by Gabrielle DeSantis

If you own a home and don’t want to pay for lawn maintenance service, chances are you own a lawn mower. There are many different varieties of lawn mowers, all offered from an even bigger variety of brands, but when it comes down to the basics of maintenance, keeping our mower in good condition is relatively simple. Avoiding a few simple mistakes can mean saving you money in costly repairs later on — or worse, having to replace your lawn mower sooner rather than later.

Where you store you lawn mower matters

Storing your lawn mower can be a major inconvenience for some owners. Storing your mower in a shed or garage is usually ideal, as it is protected from weather and the elements. Of course, this isn’t an option for every lawn mower owner, but leaving it outside uncovered can be a costly mistake. Being left in the elements, even if slightly covered under a port, can cause rust or damage from flying debris. Depending on what area you live in, you might also find small critters like rats and mice making a home in our mower and chewing through the electrical wires. If you can’t keep your lawn mower in an enclosed area, your next best option is to invest in a cover

Take some time to clear your lawn of debris

Depending on how big the yard you are mowing is, cleaning up any debris can be quick, but it can also be a hassle. Large sticks, rocks, or trash that has made its way into your yard might seem like no match for your lawn mower’s powerful blades, but it can cause a surprising amount of damage. NAPA also suggests removing weeds while you’re clearing the yard also means that your lawn mower won’t spread their seeds around the yard.

Commit to proper lawn mower maintenance

We spend plenty of time and money maintaining our other vehicles like our cars, trucks, and motorcycles, but it is easy to skip over maintenance routines with our lawn mowers. As you could expect, proper maintenance is a key factor in keeping your lawn mower running and in good condition for as long as possible, and because the tasks tackled by our mowers are different than what our road-focused vehicles encounter, maintenance can be a bit different. One of the worst mistakes you can make is skipping over a quick rinse after you’re done mowing, checking the oil, and replacing filters at whatever interval is recommended for your specific mower.

Most mower owners are guilty of a few of these mistakes, especially when it comes to the seemingly tedious tasks like clearing the yard of debris and rinsing the mower after use. But, avoiding these mistakes is important to keeping your mower in the best condition possible for as long as you can and can save you costly repairs and replacements down the road.

RELATED: What’s the Difference Between a Riding Lawn Mower and a Lawn Tractor?

The post 3 Common Mistakes That Will Damage Your Lawn Mower appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Owners of Charger or Challenger Hellcats and Demons in this class-action lawsuit claim the rear differentials can’t handle the high horsepower and torque. The lawsuit says owners hear whining, howling, and whirring noises coming from the differential. They also experience vibrations generated from the back of their vehicles. 

This lawsuit includes 2014-2019 Dodge Challengers and Chargers with V8 engines

The lawsuit takes in 2014-2019 Dodge Challengers and Chargers with V8 engines. It also includes Charger and Challenger Hellcats, and Challenger Demons. These were all developed through Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group. With that SRT badge, the lawsuit alleges these sedans were built for use on public roads but also for race tracks. 

The plaintiffs say the rear ends are not capable of handling the high torque and horsepower of the SRT engines and transmissions. It alleges that these vehicles were defective when new. Failures of the ring gears, pinion gear differential housings, and axles are specific reasons given for rendering the cars undrivable. 

The lawsuit alleges that it can cost thousands of dollars for owners to have rear differentials replaced. And that doesn’t factor in damage caused to other components. It lists metal shavings and particulates as contaminating the rear-end oil. This results in friction and heat which ultimately causes the differential to fail according to carcomplaints. 

The lawsuit alleges technical service bulletins show Fiat Chrysler knew about the problems

As proof that Fiat Chrysler has known about the issues the lawsuit outlines, it issued technical service bulletins related to the differential. It references TSB 03-001-15 which covered the 2015 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger. The TSB said “a slight noise of vibration from the rear of the vehicle.” 

In these cases, the TSB concludes that replacing both rear half shafts takes care of the problem. But as the problem continued Fiat Chrysler revised the TSB. Now, it describes a slight shake/vibration felt in the seat and/or floor, generated from the rear of the vehicle. It said that it was “most noticeable on very smooth roads, at steady-state cruising speeds 50-80 mph.”

The following year TSB-03-004-16 was issued, expanding the model year to 2016. It also suggested dealers replace the propeller shaft. The service bulletin described a whining noise at high speeds coming from the rear axle. 

Rear ends making noise and failing are alleged to be the problem

Yet, another TSB was issued in 2016, this time asking dealers to replace axle oil in limited-slip differentials. The noise was coming from rear ends that now included 2015-2017 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Challenger models.

In March 2017, TSB 9003655 described tight turning maneuvers as causing noise in rear ends. This was found in 2015-2016 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger models. It also included 2017 Dodge Chargers. The fix was to drain the rear end and fill it up with fresh oil.

RELATED: The 807-Hp Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock Is a Refined Demon

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