Maintenance in Autos

Only Maintenance: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Maintenance stories and video. All of Autos →

The home maintenance calendar that prevents the big repairs

Most catastrophic home failures announce themselves months in advance. A few hours a year, spread out properly, is what catches them.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Paint a room in the order a painter actually does it

Cut in one wall at a time, keep a wet edge, and never stop for lunch halfway up a wall. The rest is prep.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideFoodWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Sharpening a kitchen knife without wrecking it

Most home knives aren't dull, they're bent. Knowing the difference, and learning to feel for the burr, is the whole skill.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

PartnerShirts.com

Home5 min read

Knowing when to stop and how to get a quote you can trust

The jobs worth attempting, the ones that need a licensed pro, and the eight questions that turn a vague number into a real price.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why Your Car Won't Start, Worked Out In Order

Listen to the sound it makes, check one number on the battery, and you'll know whether this is a ten-minute fix or a tow.

GuideCountry BroDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

Spec a truck for the acreage, not the driveway

Payload, bed length and tires decide whether a truck works on your place. Tow rating is mostly a billboard number.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideHomeWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

Why your garage filled up, and how to get it back

Garages don't fill up because you ran out of space. They fill up because nothing ever leaves, and nothing has an address.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Splitting a cord by hand without wrecking your back

The block height, the swing, the rounds that will never split, and how to stack so the bottom row isn't rotten by spring.

GuideCountry BroWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

What Freezes First on a Property and How to Stop It

Wellheads, hydrants, pump houses and stock tanks all fail in predictable places. Find yours in October, not at 4am in February.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideHomeWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

How to hang heavy things so they never come down

Studs, toggles, cleats and the four mistakes that put a mirror on the floor at two in the morning.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Why patios sink, and how to build one that doesn't

The flat patio and the wavy one get built the same way above ground. The difference is what happened in the first afternoon.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideCountry BroWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

What a Well and a Septic Really Cost to Keep Running

Nobody bills you monthly for water out here. The money still comes due — just in lumps, and usually at the worst time.

GuideHomeWes Dunbar22 Sept 20265 min

Find the draughts first, then spend money on insulation

Most people insulate the wrong thing in the wrong order. A cold afternoon, a stick of incense and about $60 will tell you where your heat is going.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Sharpen a knife, an axe and a mower blade the same way

Three tools, three angles, one test. Do them in this order and you'll stop guessing whether the edge is actually finished.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Hunting & Shooting5 min

Sight in six weeks early, not the night before

Home5 min

What your home inspector won't check, and what you should

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Re-caulking a bath and shower without it peeling in a year

Most new caulk fails because of what happened before the tube was even opened. The order matters more than the technique.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

Skills6 min read

Why Fences Lean, and How to Set Posts That Don't

A fence never fails at the pickets. It fails in the first eight inches of dirt below grade, and that part is decided on day one.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

Older articles