I recently bought a used car (1999 mazda) and did an oil change on it for the first time. I found a couple small bits of what looks to be metal in the old oil.

I know metal in the old oil is a bad sign but should I be concerned by this amount? The largest piece isn't biger than 1mm.

I have no idea when was the last time the previous owner had done an oil change.

I get lost when trying to organise even a mid size job. Any tips please. Thanks guys. Be nice its my first day here. 👍

There is a hole between my windshield and the plastic thing that is supposed to keep the water away. How much of a problem is it and how to fix it if I want to do it myself? If I leave it as is will my engine get filled with water? It's my first car and I know it's not a good one, but I'm kind of enjoying it. I live in a country where it rains a lot.

Hi
Do you think it worth repair? 2016 Mazda6

Howdy y'all!

After driving with no A/C for 6 years, I finally learned how to recharge it! 🎉 The feeling of cold air was amazing... but it only lasted about a week.

I figured maybe the system just needed another recharge since it'd been empty for so long, so I bought another can of R-134a and charged it to around **40 PSI**. Unfortunately, that only lasted one day before the A/C stopped blowing cold again.

At that point I picked up an R-134a can with UV dye to track down the leak. These photos are what I found under the UV light. Can anyone help me identify where the leak is and what parts I should replace or inspect?

Also, please excuse the messy engine bay. I'm recovering from PTSD after a serious car accident, and one of the ways it affected me was making it really difficult to keep up with vehicle maintenance. The brain works in strange ways. But through exposure therapy and learning to work on my own car, I've made a lot of progress!

So random no check engine lights
2016 gmc sierra 6.2 17300

Can you all recommend a reliable OBD2 scanner for home use? Would prefer something under $100.

​

Yall,

Trying to get some thoughts or ideas before throwing money at the noise. 2016 Ram 1500 - Hemi 4x4 w/ 82k.

Experiencing a medium tone, not extremely loud(Ik this sounds stupid) " mmm mmm mmm mmm" sound while on the highway(55-75mph) Sounds to me like driver side front? Sound goes away if I press on the gas. Is really noticeable if cruise control is on around those speeds.

Running new Falken Wildpeaks AT4. Truck had Wildpeaks before as well, with same sound. Sound continued with new tire change.

Front / rear diff fluid was just changed (IDK condition of oil as it was done at dealer). Engine oil is changed every 4k. I Do have a slight manifold leak (driver side) passenger was replaced about 5k ago (BD Desiel) planning to do the same on driver.

Truck also has magnaflow muffler, but the sound was there on stock muffler as well.

Let me know your thoughts. I appreciate it

\-CAL

Got into a wreck last week, not at fault. Body shop gave us a quote of $11,000 in damages before any hidden damages.
2020 Mercedes gle 350 with 85k miles

Icahn Enterprises will sell the Pep Boys auto-service chain to Mavis Tire Express Services for $700 million, the companies announced Tuesday.

The deal marks the withdrawal of famed investor Carl Icahn from a Pep Boys brand he bought a decade ago for roughly $1 billion, though he's keeping some real estate assets.

Mavis operates over 3,600 auto repair shops in the U.S. and Canada, including Midas, Tire Kingdom and Tuffy.

Adding Pep Boys will expand its footprint in the western U.S.

Hello, I have a 2011 accord ex-l 4 cyl sedan with 142k miles. The passenger side cv axle has started to make the classic knocking noise. What type of cv axle should I get? Here's the dilemma:

Aftermarket $60-$150 CV Axles on Rockauto, good budget wise but I have read extremely mixed reviews, from lasting as little as 500 miles to as much as 20k miles for both GSP and the Tracksomethingoranother brand on there.

OEM dealer axle assembly, I was quoted $1200 for one axle assembly from my local Honda dealer. Atp I might as well sell the effing car.

Raxles, I have heard mostly positive reviews but the occasional "boots are trash, will fail after a year" reviews. I have just put in my info, have to wait up to 2 days for a reply but the typical price seems to be $400-$600 for one axle assembly.

Junkyard, CV Axles at my local junk are going for $45+$10 core deposit which is insanely good for a used axle but I do not have the time, energy, tools, nor knowledge to even start thinking about taking out the axle.

Ebay or some big junkyard parts shipper, I believe these used cv axles run $200-$400 depending on what website is used but I run the risk of getting a very worn, or damaged, or defective cv axle and most likely a very annoying refund journey.

Money is tight, I can most likely do Raxles if I save up enough but OEM dealer is definitely off the table. I'm highly tempted to just go for GSP, install it, and make it future me's problem but I may not live long enough with a crappy axle so I really don't want to risk it. I feel unsafe driving with a failing CV Axle.

What should I do?

Edit: Forgot to mention I will be going to a shop and paying them to install it, which may be $300 for the labor alone.

Hi everyone,

Recently bought a Honda Civic EK hatch and noticed a few spots that I'm unsure about. I've attached some photos.
I can see a couple of paint chips on the rear wheel arch and what looks like a small amount of surface rust around the door jamb seam.

One thing I'm particularly unsure about is the area near the top of the hatch opening/trunk jamb (in the second and third photos). It has a brownish line on both sides of the car, so I'm wondering if that's actually rust or if it's just seam sealer, factory adhesive, or something that's meant to look like that.

Does that area look normal for an EK, or is it the start of rust?

Also, based on these photos:
-Would you consider this just minor surface rust?

-Is it something that should be repaired sooner rather than later?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

so i scratched my car while parking not proud of it but im a new driver. how horrible is it? (its my parents car)

Hello,

I own a 2022 RAV4 with a power liftgate. In 2023, the right rear hatch was replaced after an accident. I have not gotten any other repairs or work done afterwards. Since the repair, the liftgate has occasionally had trouble closing. Yesterday, it became completely unresponsive and would not open at all.

I first took the vehicle to the Toyota collision center that performed the repair. They suggested I have the original Toyota dealership inspect it in case there was warranty. The dealership found that the rear hatch is not properly aligned with the body, causing uneven panel gaps. According to them, the misalignment is causing the hatch to contact the latch/sensor assembly too early, which is likely preventing the liftgate from operating correctly. They recommended having the body repair inspected and the hatch properly adjusted.

The collision center, however, says they did not work on the gate itself and believes the issue could simply be due to normal wear since the repair was completed three years ago. In addition, they feel the dealership’s diagnosis only described the symptom without identifying the underlying cause.

Does the dealership’s explanation suggest this is more likely related to the previous body repair, or could normal wear realistically cause this kind of issue? Also, my horn stopped working after getting the inspection at the dealership (it was still working the morning of the inspection). Could it be that due to their inspection?

I’m not familiar with automotive repairs, so I’m unsure how to proceed. Any advice on what my next steps should be would be greatly appreciated!

Scraped my 2018 Nissan Sentra SL against a pole today, and I'm trying to figure out how bad this actually is before I take it anywhere.

From what I can tell it looks like mostly scuffing/paint transfer with one deeper scratch line, no visible dent or crease. Does this look like a polish/buff job, or will it need repainting?

Vehicle: 2004 Chevy Tahoe Z71
Miles: 225,000

3 days ago it was running fine. Stopped at a stop sign and once the odometer hit zero it started shaking pretty bad. Suddenly had no acceleration and gas pedal was giving some push back. Suddenly it was fine, about 2 miles down the road I lost acceleration with a completely loose gas pedal, wouldn’t shift, flashing check engine light.

Had the codes ran and replaced the fuel pressure regulator. Ran fine for 2 days. Today, it all happened again once I stopped at a stop sign. This time though after I lost acceleration my wheel locked when I stopped and the battery light came on as well as check engine flashing. Check engine light will flash but will NOT stay on. It turns off and stays off til it struggles again. There’s no code to even run.

I'm looking at buying a '22 CRV that has been sitting for 3 years. Am i going to be expecting a ton of problems down the line or should i just move on? Supposedly all the maintenance had been up to date prior.

Hello!

I bought a 2015 Honda Odyssey EX (named "Homer" - we're all having a moment now, aren't we?) new in December 2014. Since then, I've put few actual miles on it, and it spends a lot of time sitting in my outdoors driveway with weeks or even months between use. It has only 22,000 and change miles on it. I've tried to scrupulously take care of it, with synthetic Mobil oil changes every 5,000 miles or so, I've replaced the battery, brand new tires, cabin air filters.

I'm going to be taking a couple of long trips in late summer and I'd like to bring Homer into like new condition. I'm happy to take it to a good mechanic and tell them to perform the maintenance.

Having had the vehicle for 10 years, what maintenance should I do today if I want it to last forever, or as long as possible? There is nothing wrong with it now that I know of except some rubber lining to several doors than has come loose and needs to be refastened or replaced.

TIA.

Popping/clicking noise from front passenger door when closing (Toyota Corolla 2016? Automatico)

My dad's Toyota has developed a loud popping/clicking sound from the front passenger door whenever it's opened or closed.

Seems like a bad or loose door checker / door stop strap but could it be the hinges?

Has anyone experienced this issue before? Is it fixable by simply tightening/greasing it or does the door checker assembly need a complete replacement?

Thanks in advance for the help :)

Voordat ik naar de keuring moet , wil ik vragen of iemand weet of deze banden nog door te keuring zouden komen.

Ik heb geen idee hoe oud de banden zijn.

Iemand enig idee?

My friend just bought a used Corolla 3 weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure the compressor failed on the road home yesterday afternoon. I want to check a few other things just in case, but the fuse box in the engine compartment has this weird grey panel where the ac fuses should be. Haven‘t seen that before, and not sure how to access them.

Additional context, the battery terminals were corroded when she bought it and it failed to start right after she handed them the check. I asked them to change the terminals but they refused, opting to give her a new battery instead. So I changed the terminals myself after she got it home, in case the battery work might cause an electrical ac failure shortly after.

Also there’s a weird sort of clicking sound when the ac is on, seems to be coming from the compressor when standing in front with the hood open (could be heard inside on the passenger side from behind glove compartment). Noise stops when the ac is off. No air from vents when it’s idling, weak cold air from vents when running at highway speeds.

So this issue started/and got fixed a year plus ago. I would drive my car, then all my dials on my dash would go to zero like it died, shifter indicator was off so it wouldn't let me turn off my car because it "wasnt in park", I could move it to park but it wouldn't indicate. Lastly it would show check engine like and "Service ESC" message. I had a scanner from amazon which listed error code P0700, something about TCM. Then as fast as it came it disappeared. I took it to the dealer and the light was gone, they said they couldn't do anything as they saw no issue. This happened 2 more times until they finally were able to scan it while the engine light was on, and when it was all serviced I asked what was the issue. They said they just had to put electrical tape on some wires under the shifter area. So that worked well for a year. A month+ ago on an average day I turned on my car and I saw the check engine light, I scanned it and it had code P0641, it said faulty ECM, something about shorting or open circuit. Then that went away. Next week I was driving, gauges dropped to 0, engine light came on, service esc came on, and even traction control turned off. I pulled over, turned off my car, turned it on, and drove back home, engine light still on but it drove fine, error code P0700 again. Then it went away same day. Finally, 2 days ago I was doing 60 on the highway, and my car jolts, I think I hear it downshift, I couldn't really tell exactly what happened since I had music on, but once again gauges dropped for a sec and I pulled over, turned it off and turned it back on. It was fine for a mile, and then I noticed that even going 40mph my car was revving harder that I usually hear it. I make it home, and turn it off. Next morning I go to work, engine light still on, I have been going 35, till I hit a 40mph zone, as soon as I go to accelerate, my revs go to 4k, and after a few seconds I smell something burning, so I immediately go back down to 30, hazards on, make it to work, make it through my day, then decide to take it to the dealership. I have a video I will attatch of how the ride there was, a whole bunch of the same thing but happening back to back. I know it must be an electrical issue but could my transmission also have gotten damaged from what I explained?

Got a 93 mustang LX that i spray starting fluid into and has only one cylinder firing.

I swapped out the distributor and the fuel injectors from a friemds car. Thought its a fuel problem but i got pressure down the rail, its clean, and the injectors are shooting fuel. The distributor i thought was fried (at least the sensors internally)cause i had to replace the TFI module but a new distributor didnt change anything. got new spark plug and spark plug wires, new igition coil. When i got it the computer wasnt working and not signaling the fuel pump the new computer works fine from what i can tell. Ive metered through the salt n pepper plugs and ended up cleaning the grounds.

Tldr crank no start not sure what to check next.

ive been doing this alone and dont know where to look any more.

I have the strangest issue with my Tiguan that the mechanics can't figure out.

About 7 months ago the check engine light came on and within the day went off again.
My battery is about 4.5 years old, so I kind of assumed it was needing a new battery.

A month or so later, the check engine light came on again. I ran it by auto zone, the light turned off before they could run the code, but they checked the battery. Tested fine.

A couple months later, the check engine light came on again. I ran it to O'Reiley, I honestly don't remember what the code was, but they said they thought it was the starter. The battery was testing fine. I wanted a second opinion so I ran to auto zone. That guy said something is seriously wrong you need to stop driving your car, but he couldn't tell me what was wrong. By this point the check engine light was off again.

I kept driving the car. Still at this point, the car is having NO ISSUES except that the light goes off and on infrequently. Repeat this a couple of times, every time I get the code run it reads a new issue.

This past weekend, light comes on, run to o'reilley code says it's something with the engine that has no fix (again, having no problems). They test battery and alternator. Alternator tests bad. Someone told me they had a similar problem with their Tiguan and it just needed a new battery.

I finally get irritated and take it to a mechanic. The mechanic tests battery/alternator, both are fine. I explain the situation and he says he literally has no idea what the issue is. He can't find anything wrong with the car, but feels like it must be a software/computer issue.

Has anyone had any issues like this with their Tiguan? Trying to avoid a lofty dealership fee when the car isn't having any problems. Please Help?!?!?!

*The latest code was: U3501 - Control Module Input Power ‘A’ Circuit Low *

Chat gpt said it looks like I reversed into something but I feel like I would have known? Any thoughts!