Am I supposed to believe these two strips of painters tape are somehow keeping my new windshield in-place? By the time I got home, 30min later, the tape is already staring to peal off.

1984 F150, 302

I just got back from test driving a 2017 Mazda CX-3. Before the test drive, the salesman said "I have to ask you to please not use your OBDII scanner, it's after market and it will mess up the cars computer system so when we take it back to scan it ourselves it will show codes that aren't actually codes".

Now here's the thing, I was at the same dealership two days ago test driving a 2019 Mazda3. I had my scanner with me before, during, and after the test drive. I had a different salesman then, and all he said was "oh cool you have an OBDII scanner". That's it. He didn't say anything about how I'm not allowed to use one or that it's going to mess up the car. It's just a standard OBDII scanner off Amazon (the classic bright yellow one with 40k+ purchases).

I feel like this salesman today was trying to pull a fast one on me, if it really was an issue it would be a Mazda wide policy right? I've used this scanner on my moms Mazda and my Corolla for years and we've never had any issues and our mechanics have never said anything.

go

Things I found.

We billed $480,000 in labour.

$520,000 in parts. We have a 50% parts margin

$62,000 in shop supplies.

Cash deals that add up to $100,000k pure profit under the table.

Two techs including me do all of the work. I make 78k gross, other tech makes 65k.

Boss watches tv all day and takes more than 3 months off total every year.

I've been working for this person for over 10 years.

Wtf would you do?

Edited : (This was for fiscal year 2024, and similar in 2023)

I got my oil changed today via mobile service at my house. When the technician finished up and handed me back my keys I asked if everything looked ok to which he replied "yep". I received the invoice a couple hours later and on it the technician noted a possible transmission fluid seepage. That seemed like something he could have mentioned. I decided to crawl under to see if I could tell what he was referring to. While under the vehicle I glanced at the oil filter and it looked odd. There were light residue streaks on it top to bottom that were undisturbed. I would not expect to see that type of pattern on a new oil filter. Getting a closer look I could see surface rust on the top lip of the filter, also something I would not expect to see. I did pay for an oil and filter change but I don't see how this can be a new filter. The filter may look relatively clean but it's an RV that doesn't get driven much so I wouldn't expect it to be filthy. I called the service manager and explained what I saw and that I would send a picture. It was the end of the day and he said he would take a look tomorrow. Based on the picture, am I correct thinking that the filter was not changed?

This is a photo of my radiator cap. Why is it milky and what can I do to fix it?

Does anyone know if this would be the battery or ignition orrr what 😭. TYIA

Hey there,

Planning on buying my dream car in a year or two, its an M3 E46 (not really original eh), very well known for some engine issues.

On that time frame I plane of being done with depending on BMW for overall repairs and maintenance, and I'm currently looking for mechanical courses to do after work as I always wanted to work on my cars.

Most of the ones I found cover everything from the basis to replacing a clutch, but none for rebuilding an engine.

On vids it looks "as easy" as the rest just more complexe. In the sense that it still looks like it's just bolts and screws. However, video makers tend to make things look easy and cut the research they've done and when it go wrong to look super skilled.

How delusional it is to think I'll be able replace rod bearings or a head gasket in 1 or 2 years assuming during that time frame I'll also need time to learn about the rest of general mechanic ?

Hi everyone. So I’ve had this nefarious and unexplained issue with my alternator / battery for a while. My car will sometimes power down out of nowhere, I’ve replaced the battery and alternator and it’s usually fine but every now and then it’ll just die when I’m driving.

Usually when I get a jump start it’ll be fine, but sometimes not. I know it’s unlikely that the battery is to blame because I’ve had it tested multiple times and the car pretty much always starts with no problem, it’s while it’s running that the issues present themselves (classic alternator powering down things). Tonight I noticed that when I was trying to get it started after it died while idling that the bolt that holds the wiring on the top of the alternator (the one above where the relay attaches) was literally glowing red hot - so much that it melted part of the harness.

The car is a 2010 Toyota Corolla. Below is an image in the comments

Thank you!

It's a 2009 vw jetta 2.5L with roughly 156k miles on it

I have a 2022 Mitsubishi mirage ES, 51,000km on it.

Last week I’ve noticed a high pitched whine only when I’m stopped at a light with the breaks on. It goes away as soon as I release the breaks, and it only happens within the first 10 minutes of driving.

The Mirage is a pretty loud car in general and nothing else sounds or feels off when it drives except for this noise that disappears after a little while of driving. I just had my rotors and break pads replaced 5 months ago and just got an oil change done right before the noise started.

Any theories?

I was driving the other night when my engine light came on and so did my traction control lights. It also went into limp mode and got stuck at roughly 1200 rpm and wouldn’t give me anything from the accelerator obviously so save the engine from more damage. However when I turn it off and back on the engine light is still on and I can drive it normally and the engine sounds fine not missing a beat until it randomly happens again. I’m not sure what it could be but my guess is dodgy fuel injector, damaged ECU or some electrical fault. Some more information is that it’s a 4x4 Mitsubishi Triton, 2014 2.5L common rail diesel engine. No previous engine issues. Let me know if anyone has any ideas of what it could be any information is appreciated.

Today, I was putting my car into reverse to pull into my driveway. I shift from drive to reverse and while the gear moved, my car still remained in drive. I panicked and turned my car off while in drive. My key was able to come out of the ignition but of course my car wouldn’t turn over when I tried to restart my car.

My mechanic sent a video for the shift release and that did not work.

The tow truck came and I explained that they should exercise caution because technically the car is in drive. Of course he didn’t listen and told me he knows how to deal with this. Once my car was loaded onto the flatbed, the guy was speaking to me and behind him I noticed that my car MOVED while on the flatbed. Thankfully, it moved forward versus reverse otherwise it would’ve fallen off the flat bed.

My mechanic will look at my vehicle tomorrow, but he suspect a linkage issue dealing with the transmission.

From what I explained, what do you all think?

2013 Kia Optima

suzuki gs500e 1993.
delkevic exhaust missing the clamp that goes around the exhaust and mounts to rear. any suggestions or diy?

Year: 2001
Make: Mazda
Model: Tribute
Mileage: 400,000km
(unknown service history)
(This car has had multiple owners before me and I know nothing about cars).

My car started overheating on the way home from work and I have not started the engine since, this was 2 weeks ago.

I noticed a rubber tube with a pipe inside has separated (rusted?) and when putting water/coolant in the car, it pours out of this tube - I also suspect there is a lot of sediment in my radiator/cooling system.

What is this component called, I felt like an idiot talking to the mechanic over the phone without the proper terminology.

--------------------

Ideally I would like to fix this myself as a DIY project and to strengthen my confidence and knowledge about cars, as I envision opportunities to help others with my newfound knowledge :)

Thanks Team!

Hi everyone - noticed a bit of stain on the floor of the garage and when i looked it up this is what I saw - just wanted to get idea what is this part that is leaking. Thanks much in advanc3

The sound only happens when I turn the wheel at low speeds or slight slow turns or the movement im doing in the video

So I’ve done some research and what not and I’m thinking I’m going to get a car to work on and stuff. I’ve heard it’s a good start sort of to learn some of the basics. I don’t really wanna do school like collage etc not because I’m lazy but because I just don’t have the time nor do I got the money for it. So I’m thinking about buying a car I have a few I’m thinking of but I’m not entirely sure. So is having a somewhat of a project car or just a car to work on a good way to learn basics or are there other ways? Please let me know

I have a 2005 Silverado 2500. Its currently about 65 degrees in Southern California and I just finished driving about 25 minutes uphill into a mountain town. My trans temp hit about 175 near the end of my drive but mostly was around 160-165. Is this normal?

2.0 Zetec Blacktop. I span a bearing on track due to oil starvation from an unbaffled sump.

Took the car back to the manufacturer (Tiger Sportscars) to have the engine rebuilt. They said I should do a few hundred miles to ensure the engine’s running well, and then it’s good for track use without an oil change.

Would you leave it? Or put new oil in? (Yes I have a new, baffled sump)