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@@alomapinto1141 Thanks, I appreciate the compliment.

@@sbaluba 40C is a little over 104F so I can say they work well in the heat. Where they really impress is in the rain and the way they handle snow made me confident enough to run them year round. They are not a super grippy fast wearing tire but for the "legal" speeds here in the US, they handle dry conditions well. I'm still not a fan of only being able to rotate them front and back due to the directional design, but haven't had any issues there either. I suppose you're headed into a nice Italian winter and wish you happy holidays.

@@swatdoggy I don't know if it is the bugs or the zapper but I have very little luck with the leaf blower. I think it might be user error as well, like maybe I let too many accumulate and they start to make bug concrete on the wires that the leaf blower won't clean but the hose handles. So far so good though, I'm sure each manufacturer makes a low tier, mid tier, and high end zapper with "good, better, best" build quality, but the Black Flag ones have been awesome. I do have a cheap solar powered one that I bought off Amazon which I'm pretty sure a strong breeze would break, so that one hasn't been used given the bad storms that like to make tornadoes up here in MN. Last thing I want to do is walk out to survey damage after a shelter in place warning and see a solar bug zapper embedded into the garage. Thanks for the comment, it definitely seems like plenty of people have good luck with the leaf blower method.

@bigmikebeardwisdom those bottom doors are made from a stiffer but weaker plastic they pop at the hinge... and the latch itself.. they're outstanding bug zapper and they attract bugs like crazy... but the freaking build quality...not so good especially the bottom doors! I've had to return 2 different models

@@johndarmiento I know, this was one of my early videos where a bunch of "how to TH-cam" videos said that you needed music in the background. I watch some of these today and cringe at how loud the music is sometimes. Oh, well, live and learn.

@@wilsonwallace8755 Wow, thanks for the great info. I was just going off the directions on the bottles, but I kind of figured it had some extra safety built in. As a mechanic, I always laugh at how almost anything you do to a vehicle the manufacturers recommend disconnecting the negative battery cable, but you really only need to do it when working on the really high voltage bits or with a conventional 12V system when you are dealing with the large power cables, alternator or starter. It's too cold to apply these chemicals up here in MN this year, but I'm giving that a shot as soon as it warms back up.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom I’m in the south we have the issue of it being too hot, during the summer if u put it out at normal strength it will burn up the grass too

@@gregslabaugh7565 It's going to be interesting to see what other people have for recommendations, but I'm really interested in the newer Michelin Defender 2.

Thanks for the quick reply! I might try the defender 2. Have you had any customers give feedback?

​@@gregslabaugh7565 Everything I've heard makes them sound like the old defenders, great wear but noisier than they expected. Most people don't really pay attention to their cars until they get something pricey replaced, then they become hyper-focused on the car so any little tap is now a thunderous bang. So until I try them myself, I'm holding back judgement. Plus, it all depends on the tires that they changed from, so with my Saturn Astra switching from the old tires to the Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires showed a noticeable drop on the sound meter, they performed amazingly in rain and snow, but being directional tires they can't be cross rotated and their wear was at a faster rate than the defenders. Now if the old tires had been a top tier tire that emphasized quietness, I'm sure the result probably would have been an increase in noise due to the tread design. If you are in an area where you need traction more than tire life you can see those videos here: th-cam.com/video/7LmtLPQwIgo/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/V8b3iZk2flg/w-d-xo.html Tires are kind of like clothes, maybe you need something that fits your wallet, or maybe something that meets a specific need, or maybe you just want the coolest thing out there.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom thank you for this! I’ve actually used a DB meter on my phone. I’m getting about 75-76db at 70mph. The compound on these has also hardened over time- they are about 5.5years old now. The car is not a quiet car. So there is that too.

Rustoleum RockSolid Deck Coat 6X 2 Year Update

Thanks for your question. It gave me the opportunity to experiment with responding as a short video as let's face it, a video is much better than me typing that the rear deck is showing more wear than I had expected but the front deck is nearly perfect besides some rusty screw bleed through. Thanks again, I hope this shows that if you don't use something then it'll look fine, but two adults and two 80 pound dogs will put a hurting on the paint in just a couple years.

@@Mr_Spock512 Have I got the video for you, th-cam.com/video/V8b3iZk2flg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qk8xHo3cekmzcvAC Similar to your civic, my Saturn Astra was also front wheel drive. I bet your civic being a 2024 will have traction control and may have been able to go all the way. I even had an "Oh No" moment that I wish I had a dash camera for on an ice covered road in town where someone was doing the slow sideways drifting slide through the intersection I was driving through and I slammed on the brakes like an idiot but the tires did an impressive job maintaining traction and stopping me before I was an interference fit with the other vehicle. They aren't really advertised for ice, but I was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully Quebec uses less salt than Minnesota does and your Honda Civic can live a long and happy life without the curse of rust.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom Wow! ... thanks for the video you kindly linked, you have put my mind at ease. Yes, my new Civic does have traction control and a whole lot of other modern doodads ... my old brain is still trying to get to grip with all of it. 😂 It appears I've made the right choice after all ... thank you Sir for your prompt response. PS: Unfortunately, yes we use a lot of salt on the roads in Québec during the winter time, it's kind of a necessity due to the heavy snowfalls (and ice) we get every year ... it is what it is.

@@themightysquid Thanks for adding your experience with these tires. I was likewise surprised by them as well. I don't know if you live somewhere that gets a bunch of snow, but that was the most impressive part for me.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom I’m in NY so I’ll soon find out.

@@duanerykhus9425 Thank you for the comment.

@@hellosunshine9915 I'm still undecided on the taste. From other TH-cam videos it seemed like some people thought it tasted like cantaloupe while others said honeydew. The ones I've tried so far taste like honeydew mixed with cucumber and that's not a familiar flavor to me, so it's a bit weird. Those melons ripened during some rainy days so the extra moisture might have diluted the flavor a bit as the smell was quite strong but the flavor was really light and not very sweet. This one though has ripened during a dry spell, so I'm hoping it's going to have a concentrated flavor. If it isn't an improvement then I would say it's not for me and I will not be growing them again.

@@nosaint01 As long as you think you have a good sensor, you have hit the common issues of a nasty tank messing with the sensor and a bad sensor. I would need to look up how the sensor actually reads, but if its a simple switch then unhooking and running the supply signal to the reference wire or leaving unplugged may stop the message. I sold my Astra as my daughter was just born, so I can't run out and test this. However, I would be looking at the wiring at this point to see if that's the issue. In a lot of forums some people have said that it's common and to ignore it, but if you are like me, that message drives me nuts, so if I figured out how to short the wires so the message never comes on, then I would be fine with just peeking under the hood during oil changes to make sure I had plenty of coolant. Best of luck with the Astra, I miss mine already.

@@treiber671988 That's one that I don't have a quick answer to help. You mentioned not getting air from the dash or defroster, does the floor vents under the dash work that blow on your feet? The rear has its own blower motor, so if you hear or feel any airflow in the front then the blower motor might be alright and you are dealing with a mode door issue or perhaps a control unit. If there is no air flow or the motor can't be felt moving then you'll want to start checking power to see if the motor has power when the HVAC system is running. If you have good power, verify the ground is good. If both of those check out good, then the motor is bad, if any of either of those is not good, then you'll have to chase the wiring to find the issue. Best of luck with it, as it sounds like an interesting one.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom damn that was the quickest response I’ve ever gotten. Thank you!

@@bigmikebeardwisdom I don’t have any circulation coming from the front at all. So hopefully I can just start with the cheap blower motor and be good to go.

I’m glad to hear that there’s two separate blower motors

@@treiber671988 I still need to edit the video, but I just had to replace my front driver's blend door, which is easy to replace, but you have to do a relearn on the module, which can be a pain.

@@suppaman12 They looked darker in the garage like this, I was a little disappointed when I got into the sun and they were a bit brighter. They still looked good on the car, but I was hoping for a little darker shade. I think the Anthracite Grey reacts to the light a good bit, so it really highlighted the spoke design in the sun.

@@rycor9117 So that's what I'm dealing with now. The coated screws that I used are holding those boards tight, but heads are popping off a bunch of the old screws, leaving rusty blownout holes in the deck. The previous owners probably knew they were moving and fixed as many things around the house as cheaply and quickly as possible.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom I had the same issue and drilled out the bad ones I could get out then used a rust encapsulator which was probly overkill. lol Rocksolid does work if you take the time and do one sloppy coat over the cracks and issues and then a rolled coat. It is not a friendly DIY thing hence the law suit they got.

@@rycor9117 The rust encapsolator is a pretty good idea. The heavy traffic rear deck is definitely showing wear, but the front deck that pretty much just catches packages looks pretty good, save for where some rusty spots have pushed through.

@@briangross6726 That's pretty cool. I've never tried that for a bad blower resistor before. It always seemed like the resistors that failed and someone brought the vehicle in for repair were where the only speed that was left was high speed, which is a common indicator of the blower resistor being bad. Normally, I just replace it with the a new part to guarantee operation, but I'll have to try that next time I get my hands on a bad one to see how that goes. Thanks for the tip.

Ya, when I started my mechanic career in North Carolina, we had to do state inspections there as well. Nothing was worse than trying to fix an issue, then having to drive it until the checks all passed just to have the check engine light come back on for the same thing. Plus with emissions you couldn't get a passing inspection until the light was fixed. The P0420 was almost never an actually bad catalytic converter, as in 20 years as a technician, I think I can count the bad cats on one hand and mostly due to bad gas. The most common causes for the code were Oxygen Sensors, but that's after having all other issues like vacuum leaks or like my intake leak that allowed unmetered air into the engine. For my Astra, it was the rear oxygen sensor that was my issue.

@@manyourcoolchris Thank you for watching and leaving a comment. It's really helpful for how TH-cam recommends the video.

@@shaunwalls6525 Thanks for watching and leaving a comment. It's always appreciated when someone has feedback, either good or bad. I mostly make these so I remember what I did last time and how it went.

@@samuelugh5729 That's an interesting question. I would assume that it's fine for all the sanding, its just not going to be as fast. That being said, I've wetsanded hundreds of lights by hand which can take a long time but can yield a better result. I think the speed applies more to not exceeding the speed as at a shop I worked at we used a buffer and I would run it at the slowest speed, a buddy told the new guy that real men buff at high speed and the kid melted a 3 inch stripe into a set of Lexus headlights during the polishing. Some kits come with a polish while some kits skip the polish and you go from sanding to clearcoating, so it all depends on your kit. You can hand polish too, but be ready to be really sore the next day.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom thanks for the response mike. i also do have a up to 3000RPM. But im scared to use that because it’s very strong. I don’t want to damage the headlights. I’ll probably use the 900 and see how it comes out. I’ll just have to work harder i guess. Like you mentioned. I have the ultra headlight restoration kit from amazon.

@@PinkLoader Thank you for the comment and the view.

@@paulvillano8625 Sounds good. I'm still running the same wipers from just before winter. The Trico winter ones had issues with the plastic "trim" end pieces falling off, but the Rain-X ones have been fine. The "time to replace" indicator has been yellow on the Rain-X SUV blade for a couple months now, but it still wipes clean without streaks on both blades. The Tricos are a little streaky, but not bad enough for me to replace them yet.

@@TheMrDrMs 3M all the way. I did some maintenance and repairs to the Astra and took it to a car wash when I was done. The Sylvania clear coat had a good bit come off when I used the wand on the high pressure rinse. It's not a typical use case, as I'm sure both headlights were exposed to degreaser and other chemicals, but the 3M was fine. The drill attachment on the 3M system is my least favorite part, as sometimes you can use up the sanding discs before the headlight is corrected completely and then you are back to hand sanding. However, I would say the clear coat is top notch once you get used to applying it. I redid the Astra's Sylvania headlight with 3M clear coat and had enough left over to do a set of taillights. Then on my Acura TL, I did 3M versus Turtle Wax and 3M looked much better, but that was the first time I was able to apply the clear coat without a run or drip. So it took me 5 uses to get one that I didn't mess up the application in some way. My next project car, I want to try either the Cerakote brand restoration kit or using automotive paint clear coat to see how it does.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom awesome! Thank you for the detailed response! 3M it is., shame about the drill - nothing beats some good elbow grease I suppose lol

@@angelf9800 Yes, but only if the temperature is below 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The tenacity is the reason for the temperature limitation. However, a Google search came back that you can apply it later in the day to early evening after it's cooled back under 85 degrees if you are located in a hot summer region. I don't know how the air temp affects it, but as its in the directions, I would not apply on days that exceed the 85 degrees.

@@charnishi9095 I don't know. If the screen is white I would assume something bad happened. Hopefully it's not this bad, but check out what "Ezrah" posted on the forum... community.fitbit.com/t5/Other-Versa-Smartwatches/Versa-2-screen-is-white/td-p/4036295 It's about 4 or so posts down, and sounds like he went through the troubleshooting which you probably have done the bulk of the that with the reset and charging. Good luck with it, I know I feel off and out of sorts without a watch/fitness tracker on.

@@JoeBilello1969 I feel your pain. There's a couple spots in the backyard under some trees that I'm debating some pavers or maybe a little concrete pad just out in the middle of nowhere. If you are following the instructions, then maybe try some other techniques. Are you busting up the soil a bit with a rake on the bare spots and then kind of raking the seeds into the soil to kind of "sow" them? Have you tried a straw mulch type cover to help keep moisture in to get the seeds to germinate better? I don't water my lawn unless I'm trying to fix a bad spot ans then just that area gets watered, so I don't have any advice there besides use a rain gauge so you can see if you over or under watered, or if the rain storm that you thought was going to save you from watering really just dropped enough to make it look wet. My lawn is doing pretty well now, but it took a couple years it was almost all creeping charlie and clover when we bought our house. Tenacity and Speedzone followed by aerating in the spring and fall, and lots of Scotts ThickR Lawn and an occasional mail in soil test to check what's going on with my dirt have helped to make it a lawn. That being said, as soon as you relax, things can go back downhill. Good luck fighting the good fight.

@@jwc4226 The bearings I used are Hillman 1/2"x1-1/8" Radial Bearing part number 008236510430, so hopefully this helps. I think a bunch of options will come up on Amazon then its just hoping they are right.

@@spinebreaker4507 Thanks for watching. With the sale prices or super coupon savings, it can be very tempting and I was debating it myself for quite a bit. I'm glad I got it as I used it with a few projects the first year which in my mind it paid for itself.

@@weswes3173 ya, this was one of my earlier videos where I thought I needed the background noise. Thanks for the comment though.

I like to use Shephard's hooks. I kind of look for anywhere they are on sale, but large stores like Lowe's and Home Depot will have them, Walmart carries them sometimes, also local places like Ace Hardware, Bomgaar's, Fleet Farm, etc. can be good locations as well. A tall one can be a little pricey sometimes, so that's why I check websites and flyers for when one is on sale.

@@bigmikebeardwisdom thank you!!

That's a great point. The edge geometry can be varied for various purposes. 30 degrees seems to be the sharpest recommended angle as it will cut soft things cleanly but will be more prone to chipping when it hits something of substance. 40 degrees is almost the widest recommended angle as it can handle hitting twigs and debris with less chipping, but will be a rougher cut to the grass by comparison. For my personal situation, I sharpen the blade once a year but I can see that I really should do it more often as the blade tends to be very dull and is acting like a weed whacker and tearing the grass. However, that's on me as the user and not the blade or the mower's fault. Thanks for the comment and the inspiration to go sharpen my blade right now.

@@Leo_seguridad it's a contact killer. So it works on the bugs that get sprayed. That's why you want to hit areas where they are hiding or are present. If you spray the right places, you'll notice a big drop in Mosquitoes pretty quickly. It is not a lasting prevention spray, so depending on the wind and your local weather as well as standing water locations it could be a while before they get thick enough to notice or they may be back within days. When it was really dry here, it was a couple weeks to a month before they would be noticeable again. Right now with the flooding and seemingly constant rain we have in MN, its a couple days.

​@bigmikebeardwisdom thank you sir 🫡

@@OutdoorMore1 So I was rejected from Amazon's Affiliate stuff after about a month or so for not having enough subscribers when I had about 200 subscribers. So I can't dig into it very far as I no longer have access. But from what I remember if you copy and paste your long link to a product it's normally going to work fine as long as the product hasn't changed, it's when you shorten the link that trouble can occur. If you use Amazon's link shortening tool, you should still have good links in the checker unless something has changed with the product. A change in the product happened to me, so I just went back to the product made a new link, verified the link worked in the checker and used it in my TH-cam descriptions. If you use another tool to shorten the link, it may still take someone to the product, but the tool may have trimmed the part that tracks the link back to you so you lost the credit for someone clicking the link. Are you an Amazon Affiliate with 600 subscribers? I never got a clear answer from Amazon regarding how many subscribers a TH-cam channel needs to stay an affiliate.

Me too, no matter what I do or how many times I replace the links in my blog, or on my Pinterest boards they fail the next time I check them. I'm feeling like this has been a big waste of time.

@@angelapare3077 Once I get 1000 subscribers here on TH-cam, I'm going to apply for Amazon's Associates again. If I can get accepted that time I'm going to deep dive this more. It is no fun having to check your links just to find they stopped working.

@@angelapare3077 did you find a fix yet??

That's the crazy part of this mix. So Tenacity and the version of Speedzone that I used both "control" ground ivy or creeping charlie. However, when I used Tenacity alone, it definitely hurt it, but didn't wipe it out. I've also read where people have said SpeedZone alone will brown the above ground portion of the creeping charlie but not fully kill the below ground so it pops back up. I have not run SpeedZone by itself to confirm this. With both combined, the speedzone browns and hurts the ground ivy quickly, and I think it does it enough damage that the slower acting Tenacity is able to kill the rest of the plant. The combination resulted in a highly defined line of where I sprayed in my yard that was free of creeping charlie and where it was still growing happily in my neighbor's yard.

Thanks for your great comment and personal experience. I definitely agree about how they aren't the best tire in terms of handling, grip, and road noise but they'll outlast every other tire out there on a properly maintained vehicle. With each car having unique characteristics when it comes to tire wear, it's certainly possible to hit 100k as these had an 80k treadwear warranty. My particular 2016 Sonata Hybrid, went through the factory Hankook tires faster than I expected, which is why I went the Michelin Defender route to maximize tire life. Thanks again for the great comment.

GM sold the Astra in the US as a Saturn for 2 years only like 2008 and 2009. They even had a "Kiss my Astra" marketing campaign. It was hard to find a 3 door, here in Minnesota but there's almost always a 5 door for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The next generation astra after this one is sold as a Buick Verano and had a much longer run.

Oh, boy. So not knowing what the clicking noise was exactly, the worst thing I can think of is that if it was clicking while the engine was running then it might have snagged an oil cooler line or dented a hole in something that holds oil, which could be very bad. But, not knowing what it sounded like however if it was still cranking but not firing, it could have snagged a wire to a cam or crankshaft sensor so the vehicle doesn't know when to fire the spark plugs. Now if it wouldn't crank at all, it may have pulled wires off the starter itself. If you have tow insurance and coverage for hitting an animal, I wouldn't worry and just get it taken to a reputable shop. Luckily, my car was still drivable, but you want to be careful moving it yourself in case something major is damaged and is actually a safety issue. Good luck with your car.

With the little bit of sanding and prep that I did, I was very happy with the results at the end with the hyperdip. It's not as thick as Plastidip, so it will not hide and fill imperfections as well, but the overall appearance is much prettier.