How I Cobbled Together a Clean Lighting Setup for My Garage With Random Parts
Plus: Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained confesses a car mistake, we review a Mustang Mach-E, and more.
A great lighting setup is one of the most critical elements in a productive garage. Besides the obvious advantage of being able to see your work more easily, good lights make your garage a happier place to be. You'll appreciate this when a one-hour job starts taking up a whole weekend. But a really exceptional setup isn't just bright—it's elegantly installed. Check out the rundown below of what I did to make my shop lighting installation look clean without actually working too hard.
If you're more interested in getting out and driving than nesting, we had a good crop of adventures on Car Bibles this week including a great story from the one and only Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained. Then we ran an in-depth review of the Mustang Mach-E from the perspective of a driver without the luxury of home charging.
Car Bibles is generally focused on DIY-related content, practical advice, cultural commentary, and automotive entertainment celebrating low- to medium-budget motoring. We've stepped up our schedule to six posts a day each week—including a daily feature photo—so if you like what you see below, I would love to see you over on our site to check out the rest of it! Anyway, on to the roundup:
High Brightness, Low Effort: Check Out My Clean Garage Lighting Setup
From Editor-in-Chief Andrew P. Collins: We swapped out two failing fluorescent lights for four LEDs from PrimeLights—the highest-lumen units we could find in the classic eight-foot shop light design. We got a huge boost in brightness while keeping the retro vibe of the space. Plus, we came up with some creative wire-tucking solutions to avoid having to mess with drywall.
Why Buying a Subaru WRX STI Was the Worst Decision I Made With a Car
From special guest writer Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained: "After graduating from college and landing an engineering job, my first financial goal was to save enough money to purchase a Subaru WRX STI. Not to stash it away into a 401(k), or start saving up for a house; I was driving a ’99 Integra, without VTEC, and I was ready to upgrade. I lived in a cheap apartment, maintained my budget-friendly college diet, and after about 20 months of saving, there was a brand new 2014 STI hatchback in my driveway—ahem, assigned apartment parking space. It was a mistake."
The 2021 Ford Mach-E Is a Real Mustang, But Charging Speed Is a Real Weakness
From writer Kevin Williams: "I have no real desire to fight with the purists still insisting the Mach-E can never be a Mustang. I mean, they’re wrong, but mostly I (and most consumers) don’t care. But please, stay with me. If you ignore all the drama and platitudes flying behind the 2021 Ford Mach-E’s name, you’re left with arguably the most compelling electric car on sale today."
My Mazda 3’s Melted Dashboard Left Me Infuriated With Technical Service Bulletins
From Kevin Williams again: "An intense love of cars can cause even the most hardened of enthusiasts to occasionally forget that cars are made by corporations, who are, unfeeling, only beholden to stockholders. I recently became aware of how Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) are the shadiest, low-handed way automakers gaslight customers into not taking responsibility of a defect that they likely were already aware of. How was I made aware? By buying a Mazda with a melted dashboard."
The First 2022 Subaru WRX Dyno Numbers Tell a Deeper Story
From writer Chris Rosales: "The 2022 Subaru WRX has been a controversial new offering in the compact sport sedan segment, mostly thanks to the styling of the thing. While I think it looks fine and is in lineage with a historically goofy-looking car, reviews from the first drive event have been mixed. Journalists are starting to get their hands on cars for deeper reviews and YouTuber Savagegeese has subjected it to a technical gauntlet and the results from a dyno session are fascinating."
If you liked any of those stories, I hope you'll join us on the regular over at Car Bibles. Our comment section's always open and we'll be doing a lot of experimenting throughout the year as we look for new and fun ways to bring automotive entertainment to you.
