An integral part of car enthusiasm that is open to all who wish to be a part of this world is the grassroots car meet. Passionate owners gather on weekend afternoons in parking lots across the country to support their friends and other locals who help organize these budding meets for an intimate setting. [...]
When we introduced the Schwaben Fluid Extractor, it was met with some understandable skepticism. Many DIYers and mechanics alike weighed in and made their arguments for or against the method of changing oil with a vacuum device like the fluid extractor. We showed in our video that it is the easiest way to perform your [...]
Your car is a form of self-expression. What you do to take the car from a standard example, identical to the other models, and turn it into something that represents your creativity is something strictly personal to you. Down to the little details of your car, everything becomes how you want it to be [...]
What does it mean to be a ‘car enthusiast?’ For many, the term is almost interchangeable with a title of superiority in conversations about automobiles. Especially when those conversations involve the introduction of cars built for efficiency, comfort, space, utility, and a price point. What is even more intriguing than the term itself is the [...]
The 996 Carrera, which was produced from 1999 until 2004, is a sore topic amongst enthusiasts. Generally, those enthusiasts are quick to grab their bludgeons and wallop the IMS Bearing dead horse en-masse. Somewhere in that collective hatred of the 996, you will hear about the cracked eggshell headlights, water cooled engine, and how [...]
A little over a week ago, while we were here hosting our own cars and coffee, the rest of the North American tuner car culture was fixated on a special event with similar Volkswagen roots to our own. For twenty years, Ocean City, Maryland has been home to an event that in recent years has [...]
When you spend time around a diverse crowd of car folks, you inevitably lose your bias towards a specific slice of the automotive world. My car history is varied and arguably well-rounded, but being here at ECS has exponentially grown my interests to include cars from a much broader spectrum than I previously considered. If [...]
When you put aside your biases and preferences for one make or model and see the greater car community as a group of people who simply enjoy their cars, you end up with an expansive group of fundamentally similar enthusiasts. Car events are either tailored to one style, make, country of origin, or even specific [...]
In 2016, we hosted our first virtual car show where you submitted photographs and information on your personal builds to compete in the online show for the coveted ‘Best in Show’ award. This year we are bringing the show back with a new twist! Our team has devised a slightly different approach to the incredibly [...]
In 1980, Mercedes introduced the recently developed ‘Special Class’ prestige luxury sedan to American markets. The gas crisis and ‘gas-guzzler’ tax imposed upon cars on American roads led to the development of this car, and specifically its engine, as a response to those rules. Only a company like Mercedes would so adamantly redesign an entire [...]