A moment with Chris Thompson

Our Sony multi-function remote was getting old, so we decided to try the Logitech Harmony 880 remote after reading good reviews (note the 880 design is a few years old however). I ordered the remote on eBay in a bulk shipment from China, new refurbished for around $95. It definitely had some quirks we had to work out, the biggest being it wouldn’t charge on its base.



The Fix:
Since we ordered this from China, I figured I should try to fix this myself before sending it back. The remote wouldn’t charge on the base, the connection was flaky and the remote would stop charging after one minute it seemed. Adding weight to the remote to help make the connection didn’t help either. First I tried opening the base up to see if I could raise the connectors. I didn’t get far, there’s no easy way to open the base. Read the rest of this entry »

Had some trouble with the rain this weekend, my wipers weren’t cutting it anymore and needed to be replaced. Another good opportunity to do a BMW X3 wiper replacement tech tip.

First, I tried calling around to some local auto stores, but in my area wipers for a BMW X3 need to be special ordered. I figured if that’s the case, try the dealership also. Stevens Creek BMW wanted over $140 for the front driver and passenger wipers alone – that sounded exorbitant to someone cost sensitive like me. I tried a few more local shops and found the front set for under $100 but still a bit high. I ended up doing much better than that.



Ultimately, I found some Bosch wiper refills (Bosch 43722 Wiper Refill Pr & Bosch 43720 Wiper Refill Pr) that did the trick. The driver side wiper uses 22 inch while the passenger side uses 20 inch. The refills come in sets of two, so you could use sturdy wire clippers and cut the second 43722 refill down to fit the passenger side wiper. Instead, I suggest just getting the 20 inch set as well, and keep the spares handy for your next wiper change. Here are some more handy tips and photos to help with the entire replacement procedure – driver passenger & rear window.
Read the rest of this entry »