Fix volume knob malfunction
 

For years my OEM stereo volume knob has been acting strangely. Turn volume up, and it sometimes goes down, does not change, or jumps up and down. Turn it down and it might do any of the same actions. The only thing it rarely does is what you expect.

It occurred to me to Google a fix. Lots of radios apparently suffer this problem, from BMW to Mercedes and Bentley. My Honda Civic has some high end company.

The pages I found called for removing the knob and cleaning the electronic contacts underneath with electronic contact cleaner. But I didn't have contact cleaner and the knob felt like it would break before it would come off.

So, McGuyver it with a procedure:

(1) I substituted Mass Airflow Sensor cleaner (had it on hand)
(2) I left the knob in place (can't break what you don't pry)
(3) used the little red straw on the nozzle and a paper towel below the knob for runoff & jetted cleaner into the space between knob and stereo face.

A few squirts and maybe 10 seconds of twisting the knob and a years-old frustration was gone.

So simple & effective I had to share it to celebrate.

Not a volume knob but somewhat similar case.
I had CE-light come up in my punto several times and indicated a faulty cat. I searched for used and new cats online for a month. But then i tought, why not and sprayed crc contact cleaner into the connector of the lambda sensors wire. Bam, problem solved:D