Client brought his car in for an engine swap. While we were waiting a couple of days to get the engine, the car was just sitting in the lot. We had no idea his tires were aired up to over 150 PSI until one blew out and ripped the fender completely open.😭😭 btw its like 90-100+ degrees outside

Customer states my car has a warning light when I go to backup, check and advise.

-21C!! Shame I have never driven anywhere this cool since :(

I am looking to learn more about cars and start doing some of my own work/maintenance on my car, both to save some $ on mechanics bills and also because I like learning how things work and it seems like a fun hobby. However, I find myself stopping myself from trying out of a fear of breaking something. For example, I recently had a leak in my rear passenger side footwell and I'm pretty sure it's something with the vapor barrier - it looks like a very easy fix, but the idea of taking the door apart makes me worried I won't be able to put it back on or that I will break something and make the whole issue work. Same thing with relatively trivial maintenance like changing my own oil - I know the 'steps' but I worry about messing up when jacking the car up or accidentally draining the transmission fluid or any number of random things because I don't really know what I'm doing. I know the only way to learn is by doing, but does anyone have any tips on breaking past the fear of messing up and making everything worse and A) costing myself lots of extra money and B) breaking my car?

I’m getting my first car in a few weeks and i want tips to make it look better. I’m getting a manual blue 2013 mitsubishi lancer (car in photo) and i want to make to look good and sound sexy. I’ll have about 2.5k left over to spend on the car and i’m not too sure if wanna put a new exhaust / tip on it or mod something else on it. If anyone has any tips or suggestions please lmk.

Hey is the rust on the frame bad? I found this sweet Lexus GX470 with 90,000 miles listed for 22k. The rust is what’s turning me away? What do you guys think?

2010 Honda Civic EX, 4-cyl 1.8L VTEC

I replaced the battery a month ago because I kept having to jump-start it- not every time, but frequently, maybe 1-2 times weekly. It was fine for a month, now I keep having to jump it again. It handles long trips fine, I drove it 90 minutes last night and it started up in the morning.

Took it to the shop, they say alternator output drops from 14.3V to 12.5V when under high electrical load (A/C, lights, maybe more).

Is this likely just a bad alternator & I should replace it? or should I look at the Electrical Load Detector first to see if it's causing that drop? Or something else I should look at first?

Hi everyone,

my sedan (factory alloy wheels with relatively low-profile tires) was towed using a front Wheel Lift and rear Dollies.

When I picked up the vehicle, all four rims had new scuffs and gouges along the outer lips/spokes. (The release form was signed acknowledging the damage upon pickup).

However, when I reached out to the towing company, the general manager claimed:

Her argument is basically that because the equipment is designed to contact the tires, it's physically impossible for them to scratch or damage alloy wheels.

I wanted to ask mechanics, tow truck operators, or anyone with experience: Is this true in real-world conditions?

Specifically:

1. Wheel Lift (Front): How do the metal L-arms/scoops, metal ratchet buckles, or chain hooks interact with low-profile tires/wheels during installation, transport, or removal? Can metal contact the rim if the operator is rushed or in a tight spot?
2. Dollies (Rear): How are dollies installed and removed? Does using the metal pry bar/lever to lift the wheels onto the dolly frame carry any risk of scraping the rim face or lip?
3. Have any of you seen wheel/rim damage caused by wheel-lift or dolly setups before?

I'm trying to understand if her explanation is just a "textbook ideal scenario" versus how these rigs actually operate in the field.

Thanks in advance for your insights!

It seems as if my AC decides to blow hot air when it’s hotter than 90 degrees outside, which in Texas is literally all the time. It’s not super hot air though, maybe like room temperature? But when it’s under 90 degrees outside, my ac works perfectly fine, and blows cold air. I talked to someone about it, and they said to recharge my ac, but when I look that up people say it’s not a great fix, or that it’s only temporary. Has anyone else had this problem? I’m scared to get quoted 1k at the mechanic if they tell me to replace the entire part, because I wouldn’t know if that’s bs or not.

Hi, guys, I try to make it as short as possible. My parents have a Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 2010. There is no Rockford Soundsystem in the car. Like 4 years ago, they upgraded the standard radio to a headunit. And also installed a rear camera and a DAB+ Radio console.. The headunit worked, but the buttons on the steering wheels didn't work, and carplay also didn't work, or not correctly... I think it was just because of a missing cable at least for the steering wheel buttons. it was this headunit- https://www.car-media.ch/shop/de/produkt/cartec-px-5-ultra-android-10-autoradio-fuer-mitsubishi-lancer-2008-2016

Then we bought this headunit because they wanted a bigger screen and also wanted the buttons on the steering wheels to work again: - https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005012041121471.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.4.7c1cjI9qjI9qn4&algo_pvid=506a5c79-0423-4fb9-960d-a0099a0a02b7&algo_exp_id=506a5c79-0423-4fb9-960d-a0099a0a02b7-3&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22order%22%3A%22-1%22%2C%22eval%22%3A%221%22%2C%22fromPage%22%3A%22search%22%7D&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21CHF%211034.02%21485.99%21%21%211276.10%21599.77%21%402103890917816222048441272ea07f%2112000057354991945%21sea%21CH%21778897608%21X%211%210%21n_tag%3A-29919%3Bd%3Ada2f21db%3Bm03_new_user%3A-29895&curPageLogUid=UQ1bcwb9hLG0&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch%7Cquery_from%3A%7Cx_object_id%3A1005012041121471%7C_p_origin_prod%3A

So a few days ago I installed it for my parents (the last one a car mechanic installed it), and everything worked fine. GPS, microphone, WLAN, DAB+ Console for Radio, carplay, buttons on the steering wheel also worked, Music from the USB stick worked etc.. Everything worked fine, the only thing I couldn't do is the rear camera, because of a cable had to be soldered to a 12-volt cable, which I couldn't do myself, so the car mechanic did it quickly. The DAB+ Console is also routet to a 12 Volt cable i think.

So everything seemed to work fine, but the next day when they drove the car out from the garage, the music didn't play. The player was running but there was no sound coming from the speakers. When they used it later from coming back from grocery shopping or whatever, it worked fine without problems again. The next day the same problem again.. At first I thought it might be because of the garage because it's cold and dark in there, it might trigger something. But then this problem also started to happen when the car was outside, the first song was playing normally and the next song was no sound again.. Then I told them to turn off the headlights when this happens, and after like 5 seconds the music started playing from the speakers again.

I would say most of the time if you turn the headlights of, the music/speakers start to work again. But not always. I thought maybe the battery is to old, then they charged it fully but still the same problems.. So I removed the DAB+ Console (which is conected via USB) and also the other USB cabler which is for the music stick, and I put the music directly on the headunit. And I also removed the ground cable, maybe i thought it has loose connection or something like that..

But also did didn't fix the problem.. Then I put everything back together and now the DAB+ Radio and the USB Music stick also don't work anymore. I tried 3 different music usb sticks, but music can't be found anymore. I tried to make a factory resett but none of the like 20 passwords I put in, didn't work. So I gave up, was close to destroy everything.

I installed a headunit on my honda civic and also on a friends BMW and it worked perfectly. No idea what the problem is here with the music/speaker. I don't think I wire something wrong, otherwise there would be no music at all.

My parents called the car mechanic and he said the headunit gets not enough power. he will add next week a cable to it, to give it more power and it should (hopefully) fix the problem.

But can this really be? He ment there was just a standard radio installed in the car, and now a big tesla type headunit. I'm just scared that the headunit or the car will burn down or something 😅

I'm just curious if this is really the problem solver.. Or maybe there is a software bug or whatever.
I was always talking wiht chatgpt and claude about this problem, but it also couldn't help me, so that's why I'm asking here.. Maybe someone has an answer for it, or has me the factory codes.

The text below is a summary from chatgpt/claude, just if someone wanna read it. Thank you already.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Vehicle: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer RalliartOld head unit: Cartec PX5 Ultra (Android 10)New head unit: Chinese Android unit from 1688, "GT6-CAR" platform, model ZF-1259GE, 8+128GB, Qualcomm QCM6125InstallationWiring went smoothly: GPS, CarPlay, mic, WiFi, reverse camera, DAB+ radio and USB music all worked fine after install and a test drive.Problem 1 – Intermittent audio dropoutUSB music AND DAB+ radio lose sound simultaneously (player UI shows "playing", but no audio output)Everything else (GPS, WiFi, CarPlay, mic) keeps working fine during the dropoutInitially seemed tied to cold morning starts from the garage, and would resolve itself after a few minutes of drivingAlready ruled out: USB stick format (FAT32), player app (VLC also affected, not just stock player), "Sound Attenuation" setting (was disabled), ground wire quality (re-crimped and properly bolted, no change), WiFi/Bluetooth/hotspot (disabled, no clear improvement)Breakthrough – reproducible testTurning headlights ON immediately kills audio. Turning headlights OFF immediately restores it. 100% reproducible, tested multiple times, even with the ground wire fully disconnected. This points to a firmware bug: the headlight/ILL signal (presumably meant to trigger night-mode dimming) appears to be incorrectly muting the audio output as well.Problem 2 – currently acuteAfter swapping between two USB sticks and disconnecting/reconnecting cables (ground wire, DAB+ USB dongle), the entire USB subsystem suddenly stopped detecting anything at all — neither the music stick nor the DAB+ dongle. Currently attempting a full cold restart (power disconnected for 5 minutes).Questions for the communityDoes anyone know the GT6-CAR board (or similar Qualcomm QCM6125-based Chinese head units) and how to fix a headlight→audio-mute bug via settings or firmware?Any tips for reliably resetting a completely unresponsive USB controller on these units?

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?

-Roughly what would a professional repair cost if its required?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hello guys, I have a 05 Lexus ES330 and it won’t start. I changed all the both cam shaft MAF sensor no more codes popping up and it still won’t start I changed out the fuel pump and still nothing. What do you guys think is the problem ?

Hi everyone, I have recently had trouble with my car. It is a 2013 Hyundai Elantra with 170,000 miles. Sometimes when starting it takes a bit longer and the tachometer does not come up, and runs really rough (seems to be in limp mode). If I turn off and recrank it will come back up and the car runs fine once again.

Sometimes this also happens when driving. Tachometer dies and engine loses lots of power, running rough at low rpm. At idle if this happens it normally just dies. Never has a problem restarting.

Any ideas? I was thinking crank or cam position sensor, even the ecm after researching but I’m not sure. Hoping it would be something I could change myself reasonably. Any ideas? Check engine is on but if I’m remembering right it was related to oxygen sensor. Changed all filters and that changed nothing.

Like on the RAV4 or old Station Wagons?

My old baby Santa Fe Sport just kicked the bucket so I'm looking to get a used car. I've always loved the feature where the trunk of the car swings out horizontally- I know some ppl say its a pain in the butt but it's always been my dream to have that feature (its not a classy dream but its mine!)

I've had trouble finding modern (post-2010) car models other than the RAV4 that have this feature, so if anyone has any knowledge on this I'd really appreciate any suggestions!!

I bought my 2005 Toyota Camry about 4 years ago, and it ran really quietly when I got it. Around 4 months ago, it suddenly got very loud out of nowhere. I don’t know much about cars but could this be an exhaust leak, or something else? I get very common comments on how loud it is by family and friends and am wondering how to fix it.

*Dont cook me too bad pls😭🙏🏿*

On the way to work this morning I rear ended a 4x4 city truck while it was signaling a right turn and suddenly stopped and I crashed into its back left side. It was a yellow lined road so if I swerved the other way I would’ve had a head on collision with the opposite lane. I was at fault for making the wrong judgment but the light was green and no one was crossing so him suddenly stopping lowkey spooked me cuz he was ahead and I was rolling up behind him goin bout 35mph. The math def was wrong but I’m glad we were both okay. We exchanged info, cops came and did their protocol. One of the supervisors that showed up told me that majority of the time the city’s gonna cover both vehicles and said to give them a call tmrw and see if I can get a claim on my car. I’m not stressing about it though. This was the first crash I’ve ever been in since 6yrs I’ve been behind the wheel and I’m glad it wasn’t worse than this🙏🏿

That being said……….this car is a fuckin beast and I totally underestimated its toughness, I turned it off n back on after the crash and it’s still running perfectly. The only thing that leaked was the wiper fluid and in total the only thing that needs replacing is the bumper, hood, fender and like 3 bulbs. I’m not getting rid of it, call me delusional but I drove it home and stared at it for about 10mins straight before saying “thank you for still being here” (2nd pic) I’m gonna get parts for it soon as I already found someone with parts on fb marketplace. Older cars are definitely resonating with me more after this🙌🏿

I have tried lot of sprays and they do ok on paint but then it leaves like a greasy look on my wheels. I've got powder coasted rims it's a bit old car, and what I am using right now makes them look even worse. My son in law told me there is a specific wheel product for this but I think there must be something that can handle whole thing with just one product.

soo this is my boyfriends car.. 07 outback. just found the lateral arm is basically cut in half and there’s a hole in the rear subframe. is this even worth trying to fix? he doesn’t really have much money for another car and hasn’t built credit yet. any ideas

In terms of the overall driving experience.

hi everyone, that's my windshield that got hit by a rock 2 days ago. will the crack get bigger? can travel safely or should i replace it? at the moment i can still see clearly. thanks

I'm 23, daily an e200 2007 and I am thinking of getting a 370z. It was a dream of mine to get into cars for a long time and I finally have the chance to do so. I've got mechanic friends who rebuild their own stuff either a full rebuilds or general modding, watching them as they do so and explaining to me how things go together and work.

I've heard that the 370z is a good car to begin on with and work around yourself. I like its looks and there is a lot of aftermarket for it. Preferably I would like to mod it in the future and learn as i go . Start on with "easy" additions or changes and go from there.

I would like you to basically give me your opinion if its worth it or if I should look for another car. For those who support the 370z is there anything to watch ? What's your opinion on the VQ37 ?
I am 1.92m tall, so people with Zs how is the space inside? What to check when inspecting before buying?

Appreciate the help, all opinions accepted !