT86 is the perfect small RWD coupe that delivers nothing but joy. Is buying it and owning it the same joy? I would say yes. Despite what CarThrottle has to say, the first generation GT86 is one amazing little car.
Sure there are some signs of cost cutting, that I wouldn’t expect from Toyota, but then again, these problems are really minor.
Common first-generation Toyota GT86 problems include:
Risk of major issues in heavily modified models.
Clutch wear and camshaft timing chain noise reported.
Condensation in rear lights, random interior sounds.
Scratched windows, rust near quarter wi ..read more
Life On Four
4M ago
Did you ever wonder how much your car really costs you on a monthly or a yearly basis? Well, I certainly have.
Jump to the Calculator
To help you understand exactly how much you’re spending on your car each month or year, I’ve put together a simple, yet thorough calculator that allows you to get a sense of those costs.
If some categories in the calculator do not apply to you or your country, simply enter a 0 (zero). You can do the same if you don’t know the exact number for a certain category.
To better understand what I want you to include in each category, simply hover above each category ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
The N46 engine by BMW is one of those universally hated engines. Wondering why? Well, for one, the second-hand, high mileage owners usually cashed out their wallets on all the repairs and secondly, the N46 replaced some of the legendary 4 cylinder engines (M44 for example) that were featured in the E46 BMW 3 Series.
Here are the most common BMW N46 engine problems:
Timing chain and tensioner failures
Various and serious oil leaks
Cam and crankshaft sensor failure
VANOS solenoid problems
Valvetronic and VVT motor failures
To find out more about these problems, I contacted 3 past owners of BMW ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
BMW diesel engines are my forte here at Lifeonfour, our extensive reviews of BMW diesel engines are amongst our most read articles. Today, I’m diving deep into every possible problem of the BMW M47 diesel engine.
I won’t keep you hanging, here are the most common BMW M47 engine problems:
Swirl Flap Failure
Turbocharger Failures
Glow Plug Failure
Injector Failures
Fuel Pump Failure
EGR Failures
Crank Pulley Failure
PCV Valve Failure
Vacuum Leaks
Want to learn more? Don’t go anywhere. As I continue, I’ll first reveal some more M47 engine specifications and right after that, I’ll jump into all ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
Update: It’s been 5 years since I wrote this article, but after revisiting it in 2023, all the information still stands! Now more than ever, I’m convinced your first car should be a van!
If you are anything like I was 10 years ago, a young car enthusiast that would not accept his mom’s Toyota as my first car, then you probably want something a bit more powerful or something that would stand out like a BMW or anything loud or “exotic”.
My first car was a low mileage 1999 230 Kompressor Mercedes C-Class sedan with no air conditioning. It was great, reliable, cheap to fix, had airbags so it was s ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
Are you looking to buy a true big boy diesel? Well, thw M67 engine from BMW could definitely be named as a diesel for true diesel lovers. I had the pleasure of driving one as a luxury rental, and let me tell you, I cried when I returned it.
Not a fan of reading? Here’s a quick recap of this long article.
Common BMW M67 engine problems include:
Injector Failure
Turbo Failure
Swirl Flap Failure
Clogged EGR Valve
DPF Failure
PCV Valve Failure
First, we are going to learn more about the specs of this engine, then we are going to discuss the common BMW M67 engine problems and learn more about the ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
The BMW 3 Series E90 is now more than reasonably priced. This is making it attractive for first-time BMW buyers or people looking to upgrade from their E46.
The truth is, the E90 aged really well. The E92 coupe with the M-Sport package still turns heads, which is not something many cars do after 15+ years.
However, the BMW 3 series E90 has a lot of known problems. Here is everything I have found during the time of my ownership and what I uncovered during my research.
Engine Problems N47 320d Diesel Engine
The N47 2.0 diesel engines have problems with the engine timing chain. Some claim this is ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
CVT transmissions tend to face freezing cold harder than heat. This is due to simple physics that come into play in cold, like thickening of the transmission fluid and contracting of certain transmission parts.
Common CVT transmission problems in colder weather include:
Higher operating RPMs before reaching working temperature
Sluggish performance
Longer warm-up times
Delayed engagement
As you can see from the list above, a lot of the CVT problems listed above could also be assigned to other types of automatic transmissions when you analyze their cold weather problems. CVT’s, despite their u ..read more
Life On Four
5M ago
The 3.0 V6 diesel engine, called the OM642 was Mercedes’s replacement of the inline 5 and 6-cylinder diesel engines. The inline diesel engines were replaced by the OM642 unit because it offered the same power in a smaller V package and better environmental footprint.
I personally own this engine in my W211 Mercedes E-Class and have personally spent more than $3000 in just engine repairs. Most of the problems listed in this article are repairs I’ve done on my personal car.
Common Mercedes OM642 engine problems include:
Oil cooler o-ring leaks
PCV valve problems
Leaky piezo fuel injectors causi ..read more