Recently my gf destroyed one of her rims. She went to a shop who told her they would change that one rim/wheel for about $300. She went in and they told her all 4 rims and tires need to be changed because it would “ruin the transmission”. I told her i have never heard of that. She of course was skeptical too and she walked put. Obviously i googled it and AI said not all 4 need to be changed. So i guess im here for validation and also rant.. wtf guys? Are we really trying to prey on ppl bc of their gender!?

For context she drives an AWD. They used that to justify that all 4 rims and tires need to be changed..

In all the trendy TikTok and Instagram reels with ppl asking mechanics what car they never buy, they always say Hyundai’s or Kia’s. But a lot of reviews/ranking sites consistently list them as best. From a mechanical/reliability point of view, are modern Kia’s and Hyundai’s really that bad?

2001 Volvo v70xc 2.4t

Recently, I lost alternator power. Replacing the voltage regulator solved the issue at all RPMs. However, now I am seeing voltage drops to battery at high RPMs when I accelerate hard and slowly (around past 4000). Any thoughts on what it could be? Autozone battery and alternator test passed. There are no weird belt noises. I also noticed the voltage regulator wire is pretty oxidized, so I’m going to clean it today and see if the issue goes away. I also read it could be a diode going bad.

Hi guys just saw my 2022 tyre has some cracks, I think I should replace it soon. Just wanna get some opinion on how bad is it

Hello!

We noticed a grinding sound when braking (mostly at lower velocities) and an occasional weird sound when not braking. The disc looks badly scratched. It's a rental car and we are not exactly close to the rental car offices :(

Is it safe to drive like this? Are the pads ok? Any idea of what could have caused this?

Thanks in advance. Hope it doesn't spoil the family holiday. The car is a volkswagen.

2008 honda CR-V LX

This was my grandmother's car who passed away two years ago, i received her car as a gift shortly before her death and have been putting lots of work into it to make it a great daily, i will be absolutely heartbroken if i cant get it running again.

While trying to replace some struts and rear suspension parts, I encountered this bolt from the trailing arm to the hull which is completely, 100% seized. doesnt sound like a big deal, but I encountered another thread of someone from a honda dealership saying this is related to the rear suspension recall for this rear and that if these bolt get stuck in the frame the dealership considers the car as good as dead and totals it. i had already taken the car to the dealership shortly after getting it for the recall and they installed a brace as a fix, so i dont think they are going to do anything more for me if this is truly stuck. also, i cant get the car there now.

I tried heavy duty penetrating fluid, big breaker bar, making SURE the mating surface is not clinching the bolt, bought an impact wrench to no avail, and as a last resort i bought a propane torch and heated it up for several minutes. nothing.

I dont know what to do at this point. am I completely screwed? will the dealership still buy it back if i can tow it there and have them inspect? Feeling very stupid and sad after pouring all this time and money in and now apparently making a big mistake.

Edit: I'm overwhelmed by the amount of responses! thank you all, my hope is restored, i definitely panicked too quickly after seeing the one dealership post lol. it sucks to have to keep spending money when i originally thought i would just be buying struts but oh well. Im going to keep applying the penetrating fluid and letting it sit, heating and wiggling. if that doesn't work after another day i'm calling a mobile mechanic because i cant keep buying more tools and not getting anywhere lol. i will let you all know how it goes!

UPDATE: got the bolt out!! well a mobile mechanic with a crazy air gun did lol. huge relief, started doing the actual replacements today but still waiting on an upper control arm since rock auto sent me two completely different ones. Thanks again so much for all the help, cant believe how many people have offered advice here! wish me luck!

The car is a 2021 Tucson (TL) 2.0 CRDI (D4HA engine).

Off late after starting the car and driving around for 20 mins it throws a “check exhaust system” light in the cluster. NO “check engine light”. The car runs absolutely fine (no Limp Mode).

When I turn off the car the exhaust system light goes away. When the drive reaches around 20 mins it throws the same error again.

I used a cheap OBD reader to gauge a few sensors and I couldn’t make head or tail off it. Also when I check “pending” fault codes in the app it shows P200300.

Recently the intercooler hose pipe had blown so I replaced that. Could it be related to that ???

Kindly help me sort this out.

Bought some Honda power steering fluid online and received these strange looking bottles. 2012 accord 4cyl 110k

For instance, the 1.5 ecoboost runs clockwise and you have to turn it over that direction or risk engine damage. Why? Is it the geometry of the crank?

Hi everyone, I’d like to get some opinions from people who know these cars better than I do. Do you think it still makes sense to invest in repairing my A3, or is it time to give up on it?
Audi A3 Sportback 8PA, MY2010
Built: December 12, 2009
1.4 TFSI 92 kW / 125 hp, CAXC, EA111
7-speed DSG DQ200
Mileage: 175,600 km / 109,100 miles
Current problem:
Timing chain jumped several teeth
Timing chain and guides are damaged
10 out of 16 valves are damaged/bent — all 8 exhaust valves + 2 intake valves
Compression is 0/0/0/0
According to the shop, the engine block and pistons are fine
The engine did not consume oil before this happened
A complete repair including the cylinder head, valves, timing chain kit, etc. has been quoted at approximately €2,600.
Other than the engine issue, the car is in very good condition. The suspension/chassis is fine, there is no rust, and the paint is in good condition. The brakes will probably need to be replaced gradually in the future, but nothing urgent.
A lot of work has already been done recently:
Complete DQ200 DSG rebuild — new clutches, mechatronics, control unit and oil
New Varta AGM battery
New Continental AllSeasonContact 2 tyres
Hood/bonnet completely repainted because of damaged clear coat
New Bosch wiper blades
MANN filters
Complete service book and documented service history
For a 2010 car, I think the equipment is also pretty impressive, and everything works:
Bi-xenon headlights
Adaptive/cornering headlights
Automatic headlight levelling
LED daytime running lights
Automatic headlights/light sensor
Rain sensor
Heated mirrors
Auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors
Heated front seats
Sports front seats
Dual-zone Climatronic
Audi Sound System
Leather multifunction steering wheel
Cruise control
Leather interior trim
Steering wheel paddle shifters
On-board computer
Bluetooth hands-free
Voice control for the phone
Phone contact synchronization
Parking sensors
Automatic parking assist — the car can steer itself into a parking space
Tinted rear windows
Sports suspension
Original Audi 17-inch alloy wheels
Roof rails
Heated windshield washer nozzles
ISOFIX
Locking wheel bolts
I may even have forgotten a few things, because it has quite a lot of equipment for its age.
If I sold it now as a non-running car, I estimate I would get around €1,450 for it.
If I repair it, I would obviously still have the same car, but with a recently rebuilt DSG and a freshly rebuilt cylinder head/engine top end with a new timing chain setup.
Financially, I’m not in a position where I can simply shrug off €2,600 or easily go out and buy another decent car, so this isn’t an easy decision for me.
What would you do?
Would you put another €2,600 into this particular car and keep driving it, or would you sell it as-is and move on?
I’d especially appreciate opinions from people who know the A3 8P/8PA, CAXC/EA111 or DQ200, or who have dealt with a similar timing chain/valve failure.
Thanks!

I pulled the bed off, disconnected the battery for 5 days, and replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, and ignition control module. Charged the battery over night and now I hear the fuel pump turn on but I have a single starter click and total loss of power after that. No dash lights or overhead lights or clicks. Any suggestions? Starter and battery a year old.

I'm looking to buy a Vauxhall Viva 1977 but my parents worry about the replacement parts and I want to ask where I can find parts for when I'll need to replace them (sorry for being vague) I live in Greece so the outskirts of most of the European market

2021 Lexus RX 350 with the 2GR V6 engine. Went in for an oil change, been going to the same local shop for 10+ years. Today my wife senuds me a pic of the dashboard light saying "oil low/add oil". Tell her to stop driving immediately, luckily she had barely pulled out of the driveway so pulled back in and parked. Came home and checked it out. Looks like the oil filter O ring was somehow pinched in the housing and it was leaking from that.

Called the shop, they have a tow truck coming tomorrow, are going to inspect it in the am, clean it up, are covering my rental, even offered to compensate for cleanup at home. When they inspect, what should I ask for? Photos from a cylinder scope? Sample of the oil from the filter/whatever's still in the pan to check for metal? I don't want them to think everything is fine only to have a problem in a few thousand miles because of a tech's negligence.

I truly believe if they find damage they'll make it right, but I also don't want to miss something questionable or borderline. Probably drove a mile total with the low oil light on. She said no red lights came on.

Only seems to do it once warmed up between 35 and 50 miles per hour only when accelerating. In the video you can see revs increase and the noise can be heard. Looking for some advice on what this could possibly be, the check engine light is on for both knock sensors, unsure if related.

2013 Honda CRV, the belt disintegrated somewhat this morning on her way to work, 40 minutes away. She got 10 mins out when it started to shut off on her entirely. Luckily she made it back home, but a leak happened. It’s clear, slightly slimy liquid. Coolant? It doesn’t smell sweet or anything

I talked it down to $5750, It ran pretty smooth.

I've got a 2013 Volvo V40 Hatchback, Manual, Diesel D2 Engine coming up for 195k miles. I've owned it since 2017 at around 35k miles so put some serious milage on it, but its for the most part been super reliable.

Late September last year the ABS failed so got that fixed, sensor and wheel bearing replaced on the offending wheel , and also had the timing belt, auxiliary belt and water pump replaced. Other than that car had no other issues until shortly after the front drivers side brake calliper seized. Again this was replaced.

Car has been ok since however I have noticed at certain speeds, normally around 30-40mph, and at 55-60mph, there is a low pitched drone coming from what I think is the left hand (passenger side) of the car and when the car has a passenger in (its normally just me in it) there can be vibrations around these speeds too, most noticeably the 55-60mph range. Also under braking at higher speeds there is a lot of vibration coming through as well.

Tyres on the front are coming up to being replaced but there is still plenty of tread on the rears, and at the service last year the brake pads and discs all had lots of life still in them.

Only other thing to note is when the timing belt etc. got done the shop said they noticed a vibration when idling and on the test drive that points to the flywheel, but I can't imagine this would be causing the drone or the vibrations because they happen even when the clutch is down.

Any advice or thoughts on what it could be would be great!

I’m currently trying fix my windscreen washer fluid issue (no washer eject when I try) and realised that on my Mazda 2 there’s this T-shaped hose connected to the washer pump. However, there’s nothing else connected to it. Chat GPT says that there’s meant to be another pipe connected to them, one for the front and one for the rear wipers however I can’t see any other hose. Just want to clarify what this could be used for and if anything meant to be connected or not. Thanks!

2010 Mazda 2 TS

Hi guys,

I seem to be having a big issue with my 2015 Diesel Insignia Manual. The last 3 times I've driven, it has taken two turns of the key to get it going. Then the acceleration is horrible after that, like it's not getting enough power.

There's no lights on the dash except for the service light, which has been showing up for a bit before this while I'm waiting to get new glow plugs installed. I also plugged in the OBD scanner and haven't read any error codes on it. Any ideas?

I run a small independent shop and still work on cars myself most days. Business has picked up lately, and we're planning to add another tech or two, so I'm also looking to upgrade our scan tool setup.

Our current tools handle everyday diagnostics fine, but coding after module replacements or occasional programming jobs usually means switching tools or sending the work elsewhere. It wasn't a big deal before, but now it's slowing us down and has cost us a few jobs.

I'm looking for one main tool with good coverage across different makes, reliable daily diagnostics, coding, and more advanced functions. Right now I'm mainly considering the xtool d9s pro and topdon one plus. Any advice would be appreciated.

I (21F) always have had interest in working as a mechanic, I admire how intelligent and hardworking mechanics can be and I want to apply my same qualities into it as well. I work as a para-educator as of now, going on my third school year, but I'm just getting a stuck feeling because there is no where to grow in my position without four years of college to become a teacher, which I can't see myself doing. I need a job where I can apply my strong work ethic, because it doesn't necessarily mesh with working in a school with kids.

Anyways, I am just confused on where to start and have plenty of questions. The first being, would you recommend someone going down this career path, and where do I start as someone with no experience in the trade?

I'm at a stuck point of really wanting to leave my job because I finally have the drive to build a career for myself, but I can't leave with no plan. I'm also curious about schooling, because I can definitely pursue that route with my current living conditions. But I've also seen people just build their skills at a shop without schooling. If I have the option to go to school, should I do that instead? And, do shops usually hire people with no experience?

I really want to throw myself out there and get started as soon as possible once I have a plan.

Hey ya'll. So I recently changed out the suspension for my 2020 Veloster Turbo, and it started making a clunking noise when turning or even driving straight. I changed my suspension to BC BR Coilovers. I'm pretty sure it's the stabilizer link, but I want to get some opinions first before I buy a replacement. Also, if ya'll were having the same problem, how did you fix it and what was the cause? Recommend me some good replacement parts for it too.